How I spent my summer(s)

Two summers ago I dated three guys in quick succession. I knew they were all wrong for me. A) great on paper B) a great idealization and C) a great conversation that ended the very second we became a couple, as correctly predicted by him.

Last summer, two of the characters from the year before played starring roles in the Polanski directed version of my life. Murky waters. The third had only a cameo role. Thank God.

This summer, I have learnt about karma, retribution, deceit, and -ultimately- how your adversaries can become your allies by taking the dead weight you've been carrying around off your hands. At first, it's unpleasant but when you realize the major favour being done for you, it's hoorah!

Sarah came over on the day my fridge horoscope (a magnetic calendar with a new message for each day) said the following:

To get what you want, it helps greatly to know exactly what that is. What you want is defined by your real desire, not what you think you'll probably get.

Apt words for our activity that night -besides drinking mojitos-, creating a list of my so-called dealbreakers. I ended up with six, which Sarah thinks is too many, but I had to fight her on it. Dealbreakers are things you will not accept in an FLP (as Sarah calls them), and therefore we converted my list into a contract, which begins thus:

I, Isabel Brinck, hereby solemnly swear that I will not pursue a relationship with anyone who:


and then the points we came up with follow. I could have copied the list here, but it's kind of too personal, I think. Plus, you don't really need to know unless you are a) one of my assigned veto-empowered friends who may axe any undesirable candidates or b) a candidate.

Most of my list is made up of the-worst-of-the-worst of what I've already experienced. If I read it that way, it's pretty pathetic. But going back to the adversary-cum-ally, if I realize that I have been thankfully released from all of these things, than hallelujah, I *love* this list!