Two's Company

With summertime winding down, A and I took advantage of the weather and went out to the Georgetown Waterfront. I had been there a few times before, but I was a teenager. And I was also with my parents. The Waterfront is a bit different when you’re on a match date, drinking alcohol, and grasping at things to talk about. I was trying my darndest to get A to open up; I mean, if you’re gonna spend time with me, you’re gonna have to talk to me at some point. Okay, technically, he could really just look at me the whole time, but I can be annoying and talk until he breaks! So, that’s what I did. And we actually talked. Like had a real conversation, going back and forth. He declared he was content with his life how it was and didn’t have any plans to change it. Of course in my mind I heard that he doesn’t want to get married, having kids isn’t an inkling in his mind, and he basically just wants me for…company? What does he want me for anyway? Hmm. I guess A could read me pretty well. He made a comment that I needed a Sugar Daddy. Knowing that he’s…okay, whatever, he’s rich…knowing that, made it slightly awkward for me to have to agree with him. Well, I’m one who embraces awkwardness so I enthusiastically agreed: “Yes! That’s exactly what I need! But I gotta meet one first, I guess.” Oh ya, I did it, I pushed the button. I smiled. He smiled. We both knew what we were getting at. After a few hours we headed back to his car. I brazenly held his hand on the walk, partially because I felt like I was going to tip over in my platforms, but also because I was curious if I would like him at all. I didn’t. He didn’t like me either, I knew. I was decently drunk, it was a gorgeous night, and there were white lights lining the trees (one of my most favorite things in the world!) so who cares if this guy didn’t like me and only wanted to talk to me online and take me out? There’s worse things I guess. I had to realize, though, not to expect anything more from him. I’d be fine with hanging out, but now I have to keep looking.

The looking is getting a bit tedious. And I’m finding that within the first two weeks of subscribing, I pretty much was in contact with everyone I had an interest in—whether it was already meeting them, emailing, winking, exchanging numbers, WHATEVER, and so now my search efforts are kinda pointless. My efforts to be diplomatic and respond to everyone that emailed me have stopped completely. I don’t want to hide my profile just yet—meaning that I won’t be visible to anyone—because I may be drawing back on my search but someone else may be looking for me. Well, there are people looking for me, and one of them might be worth going out with.

Awkward Landing

Surprisingly, the stars aligned and A and I were able to meet up while we were both in D.C. We went to Fly Lounge which is designed to look like you’re in a plane. How clever! Every so often, there would be a giant puff of smoke that would engulf you in an effort to be clouds. The cloud was a tad suffocating, but the idea was neat. A is tall and a pretty big guy, but definitely my type. He was quick to head towards the bar and get us drinks. The place was crowded and loud, and I’m not so sure I’m a fan of that anymore. I met some of his friends that were there, and conversation was at a minimum because it was just too darn loud to hear anyone say anything. We knew we would see each other the next night when we went out to a restaurant and not a plane so I wasn’t worried that we couldn’t talk all that much. After a couple hours, we left to walk to A’s car so he could drop me back at my hotel.

The next night, we went out to Rosa Mexicano in the city. A informed me that he frequented the place a lot, and he appeared to be buddy-buddy with the bartender. She gave me a look that told me he had brought other girls there, too. Whatever, I told myself. It was a good meal, at a nice place, and I was getting the chance to see the city—something I probably would never do if I hadn’t met him. It’s also nice that A is doing quite well in the financial department. It helps that he doesn’t have any kids to take care (none at least that I know of) so what better way to spend his money than on me?! Well, probably me and all those other girls he’s bringing to Rosa Mexicano. After dinner, we went to a couple other bars in the area, and even though we talked during dinner, the rest of the night I felt like he wanted me to be a mute. I was confused why he would bother going out with someone if you’re not going to talk to them, so the next day, I called him. Um, AWKWARD! He clearly sticks to gchat for a reason. The conversation didn’t last long…I guess he’s not looking for anything serious? If he wants to go out again, I’d go. He may not be the most interesting company, and he may have more than just one girl on his gchat list, but who knows where else he’ll take me! I can always go out with him, and another guy who's more serious, right?

Gee, Chat Me Up In Person, Please!

As I’m getting more comfortable with match.com, I’ve been trying some different things. I’ve wondered if there’s a difference in reaction to a wink or a message? I usually prefer a message because, let’s face it, they’re the ones who have to do the most thinking in getting the conversation started. Apparently, I’m horrendous at this because I never get a response to a message. If I wink, though, I will either get a wink back or a message will come. I thought I was pretty good at crafting the first round of emails, but I guess not. I’ll stick with winking. I’ve tried to be diplomatic and give some sort of response to everyone, but it’s getting to be too much. And really, a lot of these guys don’t respond to me either, even if they are the ones who initiate the conversation!

