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I am taking a break from fighting the completely futile battle of trying to clean my freshman dorm room of an apartment. I'm thinking of just moving and leaving everything here - just to avoid having to organize all my piles and piles of crap.

I have made what is probably the monumental mistake of booking dates for the next 3 nights in a row. Unfortunately, I felt like I couldn't put anyone off any longer, and these are some of the few nights that I'm not on call, so I need to put them to productive use.

Date #1: Tomorrow night with Sailor Guy. We're going to do dinner somewhere in Hollywood, since I made the effort of driving out to Pasadena last time. He's really charming and sweet, but I'm still balking because I think he's way more excited than I am.

Date #2: The BIG date, Friday night. This is the aforementioned third date with My New Boyfriend. Hopefully will go so well that his nickname will be less and less of a tongue-in-cheek thing and closer to an actual reality. But you never know, it could just fizzle too...

Date #3: Saturday night at the Wiltern with Cute Chinese Guy. Like I said before, I wish I hadn't committed to this one, since there is so much going on that night, but I'm sure that I'll have fun anyway. I just have to remember that I actually had fun and liked hanging out with him on the last date - it's so easy to forget that in between dates - especially when I'm so infatuated with MNB.

In the world of prospects, eHarmony Writer Guy suddenly reappeared. He said he was "crazy and got really sick" so I guess I'll give him a shot. He's emails have become rather lackluster so I don't really know. On Match I was corresponding with some guys that I was REALLY not interested in until the guilt finally got to me and I broke it off. I'm still talking to one who seems semi-promising, Mr. Hawaii. Maybe too far over the geek fence for me (which says a lot, ask The Sister), but maybe not. I'm trying to keep everything else moving VERY slowly, since my dating plate is FULL FULL FULL. Now back to some pointless rearranging of mess followed by a bbq in honor of my friend Elisesetfire being in town.

Lyrics of the Day
"I've tripped again and things are starting to get interesting. Don't give me choices 'cuz I can't decide." Anna Nalick Consider This

Catching Up on Bullet Points

Okay, so I've been very lazy, perhaps due entirely to the 72-hour Memorial Day drunk-fest that I've just endured, but here I am to finally update you all on all the wackiness I've yet to comment on. Let's start with Friday night:

1. My date, which I've already covered.
2. Getting jacked at karaoke: I swear, the bar wasn't even that busy, and we didn't put songs in THAT late, but I totally never got to sing. My friend Red even lied to the KJ (Karaoke Jockey for the underinformed) and said I was a "karaoke virgin" to get me moved up on the list. I had put in a duo of Summer Nights with Red's neighbor Actor B and we got to sing that - but almost at the very end of the night. Oh, the injustice!
3. The Extra-Tall Guy: The bar was closing. I went back in to find Red, who was in the bathroom. I somehow met and started a flirtation with this very cute boy who was 6'5". Unfortunately I have no idea what the conversation consisted of, or what the heck his name was. I ended up giving him my number, but knew that he would never call. He was on the sketchy side, but you know how I am about those tall boys.
4. Bob's Big Boy: We all decided to go to Bob's after the bar, for late night (and terrible idea) munchies. We had a tagalong in the form of this very odd guy that Red managed to pick up. Not to be a bitch, but what self-respecting man over thirty dies his hair "Josh Jackson in Urban Legend" frosted blonde?? Plus, he sorta looked like the new American Idol guy, whom I find to be incredibly creepy. There's a billboard of his face on Pico right now, right by the Fox lot, and every time I drive by it I can't decide whether I think he wants to eat me head or feet first. EW. I ate an entire double burger + fries. What was I thinking?
5. Home safe: I got home, sat down in front of the computer, and managed somehow to type out these bullet points, though I remember it being a struggle.

On to yesterday's points:
1. Monday Funday started out with our traditional drinking brunch, at the Saddle Ranch this time. It was probably the most mellow brunch we've had, but The Sister entertained with stories from possibly The Most Insane Road Trip That Arizona Has Ever Seen. We walked to and from the bar, both for exercise and to avoid any tipsy driving issues.
2. Poolside: We got home and retired to the pool where we tanned a little and hung with some of the neighbors. One of The Sister's neighbors used to work with a friend of mine from college - small freakin' world! We drank a couple of Bud Lights (cuz we're CLASSY like that) and managed to stand putting our legs in the ice-cold water all the way up to the knee.
3. 2-for-1: We then decide that it was high-time for some 2-for-1 margaritas at the Cabo Cantina, so we walked back up to the Sunset Strip. The problem was, The Sister lost her ID in the Arizona Trip Debauchery. So, armed with a birth certificate and a YMCA membership ID, we approached the door guy. He not only let The Sister in, but he thought that it was about the cutest tactic ever. Yay for door guys!
4. The SisterLBAlexMark: We had been at the Cantina for a while, and had all but given up on picking up any guys due to our recessed location, when a very cute boy gets The Sister's attention, then eventually comes to join us. His friend then joins as well, there was a lot of name-saying, to make sure that everyone knew everyone's name. Then there was drinking, drink spilling, some arguing, some consideration of the idea of beer pong and finally us girls had to sneak out with just the exchange of phone numbers. It was getting late and this little old lady had to try to get to bed at a decent hour.
5. Queens of the Saddle Ranch: We made one more stop over at the SR, to say hi to a guy that my sis is going on a date with (tonight actually!). We received a ridiculous welcome from our fave SR manager and from The Sister's date, The Bartender. We somehow managed to stay upright long enough to drink 2 more drinks (neither of which we were charged for), get a free dessert, and then walked our intoxicated asses back home.
6. My New Best Friend: I woke up at 4 am and realized that my body was violently objecting to all the sugary crap that I had eaten and drank all day on Monday. I was forced to leap out of bed to purge, followed by a soothing dose of Pepto Bismol. I woke up for work in the morning with a ring of pink on my lips. SEXY.

Thankfully this is the end of my Bullet Point Catch-Up blog. Later today, perhaps we'll have some time to update on the actual internet dating action that was missing from my weekend antics.

Lyrics of the Day
"But when you set'em up, I'm drinkin'em down." Cherry Poppin' Daddies Pink Elephant

A Sigh of Relief

Okay, I have 5 more minutes until my Crest Whitestrips are done, so I'm sneaking in one last blog for the evening (before I pathetically crash out before the sun even sets).

HE CALLED.

My New Boyfriend is still my new boyfriend. I was right on the holiday weekend no calling assumption - THANK THE LORD. He called and once again we had a very pleasant conversation. But...

I am SO disappointed. Remember how I didn't really want to commit to Cute Chinese Guy and the concert on Saturday night? Well, aside from the fact that 2 of my friends are having functions that evening (which of course none of them could have told me about BEFORE SATURDAY when I committed to the damn concert), but My New Boyfriend was sad when he found out I'll be at the show on Saturday, because HE'S HAVING A PARTY AND WANTED TO INVITE ME TO IT. And I can't go. He likes me enough to invite me to a party at his house where his friends will be and I CAN'T GO. I guess I'll just have to pretend that I'm keeping the mystery alive or something.

