Back in the Saddle

I finally succumbed to the virus that has been living inside of me for about a week now and took off early from work yesterday and the whole day today. Ah..the sick day - it is a benefit and a burden. If I actually do nothing and rest, I can get back on my feet pretty quickly. If I get antsy and start stumbling around the house, trying to do all the things I never seem to get to, I just end up prolonging the sickness. Today it was very hard to stay on the couch, but I seem to have done it. A lack of internet helped alot and the 5 hours it took me to get back up and running.

So I finally peeked back at Match. Ugh! Luckily, it's been a ghost town. Nobody has been looking for me and I haven't been looking for them. But these last round of dates has made me wary of my instincts and my selections. So many of them sound the same and not like me. If you want to go to Europe, go! Don't wait for me! So I popped on some power girl anthems from Sugarland and started wading through. I sent out a few emails and winks (maybe 1 or 2 each - I know I'm a huge chicken). And I have to spend more money to extend my eHarmony subscription. Awesome!!!

OK. I'm going to suck it up. I'm getting back in the saddle. I'm not giving up. Sorry to have anything more uplifting or convincing...but I'm just trying to figure alot of things out.

Housekeeping Notes:

I found out today that I didn't win the contest to meet The Pioneer Woman. She didn't like my family recipes. I'm bummed.

If anyone has date stories to share from the trenches or thoughts on relationships and want to share, send me an email. I'm always looking for inspiration/ideas/guest bloggers...

And I had one more. But I can't think of it right now. Hmmm....

Oh I remember. I was thinking of an idea/experiment. Does anyone want to take a turn at picking my guys to go after? What if I give one of you my log-ins and you tell me who to go after? Let me know...

Signs of the Rapture

So I now have a pack a day hacking smokers cough to match my Kathleen Turner voice...and in my haze of sleeping late this morning, I realized that the month of May is almost over. And my dating statistics are terrible for this month. I'm so sorry dear readers. I don't know what happened. The month started out so good. And it just got away from me. I promise promise to do better in June.

And I started thinking about the strange things that have been going on in my life in the last 24 hours. Last night, I watched almost an entire episode of The Bachelorette and emailed my friends about it during and after the show. Today I said "fuck". Those who know me know that's the weirdest thing about me - I don't curse EVER! That I'm ruining my weekend going-out plans in the sailboat capital of the world (or maybe the US) by getting up early (5 or 6 AM) on Memorial Day to run in a 4 mile race near my house. I willingly went to a networking event for the firm I used to work for - the firm that sucked the life out of me for at least 2 years and caused me to gain a million pounds (the firm and my slowing metabolism that I ignored, really).

I think these are just all signs of the Rapture. Or that I need more sleep.

Note: Don't worry the pounds have totally be remedied. I'm back to high school fighting weight...and usually healthier (just not right now).

Move over Kathleen Turner

I wish I had an audio recording of my voice right now (in between the coughing that is). I now have a nice husky, sexy voice. At least it's more of a voice than I had Saturday and Sunday. Yes, I lost it on Friday night. And I saw Kelly Cutrone in her all black ensemble in Bethesda then too. That's what I get for going out with a cold.

This weekend was full of social events with friends and resting. My plan had to be to get back on the proverbial "internet dating" horse, but I didn't. Instead, I watched a marriage self-destruct in the movie, "My Blue Valentine" with Michelle Williams and Ryan Gosling (of "The Notebook"). If you ever think you want to get married, don't watch this movie. It will make you run - run far away...

So voice be damned, I still made it to Spring Ping and a day/night out at the Wine in the Woods festival and Sugarland concert yesterday.

And let me tell you, in the words of Liz (a girl who went with us), "I felt like Grace Kelly at the concert." There were some really really rough looking women at this concert (and alot of them). There were even some rough looking women at the wine festival. We didn't know where to look next... The poor men of Columbia/Baltimore but then again we didn't really see any cute ones of those either so I guess it works out. It was kind of a downer on my view of the dating scene out there. Hundreds of people and nothing...Probably the after effects of "My Blue Valentine" didn't help - that movie was seriously raw. It also made me wonder what it is like in different cities. What if you lived in a city where the majority of the people were rough...what would you do?

So a networking event tonight and a work dinner tomorrow, that's the problem with summer. You can really fill your schedule with other stuff. But I have to treat this like a job sometimes and force myself to get back up on the horse.

