I Do Like That Black Fucking Darjeeling
We'll call him Blake. It seems to fit. He is an OkCupid find. He messaged me first. It was kind of a generic feeling out the situation message, but it was polite and his profile picture was enough to have me message back. He almost had this Bradley Cooper vibe in his clean cut phase. Of course, my first reaction is that he must absolutely be one of those good-looking guys who uses sites like these to find girls for hookups. I'm not saying there's any shame in that, but I am so over that kind of stuff. I have other things to do than worry about getting laid. I can pretty much do that for myself, so I'd rather exert my energy in the gym, or in a book, or in a good documentary about the British monarchy. You know, making myself a better person.
Anyway, I clicked on his profile and he seemed to be genuine. He's tall. When I say tall, know that I'm 5'9". So tall for me is tall. He's 6'5". Of course that made me wonder if he was one of those people so tall that he looks kind of freakish and out of place in the world of the ordinary. You've all met that guy, so don't even cock your eyebrows at me that way. He's a runner and has a good job and seems like a truly nice guy. He's age-appropriate, which seems to be a huge problem for me. Oh, and he likes "Deadwood", which may be my favorite television show of all time because of the writing and the dialogue. In fact, I think I'll title this blog after my potential favorite line from the series. It's just incredible. So, I messaged back. His grammar, spelling and usage were perfect. We agree on the usage of the Oxford comma. His sense of humor is as odd as mine, but he's intelligent and clever and gods help us all, he's nice to look at.
He asked me what my plans are for the weekend and since it was Wednesday, I tell him that I get together with my Meetup group every Thursday (because let's face it, I really needed to get out and meet people in a totally platonic manner) for indoor rock climbing at Atlanta Rocks! I invited him to attend, expecting him to decline because a first date in a group of people is sometimes not exactly what some people are looking for, but he said he was game, so there I was excited to see someone enthusiastic about the things that I just positively love. And he admitted that he was really excited. It was not only impossibly adorable, but really refreshing to see someone with a little enthusiasm for life. I've got that in spades, but it's rare on a man.
The funny thing is that he's very matter-of-fact and nearly businesslike in his plan arrangement. It's almost endearing the way he schedules dates like they're board meetings. I giggle to myself every time I read one of his text messages. I guess that's a sign that I like him, huh?
Another of my dear friends- the one that suggested I start the blog, matter of fact- finally consented to accompany me on my little weekly adventure, so I totally even had a wingman. I walked in and he was getting suited up. He walked right over and hugged me. He wasn't freakishly tall! Woo! And he smiled. His face cracked into about a thousand dimples and he was even better-looking than his pictures. He's clean-cut and I love that on a man. Tidy and well-groomed. His eyes are dark blue and his hair is just a shade darker than blond, parted on the left side and he really is just quite good-looking.
He attacked those walls with a vengeance and has this natural talent for it because he's so tall. I guess I was just in a mood to be a show-off because I shamed both of the new boys. They'll outgrow my talent in no time though. They're both natural athletes and I am not. Like at all. I'm strong but clumsy. He thanked me a few times for inviting him because he was having such a good time. He never stopped smiling and that's kind of an incredible thing because his smile could light up midnight in my hometown. It's downright infectious. He has a dorky laugh. I love hearing it because it's his. That's equally dorky of me isn't it?
We both took our belay tests and now we are full-fledged climbers and can do it all. That's kind of a nifty tool to have in the arsenal. We climbed all over that gym, including a wall that I failed the last time I tried. I made it look easy this time. That's the beauty of climbing; you learn the tricks very quickly.
After climbing, it's traditional to go for pizza and beer. I had myself a Blue Moon and slice of vegetarian pizza. When it got to the table, he asked me if I eat meat. I laughed. I laughed hard and long at that one. Of course I do eat meat, I just really like their vegetarian pizza because I have a love affair with warm tomatoes and they always pile a few slices on the top, just under the cheese. Well, he doesn't eat meat. He's a vegetarian and has been since he was sixteen. That's different. I'm not sure why that put me off slightly, but it did. I had a moment of vegetarianism several years ago because I felt like it was wrong of me to assume that my life was more important than the animals I was eating. Where I grew up, we really did get to meet our meet on more than one occasion, so I understand what it's like to see your dinner alive and walking around and then to watch it go from hoof to plate. That's rare in our age, but I think everyone should experience it. Anyway, he's a vegetarian. Okay, then.
Well, when the night was over, he hugged me and I pecked him on the cheek. It was a nice hug and his cheek felt nice. He said we should get together again and said that he was free this weekend. Wow, he must really want to see me again to throw that out there so fast.
