The Big Date

Where to begin, where to begin? I've been lounging in bed, half awake, all morning, trying to decide where to start the story of date #3 with My New Boyfriend.

(*disclaimer: I wrote the first line on Saturday morning, in the pink afterglow of the date. The rest of the entry is being written Sunday morning, after a less-than-stellar Saturday night date with CCG. So this is much less giddy and effusive than I wish it was.)

The Sister liked him! Many of you may not know this, but I have a sketchy history in boyfriend-choosing, especially in The Sister's opinion. But lo and behold, The Sister thought that My New Boyfriend was: cool, polite, cute, and good for me! Most high-lariously, The Sister HATES the blazer with a t-shirt look, but when I pointed out that that was what MNB was wearing, she said that for some reason, he could pull it off. It's hard to convey just how exciting all of this is to me. Family approval counts for everything in my fam, and this is a very good sign. On to the details of the date.

We met at 8 at Bodega Santa Monica and The Sister had saved the day by stealthily reserving us a table at the already packed wine bar. I would never have admitted it beforehand, but I was somewhat nervous about how this date was going to go. On the previous dates, he was fairly reserved and so I made up for it by naturally dominating most of the conversations, which seemed to be okay with him. But I was worried that that was going to continue to be the pattern of interaction and that eventually I was going to run out of interesting things to say. Thank goodness I was wrong. I think that it just takes him a while to warm up and decide what kind of interaction is okay with someone before he comes out of his shell. And on this date (this wonderful date) he definitely came out of his shell. He has this dry, sarcastic sense of humor, and enjoyed the hell out of making fun of me all night. I laughed my ass off. We talked about a million things, drank some wine, had a little snack, and generally had a very quality third date.

He decided to call it a night just after midnight, and I told him I was going to stick around for a few. So I walked him out of the bar, where there was another series of very good goodnight kisses. I know that everyone in the world hates PDAs (public displays of affection), but to be honest, I LOVE them. I can't explain it. So the fact that he was cool with kissing me like that on the sidewalk, with a small audience of smokers, made me very happy. I told him I'd give him a call, and then I went back into Bodega.

That's when I found out that The Sister approved, and then I ended up staying there another hour just gushing and gossipping and wrapping up my Friday night. As I mentioned in the disclaimer, this is not the giddy post that I wanted it to be: because I'm really into this guy and I'm really enjoying the process. But the events of yesterday, which I shall detail later on, really wore me out and sucked out some of my enthusiasm. Hopefully I can regain my lovestruck excitement after I call him and we set up date #4.

Baby Steps

Since the subject matter is so vastly different, I'm splitting up my topics into two posts today. This one, of course, is about My New Boyfriend. Because what would a day be without a post involving him?

We had agreed earlier this week to go out on Friday night, so I gave him a ring (check out Assertive Girl!) last night after my date to see what he was up for. I had, in the back of mind, this idea that I wanted to take him to Bodega Santa Monica for wine and covertly to meet my sister. But I also knew that that was a big request for a third date, so I wasn't holding my breath. We chatted a bit, then got to the subject of the date, and I threw Bodega out there. I swear, I gave him multiple outs and opportunities to suggest an alternative plan. But he said, "No, let's do that, it sounds like fun." Maybe I'm just girly over-analyzing it, but that seems like a pretty decent step to me: willingness to meet The Sister. So even though I'm missing my Step Opportunity by not being able to go to his party tomorrow night, he's taking his by coming to Bodega tonight. Details on our wedding arrangements tomorrow.

Lyrics of the Day
"Step by step, ooh baby, gonna get to you girl." New Kids on the Block Step By Step

Ahoy Matey

Date number two with Sailor Guy was surprisingly good. As I said before, it really could just be the Freddy Rodriguez thing, but I'm just starting to think that he's really adorable. Not Cary-Grant-handsome, but puppies-and-bunnies-adorable. I know that sounds condescending, but I don't mean it that way. We had sushi at a little place near my house, so I walked there to meet him. We sat on the patio and had some Asahi, some good conversation and a butt-load of sushi. Again, he insisted on paying, which sincerely just continues to surprise me. I have an acquaintance who used to live in NYC and said that when she dated there, they would always go dutch. But she found when she moved to LA, that the men always paid. She said she never paid for a date in LA. I'm not sure what the source of the cultural divide is, but it interests me...

I'm really doing my best to maintain an open mind during each date, and throughout the evening, I really found myself growing to like Sailor Guy. He has a cute way of talking, does all sorts of great things and has great stories about them, and works in the medical field so he can totally relate to my life. BUT, and unfortunately, there is a "but", the goodnight kiss was not what I would have hoped. I told my sis the situation and she said to veto him right away. But I'm reluctant to cut it off so quickly. It wasn't the WORST kissing in the world, it just wasn't paced the way I would have liked it to be. But men are trainable right? I'm not going to write him off as a lost cause just yet...

Lyrics of the Day
"I rip the tongue right out your mouth kissing you goodbye." Best Kissers in the World She Won't Get Under Me Til I Get Over You

Wrenches, Wrenches Everywhere

Let me first clarify that it's not that I don't want to go on Date #3 with Cute Chinese Guy. It's just that I really didn't want to commit this particular Saturday night to the date. And now there are additional problems and I am going to have to change the date.

My girl Elisesetfire is staying in town for an extra day or two in honor of the birthday party that I wasn't going to be able to attend. Since I hardly get to see her, and she's one of my closest friends, I feel like it would be wrong and stupid to miss out on hanging with her that night. So my solution is this: call Cute Chinese Guy and tell him the deal. Say that I'm sorry, but it would be fabulous if he wanted to join me at the party instead of going to the concert. I feel slightly less bad about it since he got the tix for free and he just received them. I do have terrible guilty complexes about doing this sort of thing in general - but I staunchly refuse to be that person that picks boys over friends. Boyfriend, date or whatnot - it's Ho's Before Bro's. Everyone knows that.

In advance, please forgive me for the lyrics today, but I HAD to do it.

Lyrics of the Day
"If you wanna be my lover, you gotta get with my friends. Make it last forever, friendship never ends." Spice Girls Wannabe

Triple Header

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?