Cheers!

When to raise the white flag

The cold that was getting better yesterday has now gotten worse...so what was going to be a nice and sweet meandering post yesterday has turned into a blunt tell-it-like it is post today.
(Don't worry - different topics. So maybe tomorrow's post will be sweet and meandering.)

I've kind of used a rule of thumb based on talking to guys around me, reading articles, and talking to friends that a guy gets a three day grace period to contact you after a date to show interest. It's not a hard and fast rule, but as the days tick by, women do either one of two things. They either make up excuses for why he hasn't called (ie. what you see in romantic comedies - his dog died, he's been away on business, he had emergency surgery, etc. - you get it). Or they just write him off (no drunk dials, no crying fits, maybe a few choice words (usually the more dates there are). I fall into category 2. For whatever reason (you found a new shiny ball, your sense of time is totally whacked, you don't know the rules of the game), I'm OUT or FIRED (depending on what reality show you watch).

Women aren't as insecure anymore as Hollywood portrays them to be. We all read the book, "He's Just Not That Into You" (Caveat: I started to, but never finished. I got it in the first few chapters and then they kept repeating the idea). If you're not paying attention to us, you have got something else on the brain. Ok - we're not that dumb. We know that you aren't going to call us immediately, but by day 3, I should have somehow been repeated in your line of thinking. It seems reasonable that you should at least make contact...or at least that's what we tell ourselves.

So back to reality, H hasn't contacted me since our date. I did text him on day 3 to give him a little nudge. And the conversation fell flat. Like he barely responded. So it's been a week since our date, and I've asked a few guys about this timeline and they all say it's time to raise the white flag and move on. But here's the catch. I talked to my friend a few days ago, who is knows him and she says he's still interested. OK? I recapped everything for her and said well when is he going to ask me out then? But of course, she had no response (I didn't expect her to).

So lessons have been learned...1) if you like a girl, don't wait more than 3 or 4 days to contact her even just to talk to her. And 2) being set-up or asked out by a friend of a friend is not as nerve-wracking as I thought it was going to be. Granted, both times it's happened they barely got of the ground (so maybe I dodged a bullet), but the great friends that I have seem to let the interaction play out on its own and that helps take the pressure off everyone involved.

It's bad enough that I totally put my dating life out there for everyone to read but there is something unnerving about having your friends get feedback from the guys. But the way I look at it, the feedback (good or bad) on me will just get me closer to my goal and better at this crazy thing called dating.

This wasn't supposed to be a cliffhanger

Ugh! This post wasn't supposed to leave you hanging for days. But as you know, life sometimes gets in the way. Running ran late yesterday and I'm battling what I think is half a cold. So I showered and went right to bed. Where I proceeded to shiver so much (effects of depleting glycolic stores) that it kept waking me up until I finally put more clothes on.

So I went on a date with H last week after work. It's funny even though he's a friend of a friend and we've been at the same parties/events we don't really know that much about each other. We do talk to each other when we see each other. It's just I realized I really know nothing about him. And I don't have the help of an internet dating profile to tell me about him.

But no matter, we started out by talking about our mutual friends and their upcoming wedding and all the fun activities that are involved with being in a wedding. Luckily, the girls have made quite a bit of progress on that front since our date. We went to a restaurant that was between my office and his house. We had dinner and talked for a few hours. About nothing in particular - just little funny stories about each other. We called it a night around 11 (I think). I was worried that I would be the one who got tired first (I had been up since 5:30 that morning), but he started yawning first and it was idea to call it a night (see I'm not such a boring girl - ok most of the time I'm the first one in bed). He walked me to my parking garage and we said goodbye.

Oh but I skipped the funniest part of the date (sorry H). This really hit home to me how little we know about each other. We didn't get to agree on a time until the afternoon of our date. I wasn't so sure we were going to have the date that I had alternate plans to see a movie with a friend. But he texted me towards the end of the work day to tell me that he would meet me at 8. So as I said that's he usually is very sarcastic so I thought he was joking - it was 5:30ish then. So I texted back "Really?" and I could tell by his response that he was serious and I had freaked him out. I felt bad. So I said no biggie - I'll go to the mall. And he didn't believe me that it was ok, but I insisted (at that point I was already at the mall and I had some pants I wanted to try on) - so I had a date with myself at the mall for about an hour and a half. I didn't end up buying anything. But it just pointed out to me that he has no idea where I work and how close I was to the restaurant we were going to. Funny!

