Apparently, the new trend with men these days is something I like to refer to as "The Houdini Act." It usually occurs about a month into dating. One day they wine you and dine you, and the next day they disappear. No note, no explanation, no nothing. They just don't return calls and don't call you.

I knew from the beginning that Shawn was not of the mindset that marriage and children were his calling. But he said he could be proven wrong, said that he felt a connection with me and still continued to see me. The last time we saw each other was good. We relaxed, ordered in sushi and had a bottle of wine. He left three days later for Costa Rica and as far as I can tell, he decided to move there permanently. I called him to see how his trip was and he never called me back. He also must have forgotten that we had dinner plans this evening.

I would think at this stage in our lives, people would be adults and grow up. My friend Melissa experienced a similar Houdini Act recently. She met Barry at a friend's birthday and they spent a month together filled with funny e-mail exchanges, dates, and great conversation. At the one month time period, he said they needed to slow things down a bit. As far as Melissa knows, Barry may have moved to Japan since it has now been a month since their "talk" and she has yet to hear from him. Or maybe Shawn and Barry have found each other and no longer need Melissa and me.

So maybe all the good ones are taken and all we're left with are the ones who have issues, or the ones that some girl tossed aside...and now they're retaliating!