I'm a bad blogger, I know. I haven't updated. I really overdid it there for a while and am just now beginning to recover. But I'm back on the case, and I had a lovely date yesterday.
He is 6-foot-4, with lovely blue eyes, a Vespa and a smooth deep voice that carries traces of Montana. I've been waiting to meet someone that's a walking Hall & Oates song for a while now, and he comes pretty close. Very suave. The first thing I said to him was "Gosh, you're tall." He replied: "Didn't you read my specs?" I said it always feels different in person.
If I may toot my own horn, I had the brilliant date idea of going to the Chinese New Year Parade. While the parade wasn't very organized or spectacular, it made up for it in ambiance what it lacked in spectacle. We waded through the crowd to watch dancing puppets of each lunar year-- dogs, boars, rats and crocodiles. Turns out he's a tiger and I'm a ram. Go figure.
It was freezing, so we ducked inside a Vietnamese place and had pho, tea and spring rolls and talked. That's when i found out he grew up in Utah. His brother went on a mission to France, he mentioned in passing. It was odd because I had been reading that morning about Mitt Romney doing his Mormon mission in France and was puzzled. Why would the Mormons try to convert the French? Wouldn't they go somewhere where they'd actually have a shot? But blue eyes said they go everywhere.
Turns out he was raised Mormon but stopped going to church at age 16. Now he describes himself as "comfortably agnostic." I laughed because it reminded me of that Pink Floyd song "Comfortably Numb." He told me, at the risk of sounding "new-agey" that his religion was nature. I was sold. We talked about travel and school and food -- he's a foodie to reckon with, makes incredible stuffed grape leaves and is learning French cooking. I could get used to this.
He is very intelligent, currently in law school, said he originally wanted to get into human rights law but didn't know he would find civil litigation so interesting. Interesting? Civil litigation? Oh well. And I told him about my temp gig and my various prospects and interviews and we had a good time, even when our Vietnamese waitress kicked us to the curb prematurely because the place was so busy.
Outside it had started to snow, and the Chinese parade-goers had just lit a "five-story firecracker" suspended from a crane in the middle of the street. It crackled and smoked and dragons of different shapes and sizes danced around it. The snow made the whole scene look even prettier, like home-made confetti falling on the dragons and on people's hair and eyelashes.
After a little while he had to get going before the snow got too bad, since he had the Vespa and all. He said to get in touch if I wanted to hang out again. We hugged and I descended into the metro on the escalator, watching him, but he didn't look back. I e-mailed him this morning. I don't like playing games and having rules about when it's o.k. to make contact. That, and I really would like to see him again.
Monday, February 19, 2007
Saturday, February 3, 2007
Married Daters
Check out the Washington Post article about online dating. Turns out many of the men trolling the internet for ladies are married. Shocker!
Fatigue
I'm having date fatigue. I cancelled last night's date with the Colombian. I don't know for sure that he's Colombian, but my South American friend has a strong hunch.
I called him a few hours before we were supposed to meet for coffee and said something had come up. He was nice about it. "It sounds like you have a lot going on right now," he said.
I went out instead with old friends, which was nice.
But there's no rest for the weary. I have a drink this afternoon at 5 p.m. He's cute, but he's also five foot seven.
I called him a few hours before we were supposed to meet for coffee and said something had come up. He was nice about it. "It sounds like you have a lot going on right now," he said.
I went out instead with old friends, which was nice.
But there's no rest for the weary. I have a drink this afternoon at 5 p.m. He's cute, but he's also five foot seven.
Friday, February 2, 2007
A.M. e-mail
I had two emails this morning, one from the Vegan, and the other from a guy I've yet to meet who likens himself to a cross between Adrian Brody and Bill Murray. I don't know which way to run.
But Vegan was especially cute, writing after our first date last night that he had a nice time and wanted to hang out again sometime. He made a "full disclosure" that he had some other dates next week. I wrote him back and thanked him for his candor and said I would love to hang out again and that we should keep in touch. I didn't mention that by week's end I will have had five dates. More on this later, when I can explain my "strategy".
There's actually something nice about a guy emailing to let you know he's dating other people. Especially at this stage, it shows honesty and maturity, I think. And since I'm trying to minimize the drama in my life, that sat pretty well with me.