In conclusion, it was a good date. I really feel like I know the very tip of the iceberg about him and he could say the same about me. That's the one good thing about some of these dating sites - they really put alot of answers to some important questions. So this one is going to take longer to figure out, but that's ok. Alright, it's bedtime for me and I have 5 miles to run tomorrow (and no route picked out).

A Twist and Turn

My mind has been churning for the less than 24 hours. Last night, my little journey took a twist and a turn. I don't know how temporary or permanent this twist is, but it's a journey so we'll see.

So here's what happened. I was out celebrating a friend's birthday. Throughout the years, she's introduced me to many of her friends that I know most of them by name and a little bit about them. Some more than others. I still remember the night she introduced me to the guy that will be come her husband in September.

Anyway, we were celebrating - a few beers among her friends in a bar. I ended up staying out late for me on a work night (way past my 10 PM bed time). So I had talked to a few people I knew but as I went around the table, I left my purse on the original chair.

So back I went to collect my purse and a friend of hers was sitting in the chair. No biggie. I knew him - nice guy. He started asking me about my blog. I was like yeah - you should definitely read it. I'll email you the website. So I emailed it to him. And then he's like we should go out. And I should caveat here - that he's a jokester and sarcastic. So I thought he was joking. But he wasn't. He was serious I realized in a few minutes. I agreed to the date and we picked a day. And it really started to sink in that he had just asked me out and he was serious. I think I was in disbelief - he really is always joking and saying something smart.

So on the way home, I realized. Oh crap - he had access to my blog!! How can I write about him in the blog?!? And people who know him already read the blog!! It's like having an theater critic at the performance.

But I realized he already knew about the blog and if he was going to ask me about it and still ask me out, then it was fair game to write about him and our dates. He can choose to read the posts or not. Having never been in the situation of putting my dates in print and having the date and his friends read them, I don't know if this is a good thing or not. So I'm going to have to feel this one out as I go along. So if I'm vague or go out of order, please play along. I promise I'll tell you as much as I can.

Oh and FYI, I did tell him on the date that I was going to write about him. And actually he told me he had forgotten that I had even sent him the web address to the blog (doh - why did I have to ask?). So who knows what he's read or what he hasn't, but he said it was fine to write about him. All is fair in love and war.

Note: Thank you to the others of you who have sent me emails on the last series of posts on lightning bolts and animals (ok, chemistry). Your insights are amazing. I read and ponder all your thoughts. It has helped me validate and question what I've been doing. Thanks for keeping me on the straight and narrow!

We are all Animals

Today we have a guest blogger helping me out. Really it comes from my last post. Ms. Amy sent me a nice long couple of paragraphs of feedback on my last post. And after reading her insights, I declared that she was getting a guest blog post...

The lightning bolt is a reflection of your animal instinct. People forget we're really animals because we think we're more advanced then them. We stare at African animals mating with amazement, but it's not like humans always shut their dog or their cat out of the room when they decide to get it on. What must that pet be thinking?!

Anyway, you may not always have a bolt when you meet someone, but if they make advances/flirtations towards you and there's no spark there may not ever be. Or you may get it after you get to know them as a person. Really, I think you have to know them on some level to get that spark. I mean, how many Brad Pitts do you know? Exactly.

Anyway, don't give up on the first date or the second. But after 4 or 5, you should know whether you have enough common ground to make it worth your while. Semi-spark or none at all are part of the overall picture of the common ground or lack thereof. You should be more worried about having a spark with a guy that ends up being not a good match for you. That's most people's problems. They keep things going because of a spark and ignore the douchebaginess. Um hello... that will get old in 20 yrs!

Quick background on Ms. Amy: She and I are approximately the same age. While I'm still single, she's been married to her husband for 7 years. She and I have been friends for 9-10 years (dang that's a long time) and she's often my wingwoman/pedicure partner/clothes critic/cocktail companion. She is also not perfect, but she is honest, loyal, and funny. I know she'll always tell me when I'm being crazy. Amen.

Missing Post

There is a post currently missing from my blog. You may have already read and are now like where did it go? It's all do to Blogger being down yesterday...they removed everyone's posts from a certain onward and will be reposting them hopefully soon...

