T.M.I.

I have this inexplicable habit of sharing too much information with [relative and complete] strangers.

Now I don't mean, "Oh my god that Thai food gave me the worst diarrhea!" kind of T.M.I.

I mean that I randomly launch into stories that no one needs to know, with no prompting whatsoever from the conversation or situation at hand.

Just today I heard someone in the hallway mention a 9-volt battery. This seemed to remind me that this was the perfect time to share details of my recent struggles to maintain the battery-powered operation of my stubborn parking lot gate remote with my student and the person I was servicing at work this morning.

Did they care about my battery-operated remote control?

Of course not.

Does that stop me from sharing the story in its entirety?

Of course not.

And, embarrassingly, this is a habit that most certainly extends into my dating life. It tends to work (somewhat, at least) in my favor on first dates, as it allows me to refresh the conversation at will if it seems to be flagging. But at many (okay, well, most) other times, it merely strikes people as odd or possibly even annoying.

Tonight, the person most annoyed by my habit was Me. I was stumbling through my first telephone conversation with Montana Guy as if I'd never talked on the phone with anyone as long as I'd lived. It wasn't nervousness, not really, as I'm not even sure this guy is a realistic romantic prospect. It was something else altogether, that I'm really just now realizing.

I'm RUSTY.

I haven't had a New Prospective Date-type interaction in quite a while now. Being that I've been unsure whether this was going to be a date anyway, I had not mentally prepared myself for the call that I had told him to make tonight.

Whether or not I made a total ass of myself (though I am leaning towards the fact that I did), the tentatively planned date for tomorrow night is a no-go. Montana Guy just got a new job and needs a few evenings of adjustment before he's going to be available. He suggested this weekend, but I'm completely swamped (with plans to be disclosed at a later date in this space). So we're setting another tentative plan for next week, depending on how the rest of this week works out for each of us.

Then we can see just how much inane information I can disclose before he runs screaming for the hills.

Lyrics of the Day

"I feel stupid, but it's something that comes and goes. I've been changin', I think it's funny how no one knows." Matchbox Twenty Mad Season