But we are going to go out on Friday instead. I know I've heard warnings about the once a week date thing moving you from dating to something more serious more quickly, but I like him enough for it. I'm naming our unborn children and worrying about how to introduce a non-white guy to my conservative Republican family. I already know what cute-but-not-overdone gift I'm going to give him for the first gift giving occasion. Yes, I'm absolutely going girly-ass crazy with this stuff - but I really like the guy!

Okay, maybe I'm not actually naming our children, but I am making sweeping statements in all caps about plans that I wish we could have made. *sigh*

Lyrics of the Day
"I used to think maybe you loved me, now baby I’m sure. And I just can’t wait till the day when you knock on my door." Katrina and The Waves Walking on Sunshine

Monday Funday = Tuesday Bluesday

I have so much to blog about (and now even more, thanks to an email tip from Sunday night's party) but I am deadfrickin' tired and hung-over from the Monday Funday mayhem that ensued yesterday. Further proof that The Sister and I are just WAY too much trouble when we go out together.

I know that I still owe explanations on bullet points from my drunk Friday post, but I'm going to do it again with the solemn Girl-Scouts-Honor promise to fill you in on all wackiness tomorrow when I'm coherent enough to stop seeing double.

1. Monday Funday Brunch
2. Poolside
3. 2-for-1 with a birth certificate
4. The SisterLBAlexMark
5. Queens of the Saddle Ranch
6. My new best friend: Pepto Bismol

As a side-note, I have NOT YET HEARD from My New Boyfriend since the second date. I know it was a holiday weekend and all, but no call following what I thought was a dynamite first kiss makes me think "he's-just-not-that-into-me" thoughts. On that note, I'm going to go lay in my bed, eat crappy leftover thai food, get crumbs in my sheets and pass out before 8 pm.

You've Been Very Patient

So here it is. The post on date #2 with My New Boyfriend. I feel like I've built it up too much, and I'm not sure the story is even that long, but here it is:

We met at 6:30 on Friday at LaLa's (an Argentinian place) on Melrose. We had changed the location because it has been nice out and we decided to go somewhere with a patio. I told him I was up for it on the condition that he shared a pitcher of Sangria with me. I arrived (ridiculously on time, as usual) and he was already there. Have I mentioned that I love punctuality? We hugged, then went to sit and eat. I vowed this time not to make such an ass of myself, and to ask more questions and get more of a feel for what he is looking for, etc. We agreed on a pitcher of red Sangria (they have a white variety as well) and got to it. Early on he revealed that work had suddenly gotten nutty that day, and that he had a ton of work he was going to have to do over the weekend. So I knew that he would beg out early, but I was only mildly disappointed, as I had plans to meet up with friends at a karaoke bar later. I had invited him, but he doesn't seem to be too big on the karoke - imagine! But I pretty much knew that he wouldn't be up for it, which was just solidified by the work comment.

Anyway, things almost sorta kinda went like the first date. He said it himself, he's a man of few words. I don't mind that in general, but in a formal dinner-date setting, I over-compensate. On the bright side, he seemed fairly amused, and possibly entertained by me. We talked about high school, I had this feeling that he was one of the popular kids, but I was wrong. Is it silly to be happy about that? We talked about being young, and he made a comment about liking Matchbox cars more than girls when he was a kid. Then he said, actually I still feel that way. I laughed and said that at least I now know what I'm up against. We ate, we ordered a second pitcher of Sangria (they were actually caraffes, so it's not like we were getting hammered or anything). Then he said he was beat and it was time to call it a night. The check came and I tried to take it, but he took it from me and wouldn't even let me contribute. I wish I didn't love that so much, but I really do.

We left, I had valeted (is that a word??) my car, so I gave my ticket to the valet and we commenced with the goodbyes. I offered up the excitement of karaoke one more time, but of course he declined. Then I said we should do it again soon and he said "definitely" in a fairly emphatic tone, so I took that as a good sign. We leaned in for the kiss, and... Fireworks. Okay, maybe not fireworks, but very good kisses nonetheless. He moved in like he was ready to pull back and make it a peck if it didn't seem to be working, but it worked. Oh my gracious, did it work. And it just solidified his position as My New Boyfriend.

Then of course, I left and went to the karaoke bar, which resulted in the numbered post which I still haven't totally filled you in on. But the date was a rousing success, and I'm almost literally waiting by the phone for him to call me so we can schedule date number three.

See why I need to keep saying yes to other people? Too much pressure!

Lyrics of the Day
"It's that pivotal moment, it's, ah, impossible." Faith Hill This Kiss

Proof that Life is Just Like "Sex & the City"

In the episode of Sex & the City, at the beginning of season 6, where Carrie is about to have her first date with Berger, she's very nervous about the date. Incidentally, she has also just been asked out by another guy, one that she's not terribly interested in. Carrie says, "This proves my theory that all a girl needs to get a date, is another date." She decides to go out with him, to take the pressure off of the date with Berger, which is the guy that she's really actually into. See what I'm saying here?

My point is, dates beget dates and real life really can be just like Sex & the City. Except with much cheaper and more conservative clothing. I went to Best Buy today to think about breaking down and buying the TV that I've been trying to buy for the last three months and immediately got picked up by an adorable little salesboy. I know that I'm going to get a TON of crap for this, and I considered not even blogging about it, but I figured that I'm already putting it all out there and I might as well suck it up and be perfectly honest. I gave my number to a 23 year old actor. Please, stop yelling! You're going to make me cry! But seriously, he is really adorable, thinks I'm the most fascinating person on the face of the earth, and got me free delivery on the TV that I FINALLY was able to commit to. I can't commit to a man, but I did manage to commit to a TV. But the real point is, other dates sort of take the pressure off of My New Boyfriend. If I was only seeing him, I'd be focusing far too much of my obsessive energy on him. So it's good, and important, for me to keep my eyes and mind open and to accept dates with cute boys, even when they're far too young and they're actors. Like my girl Fernival said today: He can just be some fun, nothing with a future, but some good ol' fun.

A change in attitude brings a change in reaction. I'm walking on air and apparently everyone can tell.

I Have a Dream

Or at least, I had one last night. Now I know that I'm supposed to be posting about my 2nd date with Tall Guy (now renamed, My New Boyfriend), but I need to get my oil changed and I wanted to get the bits of this dream down before they float away entirely.

