Pouring

After two lovely dates with the Fancy Man (or "Mr. Calamari", as the Queen calls him) I'm really quite pleased. Date the Third, well, the DATE of Date the Third, is still in negotiations. I've enjoyed spending time with him so far and I'm curious to see what comes next.

However...being that we HAVE only been on two dates, there's certainly nothing written in stone, so when my friend L said she had a guy she thought I should meet, I thought, "Why not?" Nothing wrong with keeping one's options open, and no reason to pass on an opportunity at this point.

But then...today I got a very unexpected e-mail. Several months ago (like, six months ago) a friend and I jokingly sent applications in to a local magazine. They were looking for single people willing to be matched up, go on a date, and let the magazine write about it. At the time I was pretty bored as far as dating and I thought it might be kind of a laugh. I never heard from them and I'd basically forgotten about it...until now.

Today they e-mailed me to ask if I was still interested. I'm naturally quite intrigued, but I wonder...is this asking for trouble? Of course, when you're in a casual dating situation, it's almost to be expected that you might date more than one person casually for a bit. But to do that and have it written up in the local press...is that going too far? Don't get me wrong- I don't feel committed to Mr. Calamari at this point, and I haven't even met L's friend yet. But am I setting myself up for some drama later if I do this? Help me, internets! I need some advice.

Dating Against Type

It all started a couple of Fridays ago, when my friend A and I decided to change up the routine, get dressed up, and go to the fancy cocktail bar instead of our usual beer bar. And so it came to pass that I was sitting on a leather bar stool, sipping a pink drink, and chatting with a cocktail bar man.

The cocktail bar man is a species I don't have much experience with. Most of the guys I've dated have been of the beer bar variety. Their wardrobes consisted of worn and torn jeans and slogan t-shirts and the same baseball hat they'd been wearing since freshman year of college. Their year was divided into three seasons: baseball, football, and basketball (and sometimes hockey). Often I found myself engaging in conversations with themes like, "Why a short-sleeved dress shirt is never appropriate at the office, even in summer" and, "There are more interesting things to read than the Onion, trust me". Don't get me wrong, I enjoy some lowbrow humor and sports too, but sometimes you just wish they had finer taste about something, you know?

So the cocktail bar man was intriguing. He clearly shopped for himself and dressed himself well. He could hold forth on obscure '70s music, sports, and film all in one conversation (for some reason the bar was playing "AM Radio Favorites" that night, to our amusement. Seals and Crofts, anyone?). And because he was funny, and interesting, and nice, when he gave me his card and told me that if I decided to end my strike anytime soon, I should let him know, I found myself thinking that might not be such a bad idea. I was a little uneasy about it...in addition to diving back in after the strike, I was also wondering- could I date a guy like this? One who seemed to be so definitely NOT my type? But of course it made sense to me to just let that go for a bit and see what happened...because if my usual type of guy usually didn't work out, trying out someone who seemed against type for me could be a good thing.

So after a few witty e-mails back and forth, we met for drinks and spent nearly five hours talking, eating, and...kissing. (That was a small portion of the five hours but rather a memorable one.) And it made me a little nervous when he ordered martinis with some kind of vodka I'd never heard of (Chopin, in case anyone was wondering)...but then I remembered that at the beginning of the evening he'd ordered a Miller High Life. So perhaps I won't be as out of my element as I'd feared. I'll let you know how date number two goes...

I Think I'm in Love

Lately my weekday evening entertainment has been browsing through profiles on various online dating websites. I came across a profile last night, and I couldn't help but laugh and say "finally." Here is my favorite part:

Physically? I am a fan of full lips, glasses (I thought Tina Fey was hot before it was popular), smiles and curves, be they the solid kind that come from time in the gym or the softer kind that come naturally. Confused? Do you have to mix-n-match her swimsuit tops n bottoms or hates button up shirts? Do know who Lady Grace is? Now all of that said, if the only thing about you to like is the way you look then stop reading and click on the next guy.

The pessimist in me says he's a T&A guy...but the optimist has winked at him!

xx NB

My Reply

I am feeling jaded/cynical today so decided to reply to Mr. Creativity:

25+15+21 8+1+22+5 1 6+5+23 20+25+16+15+19. 2+5+20+20+5+18 12+21+3+11 14+5+24+20 20+9+13+5.

And then I promptly blocked him from being able to contact me. Sue me.

XX NB

Someone must have misplaced his copy of the Fuck Buddy Manual

It's been a stressful week, folks. Busy at work, and to top it off my very awesome Grandma had a heart attack (luckily she is home from the hospital and doing just fine as of this writing). So when I heard I was going to get to see a certain "friend" of mine Wednesday night, I was looking forward to it. I mean, who doesn't look forward to that? Not to mention that while I could have gone to the gym or something to relieve some of my tension, a roll in the hay is clearly more fun than half an hour on the elliptical.

Well, imagine my surprise when my "friend" waited till the ride home to announce that he wouldn't be staying. It seemed his people were expecting him back at a certain hour and the hour was non-negotiable. But I shouldn't be insulted, I was assured.

I only pointed out that he could be back half an hour later and the world wouldn't end once, and then I gave up. Because I wasn't ready to feel like I was begging, for the love of pete. But seriously, last time I checked, the FB contract doesn't include a last-minute bailout. At least, ours didn't.

Oh well. It may be for the best, as I woke up this morning with a fever and a sore throat. So at least he didn't get sick. Silver linings all around!

Creative?

I have to give this guy on a dating website credit, he's trying to be creative and cute:

Hey there, I am a little shy,so i came up with a code for you!Won't be tough for a smart,cute girl like yourself! If 1=a and 26=z 9 20+7+9+14+11 25+15+22 18+15+3+11

Either I'm really tired, or he can't count and/or spell (or I can't?)? Someone, anyone? I mean, it would be cute if he at least got it right. But really I was just wasting time counting out the alphabet in my head, for a misspelled fragmented sentence, rather than just reading a normal email.

I'm cranky.

XX NB

An End to the Strike?

I almost had myself convinced that I was finally owning my strike. You know, really consciously choosing NOT to even try and meet men, because I needed a break. And really, as boring as the break was in some ways, it has been less stressful just not having to worry about some guy and whether he was going to call.

But then last night when the very nice guy I'd been hanging out with at this concert asked for my number, I caved. Because it was too loud in there to explain how I was on strike, and he would have thought I was crazy. And also because if nothing else, I'll have yet another story.

His codename will be The Minstrel. It's not entirely accurate, but he does play the mandolin.

In other news, I am almost sure I'll be seeing an Old Buddy From The Navy next week. Also known as my favorite mood enhancer. Who needs drugs?