Must haves and have nots ***Updated***

Yesterday's post about my preferences in a man got me to thinking, what are my must haves and my have nots? And not just when it comes to dating.

We all have things we prefer, or insist on, even when it comes to grocery shopping, right? I'm not immune, I have my Must Have's....

Bounty paper towels - anything else is a waste of my money. And I prefer white, instead of those cutesy little decorative ones with grapes and leaves and whatever else the season represents.

Angel Soft toilet paper - again, white only. I don't need flowers on my TP to feel feminine at that particular moment. White does the job just as well and it goes better with my bathroom. There's nothing floral in my house, kids. (Except Vinnie's roses which still look gorgeous!)

Hellman's Mayo - there is nothing else to buy. I don't get the Miracle Whip people, I truly don't. I'm sure there are some of you out there, but seriously...it's good mayo that's been watered down with milk and sugar. Yuck.

Starbucks Caffe Verona coffee - I'm a coffee snob. I admit it. I don't do the cheap stuff. My morning ritual is Caffe Verona, with whatever flavored creamer I am currently hooked on. Right now, it's Italian Sweet Creme. Yummo. It's like sex in a mug.

Bottled water - must be Natural Spring. Not of this purified, reverse osmosis shit. I want my water to have everything it's made with naturally, nothing added and nothing removed. I prefer Fiji as it's the closest thing to perfect you can get. But it's pricey to be healthy.

Diet Pepsi, Caffeine Free - no exceptions. I will only buy Coke if Pepsi products aren't on sale and Coke is really cheap.

I have specifics on laundry detergent, dog food, soy milk, etc, but figured you are already bored reading this so I'll move on to my Must Haves and Have nots in Men!

Men...my gosh, how do I narrow it down? I told you yestrday a couple of my preferences, but I'll list a few more here...

Must be taller than I am - I'm 5'8" (I used to be 5'9", not sure if I lost an inch because I no longer have 80's big hair, or if gravity is pulling everything south, not just my boobs) and I have not ever been, nor will I ever be, attracted to men shorter than me. I like 'em big! I'm 6' tall in heels, and even though I don't wear them often anymore, I still want my guy to be taller than me when I do. I'll settle for a 6 footer, but that's about the shortest I'll go. Now, that being said, it's like everything else...if he brings A LOT to the table, I could probably be persuaded to overlook the height thing to a point. But he's gotta have a whole bunch of other attributes that I can't live without!

I have issues with "old breath". Come on, you KNOW what I mean by this. There's that smell that comes from someone who's either very unhealthy, or just aging quickly on the inside, that smells "old". I can't describe it any other way. And trust me, I have met 45 year old men with this problem. I can't get past it. It reminds me of a nursing home...I've been dealing with nursing homes with my parents for 9 years now, and trust me, there is nothing about it that's a turn on. So I can't be with a man who has old breath and reminds me of that scenario. This is my big concern with "Irving". He's pushing 60 folks. He may be a very young 58, or he may not be. But one date with him (should he ever actually respond to my email!) and one sniff of old breath, and he's history.

I have a problem with teeth, too. Now, I'm not expecting every man to have a set of Hollywood Straight & Whites, but I need to see evidence of dental hygiene. My teeth are not the straightest ones in the world, but at least when I smile they don't look bad. Just don't crawl inside my mouth and look too closely...there's plenty of crowding on the bottom and a couple of crowns that need repair! But as I said yesterday, I broke up with a guy who had a dark spot on his front top tooth, and it drove me insane. I was actually embarrased to be seen with him, as I felt it was a refection on me. (Yes, I am *that* shallow...we've established this already!) Sure, he could have had it capped, and we might have had a great life together, but for whatever reason, I didn't stick around long enough to have that conversation.

I don't want to deal with bitter, bitchy ex-wives or ex-girlfriends either. We all have baggage, and some with accessories as well, but I'm not dragging my dysfunctional ex into this, so keep yours out of it as well.

Oh, and the absolute deal breaker...if a guy has cheated on anyone before, at any time in his life, he needs to walk on by and get out of my line of vision quickly. By the time I got engaged to my ex, I had found out he'd cheated on both his wives before me. He of course, swore it would never happen with us, he'd learned his lesson, he wouldn't hurt me like that...blah blah blah. And we all know how *that* worked out for me. The stories I could tell you guys about my completely dysfunctional marriage and divorce. Honestly, you'd think I was making it up. Anyway...back to the subject...NO man who's cheated before needs to even talk to me.

Speaking of my ex....my mother-in-law is having surgery to remove part of her lung right now as I type. Please keep her in your thoughts and prayers today. I will be going over to the hospital this afternoon or this evening, and will probably run into him, so keep me in your thoughts as well, that if I do run into him...I have the sense to throw it in reverse, back up, and do it again. LOL