A few months back, I went to the Sarasota Young Professionals Group happy hour at Canvas Café with Mishelle and the Republican. I left work just before 5 p.m., ran home to freshen up — a girl can always use a splash of perfume, a brush of blush across the cheeks and some lip gloss. (Just keep in mind there’s an increasing number of men who say they hate the “plumper” lip gloss because it stings them during a kiss!)

As I was saying, I switched into my hot-pink shoes and black dress that cuts off just above the knees, donned a string of pearls and was out the door.

When Mishelle arrived, the three of us headed to Canvas. The doors to the bar were open and the air conditioning must have been turned off, because the room felt like a sauna.

I shuddered as I recalled the first — and only — time I agreed to take a hot yoga class downtown. The stench of sweaty feet had hit me in the face like a brick and the heat escaping the room had been unbearable. I can’t tell you how glad I was when the instructor said, “If you aren’t 10 minutes early, you’re late. Try again next week.”

I never went back.

After grabbing a Stella Artois at the bar, I made my rounds and said hi to friends, one of them being a girl named Ashley. We’d hung out a few times at the beach, O’Learys and Joyland, but I had yet to get her phone number or learn how she earned a living. So, we swapped business cards.

I glanced at the front of hers and found out she worked for novelist Lisa Daily, author of “How to Date Like a Grown-up: Everything You Need to Know to Get Out There, Get Lucky or Even Get Married in Your 40s, 50s and Beyond.” I had never heard of the woman, but smiled and pocketed the card.

So, one day last week, I was sitting at work and attempting to tidy my desk. There’s an ever-growing stack of business cards inside the top drawer and another that tops my own box of cards. A light-blue card caught my eye — it belonged to Ashley.

Something caused me to flip it over. On the backside was a dating tip that read:

“Wearing pink makes men more likely to approach you, but if you want a little extra vaa-vaa-voom, wear red. It increases the heart rate and mimics early attraction.”

I laughed and hopped on to Daily’s Web site to chuckle over more dating tips but found that I can’t access them unless I buy the book. I e-mailed Ashley for a little more info about these tips and found Daily’s Dating Tip #37 conveniently listed below her signature:

“If you’re having a hard time finding Mr. Right, just wait it out. Starting in 2010, there will actually be a woman shortage! There will be a million extra men in the 25 to 44 age range. Yippee!”

After reading a few of Daily’s tips, I thought it might be fun to try my hand at writing some of my own dating tips, all from personal experiences.

TIPS:
1.  It doesn’t matter if a guy can whip up a fabulous steak dinner and play Jack Johnson on the guitar — if he starts to call less frequently and makes up excuses for wanting to sleep at home, let him go.

2. If he invites you over for a drink and to meet his friends but totally ignores you, decline the second date offer.

3. If, on a date, he demands you vote for Obama and forces you to list — out loud — every reason why you’re undecided, continue on your quest for Mr. Right.

4. If he commands more attention than you do, don’t stick around.

5. If one of your top-five “must haves” is a sense of humor and he doesn’t appear to have one, he’s not for you.

6. Stay away from men who only call to inform you that your car is parked crookedly, to let you know they are driving behind you on the Ringling Bridge or to say, “Hey, come help us finish the keg.”

7. If you meet him on the day his girlfriend breaks up with him, it’s probably a bad idea to see him again.

8. If his room is painted pink and purple (even if he claims it wasn’t his choice), get out. Don’t think about it, walk out the door, get into your car and drive away.

Although Dailey’s dating tip of wearing red may work for most, I have found that pink is more of my own personal vaa-vaa-voom color — I own six pairs (I think?!) of pink high-heeled shoes … ladies, some rules were made to be broken.

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