So, he sent me a text on Friday and since I was set to see Ray LaMontagne with my best friend on Friday night, he asked if I could do dinner on Saturday or late breakfast on Sunday. I said dinner Saturday sounded fantastic and he made reservations at a restaurant that he likes very much. I got quite excited because it meant I could wear whatever shoes I wanted and I still could not be too tall.
He picked me up at my apartment. That's nice. I wore a bright green Calvin Klein jersey dress and heels so high it should be a crime. I looked pretty good, if I may say so myself. He dresses like a hipster. His gray-blue button down was roughspun cotton if I can guess and we both had our aviators on. He looked good. I can't even write that without a big smile on my face. He's so tall and slim and he was just gorgeous with his hair all perfectly combed and parted on the side.
He doesn't seem to rely too heavily on technology. I really like that. He didn't GPS the restaurant, we just kind of headed in the right direction until we found it, and we still made our reservation. I suppose the pair of us did make quite an entrance, because much as he predicted, we looked good together, a pair of tall, athletic, well-dressed young people. We each had a glass of white sangria and ordered dinner. We talked about our favorite beaches and the places we want to see in Europe. We talked about books and television and politics and world culture and climate. We talked about religion, and thank goodness, we agree on that point. I just don't think I can keep being the open-minded one in a relationship, willing to forgive differences that my partner just can't overlook.
We discussed our relationships. He's only really had one serious one, but it lasted six years. I'd say that was pretty serious. I claimed three. The ones that lasted longer than a year. I'm still good friends with one of them, one of them is "beyond the veil" and the third never deserved me anyway. I just told him about the one that I'm friends with. I don't think he's ready to hear about my specific level of damaged just yet. We'll save that.
Well, he brought me home and I introduced him to my dog and my child. If that doesn't scare him away, he'll be around for a while, I suppose. My son grabs my arm as I'm coming around the bar from the kitchen and whispers loudly "I like him" and I just leaned in very close and whispered into his little ear "I like him too."
We went for a walk with my crazy dog and sat and talked more about books and life in general and he said it was getting late about ten and so I walked him out to his car. He hugged me and held on a little longer this time. It felt natural and nice. He hasn't once made me nervous or uncomfortable. He acted like he wanted to kiss me goodnight, but he didn't. He just held onto my hand for an extra moment and looked at me several times like he really wanted to kiss me, but couldn't quite work up the nerve. What the hell am I supposed to do with a gentleman? It's absolutely amazing. He's coming rock climbing again on Thursday.
I'm looking forward to seeing him again. I don't feel pressured, I don't feel like anything is expected of me. I feel natural and relaxed and very much comfortable in my own skin around him. He's odd, but not so odd that he's awkward. He's open and accepting and warm and funny, in his nerdy, art history major way. It's great to see that lately more of the stories are good ones than bad ones. Maybe I'm getting the hang of this whole thing after all.
Anyway, I clicked on his profile and he seemed to be genuine. He's tall. When I say tall, know that I'm 5'9". So tall for me is tall. He's 6'5". Of course that made me wonder if he was one of those people so tall that he looks kind of freakish and out of place in the world of the ordinary. You've all met that guy, so don't even cock your eyebrows at me that way. He's a runner and has a good job and seems like a truly nice guy. He's age-appropriate, which seems to be a huge problem for me. Oh, and he likes "Deadwood", which may be my favorite television show of all time because of the writing and the dialogue. In fact, I think I'll title this blog after my potential favorite line from the series. It's just incredible. So, I messaged back. His grammar, spelling and usage were perfect. We agree on the usage of the Oxford comma. His sense of humor is as odd as mine, but he's intelligent and clever and gods help us all, he's nice to look at.
He asked me what my plans are for the weekend and since it was Wednesday, I tell him that I get together with my Meetup group every Thursday (because let's face it, I really needed to get out and meet people in a totally platonic manner) for indoor rock climbing at Atlanta Rocks! I invited him to attend, expecting him to decline because a first date in a group of people is sometimes not exactly what some people are looking for, but he said he was game, so there I was excited to see someone enthusiastic about the things that I just positively love. And he admitted that he was really excited. It was not only impossibly adorable, but really refreshing to see someone with a little enthusiasm for life. I've got that in spades, but it's rare on a man.
The funny thing is that he's very matter-of-fact and nearly businesslike in his plan arrangement. It's almost endearing the way he schedules dates like they're board meetings. I giggle to myself every time I read one of his text messages. I guess that's a sign that I like him, huh?
Another of my dear friends- the one that suggested I start the blog, matter of fact- finally consented to accompany me on my little weekly adventure, so I totally even had a wingman. I walked in and he was getting suited up. He walked right over and hugged me. He wasn't freakishly tall! Woo! And he smiled. His face cracked into about a thousand dimples and he was even better-looking than his pictures. He's clean-cut and I love that on a man. Tidy and well-groomed. His eyes are dark blue and his hair is just a shade darker than blond, parted on the left side and he really is just quite good-looking.
