The One with the Really Good Date...Finally!!!

I am happy to report that while this date brings my current ratio to about 15:1, at least I finally had a really good date.  This guy was the first one I had sent a message to who I really wanted the chance to go out with and actually made it happen.  His profile was really interesting, he was a real grown-up, and he seemed equally as interested in setting up a date with me.  Oh, and he was really attractive.  Yeah.  Before we had actually met, we had sent about 4 or 5 messages back and forth and they were all pretty long messages with a lot of questions being asked and such.  This usually makes me a little nervous as it takes away from conversation topics once we actually meet and--possibly more importantly--can facilitate, as a friend so adequately put, a false sense of intimacy.  No one wants to be disappointed and feel that keeping online correspondence to a minimum just provides the best odds for this not to happen.  In this case, however, it didn't seem to have a negative effect, for which I am so incredibly grateful!  It also didn't hurt that anytime I would feel apprehensive about our copious correspondence, I would just bring up his picture and remark "Oh, well, it really doesn't matter!"

We met at a local mall (I took this opportunity to share with him that I hate malls) and had drinks at one of the restaurant/bars there.  They had my favorite beer on tap (Newcastle), which he also ended up ordering since he'd never had it before.  Conversation was a little slow getting started, but by no means unbearable.  We started talking about travel...he had recently spent 3 years living in the UK and travelling a bit around Europe and we discussed road trips and where we wanted to go.  He pled his case regarding Guinness--he tried it several times, but just didn't like it (that was pretty adorable...).

The date was pretty fantastic.  We talked about movies and travelling and I shared the Saga of Eagle Tattoo Guy (we were at the same restaurant as that date, so I figured it would come up at some point).  He laughed through that entire story...and then asked why I didn't leave.  So, then we discussed my level of social masochism and how its like watching a bad movie--I can't turn it off, I have to find out what happens.  Plus, it makes for a great story!  When we started talking about food, I discovered we have a tendency to view it in very different ways.  Typically across society, people and food are thrown into two categories:  those who eat to live and those who live to eat.  As a self-proclaimed foodie, I am certainly of the latter.  I love food and I enjoy it to the fullest; both cooking and eating it.  While it is not always the case, Pete* tends to fall into the former category, as evidenced by the following exchange:

Pete:  sharing with me his typical daily regime consisting of oatmeal and rice, basically.
Me:  Um...there's no protein in there.
Pete:  Yeah, that's when I drink a protein shake.
Me:  You know, chicken tastes a hell of a lot better than a protein shake.  Also pork.  And beef.  And fish.
Pete:  Well, I can cook chicken, I'm just lazy most of the time...
Me:  Uh-huh.  That's sad, Pete.  Really, really sad.

Now, my friends, to me this is not a deal-breaker.  No, it is a call to action.  I figure I'm just going to have to date him long enough to teach him a few easy recipes so he doesn't have to get his protein from bars and shakes.  Dear Lord.  Anyway, after some time we got up to leave and for the first time since I started the experiment, I found myself realizing I had just had a great date.  We're walking to the car and I have that "Oh my God, is he going to kiss me?" feeling in the pit of my stomach and then we're standing by my car and its still there.  And then there's a hug goodbye and that's it.  So, while there's a part of me that was sad once I got into the car, I was also so happy to have finally had a date worthy of that feeling.  Its also the first date in the experiment that left me definitely wanting a second date.  So, we're working on it :)  In the meantime, I'll continue on my dates that pale in comparison...

* Pseudonym