WELCOME TO The Cynical Romantic
Where passion meets poor judgment… and we try to make sense of it afterward.
This corner of the internet is for people who still believe in love — even after life has provided several compelling reasons not to.
Here we share real stories, relationship insights, mental health lessons, and the occasional piece of hard-earned wisdom that usually arrives a few years later than it should.
Scott (the older, allegedly wiser one) and I talk about relationships, personal growth, emotional chaos, and the strange ways life teaches lessons none of us signed up for.
If you prefer honesty over clichés — and humor over perfect advice — you’ll feel right at home here.
👉 Explore stories, tools, and ideas below.
Welcome to the updated version of the site.
If things look a little different, they are.
Love, Lies & Scandals has evolved into The Cynical Romantic — a name that better captures the hopeful, skeptical spirit behind the stories here. Along with the new name, you’ll notice a refreshed design, updated colors, and a cleaner layout intended to make the site easier to read, explore, and enjoy.
At the same time, the Do Better. Be Better. section has become ADHD in Love, reflecting what that space has naturally grown into: exploring how ADHD shapes relationships, emotions, communication, and everyday life.
The good news is that the important things haven’t changed.
Same stories.
Same URLs.
Just clearer signposts and a fresh look.
One important note before you dive in:
I’m not a therapist, doctor, or mental health professional — just a writer diagnosed with ADHD later in life who began trying to understand why focus, relationships, and everyday life sometimes felt like a puzzle missing a few pieces.
This site is where I explore those lessons, share stories, and occasionally laugh at the chaos along the way.
If any of that sounds familiar, you’re in the right place.
WHO IS THE CYNICAL ROMANTIC?
Cynical about love… but still secretly hoping for a happy ending?
Welcome to The Cynical Romantic — where real stories, questionable decisions, and hard-earned relationship wisdom collide.
This section explores the strange, hilarious, and sometimes painful reality of modern romance. Expect reflections on dating disasters, lessons learned the hard way, and the stubborn human habit of believing love might still work out — even when history suggests caution.
A lot of this journey started with my parents.
My dad believed every cowboy eventually got the girl. My mom believed Cary Grant could charm anyone on the planet. Between Westerns, classic movies, and their oddly entertaining marriage, I grew up assuming love would follow a simple script.
Reality, as it turns out, writes a much messier story.
👉 Explore the journey — it starts here.
From awkward teenage optimism to adult-level confusion, this section follows the long and occasionally embarrassing evolution of a man who still believes love might work… even if the evidence keeps arguing otherwise.
👉 If you’ve ever rooted for love while quietly preparing for disappointment, you’re in the right place.
👉 Quick Reset That Actually Works
I tried this when my energy crashed — surprisingly effective.
The 5-Minute Walk That Resets Your Brain
When my brain hits that “Nope, we’re done here” wall, I’ve learned not to argue with it.
ADHD brains burn fuel fast — especially during stressful or new tasks — which means sometimes the most productive thing you can do is… step away.
A 5–7 minute walk works like a system reboot.
Movement boosts dopamine, improves blood flow, and clears mental fog surprisingly fast. No special gear required — just shoes and mild determination.
Scott and I are both members of the “early-40s-meets-late-60s experiment club,” and this one consistently delivers.
You don’t come back superhuman — just functional again. Which, honestly, is a huge win.
If your brain suddenly clocks out mid-task, try walking before reaching for more coffee.
It’s the closest thing to a reset button that doesn’t require a password.
START HERE
Pick a Journey That Sparks Your Curiosity ⃣
The Cynical Romantic
Cynical about love… but still secretly hoping for a happy ending?
Welcome to The Cynical Romantic — where real stories, questionable decisions, and hard-earned relationship wisdom collide.
This section explores the strange, hilarious, and sometimes painful reality of modern romance. Expect reflections on dating disasters, lessons learned the hard way, and the stubborn human habit of believing love might still work out — even when history suggests caution.
A lot of this journey started with my parents.
My dad believed every cowboy eventually got the girl. My mom believed Cary Grant could charm anyone on the planet. Between Westerns, classic movies, and their oddly entertaining marriage, I grew up assuming love would follow a simple script.
Reality, as it turns out, writes a much messier story.
👉 Explore the journey — it starts here.
From awkward teenage optimism to adult-level confusion, this section follows the long and occasionally embarrassing evolution of a man who still believes love might work… even if the evidence keeps arguing otherwise.
👉 If you’ve ever rooted for love while quietly preparing for disappointment, you’re in the right place
👉How Dreams Quietly Guide you
Do Better. Be Better.
This site is evolving a little next week.
Love, Lies & Scandals will become The Cynical Romantic.
Same stories. Same URL. Just a name that better captures the slightly hopeful, slightly skeptical spirit behind everything here.
At the same time, Do Better. Be Better. will become ADHD in Love.
Same content. Same mission. Just a clearer name for what the section has naturally become — exploring how ADHD affects relationships, emotions, communication, and everyday life.
One important note before you dive in:
I’m not a therapist, doctor, or mental health professional.
I’m simply a writer who was diagnosed with ADHD later in life and started trying to understand why certain parts of life — especially relationships and focus — always seemed a little more complicated than advertised.
So what you’ll find here isn’t expert advice.
It’s stories, observations, research, and experiments from someone learning as he goes — sometimes successfully, sometimes hilariously not.
👉 Explore a section below and see what resonates.
BONUS SERIES
Stories too interesting for just one post
Some topics deserve more than a single blog post.
The Bonus Series section is where deeper stories unfold over several chapters — exploring love, relationships, personal growth, and the strange ways life teaches us lessons we didn’t exactly sign up for.
Certain ideas take time to unpack. A single post can start the conversation, but the real insights often appear a few chapters later — usually after a few mistakes, a little reflection, and the occasional embarrassing realization.
These series follow those longer journeys.
You’ll find multi-part explorations of relationships, personal discovery, unexpected life turns, and the curious ways hope tends to sneak back in — even when experience says it probably shouldn’t.
👉 Start with one of the series below
Each series begins with an opening post that sets the stage, so you can jump in from the beginning and follow the story as it unfolds
Latest from the Blog
👉 stories, and questionable life decisions — newly published.
Cupid’s Last Stand
Because love may be unpredictable, but comfortable clothing shouldn’t be.
A collection of thoughtful, funny, and occasionally suspiciously relatable items inspired by relationships, resilience, and the human condition.
Elevate your outfit with the men’s premium heavyweight tee. The tee has a structured, classy fit and is both durable and soft thanks to its ring-spun cotton material. Layer the t-shirt or wear it on its own and enjoy great looks with little effort!
• 100% combed ring-spun cotton
• Charcoal Heather and Carbon Grey is 60% cotton and 40% polyester
• Fabric weight: 6.5 oz/yd² (220 g/m²)
• 20 singles
• Regular fit
• Side-seamed construction
• 1 × 1 rib at collar
• Single-needle edge stitch 7/8″