It all started with a new computer installed at my desk at work. Then I hit my upgrade date with AT&T and was able to get a new phone – the first "fancy" phone I have ever had – complete with "apps," "SWYPE" technology (the new way to text), and all sorts of other bells and whistles.

Then, this past Sunday I bought a new car (my seven-year old Nissan Xterra finally decided to give up). While these things are completely material, they are physical representations of some new beginnings and directions I am taking my life.

Playing the field after being in what I thought was a stable relationship for about a year has me looking at guys from a whole new perspective.

I’ve found myself being rather cautious when it comes to affairs of the heart. That being said, I’ve been very upfront with the guys I’ve been seeing lately, explaining to them that I’m not ready for anything serious, but I wonder if I am really just making excuses.

It got me to thinking, in a post-breakup scenario are we all just playing a game without any rules?

Here’s the pitch

After getting three parking tickets and two moving violations in the past year, it finally dawned on me that it is darn expensive to drive a car.

With tickets or not, paying for car registration, oil changes, new tires, regular maintenance, and of course, gasoline, adds up. Even my personalized license plate, BENNY*C, which at one point seemed so cool, is now just another $50 burden on my annual registration.

Last night, I had the honor of speaking on a panel comprised of “young, emerging leaders” in our community at Aaron Heier’s monthly “Two Cents” program held at The Center.

It was a lot of fun joining my peers, Jason Wimberly, Carlos Marquez and Matthew Michael Brown, as we shared our stories with the crowd. We even got the chance to answer questions like, “what turns you on?,” and, “what is your favorite bad word?” (Sorry, if you weren’t there, you missed out on our responses!)