With D out of the picture, and thank goodness because those AIM conversations were getting to be a bit juvenile, I’m open to my other choices. I’ve been talking with A, and by talking I mean gchatting (wait, wasn’t I just happy to be done with D’s AIM conversations? Now I’ve graduated to talking through an email system??). Gchatting is the impersonal alternative to actual conversation, and even though I’m slightly annoyed that he won’t have a brief convo on the phone, I’ll reassess his worth after meeting him. For now, we’re planning on meeting up this weekend when we will both be in D.C. with friends. It’s not a for sure thing, but an if-it-works-out-that-way thing. Hmm, I wonder what A will do in person when he actually has to use his mouth to talk to me and not his computer keyboard??

So Many Strikes But We're Not Bowling!

So D and I have been communicating for some of the time that C and I were talking. He looks good in his pictures and is tall. Yay! A lot of our conversations take place on AIM, which I guess is fine because unless I really like talking to you, then I don’t really enjoy phone conversations. He sent me a link to a website about the graduate program he’s doing. There was a section with a brief biography about him. I appreciated that he did this because it helps me know that he’s not some weirdo who made up all this stuff. Well, he still, technically could be a weirdo but for the most part he seems genuine.

~~A few days later~~

D and I got together for dinner and a couple drinks. During dinner I was having some issues eating my salad elegantly. He made a comment, implying that I was eating like a pig. That was strike one. Actually, that probably counted for strike two, also. Oh, and even though he was tall and had a good body, his face was a little bit rough compared to how he looked in his pictures. I learned that if you care about how a person looks, which yes, I do care, then you’ve really gotta scrutinize their photos. This doesn’t mean you have to reject a person because they’re not a 10, but at least prepare yourself that they may not live up to what you want physically. Anyway, so after dinner we went back to his place, a fancy bachelor pad in a nearby city. I know I know, why was I going to this guy’s house when I barely knew him and when he already had two strikes against him? I’m learning as I go, and next time, if I’m not enjoying someone then I will find a way to scoot. Despite my protests he made me another drink. Count it as his third strike. Red flag? Probably. Again, I’m learning as I go. We watched a movie and concluded the evening with some kissing. The kissing was at least enjoyable, but not enough for me to want to see him again.

Three dates down and no keepers, but I’ve still got plenty of summertime left!

Where is the love? Not in D.C.!

The night had come. I would have to drive into D.C. For a date. With a guy I had only met once. But, I figured he had met my whole family on the first date so this seemed like a fair trade. Despite my mapquest directions taped to my dashboard, I still got lost on my way. Of course. I wasn’t surprised, I almost anticipated it so I had C on speed dial and called him in anticipation of my missteps. Only a few minutes behind schedule, I arrived at his apartment. He met me outside and we walked to a nearby restaurant for dinner. The weather was perfect so we sat outside at one of the sidewalk tables. Our conversation was easy which was to be expected since we had connected so well a few nights ago. Plus, I was realizing that he really was super cute; he had the most adorable smile. He may be short but his personal trainer body made up for it.

After dinner we walked back to his apartment to continue our conversation. I was enjoying getting to know him since I hadn’t had the opportunity much before with other guys. We shared a follow-up makeout sesh that was just as good as the first one. I thought things were going really well. [hint hint: this is where things turn bad]. Out of the blue, C turns to me and tells me that he’ll never fall in love with me. “Umm, okay? I’m not sure what to say,” I responded. He didn’t have much to add to the conversation after that; he knew what he wanted (someone to fall in love with) and he knew what he didn’t want (me). There wasn’t much reason to stick around after his declaration of independence from me so I left. He walked me to my car and I did tell him that if he wanted to be friends, I would be fine with that. He thanked me for being cool about the situation and seemed open to getting together again as friends.

What a pain, I drove all the way into D.C. just to be kicked right back to Virginia. Ugh, back to match.com to keep going with my search. I have been on match for about two weeks now and have only managed two dates. With two weeks left on my subscription, I’ve gotta get to work on my next dates! Even though C didn’t pan out as I would have thought, there is another guy. D. I’m learning to keep some guys on the back burner because you never know when the front flame is gonna go out!

Meet the Parents

Soon after my date with J, I started communicating with C. He was super cute and had a nice body. He better have a nice body, he’s a personal trainer! But he is short. Too short for my liking, but he was persistent in asking me out and we had a fun phone conversation so I figured why not go out with him and at least start to feel more comfortable with these online dates. He lives in D.C. and well, I don’t drive there, so he agreed to come to my house in northern Virginia and we would go to our date from there.

He was aware that I live with mom and dad, and yup, he had to meet them before we went out. No, that’s not awkward at all! He actually handled it really well, and my parents were pretty impressed with him. Our date was pretty perfect. We went to a local town center for some drinks and with the weather cooperating, we located a bench so we could actually hear each other when we talked. From our seat on the bench, we talked about our families, life, exchanged stories, and of course, gossiped about people who walked by. Our senses of humor were the same, and by the end of the night our sense of physical chemistry was also apparent.

Before he left to go home, we shared a nice little makeout session which was followed up with an agreement that we wanted to see each other again. Date #2 is approaching, but this time I have to drive into the city. He better be worth it!