The dream was about my third date with My New Boyfriend. We were hanging out, and being very affectionate, and having a ton of fun. I was finding myself, in the dream, liking him more and more. Then he has to leave, because of work (which always seems to be the case in real life too). We're walking out and he stops and looks at me. He says, "I don't want to sound weird or anything, but are you serious?" I gave him a blank look and he went on, saying that I am so amazing, and that he's never met someone like me, anyone as smart as I am, blah blah blah. I found myself melting in puddle at his feet. I told him the feeling was mutual, and that, "I guess those eHarmony people really have some stuff figured out." So we laughed and kissed and were really lovey-dovey, makes-you-want-to-throw-up-unless-you're-part-of-the-couple, cute and I was driving him back to his apartment. This date was somehow taking place during Memorial Day weekend, and he said he wanted to see me Monday as soon as he got off of work. I knew my sis would be pissed, because I would be leaving the pool party (that we may actually be going to), but I was going to meet him anyway. That was pretty much the end. For some reason though, he was in Med School. I don't know why - maybe my head is mixing up my Tall Boyfriend Fantasy with my Marry a Doctor Fantasy. I guess it can get kinda confusing. I'm surprised that George Clooney didn't pop up in there somehow.

Anyway, I know that's setting the bar a little high, like in the outter layers of the atmosphere high, but it was probably the best romantic dream I've had in longer than I can remember. I think it means that I feel like there's hope for me yet - I don't have to resign myself to a life surrounded by cats.

Lyrics of the Day
"I'm not like the girls that you've known, but I believe I'm worth coming home to." Tori Amos Sleeps With Butterflies

Things to Talk About Tomorrow

When I'm less tired and intoxicated:

1. My 2nd date with My New Boyfriend
2. Getting jacked at karaoke
3. The Extra-Tall, yet sketchy Guy
4. Bob's Big Boy
5. Home safe.

Like I said, we'll talk about it tomorrow.

Regarding My New Boyfriend

aka Tall Guy. Okay, I'm kidding about the New Boyfriend part, but in anticipation of our monumentally important second date, I thought I would write a little Ode to Tall Guy diatribe.

I didn't actually really discuss the first date with Tall Guy, as I was far too concerned with self-flagellation over my self-annointed idiotic behavior. Here are some reasons why I think Tall Guy should be my New Boyfriend:

1. He's tall. I mean, really tall. I-can-wear-four-inch-heels-and-still-have-to-look-way-up-at-him-tall.
2. He's polite. He texted me (he texts! Yay!) just before arriving for the date, to apologize that parking was making him late.
3. I decided early on that I was talking too much, and said to him, "Tell me a story." Without balking or anything, he said "Okay" and told a damn high-larious story about accidentally joining the gay pride section of a diversity parade when he first moved to LA. I LOVE a guy that can think on his feet.
4. He likes great things like music and books and movies that I like. Also, he used to play basketball with one of my all-time crushes, Tim Olyphant.
5. He lives at the beach.
6. He loves his family but they're not super close, so when we get married I can make him come to holiday functions with my family, because we all know that there's no way anyone is going to get me to give up my holidays with my family.
7. He's got his ears pierced. I don't know if you all know this, but I'm stupidly attracted to pierced ears, but I have no idea why. And it can never been one (unless he's Ed Bradley), it must be two.
8. He always calls me right when he gets off of work. I'm sure that's just the most convenient time to call (I like to make all my calls from the car too, so I can veg when I get home), but it still makes me feel like I'm the first person he wants to talk to when he's off.

Anyway, it better stay warm, because we're drinking sangria on the patio at LaLa's at 6:30. Can't wait!

Lyrics of the Day
"And I can't fight this feeling anymore, I've forgotten what I started fighting for." REO Speedwagon Can't Fight This Feeling

Inspired Blogging

I feel like I have so much to say, but I'm always afraid of belaboring points and/or scaring people with excessively long posts. So I'll fit as much in here as I deem prudent, then I'll maybe update one more time if I still have all sorts of fantastic things to say.

Last night I was in the Taco Bell drive-thru (don't judge me!) and I saw: 1) A man lying on his side on the pavement. He looked like he could be dead. Or just a homeless guy who left his newspaper/old blanket/empty bottle collection somewhere. 2) Two teenage indie-loner looking boys making out in a Saturn. 3) A strange hippie looking guy smoking and lounging on the grass right by the "Drive-Thru --->" sign. And people wonder why I want to move out of Hollywood. This TB is half a mile from my house. Also it's right next door to the Goodwill where all the drag queens and transvestites in Hollywood shop.

I completed my second Polite Decline task of the week and shot a nice rejection email to Friend Guy yesterday morning. I still felt kinda guilty about it, but not as guilty as I would have felt if I had wasted his time by going on one date with him and then blowing him off. I give myself a Good Dating Etiquette Gold Star for this week.

I've been obsessively reading this blog on Nerve.com this week, I have a link to it in my blog links section, but for some reason I don't think it works. Anyway, the blogger is a 29 year old girl in NYC. Nerve does this thing where they pick people to blog for them about their dating experiences on the site and then readers vote for which blogs they like best and the blogs with the highest scores get to keep going. The lowest ones are voted off in favor of fresh new faces. This girl, her blog name is Girlgonemad, has been going since May '04, so I have plenty to keep me busy with reading 2 years of entries. It's actually really life-affirming to do this stuff. You get a window into someone else's life, and it makes you feel less alone and more normal than you feel when you're constantly in your own head all day long. She's got some dating patterns and problems that are very similar to my own, which makes reading the blog almost like an instructional thing. Basically, I now have a huge girl-crush on her and want to be her when I grow up.

Cute Chinese Guy called me yesterday to invite me to an Arctic Monkeys concert on Saturday June 3. I hate to be a bitch, but I'm just not sure that I want to give up that Saturday night, plus I have this bad feeling that there's a bunch of stuff that I'm supposed to do. I totally screwed up and told him I'd give him the answer today - which I'm not sure I can. I don't know if you understand the precious nature of my weekend nights, and why I'm so reluctant to give up a Saturday night. It's also because, and men would yell so much about this, but he's calling me too much. I'm really gun-shy, and there's just a bit too much attention for someone I've gone on one-and-a-half dates with. I'll update more when I make a final decision. Plus, you know, Tall Guy.

So I've decided my friend the Figa Master (don't ask, it's too long a story) is the best male girl-friend in the world. Not only can I sit around and watch stupid TV with him and have it be fun, and we can get crappy take-out food or sushi together, and we play drinking dirty-word Scrabble - but I can ask him what shoes to wear. I asked, should I wear the short heels or the tall heels. He didn't just give me a non-committal answer like most guys would do, he had me model both shoes and then actually gave me an honest opinion on which ones I should wear. If he didn't have that pesky penis, we'd be BFF and braiding each others hair while we talked about George Clooney all night long.

Lyrics of the Day
"I had a drink the other day, opinions were like kittens I was giving them away and I had a drink the other day, I had a lot to say." Modest Mouse Out of Gas

Thump Thump Thump

Did you hear that? That was the sound of me, patting myself on the back. That's right, I deserve a little pat on the back, for a job well done.