But Vegan was especially cute, writing after our first date last night that he had a nice time and wanted to hang out again sometime. He made a "full disclosure" that he had some other dates next week. I wrote him back and thanked him for his candor and said I would love to hang out again and that we should keep in touch. I didn't mention that by week's end I will have had five dates. More on this later, when I can explain my "strategy".
There's actually something nice about a guy emailing to let you know he's dating other people. Especially at this stage, it shows honesty and maturity, I think. And since I'm trying to minimize the drama in my life, that sat pretty well with me.
Thursday, February 1, 2007
The Vegan
The Vegan sounded nervous on the phone tonight.
But, given that it was the first time we'd spoken after multiple emails exchanged, it was only natural. I was calling tell him which exit to take at the metro, but I was really just nervous, waiting in the cold for a stranger.
Funny, but I didn't know he was a vegan. I knew he had a beard, tattoos, that he was 34 and did environmental policy. But the veganism came as a surprise. I guess the permanent renouncement of cheese will always come as a surprise to me.
He's tall and thin, scruffy in the sort of way that I like. We walked to the coffee shop and it seemed to take forever, like I was leading him further and further into the abyss. First dates are usually game to meet wherever I propose, as if they're grateful not to have to decide on an event or location. It's convenient for me not to travel, but I always feel the burden of playing neighborhood hostess.
When we arrived, the coffee shop was completely cleared of all furniture for a private event. Thwarted again! We walked to a bar nearby, grabbed a table and ordered beers.
We talked for two hours about all kinds of things and I felt relaxed and happy. A few times, I questioned myself-- is the age difference too great? Does he think I'm too young? But in the end, it didn't seem like a big deal.
He likes to play pool, and his friend who is more up to date on indie music than he is, takes him to concerts. He told me that the guy from Death Cab for Cutie is the same guy as in the Postal Service. I was shocked and then blushed at not having known. But we listened to Stars on his mp3 player and had a "moment" of sorts trying to figure out how the damn thing worked.
Late in the date, as the waiter was getting the check, he asked if I liked spicy food and seemed shocked and dismayed when I shook my head no. Hoping to recover from this, I said we should get going. We went outside and were immediately solicited for money by someone on the street. This is always an interesting experiment on a date. I get the feeling that some guys sweat this a lot. If they don't give a guy on the street a few bucks, then they fear they'll look cheap, heartless or both.
He looked at me as I was about to say sorry, we can't help you and concurred and we walked on. At the metro, we hugged and said we'd talk soon. Everyone always says that, including me. This time, I hoped it was true.
But, given that it was the first time we'd spoken after multiple emails exchanged, it was only natural. I was calling tell him which exit to take at the metro, but I was really just nervous, waiting in the cold for a stranger.
Funny, but I didn't know he was a vegan. I knew he had a beard, tattoos, that he was 34 and did environmental policy. But the veganism came as a surprise. I guess the permanent renouncement of cheese will always come as a surprise to me.
He's tall and thin, scruffy in the sort of way that I like. We walked to the coffee shop and it seemed to take forever, like I was leading him further and further into the abyss. First dates are usually game to meet wherever I propose, as if they're grateful not to have to decide on an event or location. It's convenient for me not to travel, but I always feel the burden of playing neighborhood hostess.
When we arrived, the coffee shop was completely cleared of all furniture for a private event. Thwarted again! We walked to a bar nearby, grabbed a table and ordered beers.
We talked for two hours about all kinds of things and I felt relaxed and happy. A few times, I questioned myself-- is the age difference too great? Does he think I'm too young? But in the end, it didn't seem like a big deal.
He likes to play pool, and his friend who is more up to date on indie music than he is, takes him to concerts. He told me that the guy from Death Cab for Cutie is the same guy as in the Postal Service. I was shocked and then blushed at not having known. But we listened to Stars on his mp3 player and had a "moment" of sorts trying to figure out how the damn thing worked.
Late in the date, as the waiter was getting the check, he asked if I liked spicy food and seemed shocked and dismayed when I shook my head no. Hoping to recover from this, I said we should get going. We went outside and were immediately solicited for money by someone on the street. This is always an interesting experiment on a date. I get the feeling that some guys sweat this a lot. If they don't give a guy on the street a few bucks, then they fear they'll look cheap, heartless or both.
He looked at me as I was about to say sorry, we can't help you and concurred and we walked on. At the metro, we hugged and said we'd talk soon. Everyone always says that, including me. This time, I hoped it was true.
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