So no worries for right now!! (I wish I could move over to Word Press but someone has my name) Hopefully the final chapter in F's saga will come back and you can all read it if you haven't.

In the meantime, send me your recipes!!! You have 2 more days!!! Or think positive thoughts that one of mine will win!! You know from the Oprah Show, "The Secret" - that's the secret - the power of positive thinking. I do believe it works.

Posting Delay was not my fault - Or the Real Title of this Post: That Lightning Bolt?

I had this post all outlined out in my head yesterday but when I logged in last night to write it up, Blogger (the platform I use) was down!!! Ahhh!! So I tweeted about Blogger being down (cop out), but abandoned the post for the night because I had to get up before the crack of dawn this morning to get things done before work.

It's a non-date posting today, but something I have been very curious about. So I really hope that you guys give me feedback on this.

I'm curious about the lightning bolt, or as people often write, "When I saw him/her, I just knew". Love at first sight?? But is it really?

Who out there has experienced it?

Twice I've met guys and on the first touch (just a handshake), it was like a bolt of electricity ran right through my body. I swear I jumped off the ground for a second. It definitely wasn't static electricity. And I definitely was in a state of startle and shock. Was it lust? Was our hormones reacting to each other? Or was it something else?

I ended up not making out with either one of them (it was a room full of people both times) and it fact nothing (other than some very heavy flirting) ever became of them for various reasons. But is this what I should be looking for? Is this my sign? (This post feels like it's taking the turn of a Judy Blume novel.)

Should I have pursued these? Too late now - a long time ago.

Or does your awareness of "the one" grow over time? If so, how much time do you give? I've gotten some advice from people - definitely need some sort of physical relationship with a person to know, but what if you aren't not even sure if you want another date? How many dates should you give a guy before you give up?

These are ideas I struggle with. I wonder if I give up so easily on a guy because it is so easy to just say "Next". My star sign says that Libras are escapists and indecisive (great!! good girlfriend material). But at the same time, you can't just stay with a guy because it's easy and convenient.

So those of you out there with "the one", how did it work for you? Give this girl some ideas on how you know!!!

What are you trying to say?

I was actually on top of my game and had already started today's blog entry last night. But I'm not ready to finish and publish that post yet. Yesterday's ideas and emotions on the subject are different from today's. So I need to sit and percolate with it overnight before I give you all my thoughts...(the funny thing is I'm watching the same show again - the season finale of Bethenny) Stay tuned.

But don't worry. I still have things to talk about. I need to recap my 2nd date with F.

So after the constant need for dates from Chapter 2 of the saga with F, I ended up with a 2nd date a week later with F. He suggested dinner and a movie - I agreed. We talked on the phone and set up that we would me at a local restaurant that is between our houses (closer to mine but I'm still not exactly sure where he lives). So I'm there at the appointed time - he's alittle late. I'm thinking this isn't a good sign, but he comes. (Oh and he's wearing a wrinkled long-sleeve t-shirt with some martial arts stuff on it. Gee! Did I wake you up from your nap?) We put our name in and sit at the bar and get drinks.

We just start talking -- just casual conversation. He pretty quickly brings back up the topic of "You seem busy". I still haven't figured out what he's trying to get at and what is the answer he wants to hear. But I'm honest. I say well I do work Monday through Friday and he agreed that made sense (I got a laugh). And I pointed out that I had actually just told him that I had spent most of the afternoon just relaxing at my house, watching the movie Juno and napping. So I'm not sure how busy I really am. Looking back I think it might have just been an excuse he was using not to see me again. Really I don't know. I just knew we weren't communicating on the same wavelength.

We eventually got a table. And we ordered food and were talking. The weird thing that came up in conversation was the surgery that I had when I was 13. I've told people about it before - that's not a biggie. But he really wanted to know about why I had it and what it was. It was kind of an awkward conversation. I was alittle uncomfortable talking so in depth about it.

Anyway....we finish around 8:30 and he follows me to the movie theater. Another sign that this isn't going well. A few miles down the road, we get there. We walk in and decide what to see - an action flick. And then it starts - once we get down the escalator, he's walking in front of me. I try to catch up but I can't. My legs aren't that long. So I'm following. I think "No biggie - maybe he doesn't realize". On the way out, same thing - he's ahead of me. I try to catch up but there's no way so I just trail behind. And it's like that all the way back to the car. This has never happened to me. I can see all these couples walking side-by-side out of the theater. I'm not sure how this is going to end at my car, but a few sentences and some guys want to get into the car next to us so we say a quick goodbye and he's off to his car.