This evening I called Tattoo Guy back (he had called me yesterday afternoon) and I knew that this would have to be the conversation. For those who know me well, you know that I avoid confrontation at all costs. I desperately need to do the right thing at all times, and upsetting someone is not the "right thing". But I was steadfast and honest and told him that I really enjoy spending time with him, but that I don't feel the romantic chemistry. He said that he'd had similar thoughts (which I figured since he hadn't tried to jump my bones on the last date), and was just waiting to see how I felt. So we're all good, and I made the initial effort by inviting him on a friendly outting this weekend.

It feels so good to do the right thing, and to do it without dragging anything out or avoiding any calls. This is the direction in which I was hoping to start heading when I started this exercise, and I'm proud of myself for staying the course.

One down, one to go. I've just got to write the email to Friend Guy now.

An Unexpected Twist

Here I am, just trucking along in my little world of internet dating entertainment - and along comes a REAL LIVE person that wants to ask me out! What exactly am I supposed to do with that? Before you think that I'm completely insane, let me give you the backstory (hopefully those of you who know it and/or are involved, don't mind my little synopsis.):

This guy, we'll call him Friend Guy, is a friend of a friend. I've known him for probably a couple of years now, very casually, seeing him only at functions with the aforementioned friend of mine. (Hopefully I'm being appropriately vague to protect the innocent.) He's a sweet guy, funny and intelligent, but a little on the nerdy side of things. Well, he and my friend are pretty darn good friends, and have often worked together. At some point last year, he made the bad decision to reveal to my friend his long-supressed feelings of complete and utter infatuation. She not only didn't feel the same way, but was rather upset, as non-mutual attraction is a gigantic monkey-wrench in an otherwise fabulously platonic male/female relationship. I think there was a period of time of them not talking, but eventually they made up and he's still been present at all pertinent social events. Including one last weekend.

SO... last weekend we are all out, and having a darn good time (with MANY high-larious pictures to prove it), and apparently I was extra charming. My friend says to me at some point in the evening that she asked Friend Guy who he thought was the most fun at the party (or some such question) and he said it was me. Now, we all have to remember that when I'm feeling good (as I am right now), I can be pretty damn 'ON'. Not necessarily the center-of-attention life-of-the-party chick, but some slightly scaled back version of such a person. Plus, I had coffee. But the thing is, I can be HOPELESSLY naive when it comes to random comments like the above illicited by my friend. I think to myself "Sweet! He thinks I'm cool and funny! Awesome." I don't think "I wonder if that means he's interested in me." because I'm stupid like that.

So I get an email this morning, that was actually sent yesterday, from my friend saying that Friend Guy is planning on asking me out. I write back saying, "Oh no, what should I do?" Little do I know, the next dang email in my inbox is from Friend Guy - very cleverly worded and amusing and asking me out on a date. Now, it's not that I have anything against Friend Guy, because he's great, he really is... BUT:

I'm already actively dating THREE different guys. That's already a LOT to have on my little tiny free-time plate. And, with his love of my friend, he's shown a propensity for the worshipful kind of affection that really really turns me off. Those of you who know of the Tom Debacle, know how well I react to that kind of attention. Not to mince words, let's just say BADLY. And he's in the social group, and I don't want to make future outtings ridiculously uncomfortable when/if things end up going badly or just not really going. I know that I've answered my own quandry here, and that I've already made the decision that it's better not to go out with him, but there's the inevitable "everybody needs to like me all the time" guilt that goes along with this decision. So I needed to write it out to work it out and now I just have to figure out how the hell to have the guts to turn down TWO GUYS (remember the Tattoo Guy decision dilemma) in one damn day. Ugh.

Lyrics of the Day
"I’m the one who wants you more than anything, you don't feel the same way you made it clear to me, but I’ll stand my ground and maybe you'll hear what I’ve been sayin'." The Descendents I'm the One

Blame it on Six Feet Under

Last night I met Sailor Guy in Pasadena for drinks, and as it turned out, some basketball watching. I can't believe my good fortune: I'm actually meeting guys in LA who like sports!! Who would've thought that that would be so rare?

He was actually cuter than I expected - the range of pictures that he has on his profile made it hard for me to tell. I was actually a little worrried that I wouldn't recognize him, but it worked out just fine. He reminded me all night of Freddy Rodriguez from Six Feet Under. He's not quite the same ethnically, but has a similar look and a very similar way of speaking. I won't go into the minutiae of the date, but overall it was a really nice time. I know that he really liked me, because he let the "we should go wine tasting sometime" line slip. When they start hinting at weekend trips on the first date, you know you've made a good impression. So there will be a second date with Sailor Guy.

But what I'm really excited about, is that following the very sad ending of the Clippers/Suns game last night, I set date #2 with Tall Guy. We're going to get dinner on Friday Night. Yes folks, that's right, we've got an official weekend date with the guy that we actually like. Creepy. I sound like Morla the Ancient One from the Neverending Story. But I digress... the point is that we set date number two, and that he likes me enough to use a weekend night on me. And vice-versa of course, because you know I don't give away my weekend nights easily. Once the phone call ended, I hopped up and down in my bedroom and did a little happy dance.

Now if I can only manage to act like a normal human being on this date...

Lyrics of the Day
"Now it's our chance, we'll feel complete. I'll ask you to dance and if you'll agree: it's me and you, that makes two, with four left feet." The Ditty Bops Four Left Feet

*Lyrics of the Day today in honor of the release of The Ditty Bops second album!

After the Storm

Isn't it supposed to be sunny and 70's all the time in SoCal? I don't know how they're getting away with letting it rain in May, but hopefully this is the last of it and we'll actually get some beach weather sometime soon.

But getting to the point: I had my 4th (and final) date with Tattoo Guy on Saturday evening. I met him at his apartment complex, where I met a few of his many friendly neighbors. I'm really jealous of the social nature of the place, I wish my neighbors were of the friendly sort! We then walked down into Los Feliz for Mexican food, which was good stuff. I was in a great mood and slightly caffienated, so it was a good conversation. Then we went back to his place for a small glass of wine before I had to run to Malibu for Julie's birthday party. Just when things could have gotten messy (sitting alone, on the couch, drinking wine) I was saved by the pager! I think it's the only time I've ever been relieved to have that thing go off. So it was a quick peck goodbye and a thank you and I was off.

Okay, you're wondering why I didn't have the promised "talk" with him. Well, I thought this over very carefully and got some advice before I made the decision, but I know that I'm doing the right thing. First off, I paid lots of extra attention on the date, feeling out whether I thought it was at all possible to become attracted to him romantically. It's not. I just don't feel that chemistry there. But I thought, it would be really wrong of me to go through the motions of making a date, then tell him half-way through that I'm not interested. It would be like the entire date was set up under false pretenses and that's just not how I want to operate. So the plan is to tell him the deal when he calls me next and hope that he's up for being friends. I know I've said it 1000 times, but I really do think he's a lot of fun and I'm hoping to hang out with him on a friendly basis. So we'll see what happens.

