Menu Dating

No season is more prime for taste-testing than summer! With the sun blazing, kicking all of our libidos up a notch, clothing often optional and alcohol flowing in a bit more abundance, summer is just built for experimentation, adventure and story-telling... not to mention the longer days offer up more time for uninhibited fun... so you might as well take advantage of it!

In your beach bag this summer, along with your favorite trashy novel, your sunblock and your perfectly curated iPod, include the following mandidate checklist… THE ultimate dozen guys to date for a sizzlin’ summer of fun... and enlightenment too. With 12 weeks of summer and 12 guys, that's one per week. Who's up for the challenge? I guarantee you won't be disappointed!

1) Who: Boy Wonderin’… A friend of a friend you’ve had your eye on for too long

Why: A history book filled with “what-ifs” is a sad story, so this summer, ask your friend to hook you up with a long-time crush so you can uncover if there is more there than what’s been meeting your eye.

2) Who: Friend Fave… A blind date arranged by a BFF

Why: Mystery Men offer all the excitement of an online date with the pre-approved seal of approval given by a trusted friend. Letting someone else steer your dating destiny for just an evening can be eye-opening and also sometimes more successful than if you did it yourself.

3) Who: Digital Discovery… A guy from either a dating site (a NEW one if you already online date) or Twitter

Why: Mostly because its too easy not to. From the comfort of home, in your bunny slippers eating takeout you get to evaluate pics and profiles of hotties. Sure, it’s a little like roulette, but not really anymore than when meeting a random at a bar – this way though, you get to know ahead of time if he’s worth shaving for.

4) Who: The Ex-itheses… The opposite of your most recent ex

Why: The best way to wash that last man out of your head and heart is to date someone totally different than him. If your ex was a bad boy, taste test a nice guy; if your ex was a hermit, sample an adventurer. Opening yourself up to someone different will provide just the reinvigoration you need to catapult yourself back into a happy dating place.

5) Who: Addition to Your To-Do List… A guy you meet while running errands

Why: This is the guy that will give you confidence in the non-porn star version of yourself. He will have met you when you were looking like your regular self – jeans, t, converse, messy braid… and thought you were HOT! He will prove to you once and for all that guys don’t need three layers of makeup, a double-padded bra and a micro mini to think your smokin’.

6) Who: Holiday Hottie… A guy you meet on vacation

Why: If you are going to be single during the summer you might as well take advantage of it! And that means a sultry, don’t-write-home-about-it vacationship! Whatever happens in Vegas, Cancun, Maui, the South of France, you name it, it is sure to stay there, so use this date to let your inhibitions go far, far away!

7) Who: Tall, Dark and in a Tux… A groomsmen or other wedding guest bachelor

Why: Flirting with single guys at a wedding makes going to them less agonizing (“Yes Aunt Mae, I’m still single”). Plus if you can score a date out of your flirting attempts, it makes the investment of a new dress and the use of an entire Saturday all the more worth it.

8) Who: Boy Toy… A lifeguard, surf instructor - someone with a killer tan and abs to drool over

Why: For fling’s sake, this guy is all about pure physical attraction. After all, summer is about eye candy so why not get a piece of your own to nibble on and show off for a bit?

9) Who: The ‘Glow’betrotter… An international (accent preferred) traveler passing through town

Why: For fantasy fling’s sake, being romanced by a charming foreigner who will no doubt share embellished tales of his globetrotting life will seduce you like a dirty romance novel character. Here’s your chance to create a naughty tale to tell of your own.

10) Who: Formerly Forbidden … An ex-coworker, ex-teacher, ex-boss

Why: Life is short and whoever used to be red-lighted in your love life and doesn’t have to be anymore, should be explored to see if the appeal lied in the fact it was forbidden or if it was indeed genuine attraction.

11) Who: Mr. Mom… A divorced dad

Why: Because you said you never would and summer is the ideal time to break your own rules. The divorced dad will show you a new level of maturity in a man, force you to start thinking about a grown-up life, but still guarantee you plenty of freedom every other weekend.

12) Who: The Exception… A guy who would have all your friends jaw-dropped

Why: No matter the reason (he’s a barista; you only do bankers, he’s short; you only do tall), dating a guy that goes against policy is good for you. He’ll either break your once concrete barriers or confirm why you put them up in the first place.

Live... and swim in the sea of summer lovin' largely,

Tristan

p.s. Anyone who wants to really take the Boys of Summer challenge, email me, would love to have you chronicle your experiences as a guest on the blog for the summer! xo