Ms. Green

Mr. Nice Guy and I bonded over football–we both went to the same university and we both have season seats to the games. I’ve been ranting to my friends that it’s been so hard to find a guy that’s into the game as much as I am. It felt great to finally meet someone who shared that particular interest! We emailed a bit and talked on the phone prior to our first date.

We met at a tapas restaurant in the city for drinks. First impression, he had gorgeous, golden brown eyes and a great smile. One drink turned into three and we also ordered dinner. I had to dub him Mr. Nice Guy because he just seemed so well-rounded. He has a good job, good friends, likes to be social and hang out with people, and he just seemed like a nice person. There’s nothing wrong with nice! He picked up the tab for our date and I offered to give him a lift home as he didn’t have his car. He politely refused, saying that it was out of my way, but I insisted since I’m originally from L.A. and I don’t care much for public transportation. I dropped him off and leaned in for a hug.

He texted me to make plans for a second date the following week. We met up on my side of the bay to catch one of the hockey playoff games. We had more drinks and dinner and enjoyed watching the game together. It felt just as easy and comfortable as the first date. He walked me to my car and then joked about me giving him a lift to his car. I thought it was cute, so I gave him a lift to his car a few blocks away. I pulled up next to his car and this time he leaned in and gave me a very sweet and soft kiss. I threw my car into park but we didn’t kiss too long because I was worried about getting hit from behind. We were on a busy street!

We made plans for a third date the following week, but work got in the way. We decided to postpone it until I got back into town (I was going to be gone for 10 days for work). We texted while I was out of town about what we were up to, comments on the hockey and basketball finals, etc. I called him the day after I got back into town and never heard from him again. I guess he just wasn’t that into me, but that one was hard to swallow. I definitely was interested in getting to know him better and I was disappointed that it ended like that.

I met Mr. Confidence at a bar when I was out for my best friend’s 30th birthday. He came up to me and a group of my friends and introduced himself. He started chatting with me and asked to get to know me better. Unfortunately, his friends were leaving to go to another bar, so he asked for my number. I was so impressed with his confidence to directly come up to a group of girls, I immediately gave him my number. He texted me a couple hours later apologizing again for leaving so abruptly. I said that he should take me to dinner to make up for it, and he said it would be his pleasure. He called me two days later and we made dinner plans for the following week.

On the night of the date I settled in at our table and waited until he finally arrived minutes later,and out of breath. It was raining and he had no umbrella, so he jogged to the restaurant. The first 10 – 15 minutes were a bit awkward because he was catching his breath and was a little drenched. I think he may have had some jitters too, so it felt good to be the calm and confident one. He looked good — he was bald (my new type!) in a button down black shirt and jeans.

We talked about our weekends, our family, our jobs — all the really good and safe first date topics. It was refreshing to have such light and easy conversation. He was very social and had a great laugh. He’s a fan of Family Guy, which is a show that I absolutely love. The only comment he made relationship-wise was that he is usually attracted to tall, white women with colored eyes, which is me in a nutshell!

At one point during dinner, I guess I had a crumb on my lip and he discreetly let me know by motioning to it on his own lips and I really appreciated that subtle gesture. We later talked about a second date at another that he liked in the neighborhood. The night ended early around 9:30 and with only two glasses of wine! I had a tiring weekend, and couldn’t handle any more liquor! He walked me to my car and gave me a hug and we said we’d be in touch. I definitely would like to go out with him again. He’s very social and lives up to his name. It was a great first date — light and easy, not too long or awkward, and it left me wanting more.

I nicknamed him the Lion King because he’s Egyptian and his name sounds like a character from the movie. We met up for dinner at an odd little restaurant on the water that had obviously already had it’s heyday. It had an old wooden bar, tired furniture, and old patrons. It was an odd choice for a first date, but he had been there before and liked it. He was much better looking in person than I had anticipated and a lot of that had to do with his smile. He had no photos online where he was smiling. I told him that he should put one up there – and he did a few days later. It bothered me that I was slightly taller than him in my boots, but I’m trying to not be so picky.

We ordered wine and ate fish, which was a welcome relief from my previous date with the raw foodie. I was so happy to be drinking on dates again! We had a great conversation going and he was very social and easy to talk to. He shared some great stories about camping in the middle of winter in Yosemite and about his youth in Cairo. I definitely enjoyed talking to him and was attracted to his social nature. He also liked to cook and travel like I do. He paid for dinner (yay!) and we decided to hit up a local bar. He drove us to his favorite hole in the wall tiki bar. It had no windows and plenty of cheesy Hawaiian decor. I loved it! We had more drinks and continued to chat. After a couple of rounds, we decided to call it a night. He drove me back to my car and I gave him a hug and we said we’d be in touch. I was heading out of town for a work trip, so I knew there would be no second date for at least a couple of weeks.

After being on several mediocre dates, it was refreshing to have another great first date. The Lion King was charming, friendly, and someone that I’d like to get to know better.

Update: He texted me while I was out of town and we played phone tag when I got back into town. We’ve finally arranged for a second date. I’m meeting him on Thursday and he’s going to cook me dinner. So, to be continued…

My first email from Mr. Exclamation Point (EP) was five paragraphs long and had an excessive amount of exclamation points. The girls said this wasn’t a good sign, but you know me, I like to give people a chance.  He was 32 and a university student, having decided to go back to school to get a new skill set after being in the workforce for many years. He liked to cook and travel, like me. We met up for coffee on a Sunday afternoon. It was pouring rain. He was not attractive in person. I guess everyone takes at least one good picture.

He must have been there a while because he had already finished his tall glass of earl grey tea. I was a little taken aback that he was done already, but I ordered my latte and sat down. EP had just as much energy in person as he did in his emails. He liked to cock his head to the side when asking questions. It’s a good thing I wasn’t drinking because I would have gotten dizzy. He was also my first date where I hadn’t talked to him on the phone first.

[slider title="Read More>"] 

He was too girly for me in person, and the whole head cocking thing was too much. I ended the date after 45 minutes. He invited me to go see a movie, but I told him I had to go home and make a dish for a dinner party that
evening. He walked me to my car but there was no hug. It’s too hard to do with umbrellas – thank god it was raining.

Update: He called me two days later and asked me out again. I am really trying to be a good dater, but I didn’t return his call. I pulled the silent response as I’m really just not interested in him.

[/slider]

 He didn’t dress like a hipster in his photos, but he was a full-on hipster when I met him at the bar for drinks. He wore a plaid over-shirt that was well-ironed, tight jeans, a funky hat, and the wallet chain. Again, usually not my type, but I thought he was totally cute. We ordered beers and began chatting. He asked a LOT of questions, and often phrased it as, “Oh, there was something I meant to ask you.” He made a clicking noise a lot with his mouth. I didn’t mind being interviewed, or the clicking really, as I was enjoying our conversation. He maintained a fair amount of eye contact (and you know how I feel about that!) but I did sense he was a little shy.

We talked a lot about our online experiences, and he was interested in hearing my perceptions of things. The greatest advice he gave was that if you’re interested in someones profile, just send them an email and see if they want to meet up. Don’t spend a lot of time emailing back and forth. I think that’s helpful from the guy’s point of view. We nursed our beers FOR AN HOUR. I think that was a first for me.

[slider title="Read More>"] 

When the waitress came by, he didn’t order another, so I didn’t either. We talked for another half hour, and then we got up to pay. He paid for my beer and we walked out. He gave me a hug and said he’d call.

 Update: He didn’t call, but I would have gone out with him if he did. I was definitely interested in getting to know him better, but maybe I’m just too square for the hipster! Oh well, on to the next one!

[/slider]