Lyrics of the Day
"So one last touch and then you'll go, and we'll pretend that it meant something so much more." Death Cab For Cutie Tiny Vessels

Surprising Seconds

Last night I had date #2 with Cute Chinese Guy. Things were thrown a little off course (which I had a feeling would happen) when I was paged 10 minutes before I was supposed to meet him for dinner. We had changed the location from Electric Lotus to Ethiopian food, because he ended up being on-call for a short time as well and he wanted to eat somewhere closer to his work. So it was near 7:30 by the time I finished up at the hospital and headed to meet him.

When I got to his work, he had finished everything he needed to do, so we decided to go back to the original plan and go to Electric Lotus. As I predicted (every once in a while I can be right about a guy!) he loosened up a ton on this date. I really think that he was nervous and intimidated by the whole experience the first time around, which is what caused the date to be so formal. Dinner was great, the conversation was good, and we shared two dishes which both turned out to be really good. Indian food is really a great date idea, because it's such a communal eating experience, but you can still eat it gracefully. We were still having a good time so we decided to walk down to the Dresden Room for drinks after dinner. He insisted on paying the dinner check, so I told him he had to let me pick up the drinks at the Dresden.

We got there and it was pretty busy, but there were still places to sit and we ended up being able to snag a table which was a big bonus. We continued chatting, and somewhere after drink #2 (counting the wine with dinner as #1), he said, "I just have to do this," and leaned over and kissed me. I was caught totally off-guard, because I hadn't even been thinking about the goodnight kiss thing. He said that he didn't want to sit around being nervous about it all night, so he figured he should just do it. It was a little Annie Hall/Good Will Hunting, but it was still cute and charming. We had a couple more drinks and then cut out as it was nearing midnight, because we were both tired and had had enough to drink.

He took me back to my car, and of course, there was a bit more kissing (not enough to call it making out) in his car. He is actually a really good kisser - it was a much more pleasant experience than that with Tattoo Guy. Then I got out, and went home.

So, the conclusion is that I actually kinda like Cute Chinese Guy. Not at the level I'm at with Tall Guy, but he's definitely someone I will go out with again, and could see dating for a bit. He's intelligent and listens well, he's cute and considerate, he tried to fight me for most of the drinks at the Dresden. There are two big "buts" to this equation though: I think I saw the tip he left at dinner, and it wasn't a good one. Also, he's definitely way more into me than I am into him. But that's part of what makes me attractive (unfortunately), I'm so at ease and able to play it cool when I'm not stressing about liking a guy. That's where my infatuation with Tall Guy is going to bite me in the ass. Anyway, in conclusion, it was a really successful date - much more successful than I really thought it was going to be, and I'm glad that it was. So unless Tall Guy proposes next week, there will be a date #3 with Cute Chinese Guy.

Stay tuned tonight or tomorrow for the status of Date #4 with Tattoo Guy.

I Almost Forgot! The Confession:

Tattoo Guy finally spilled what he said I needed to "confess" about. I'm not sure, but I think that you might have been able to hear my sigh of relief all the way in Bangladesh when he finally told me what it was.

Apparently he had just gotten out of the shower on Sunday night and was toweling off when he looked out his window and thought he saw "someone that looked like me" standing near a tree or something. So my confession was not something where I was caught at the Saddle Ranch (THANK GOD), but rather his crazy pipe-dream that I would be a peeping tom outside of his window.

Should I be frightened by this?

Oh, Right, and the Dating Thing

I've been all up on my little soapbox for the last day and a half and I haven't been updating you all on the actual subject of this blog. So here goes...

The real reason that I haven't been blogging about the dating much, is that I'm totally distracted by my attraction to Tall Guy. I'm pretty much just fixated on the idea of our second date, and (regretfully) as a result I'm semi-ignoring all the other guys. Of course, that's not the truth either, as I'm going out with all of them in the next 4 days.

Cute Chinese Guy and I are meeting tonight at 6:30 for Indian food. If I don't have the time of my life, I'm going to beg off early, since I'm exhausted today for some reason. But he has been increasingly nice and open (did I say all this already?) so I'm not entirely pessimistic.

Tattoo Guy and I just set plans to grab Mexican food in Los Feliz tomorrow for an early dinner before L.A. J's bday party. He's having me meet him at his house, and said multiple times how he's looking forward to seeing me since it's been a while. Tomorrow is the do-or-die date, where I really need to get the guts to tell him the truth about my lack of attraction.

Sailor Guy and I are meeting Monday, which I've already talked about. And that pretty much fills up my next 4 days, except for Sunday, when I'm going to try to catch up on "Lost", sleep and the Hollywood Farmer's Market.

Lyrics of the Day
"I must admit I was charmed by your advances. Your advantage left me helplessly into you." Death Cab for Cutie Title Track

To Blog or Not To Blog

Having someone at work to do most of my work for me has it's good and bad points. There are very annoying clerical things, like filing, that I never really have to do. Can't complain much about that. Then there's the very huge drawback of ending up with quite a lot of time on my hands. Most of you know that I do not do well in general with boredom. I tend to get cranky, then depressed, then hopeless, then I eat an entire bag of cookies or something. If this happens enough in a short span of time I hit the worst phase of all: fat.

BUT, today, instead of doing the above things (on the road to fat), I've been reading blogs. This is something that (aside really from Defamer), I've only recently started doing. I have to say, that it's actually really fun and puts my own blogging efforts in better perspective. I was, specifically, reading some of the dating bloggers on one of my favorite sites Nerve.com . They have a little thing where they get people to blog and then they are rated and voted on or off depending on how much the readers like them. I've known about this exercise for quite a while, but this is really the first time that I've spent any time reading them.

I realized, as I was reading the first one, how abstract blogging really is. I'm reading this person's innermost thoughts and actions, and I'm realizing that it's happening right now on the other side of the planet, and yet, it still seems like something fictional to me. But it also makes me feel less alone, less strange, less like someone going through something that other people don't go through. Just because I have a bunch of friends that don't do much dating or any internet dating, doesn't mean that nobody does these things anymore. It's refreshing really.

But it also begs the question: how much should one really reveal? Is full-disclosure about one's life really a good policy? Do we really need to write about and share EVERY thought that comes into our heads? I've been trying not to do that here - not to use this as a forum for self-expression. I don't need to bore most of you with that. But I am trying to write about things that are related to my ongoing experiences in the world of internet dating to give it more context and to give everyone (myself included) a little more to think about.

But really, I don't think I've answered my own question - nor do I think that I ever will. How Hamlet of me!

The Other Perspective

I just stumbled across this article from a link on a website that I enjoy and read regularly. They posted the link in indignation, as the article openly insults said website with a fairly unfounded accusation. If anyone is this bored, here's the link:

"Enjoys Long Walks on the Beach..."

