Summer Dating Diaries - Part 2

It's been a hit and miss (mostly miss) kind of week on the dating front....

The cute, single guy from my dance class turned out to be the transient, totally unavailable guy from my dance class.  :(  Also, he was actually pretty "out there," and I consider myself very open-minded!

He did come to my Interplay class, but when we hung out and went to dinner afterwards, several odd things unfolded.  After the class, which was pretty fun, we were in my car talking about where to go to eat, when this car drove up and stopped right next to my driver's side window.  It just sat there for a minute, then drove on and parked in the next block across from where his car was parked.  Then, a guy got out and started casing his car!  Shortly afterwards, a couple guys walked by close to my car and looked directly in at us.  It's a bit of a sketchy area to start with, and it just started to feel like something weird was going to happen.  So, I drove him to his car and we left.  During this whole experience, he continued to seem kind of spacey, and I oddly felt like I needed to take care of him.  I found out later that he hadn't eaten much all day, which I'm sure contributed to his spaciness.

Once we start driving, he calls to say he's out of gas.  So, we find a gas station and finally make it to the Indian restaurant nearby (which he'd specifically requested due to his dietary needs).  Whew!

At dinner, we talk a bit about our past histories, and I find out he has an 18-year-old son...and no interest in having any more kids.  Our potential has pretty much fizzled at this point, but the oddness doesn't stop...

I should mention that we did have some strong chemistry, which I think distracted me from the fact that I could tell in our first conversation that he was in transition and not really available.

Back to the end of our date... we walked over to where he'd parked in Trader Joe's and continued to talk, when he tells me that he's not feeling a good fit where he's living right now and may leave town the next day.  Just then, a concrete umbrella stand slips loose from the employee's dolly right next to us and slides into his hubcap, cracking part of it.  It could have been a lot worse if it had slid into his car, but isn't that random?

And, to top it off, as I'm leaving, he tells me that the people he's planning on traveling with to Vegas,  want him to come because he can intuitively pick the winners of horse races.  What!  He said he'd actually won a lot of money that way in the past and could consistently pick winners.  Bizarre!  At that point, I'm ready to say goodbye.

I went on date number two last night with another gentleman I'd met on Mat.ch.com.  I'm about done with the internet, I swear.  If it weren't so darn convenient!  So, you guessed it, he didn't look like his pictures.  I actually said, "Oh no," when I saw him from the balcony of the restaurant.  He was just really odd looking.  I felt sad because on paper he had a lot of interesting experiences and qualities, including a background working as a youth counselor and what sounded like a strong spiritual practice.  

Dessert and coffee were yummy, so the night wasn't a complete loss.  He kept making really corny jokes throughout the evening and doing that thing where people pause and wait or expect a response.  Kind of awkward, and I felt a bit inauthentic pretending to laugh politely.  Bottom line, the chemistry was just not there in the slightest.

As I'm telling these stories, I'm realizing that it was actually a mostly down week!  But it didn't feel as down as it sounds.  I feel good that I'm making some connections with people, even if I haven't found the right match yet.  And the experiences had their fun aspects.  I'm emphasizing the negative parts for dramatic effect. :)

Anyway, the final downer was that my brother's friend stood me up for the hike we'd agreed upon for today!  Well to clarify, he didn't call me back when I left him a message on Thursday.  We'd agreed last weekend that we would go on a hike today, and he suggested we touch base later in the week.  Thursday's later, right?  On reflection, it might be for the best, since I know myself, and I might have felt rejected.  Even though he's so much younger than me, and I totally understand why he's not interested in me romantically.  But I'm sad to not get the hike in and a little irritated that he sounded so positive about it on the phone and then bailed.

On a positive note, I actually had a great day today lying in the sun, reading, cooking, doing a couple of chores.  I'm about to head out for my evening walk.

A final thought:  I wish I could make myself be more social, so I could meet more people in-person.  I'm just not a super energetic, gregarious person.  I did talk to a friend about getting back into partner dancing.  I used to do swing dance when I lived in Seattle, and I've been missing it lately.