The One that Was Cancelled...

Normally when dates need to be rescheduled, I don't even bother writing about them, because there's no story there.  This time, however, that is not the case.  So, I had been waiting to hear back from a guy I actually wanted to go out with and when I hadn't by Monday evening, I sent an message to another guy who had contacted me to see if there was a chance he was free the following evening.  Why did I message this guy--I'll tell you.  As you can tell from the blog, I have yet to have a GOOD date.  You know those dates you go on and things just click and you truly enjoy yourself and then when he walks you to your car you get all nervous because you really want him to kiss you but you don't know if he will...yeah.  I know they exist--I've seen them, I've had them.  Its just been awhile.  Don't get me wrong:  the dates of insanity I've been having make for great stories and are enjoyable in their own right, but I'm feeling a bit out of balance.  Anyway, by this guy's profile and message to me, I thought he was chill and it would be easy to set something up last minute and have a good time.  I turned out to be wrong.  Just so wrong.

So, as I said, I sent a message Monday evening saying it was last-minute but would he be available to grab drinks the next evening.  The next morning he sent me a message with his number and asked me to text him since he couldn't view the website from work and we could set something up.  Now, as a rule, I do not give out my number until I  meet the guy (and in most cases, not even after that) even though almost all of them send theirs along at some point.  Obviously, this is a safety--and sanity--precaution so they do not have my iniformation and can't harrass me.  However, in this case, even though I knew this was the rule and even though there was that voice in my head saying "Reese, you know the rule...the rule is there for a reason!!!", I couldn't ignore the high hopes I had for this date.  So, purely out of sheer desperation for a decent date, I send a text to him saying "Hey, its Reese, let me know if you still want to meet up tonight." Then begins a text exchange that I am still baffled by.  Now, in my head I consider the use of texting before the date to be solely to set up the particulars of the date and save all the talking and questions and such for the actual date...especially if it is within a few hours.  Apparently with this guy that was not the case.  What ended up happening was an exchange where I was sending messages trying to set up these details while he responded with texts that took up two messages asking me random questions.  Yeah.  Questions like "what do you do for a living?" "What part of Baltimore do you live at?" (Direct quote...let's not discuss the grammar there) and "Where are you going out of town?  I just got back from NC this weekend."  Yeah, I'm not done you guys.  There's more.  He also let me know that he thought we'd really hit it off when we meet (okay, that's fine), he's friends with the owner of the bar we finally decided upon (alright, still fine), and he's never met anyone from online before (shit!  Maybe people have different experiences, but in my experience popping someone's online dating cherry is a pretty traumatic experience...it does not end well.  Shit!)  Guess what, guys?  STILL not done...and this is the best part.  So, we finally get everything set up for the date and about 30 minutes later my phone buzzes with the following message (paraphrased):  "Hey!  Maybe if we hit it off tonight we can plan to go to the Renn Fair.  The first weekend is the last weekend in August and is right before my classes start.  Have you been?"  WHAT?  Is this guy for real????  We haven't even gone on the first date yet and he wants to make plans for the end of the month?  And plans for the Renn Fair???  Wow.  I really did not even know what to do with that information.  So, I reply back that "we'll see how it goes" (to which he replies "fair enough"...uh, yeah "fair enough"!) and my phone was blissfully silent for the rest of the afternoon.  Seriously, after the 2nd "double text message" I was already regretting my decision.

So, the afternoon goes by and I start getting ready for the date, trying desperately to put the whole Renn Fair thing out of my mind so there's at least a chance of having a good time (seriously, I was willing to look past everything but that...cool your jets, dude).  About an hour and a half before I was supposed to meet him, my phone starts ringing...and its him.  "Aaaaaand, voicemail please!" I say to myself.  Five minutes later, he follows up with a text that says "hey, I was calling to see if we're still on and if so I'll leave in a bit".  So, I reply that yes we are still on and I'll see him later.  I finish getting ready, I look pretty adorable, and grab my phone before heading out the door and check one last time.  At this point its about 30 minutes before the date and there's a text from him saying he's not going to be able to make it, can we reschedule for when I get back?  Dear Lord...

Now, under normal circumstances I would just let this one die out, as per the experiment however, I suppose I will have an actual date story for you next week.  Although, I don't know how he'll beat the cancellation story.