What this is basically, is the editor's own misadventures in internet dating. I've read many a negative take on the process in my day, but this is pretty scathing. The problem is, I think that it's not them, it's her.

Not to be a bitch (of course one must always start with this type of disclaimer when embarking on bitchiness), but I think this woman is bitter, cynical, still smarting from her divorce, and surprised that misrepresenting herself offends people. She only really refers to it twice in the article (obviously trying to paint herself as the victim), but she does let it slip that she's less than honest to her online suitors. She mentions once that a date was horrified when he met her in person, and once that a date was outraged when she admitted that she was older than she has posted on Match.com. I understand the desire to paint oneself in a favorable light, I really do, but where the hell does she think that outright lying is going to get her?

I do my best to be ridiculously honest on my profiles. I post pictures that do not make me look better than I look in person. I don't want anyone to be unpleasantly surprised when they actually meet me. In fact, I'm always hoping for the opposite: I want to look better in person than I do in my photos.

So, yes, internet dating isn't a cakewalk. And yes, there are some people out there that are crazy, or serial daters, or hoping to get married next week, but there are just as many people just like that in every bar that you can walk into. The editor would probably counter with the fact that I haven't been doing this for that long, and that I'm still in the Denial stage. I disagree. The thing that I do see that could play a legitimate part in her struggle is the generation gap. It's possible that she's just too old to be internet dating. The older generation didn't grow up on the internet like we did: they don't see it as a place to expand your life, they see it as a place to go only when entirely desperate. They don't get MySpace, the don't write blogs (not many of them, at least). They don't communicate with friends almost solely over email. For those of us in this new internet generation, dating is just the next logical step in putting more and more of our lives out onto the Web.

eHarmony Rant

Now I'm not dissing the eHarmony service itself, because obviously I'm pretty happy with my eHarmony experience so far, but I just need to vent a little for a moment.

I have previously posted that I has, thus far, received 83 matches from eHarmony. Well, that number inched all the way up to 98 before I finally switched off the matching function last Friday, May 12. I'm not upset that I've gotten so many matches, in fact, it's somewhat encouraging to think that there are that many people out there (only on the internet even!) who are deemed "highly compatible" with me. The thing is, ever since I switched off the matching function, I feel like the website is upset with me. Every time I log on, instead of going to the "My Matches" section, it automatically redirects to the "My Settings" section. I feel like it's saying, "Hey there! What's the matter with you? Don't you want more matches? Do you want to die alone?" I know it's just trying to be helpful, but JEEZ!

The problem is, no one can focus on that many people. In fact, since I started getting excited about Tall Guy (!!), I stopped caring that much about the other guys I was talking to anyway. (still haven't heard from Writer Guy or Grad School Guy, btw) So why are they badgering me to get more matches? I turned the matching off once before, only to reconsider when the site guilted me into switching my preferences back to "on". Then I changed my requirements from worldwide matching to matching within 60 miles of LA. Still, I received almost 10 more matches in 3 or 4 days before saying "enough is enough!" and turning matching off again.

So, eHarmony, I like you, I really do. We're having a pretty good working relationship so far, I have very few complaints. But you are NOT going to talk me into accepting more matches right now, I can't handle it! You may try to influence me with that "My Settings" screen 10 times a day, but I'm not going to give in.

Lyrics
"We're not gonna take it, no we ain't gonna take it. Oh, we're not gonna take it anymore." Twisted Sister We're Not Gonna Take It

He Called He Called He Called

Okay, you do have to forgive me my juvenile moment of glee. I can't help it, because I had really, seriously convinced myself that I screwed the date up beyond belief. And then, he called! So now I can go back to considering myself a great first date, and look forward to a second date.

He's out of town this weekend, which is good, since I'm totally booked. He's going to call me again when he gets back into town and we'll make plans to get together next week.

I'm really ecstatic. Hasmik says she never hears me like this, and indeed, it's been a long long while since I've been really interested in someone. Nine months I think. How sad! But that's beside the point. The point is, I'm giddy with relief. And I will have a second chance to NOT make an ass of myself with Tall Guy. To commemorate this momentous occasion, I give you Simon & Garfunkel lyrics of the day, since Tall Guy and I are both huge S&G fans.

Lyrics of the Day
"Let us be lovers, we'll marry our fortunes together. I've got some real estate here in my bag." Simon & Garfunkel America

I Take It Back

Okay, so I know that I said I wasn't going to talk about Tall Guy anymore, unless I heard from him. But, the thing is, I lied. Oops!

I am seriously demoralized by this experience. I don't know if you guys understand this entirely. I am the WORLD'S BEST FIRST DATE. I swear to god, it's the truth. I have never had a first date that was unsuccessful because of me. I know this sounds really bitchy and boastful, but it's just the truth. I can talk to anyone about anything and feel comfortable for approximately 2 hours. I can even pep up bad, lagging conversation with someone who seems to be almost consciously resisting my charms. But I think Tall Guy is my kryptonite. That, and a lack of sleep, plus too much caffiene. But I'm mostly blaming it on him.

The thing is: I never expected to meet anyone I was actually interested in when I started this whole experiment. It was more for the purpose of practicing basic dating skills that it was for actually meeting someone.

And then Tall Guy comes along, gets my hopes up, puts them into his pocket, runs to the top of the US Bank building and drops them right off of the roof.

Once again, maybe this is all a bit of hyperbole, but I'm still stinging from my perceived First Date Failure. *sigh* And as I am in the middle of this huge overreaction, I'm allowing it to extend to everyone else that I've been dating and/or talking to. I don't feel like talking to any of them anymore. I'm thinking, "Do I really have to go out with three guys in the next week?" I'm thinking, "Maybe I should just give it all up and sit at home for the next month watching the first seasons of Veronica Mars and Grey's Anatomy over and over again."

Ah, how the mighty do fall.

Consideration

By the way, I'm learning through all of this internet dating stuff, that the etiquette is so much less stringent than I really thought it was. People do just stop writing spontaneously, without explanation. People don't respond to emails, even just to say "No thanks". I think I put way too much pressure on myself to be polite, and offer up explanations. But I have this irrational fear of bad dating karma - I don't want my blow-offs to come back and haunt me in turn.

Lyrics of the Day
"No one's picking up the phone, guess it's clear he's gone." Tori Amos Hey Jupiter

Scheduling Craziness

Okay, so I'm really not going to talk about Tall Guy again, unless I hear from him. I'm going to try not to dwell on it and just focus on other people that I'm talking to.

I spoke to Sailor Guy last night, and he actually seems a whole lot cooler on the phone than he did over email. So we made plans to get together next Monday night (my next night off), somewhere in Old Town Pasadena. He lives in Harbor City right now, but works in Pas, so that's why we're meeting there. He's buying a house in Silverlake though, which I'm really jealous of!