I haven't heard from him since then and I haven't tried to contact him. Whatever he's looking for, I'm not it. And he's not it for me. At least I feel like I tried to communicate better. Sometimes you're just not on the same wavelength.

Alright - I need to read this article about women and how hormones affect the men they are attracted to. Research...

And I have to submit another recipe to the contest - you are allowed one per day so I have one more for country style ribs.

Getting giggy with G

I promised you a second post today to make up for the last night's lack of posts. And I'm feeling alittle feisty right now because Bethenny is on right now. And she gets me hyper and ballsy.

I'm behind on my date recaps. The next one I'll talk about is G. G was a nice sounding foreign born guy. He works in the city in an accounting/finance capacity (I couldn't exactly figure it out and I got even more confused when I actually met him and asked him about it.). So we met up in the city at a restaurant near his office that I had never been to but had heard good things about it. I figured at least I'd get a drink and a look at a restaurant that I'd heard good things about.

Well he's nicely waiting for me outside the restaurant. And again, he doesn't exactly look like the picture. Guys - if you once had hair and no longer have hair, don't keep the pictures of you with hair on a dating website. It's not that I have a thing against bald guys, but if you don't update your pictures, it makes me wonder what else are you hiding or not telling me. I used to have a short chin length bob, but that was 5 years ago, so I don't post any of those on my profile. It's not an accurate representation. Maybe you don't like longer dark hair?? Then you aren't going to pick me. It's fine by me. I'm not a big fan of blonds anyway.

There you go - dating tip for today - you can thank me later.

He was very sweet. The bar was packed so he suggested another restaurant that was nearby. I agreed, because he had a somewhat thick accent and being that we were on the street, it was alittle hard to understand him. And sometimes even later, he was alittle hard to understand.

So we ended up at a nice formal Spanish restaurant. We shared a few tapas and I had two glasses of delicious sangria. He was interesting but there was no chemistry what so ever. The date had a tone of a business lunch. Somehow we ended up talking for about 2 and a half hours. Maybe it was the sangria. I did bring up movies (yeah for homework) because I had actually watched a guy movie ("The Fighter") prior to this date. And he proceeds to tell me how he really likes Italian movies from the 1950's. I have nothing on 1950's Italian movies...I just tried not to laugh. I had finally done my homework and this guy is watching something so obscure that I still have nothing.

I used my parking meter as an a excuse and said I had to go. He walked me the few blocks to my car. He was surprised when I gave him a hug at my car. And I was surprised too since I had to lean down in my heels to give him the hug. I knew when I shut the door that he wasn't going to call me and I gave a little cheer. I didn't have to give any bad news after this one.

I haven't heard from him and that's ok. He's a nice guy, but just not the nice guy for me and I'm not the nice girl for him.

Calling all recipes...(grilling only)

I need your recipes for grilling dishes (no burgers). Oh and if you win the contest I enter you in, you have to take me with you to Oklahoma to meet the Pioneer Woman.

Those are my rules...to this contest.

If you send me a recipe, I'll enter you in the contest...(don't worry I'm going to enter myself, but I'm going to get my people in on it too).

Here is a link to the details...

Grilling Recipe Contest

Now, email...(or post to her website. Whatevs).

Ok - another post later. I wanted to post last night but I got side tracked with a birthday celebration. So you get a 2-fer today.

My sinking heart

I was planning on writing today about my first date with G because I know it's been highly anticipated, but I'm feeling a bit sad right now and I just had to share that...

You know us women...we get sad for reasons even we don't understand. But the floodgates of tears are on the verge of bursting and here's what caused a few tears at lunch time today...

I was reading The Washington Post and they have a feature in their Sunday magazine called "Date Lab". They match up two applicants and send them on a date. Obviously then, the date needs to be reported back on by the two people. Usually it doesn't work out for various reasons but it's interesting to read.

This week's is a man and a woman; they are both over the age of 50 and both have never been married. Neither of them seemed abnormal except for the fact that they had never been married. And I was suddenly so sad. What if that's me in 20ish years from now? Just never met the right guy...? It didn't sound like for them it was a no-go for a lack of trying. Obviously, you don't get the full picture/background on a one page article. But it caused my heart to sink...