He attacked those walls with a vengeance and has this natural talent for it because he's so tall. I guess I was just in a mood to be a show-off because I shamed both of the new boys. They'll outgrow my talent in no time though. They're both natural athletes and I am not. Like at all. I'm strong but clumsy. He thanked me a few times for inviting him because he was having such a good time. He never stopped smiling and that's kind of an incredible thing because his smile could light up midnight in my hometown. It's downright infectious. He has a dorky laugh. I love hearing it because it's his. That's equally dorky of me isn't it?
We both took our belay tests and now we are full-fledged climbers and can do it all. That's kind of a nifty tool to have in the arsenal. We climbed all over that gym, including a wall that I failed the last time I tried. I made it look easy this time. That's the beauty of climbing; you learn the tricks very quickly.
After climbing, it's traditional to go for pizza and beer. I had myself a Blue Moon and slice of vegetarian pizza. When it got to the table, he asked me if I eat meat. I laughed. I laughed hard and long at that one. Of course I do eat meat, I just really like their vegetarian pizza because I have a love affair with warm tomatoes and they always pile a few slices on the top, just under the cheese. Well, he doesn't eat meat. He's a vegetarian and has been since he was sixteen. That's different. I'm not sure why that put me off slightly, but it did. I had a moment of vegetarianism several years ago because I felt like it was wrong of me to assume that my life was more important than the animals I was eating. Where I grew up, we really did get to meet our meet on more than one occasion, so I understand what it's like to see your dinner alive and walking around and then to watch it go from hoof to plate. That's rare in our age, but I think everyone should experience it. Anyway, he's a vegetarian. Okay, then.
Well, when the night was over, he hugged me and I pecked him on the cheek. It was a nice hug and his cheek felt nice. He said we should get together again and said that he was free this weekend. Wow, he must really want to see me again to throw that out there so fast.
So, he sent me a text on Friday and since I was set to see Ray LaMontagne with my best friend on Friday night, he asked if I could do dinner on Saturday or late breakfast on Sunday. I said dinner Saturday sounded fantastic and he made reservations at a restaurant that he likes very much. I got quite excited because it meant I could wear whatever shoes I wanted and I still could not be too tall.
He picked me up at my apartment. That's nice. I wore a bright green Calvin Klein jersey dress and heels so high it should be a crime. I looked pretty good, if I may say so myself. He dresses like a hipster. His gray-blue button down was roughspun cotton if I can guess and we both had our aviators on. He looked good. I can't even write that without a big smile on my face. He's so tall and slim and he was just gorgeous with his hair all perfectly combed and parted on the side.
He doesn't seem to rely too heavily on technology. I really like that. He didn't GPS the restaurant, we just kind of headed in the right direction until we found it, and we still made our reservation. I suppose the pair of us did make quite an entrance, because much as he predicted, we looked good together, a pair of tall, athletic, well-dressed young people. We each had a glass of white sangria and ordered dinner. We talked about our favorite beaches and the places we want to see in Europe. We talked about books and television and politics and world culture and climate. We talked about religion, and thank goodness, we agree on that point. I just don't think I can keep being the open-minded one in a relationship, willing to forgive differences that my partner just can't overlook.
We discussed our relationships. He's only really had one serious one, but it lasted six years. I'd say that was pretty serious. I claimed three. The ones that lasted longer than a year. I'm still good friends with one of them, one of them is "beyond the veil" and the third never deserved me anyway. I just told him about the one that I'm friends with. I don't think he's ready to hear about my specific level of damaged just yet. We'll save that.
Well, he brought me home and I introduced him to my dog and my child. If that doesn't scare him away, he'll be around for a while, I suppose. My son grabs my arm as I'm coming around the bar from the kitchen and whispers loudly "I like him" and I just leaned in very close and whispered into his little ear "I like him too."
We went for a walk with my crazy dog and sat and talked more about books and life in general and he said it was getting late about ten and so I walked him out to his car. He hugged me and held on a little longer this time. It felt natural and nice. He hasn't once made me nervous or uncomfortable. He acted like he wanted to kiss me goodnight, but he didn't. He just held onto my hand for an extra moment and looked at me several times like he really wanted to kiss me, but couldn't quite work up the nerve. What the hell am I supposed to do with a gentleman? It's absolutely amazing. He's coming rock climbing again on Thursday.
I'm looking forward to seeing him again. I don't feel pressured, I don't feel like anything is expected of me. I feel natural and relaxed and very much comfortable in my own skin around him. He's odd, but not so odd that he's awkward. He's open and accepting and warm and funny, in his nerdy, art history major way. It's great to see that lately more of the stories are good ones than bad ones. Maybe I'm getting the hang of this whole thing after all.
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