I also made 2nd date plans with Cute Chinese Guy. We're going to grab some Indian food at the Electric Lotus on Friday night. He seems to loosen up a little more each time I talk to him, so I think that's a good sign.

I traded calls with Tattoo guy, who said something cryptic on the message about me having a confession to make. I have a feeling that he somehow witnessed or heard about some part of my Saturday debauchery - which isn't a huge crisis, but makes me feel a little guilty about having to explain why I didn't tell him what I was doing. But someone you've been on 3 dates with can't seriously expect to be invited to a birthday party - can they? I figure that would create too much pressure, and hope that he understands that. My real fear is that he happened to end up at the Saddle Ranch Saturday night, and that he recognized me in the picture from my bullride that they probably kept up all freaking night! That was NOT a flattering pic, let me tell you. (I did, however, get a MUCH better action shot with my own camera.)

CEO Guy seems to have dropped off the face of the earth, which I'm not surprised about in the least. Writer Guy seems to have disappeared as well, which is more surprising. I'm giving him a few more days before I give up entirely, but I doubt that I'll hear from him again.

Lyrics of the Day
"Wait for the year to drown. Spring forward, fall back down. I'm trying not to wonder where you are." The Weakerthans Left and Leaving

Blowing It

I really hope that I'm overreacting and being unduly pessimistic, but I'm pretty sure that I blew it tonight with Tall Guy (which is SO not like me!).

I am never allowed to go out with a guy that I'm actually interested in again. I have this ability to be so cool and charming with guys that I'm not interested in: but the moment I talk to a guy I like I'm a blithering idiot. And that's what I was tonight. I talked too much, I said stupid-ass things, I tried to be impressive but failed miserably.

Okay, I really hope that I'm wrong, and I'm overestimating my own stupidity. He did say that "we should do this again soon" but he also cut out of the date to "go back to work." So I have no idea what to think. I feel like I should do that thing where I email him and say thanks for last night, but then again I think that sounds desperate. Kelley says that I should just wait for him to call, so that's my plan.

Like I said: I'm never again allowed to go out with anyone that I'm actually interested in.

Lyrics of the Day
"So don't expect too much, okay, 'cuz the best and the worst might have passed anyway." Maria Taylor Light House

Short Notice!!

And the tables turn right around on me - Tall Guy's schedule changed, and now he's available tonight! So I'm going to buck up and rally and go. I'm damn tired, but I'm drinking a coffee now to give myself a little boost. We're meeting at this bar called the 3rd Stop on 3rd street - I just read reviews and it's supposed to be great. So I'm doubly excited to meet a cool guy and find a cool new bar! I'm terribly nervous, and worried that it's going to show that I'm so tired from this weekend.

So, I know that it makes me a stalker, but I totally found out who he really is online. He wrote me an email with the name of a movie that his company produced, so I looked it up and found out which company he works for. Then it even turns out that he's an exec (Dir. of Development) and has a bio on the company's website! I have to play dumb tonight of course, but I was really curious. You know you would have done the same thing.

Lyrics of the Day
"I know what time you will arrive, I've been waiting for you every night. I know you can't see me, my heart skips a beat." All Stalker

After the Marathon

I've yet to recover 100% from my 12-hour birthday drinking marathon on Saturday, but I'm getting there. There was so much going on in real-life this weekend, that I didn't have much time for internet dating. I did, however, get a response from Tall Guy finally. He's not avail tonight, which is turning out to be a blessing. Tomorrow night should be the big date though! I'm totally nervous that I'm going to meet him and there will be NO chemistry. I've spent so much time getting to know him over email that I really like him now, and I'm scared that it's going to backfire. I've had it work out both ways: they live up to expectation or they don't, so I'm must trying to keep my feet on the ground. He lives right by the beach, by the way. His big flaw so far, is that he doesn't like Grey's Anatomy (I know, *gasp*), but I'm pretty sure we can find a way to work through it. I'll post an update later on whether or not we're definitely on for tomorrow.

I got a call from Sailor Guy over the weekend (have I talked about him before or not??) - he's someone I'm not terribly interested in, but seems like a cool enough guy to give him a shot. I feel terrible for not calling him back yet, but I'll do it today. I also need to call Cute Chinese Guy and Tattoo Guy. This is going to be a VERY busy week.

Lyrics of the Day
"Your house or mine, I don't really care about it anymore. I close my eyes, I, I make myself unhappy so you'll go. Without me, what's wrong with you?" Tegan & Sara Monday Monday Monday

Fast Forward Button

Where is one? I want to make this day be over already! It's insanely quiet at the hospital - especially for a Friday. I'm sitting in front of the computer, waiting for Tall Guy to write me back and tell me if he's avail to meet on Monday night. I had a dream last night that I went on a couple of dates with him and they were awesome. Then I left my new dressy white heels at his house, and somebody colored the straps black. So I went frantically searching for a new pair, because I really needed to wear them for something. I was walking up and down the mall (a strange mix of the Bozeman and Glendale malls) trying to find the store where I bought them. I have no idea what that has to do with anything - it was just weird.

Lyrics of the Day
"I had a dream last night, and it fit me like a glove, it was a scream last night, it was getting kinda fun (yeah, rock out, whatever)" Butthole Surfers Whatever (I Had a Dream)

I'm So Excited, I Just Can't Hide It

It's on.

The first date with Tall Guy is officially being planned. We're going to try to grab a drink next week after work. I'm now just having the brainstorm of suggesting that we meet at Bodega on Monday - because that would rock. I think. Hopefully that wouldn't be too weird. I'll check with The Sister. He just moved to Venice. Now, when we get married, I can live at the beach!

You know I'm just kidding about that last part - right?

I mean it. I was totally kidding.

Lyrics of the Day
"And your mom's got you convinced that he's the one. He's all you need, so forget me and marry him at once." The Good Life A New Friend

The Morning After

I had a very fun birthday, but now I'm hung-over and tired and I want to go home. Okay, that was enough whining, now onto the good stuff...

Match is driving me nuts. I feel so bad blowing off these guys that seem perfectly nice, but I just really don't find attractive. But I don't want to end up going on pity dates either, because that's just a bad waste of time and I'm now too damn old (yes, the cutoff for pity dates is 25) to be doing that kind of thing. I would scream, but that's just so not effective in writing. I did, however, just start talking to a guy on Match whom I initiated contact with, CEO Guy. He's pretty cute and we'll see if it actually ends up leading to a date. I'm not sure about him...

I am getting increasingly excited about Tall Guy. He answers all my questions in exactly the right way! I asked him about spiders, and without prompting he said he never kills them, he puts them outside. He's a Clippers not a Lakers fan. He has great taste in music. He knows that being allergic to milk is different than being lactose intolerant. He said "we'll have to get you to a Clippers game." He made an overture about going to a She Wants Revenge show with him in June - so I said of course I'd be interested and suggested that maybe we should have coffee or a drink somtime a little sooner than June. Yay!!

