Tarot for Love & Relationships

I have three more books to give away before I launch the new blog, so I might power through them.

Next up is the Tarot for Love & Relationships. Laugh, that's fine, but I also thought this book was really fun. It tells you how to lay out cards for tarot readings, then it tells you what each card means in a love context. I didn't use them too often, often knowing in my gut the real answer, but I found that the cards often confirmed what I already knew.

I used them once on 5k Guy. He was no one special, just a guy who sparked my interest before I decided what to do with the Christopher situation. And I'll never forget what the book said. I flipped over a card and read the corresponding description, and it read something like "This guy just likes doing activities; he isn't into you." And I remember sitting on my bed staring at this card with my mouth agape. 5k Guy was so into my 30 Before 30 list that he started offering to accomplish my goals with me. I thought it meant he liked me, but in the end I think he just really liked lists. And this card also said he liked doing stuff and to not confuse it with feelings. I had never seen that card before or again.

I think it's a fun way to organize your thoughts and feelings. I'll throw in the (cheap) tarot deck I bought to go with it. Leave a comment if you want it!

Winner

M, you won the book. So if you want it, it is yours! Email me with your address and I'll send it to Australia! 

Seduction by the Stars

When I was 14 and a freshman in high school, my friend Ashley (at least, I think that was her name) was really into astrology. And she had a crush on a boy. So for her birthday I bought her Seduction by the Stars: An Astrological Guide to Love, Lust, and Intimate Relationships. Only she got that boy to be her boyfriend without the book, and subsequently I never heard from her ever again. So when her birthday approached, I kept the damn book.

I'm not going to lie. For the next 18 years, every time I dated someone new and learned his birthday, I consulted this book. It tells you how to flirt with, have sex with, have a relationship with, and a break up with every person based on his or her astrological sign. It even goes so far as to come up with sexy 9-1/2 Weeks' scenarios based on astrological signs. I kind of love this book.

And the most valuable thing I ever learned is how to gauge a person's interest by his or her hug. And even though it's the Cuddle Litmus Test for Pisces, this has proven to be universal.

You can use cuddling to gauge your prospects. Here is some body language to be aware of:

The A-Frame Cuddle: Here the Pisces hugs you with the top half of the body but keeps the pelvis well away from yours. Sexual prospects: zero.

The Shoulder-Tapping Hug: Another distancing hug. The Pisces hugs you but taps or slaps you on the shoulder rather than continuing contact. This shows that they are not comfortable with intimate contact with you. Sexual prospects: very poor.

The Dead-Zone Hug: The hugging equivalent of a dead-fish handshake. The Pisces hugs you but just freezes in position, zombie-like. Sexual prospects: poor.

The Warm Hug: The Pisces hugs you affectionately but their body doesn't mold to yours. Sexual prospects: maybe.

The Sensual Hug: The Pisces hugs you and their hands don't stay still but move around your back. This shows a desire to caress your skin and feel you. Sexual prospects: a definite possibility.

The Reverse Hug: The Pisces comes up and hugs you from behind. Your bottom is pressed against something interesting. Sexual prospects: excellent.

The Body-Molding Hug: The Pisces molds their body against yours, warmly snuggling in, crevice to crevice. Sexual prospects: what are you waiting for, you idiot?

The Octopus Hug: Body molding plus wandering hands. Speaks for itself. Sexual prospects: you may have to fight them off.

I have been meaning to blog about the Pisces Litmus Test for years. And now I have finally done it when it's time to give the book away. If you would like to know how to hit on someone based on this hug test*, leave a comment to win the book.

And just for fun, what are some other kinds of hugs that we missed, along with their sexual prospects? I'll start. The Armpit Hug, where you both kind of go in sideways with one arm around the back of the shoulders so only your armpits are touching. Sexual prospects: never going to happen, and you probably shouldn't even be friends.

*J/K. You just unbutton unbutton a cuff or their shirt or blouse and stroke the soft flesh on the inside of their arm. Worked like a charm on Abraham.

Winner

Amber! You won the book! Email me with your address so Quirkyalone can make its way to its new home.

For other people still interested in the book and the Quirkyalone movement, my favorite web site Better World Books has two copies for $3.98, including shipping. Amazon has a ton of copies too for about the same price.

Quirkyalone

One of the blogs I've been reading since the inception of my own blog is [Miscellany], written by a woman I only know as M or Mez. She is wonderful. She sketches comics. She has excellent taste in books and movies. And she lives in Australia, which sounds deeply exotic to this American.

In 2008 she posted about a book titled Quirkyalone: A Manifesto for Uncompromising Romantics. And because she recommended it, I bought it. The author Sasha Cagen describes the quirkyalone:

We are the puzzle pieces who seldom fit with other puzzle pieces. Romantics, idealists, eccentrics, we inhabit singledom as our natural resting state. In a world where proms and marriage define the social order, we are, by force of our personalities and inner strength, rebels.

For the quirkyalone, there is no patience for dating just for the sake of not being alone. We want a miracle. Out of millions, we have to find the one who will understand.

Quirkyalones are not just women. And they aren't asexual. They aren't people who never leave the apartment. They are romantics who don't settle.

I don't think I ever was a quirkyalone. I was really good at dating for the sake of dating. I think true quirkyalones have this peace about being single that I never had.

The book is as quirky as the movement. Pages are filled with bios of other quirkyalones and sketches. There is advice for online dating, what to do when your friend becomes coupled up (Vent! But not to the person in the relationship!), and how to go to the movies alone. It's just a great little book for those who inhabit singledom as their natural resting state.

If you think you might be a quirkyalone and would like to win this book, leave a comment!

Winner

Liz, you won the book! Send me your address and I'll ship it our to you.