Ugh! Are you utterly depressed yet? Maybe not. Maybe I'm just tired. At least it's Friday but I have a 2nd date with F on Saturday night. So I better pull it together before then.

Drinko de mayo

So it's Cinqo de Mayo today which means the girls in DC like to pretend for a few hours that they are still in college....so no dates tonight.

But thanks to some incidents in prior years, I will also be watching how much I drink (Mr. Tequila and I are still friends but I don't need to be puking in the basement bathroom of our annual Mexican spot in DC anymore). But that doesn't mean that I won't help Amy steal a life-sized cardboard cutout of "The Most Interesting Man in the World" (Dos Equis) from our bar of choice.

Anyway, quick news on the guy front. F and I seem to be having communication issues. Evidently, yesterday afternoon's text that said, "OK ill can I call u tonight" was a question. I thought it was a statement. So he didn't call because I didn't respond.

I texted him today to say are you ok? Didn't hear from you. And of course now I can't talk to him because I'm going out tonight for Lynn's birthday and tomorrow night I have my volunteer gig. So we'll just have to talk on Saturday on our date.

Is this a sign of communication issues to come? Thank goodness my mother insisted on good grammar. At least it's clear when I text whether it is a question or a statement.

F - A continuation

F and I had a lovely, nice, normal date on Saturday. Just lunch. He walked me to my car and I said something like "Thanks so much and we should do this again". He responded, "Really?". Ok - maybe my tiredness showed at the end of the date. I blame allergies. I respond enthusiastically "Sure". And I was off.

Ten minutes after I got in the car, I get a text from F, "Thank you...I had a nice time". Sweet. I saw the text about 15 minutes later (I was driving around the mall). "Me too. Thanks!", I respond. 50 minutes later, I get another text. He writes, "Do you want to do something tomorrow?" Wow...I didn't think the date was that spectacular. I didn't think I was that spectacular. But I wasn't feeling the same enthusiasm - I was feeling selfish (I wanted my Sunday to myself or at least to just pad around the house and we weren't there yet.) So I lied and wrote, "I can't. How about Wednesday or Friday?" See - not a total witch.

And then he immediate writes back, "Yea Wednesday we can have dinner And if things go well maybe friday we can watch a movie together or something". I freaked! My mind is racing - he just wants me to pencil in 2 dates? (Note to reader: Reading this the 2nd time, it's really not as freaky as I originally thought, but I was truly freaked out for 24 hours. I'm like a horse, guys - you spook me while I'm still trying to evaluate you and I will run away quicker than you can blink. I'm just saying. No sudden moves.)

So I keep the freak under control and agree to Wednesday for dinner. I say nothing about Friday. He's cool and we'll talk later.

Next day, 7:00 AM the texts start. I'm at the gym waiting for Jonathan (my personal trainer, guy expert, and master roster builder). I think F gets annoyed that I'm not answering back immediately but I told him I was at the gym. 10:30 another text. It was a busy day (really busy - the bosses were away). I don't get back to him until 4:30 when I check my phone. It's just small talk.

An hour later (5:30), I get a text back from him. It says, "So im gathering your a busy woman lol with work and running and dating....have. u found anyone u want to date yet? Im only asking cuz it seems like u don't have time to talk". I'm thinking you texted me at the gym this morning - but I responded within 20 minutes and then I went to work. They don't pay me to text people; they pay me to work!!!!

I respond back about a half an hour later. I wasn't attached to my phone. I wrote, "Yes I can be busy at times. Just depends on what is going on. I don't sit at home waiting for the phone to ring but when I commit to hanging out with someone, I'm 100% there and present". It's true.

He writes back "I see what r your plands for Saturday". I'm thinking - Again with trying to set up a third date without having a 2nd. You are really doing a great job at spooking me. I'm about to call the whole thing off. So I write back "Are we still on for tomorrow?"

Overnight, I get a response that yes we are still on and what did I want to do. I text back that we should go to dinner in a town in between ours. He says that's good.

And then mid-morning after I ask about what time, he says well I can do dinner but it would have to be after 8 pm. So he asks if I just want to reschedule for the weekend. I say ok - let's do the weekend. I was having a bad day - going home to relax sounded nice. He suggests dinner and a movie on Saturday night. That's fine I say. He'll call me tonight.

It's now 9:30 and still no phone call. I go to bed soon. I'm winding down.

