Just when I thought it was all over and you guys would never hear another decent dating disaster again (my new sober streak is resulting in a serious lack of Dbag luck – I’m starting to see a correlation here! ), I found it, sitting smack in the middle of a “Potential” folder on my desktop, perfectly edited and yet never posted for reasons I cannot recall. Without further ado, here is the story of the Man who Went Commando.
There is nothing like some old-school advice. As much as our ludicrous generation likes to believe that it unlike no other, forced to deal with the life-altering challenges of economic uncertainty and Tinder dating, I have a news flash for you – human beings, in their essence, are still the same. One has to look no further than hilarious Instagram account of Crazy Jewish Mom and her stream-of-consciousness wisdom, which often rings truer than any new-age-hippie-nonsense that you will find permeating the Internets. Hence, rather than listening to the advice of Kim K and her band of delinquents, I encourage you to seek the invoice to your dear mothers, who have gone through life and hence know a thing or two about how the world works. Last year, I quizzed my friends on the best relationship tips their mothers ever gave them, resulting in one of my favorite articles to this day. With one week left until Mothers Day, I would love to hear from you guys on the best relationship advice your mom’s ever given you! Please email me at dbagdating@gmail.com and I will publish it next Sunday! Bonus perk: you get to show your mom that the wisdom she taught you made it on a blog called Dbag Dating – how’s that for a Mother’s Day gift?
Ever so often, I will get an email from one of you lovely readers, entrusting me with the details of your very own romantic trysts. More often than not, I encounter the following scenario: “I met so-and-so in [TK] city, but he was living in [TK] city and I was in [TK] city. We kept in touch, then met in [TK] city, etc, etc..” It is clear that the world is quickly becoming a romantically globalized place, with Tinder enabling us to surf the world via Tinder Passport (brilliant, can I get a free membership as a dating “influencer”?), low-cost airlines elevating travel restrictions, and Facebook turning us one big happy virtual family, causing intercontinental love to flow in abundance.
For every person who is naturally at ease with all things love and relationships, there’s a nerdy loser such as myself, who attempts to turn them into a science. Another (far more successful) nerdy loser happens to be Neil Strauss, author of “The Game: Penetrating the Secret Society of Pickup Artists”, a NY Times bestseller on “the most devastatingly effective techniques ever invented to seduce women.”
As you may remember, a week ago I posted a invitation to ASK ME ANYTHING (the offer still stands by the way!) Some of you guys took me up on this and sent over your questions, a few of which appeared rather similar, or at least interlinked. While I certainly don’t claim to have success in this arena, I will aim to answer them to my best extent!
Question #1
What is the best advice you can give someone who is new to the Parisian dating scene or what shocked you the most about dating in Paris?
Jeremy and Rachel Schinazi
It was August 2008 and I was away in Russia, when I received a phone call from my best friend, Rachel. “I met a guy. He’s French, and he’s crazy”, she informed me, sending me a link to his Facebook page. Skimming through the profile of a cute Frenchie named Jeremy Schinazi, we giggled at his jewfro and blue plastic sunglasses he was so fond of at the time. Little did we know that this goofy French boy would soon go on to play a pivotal role in her life, becoming her best friend, closest confidant, and later on, her husband and the father of their beautiful baby girl, Leni Natalie. Seven years later, I am honored to call him one of my dearest friends, as well as his own special title of Husband-in-Law. They both live in Paris, where Jeremy runs marketing agency Twin Panda Group and Rachel raises Leni, documenting said métier via a mommy blog La Yummy Mummy. The other day, we sat down to discuss their fateful meeting in NYC’s Meatpacking District, the formative first years of their relationship, new parenthood, and my hopeless love life. Read on!