Tattoo Guy called me yesterday to say Happy Birthday. Cute Chinese Guy called to say he hoped I was feeling better (he didn't know it was my birthday). They're both really sweet. Who knew this would be such a good experience?

Lyrics of the Day
"This is the first day of my life, I'm glad I didn't die before I met you." Bright EyesFirst Day of My Life

Happy Birthday to Me

Well, obviously, today is my birthday. Work is being uncommonly nice to me, so here I am, updating again. (Just for you Has) I mentioned to Tattoo Guy on the phone that my birthday was this week, and he was very sweet to call and leave a happy birthday message. Once again, dang that lack of chemistry!

The emailing continues with Tall Guy. I'm actually starting to get impatient about meeting him, but I really want him to initiate it, though I'm not sure why. Maybe he's sitting there thinking the same thing. I asked him his top 5 guilty pleasure movies and one of them was "Addicted to Love". How could anyone like that movie??!! But he won me back over with "Clue".

There's a 3rd eHarmony guy now, let's call him Grad School Guy. I hope you're keeping all of these names straight! I'm not 100% sure that I'm interested, but he's seeming really sweet so far and intelligent, so I've started Open Communication with him.

On Match, I'm talking with a slew of guys that I'm really not interested in, and I'm not sure where to go next. They're not even worth giving nicknames to, because I'm pretty sure I don't want to go out with any of them. I'm just trying to find the most tactful way to do it now that I've sent a couple of emails back and forth with them. I did send an email of my own to a really cute guy with this amazingly well-written profile. He responded (after 5 days! I'd given up already), but the email was brief and not impressive. I figure that I'll respond and if we start a banter I'll give him a name. But he may not be actually interested and just trying to be nice. I'm getting a little tired of Match, to be honest. It's really a "scene" and that's not what I was hoping for. But I guess I'll just keep trucking and see if anything at all comes of it.

Lyrics of the Day
"You load sixteen tons, what do you get? Another day older and deeper in debt." Merle Travis Sixteen Tons

Sheer Volume

When I signed up for eHarmony, I worried that I wouldn't have very many matches, so I put that I was open to matches from all over the world. Apparently, I am the most compatible person on the planet, because I just looked at the numbers and I have had 83 MATCHES. How in goodness' name am I supposed to thoughtfully consider 83 MATCHES?? So I changed my settings, because in my head I'm only really interested in the people in LA anyway, so why pretend otherwise?

Lyrics of the Day
"I'm holding out for a hero til the end of the night. He's gotta be strong and he's gotta be fast and he's gotta be fresh from the fight." Bonnie Tyler Holding Out For a Hero

Playing Catch-Up

I woke up Friday morning sick as a dog, so I’m way behind now on my blogging. Let me see if I can catch us all up without belaboring the points…

Thursday afternoon/evening I went on my first date/meet and greet with Cute Chinese Guy. He was a few minutes late, which I’m still trying to decide if I should hold it against him or not. You know me and my paranoid punctuality. We had a nice time though, aside from the fact that the whole thing resembled an interview as much as it did a date. He’s smart and nice and open-minded, so he deserves a second date. There’s just something about they way he keeps trying to analyze me that I’m not sure I like. I say something like, “I don’t like Equal” and he says, “So, you’re really a natural, pure kinda girl aren’t you?” Why do I need to be labeled? But I’m figuring that he’ll loosen up a little when the first date pressure is off.

Tattoo Guy was out of town with a friend for the weekend, so I just talked to him yesterday. I really like hanging out with him, I don't think I can overemphasize how much I wish we were just friends. I'm really going to try to make that happen. We'll probably get together again next week - since I'm pretty booked this week with my birthday and such.

Tall Guy and I are emailing back and forth a lot on eHarmony. I still really like him. He's well-spoken (well, well-written at least), has similar interests and values; I'm really starting to give eHarmony a bit of credit for their matching process. I'm excited to eventually meet him, but I'm going to wait for him to bring it up. For some reason, I don't want to play the agressor with him.

There's a new guy that I just started Open Communication with on eHarmony as well. He's Writer Guy, and he won me over by being hilarious. He lives in West Hollywood, so it's worth exploring.

Lyrics of the Day
"This is the story of the boys who love you, who love you now and loved you then." The Decemberists Red Right Ankle

Ambushed

I was ambushed on date #3 with Tattoo Guy! We planned to meet outside of The Garden of Eden, where they were holding the PP charity Bingo event. Suddenly he comes walking up with another friend with him. Little did I know, a few of his friends were attending the event with us. Now, I don't actually have a problem with this, but it made it impossible for me to follow my plan of telling him that I'm not attracted to him! Worse still, I had a really great time. I caught myself wishing last night that I had met him in any other way, and that we could just be friends.

Despite the ambush and failure of my 3rd date agenda, the presence of the friends did prevent the obligatory make-out session, so at least I was off the hook in that way. Now I'll just have to switch the 3rd date plan to a 4th date plan. This time, nothing can stand in my way, because I don't want to get any closer to leading him on than I already am.

*Sigh*

And it Begins Anew

I just talked to Cute Chinese Guy. The conversation didn't flow quite as easily as it did with Tattoo Guy, but I still think there could be some potential there. So we've got a coffee date for this Thursday evening. Good, low pressure start.

Date number three with Tattoo guy was just scheduled for tomorrow. I know it's a bad idea to go out with him three Tuesdays in a row - but I'm going to make the decision tomorrow, so I figure that I can get away with it. Plus, it's a Planned Parenthood charity Bingo event he invited me to, and I love bingo. I also really support PP, so it's a doubly good cause.

Lyrics of the Day
I want somebody who can hold my interest, hold it and never let it go." Ani DiFranco Asking Too Much

Monday Madness

It should be mad at work, it usually is on Mondays. But it's surprisingly light so far, so here I am cruising the web.

I finally emailed back Work Guy to say that it's not a good idea that we chat and that I don't date people that I work with. Phew! Now I just have to play it cool when I (inevitably) run into him here at the hospital.

I also entered "Open Communication" with Tall Guy on eHarmony. This means that we are actually openly emailing now for the first time. I had a ton of anxiety over how exactly to open an email and what I should say, but I think I managed to compose something passable.

Cute Chinese guy wrote me from Coachella (too bad The JoyMonster, Figa and I never got our asses in gear for that one), and finally broached the subject of a phone call. So I sent him my number, and hopefully this will lead to a date in the near future. Or it could go the same direction as Cute in a Hat Guy.

Tattoo Guy invited me on a double date (!!) over the weekend, though I already had plans. Double date seems like moving a little fast, but maybe that's just my fear of intimacy chiming in.

Lyrics of the Day
"It's just another manic Monday." The Bangles Manic Monday