And I'm now wondering if he's playing games with me. Ugh! He's mad because I'm not head over heels and want to talk every minute of the day. Well, if that's the case, it's not going to end well. But I guess we'll just have to wait and see how this saga continues.

I looked good...

For once on a Saturday I looked good. I looked like one of those girls who just looks effortlessly comfortable on a Saturday afternoon. And it only cost me $147 to get my hair cut and colored that morning. And remembering the week before to wash my favorite jeans of all time ( from J. Crew) - yes I bought my first pair of big girl expensive jeans (ie. over $100).

Anyway, so I just played it with F that we would talk on Friday or Saturday and figure out the plan for our lunch or coffee date on Saturday. So at the hair salon at 9, I texted him to see if he was still up for it. Two hours later (I know not everyone gets up as early as I do - and that was sleeping in for me), he texts me. He just got up but strangely is ready to go...

I'm like hold on - you live what I would think would be 45 minutes away from me and you just got up and you want to meet in like a half hour?? So we compromised and decided to meet at The Cheesecake Factory in a mall in between our houses.

Oh and he has a funny voice - it's pretty high for a guy.

So we met. He seemed nice. Had a nice smile. He was tall and athletic. We sat down and started talking. I notice that he's wearing a tee-shirt that says "Jesus didn't tap out". OK? Way to put that out there...

We talk about bad dates we've been on. I tell him about the night before. He has some good stories. He seems cool. He's been to some fun places. He practices martial arts and is into healthy eating.

We finished eating and we had a natural break for the door. It was a nice time. He walked me to the car. And then, it started....

And I almost walked out…

The title makes it sound worse than it really was. But this one was for the pages of this blog. I can’t make this stuff up. So I’m up to letter E. Friday night was beer at a brew pub in my former town of residence with E.

He was running late and I wasn’t feeling like sitting at the bar alone so I popped into Starbucks for a green tea. Then of course, he wasn’t really late and I had a half-drunken tea. The strange thing is I can’t find him in the bar when I get there. I do a lap around the bar. There are some cute guys there in the late happy hour crowd – I wish I had come directly to the bar. I can’t find him anywhere. I text him. He finally gets back to me and says he’s here. I’m like where? No response back to my “Where?” for like 5 minutes. I text him that I’m in front of the hostess stand. Things are getting strange. And then all the sudden he pops up in front of me with a grin on his face from the restaurant side of the building. I’m like oh hi! I’m taken aback because in his pictures he had hair and was thinner. And now he’s Mr. Clean bald and definitely a several pounds heavier. He tells me he was washing his hands…I never knew it could take that long.

The bar is crowded so we head to the back corner were there seems to be a spot. We each order a beer. And so the conversing starts. And it was all over the place and not in a good way. In a weird way.

Here are some examples of the weird things he said to me:

He kept calling my high school – QC. Its nickname is QO for Quince Orchard. (Supposedly he goes there to throw the football around with a friend and run 2.25 miles at full sprint – every once in a while). I suggested maybe he try intervals – put some rest in recovery in between the sprint laps but he just grinned and said “No he just likes to see how much he can sprint”. Ok?

He was the quarterback of his high school football team. He was maybe 5’7” or 5’8”. A few hours later it was only sophomore year. He seems to still be reliving that season of glory.

People in Wyoming go to Seattle to party – at least that’s what someone had told him. I’m like “No they don’t – they aren’t really near each other. And Wyoming is full of cowboys, hunters, fisherman, and outdoorsy people”. He then tried to tell me that Washington state and Wyoming border each other – I’m like again, they don’t border each other. I've driven all over Wyoming.

There were more. He kept saying all these silly and strange things and when I would ask questions to try and make sense and he couldn't answer the questions or they wouldn't make sense. I would just end up smiling and nodding and so would he.

At one point, he was finishing his 2nd beer so I ran to the bathroom because I knew I wouldn't make it home. I thought I would make it back to the bar before he finished. But no!!!! He had a brand new beer when I got back.

I made it almost all the way through the next beer before I was finally like I'm tired and I need to go. It was really loud in the bar. I didn't know what to say anymore or what was going to come out of his mouth.

I did seriously think about just pulling a Houdini and saying I was going to go to the bathroom and walk out - but I didn't.

I excused myself in a nice way and gave him a hug and walked back to the car.

Poor E...I just don't know what to say. I just really don't.