Sunday, October 14, 2012

Dinner and a Movie

Life has been a little busy lately, but I did manage to squeeze in a 3rd date with Chicago recently.

Our third date would be dinner and a movie at his house (now, calm down, no need to get carried away there). Granted, it was in the middle of the week, which worried me slightly since I would be up late and I'm pretty fond of my sleep (and am NOT a happy person without it)!

I headed out to his house, which is a good 20 minutes out into the boonies. Thankfully I had some idea where it was, but it didn't help that there was construction on the one road that I knew! And GPS is never helpful and I wanted to toss my phone out the window after it said "recalculating" for the 412 time.  I did get to see what a nice neighborhood it was across the road from him as I wound though all the streets trying to get out of the suburban maze.

When I got there, dinner still had about 20 minutes to go in the oven (yes, he baked), so we chatted and played with the dog. Granted, I am not the biggest dog person, but he's pretty sweet to her and its adorable. I got a tour of the house, which is nice, but I totally like mine better! haha

Dinner was a fantastic casserole dish that his mom taught him to make - he was pretty proud of himself and it was pretty tasty.  Who'd have thought that something with tater tots on the top would have been that good! We both ate more than we should have, but agreed that sometimes you just have to do it.

Chicago has about 500 movies to choose from and of course, I was tasked with picking out what we were going to watch. I'm sorry, but that is some crazy pressure! If he had just had action movies, I would have been fine, but he has EVERYTHING! I was slightly worried that the movie I chose could have been a death sentence (okay, not really, but it was still some intense pressure).  Being in the mood for something funny, I picked out Forgetting Sarah Marshall.  When I handed it to him, he just his head and started laughing.  Apparently he had just watched it the day before! At least I knew I was on the right track, but now I had to go through the process all over again! By process of elimination, I only looked at what he had on BluRay (cause we all knows guys won't be watching regular DVDs once they start buying BluRay). I ended up with Zombieland in my hand and got the nod of approval when he looked my direction.  Who doesn't love this movie, right?

After reciting lines and mocking the actors through the whole movie, the night started to come to an end.  His roommate did come home for a few minutes and I got to meet her, and instantly liked her. They bantered back and forth like brother and sister and it was pretty entertaining.  Unfortunately, I think he got the better of her, but I had to give her props for trying!

Now some of you might find it hard to believe that I had been on two dates with him already and hadn't gotten a kiss yet.  Sure, maybe it was a little odd, but I quickly realized after the first date, it was just that he was respectful.  I had hoped for one on the second date, but when that didn't happen, it sure as hell would on this one! For those that know me, I tend to be a take charge kind of person, so he didn't stand a chance this time. Lucky for me, I didn't have to pull that card.  While cuddling on the couch and talking about nothing, he finally made the move and kissed me.  It was totally sweet and what I had expected.  I know that sounds terrible, but I wasn't expecting the bells and whistles that I had gotten from my good night kiss with Schmidt a few days earlier.

It was good night - totally worth the "long" drive and the getting lost in suburbia. 

So I guess the question now is, will there be a 4th date?

Tuesday, October 9, 2012

Hi, I'm Garrett and I'm an Asshole

Normally I wouldn't use any one's real name here, but I thought the first asshole I encountered deserved it!

Before I say anything more, I can assure you that I am fine, nothing traumatic happened, but I was reminded at how big of ass holes certain guys can be!

When I first got a message from Garrett and looked at his profile, I almost didn't reply back to him.  He is 29, divorced and the father of two boys.  He's also a cop.  Because he fits the "tall, dark and handsome" profile I seem to seek out, I was nice and sent a message back.  We had a few conversations back and forth and all seemed well.  I agreed to meet up with him at a bar by my house that I felt comfortable with and since it was a Sunday night, I wouldn't be out too late.

I could tell from the minute he got there that he was nervous. It was a little strange since I think guys tend to hide it better than girls do.  We ordered drinks and after chatting for a few minutes, he admitted to being nervous and drinking a few before he had gotten to the bar.  He then asked me if I ever smoke when I drink (only when I am drinking A LOT); apparently this is a downfall of his.  We moved to a table outside where we talked about moving to AZ, our jobs, family and his kids.  If you had never met him before, you would have thought he was an actual smoker from all the ones he lit up in the hour we were there.

Now, I know what my alcohol limits are, especially when I am driving. Being the responsible one, I made sure to stop at three and I ordered them all in rocks glasses just to keep myself on the safe side.  When I had finished my third drink, he asked if I was sure I didn't want another one. For being a cop, you'd think he'd have an issue with someone drinking too much and driving home - apparently not. I politely declined, but after he asked me a third time, it got annoying. Pretty sure I was speaking English! He then had the nerve to ask if I wanted to go to a bar closer to his house so he could drink more and then just stumble home. I'm sorry, but I would have to be out of my mind to go to a bar by his house, drink more and then attempt to drive home. Once the conversation got to that point, I knew that the night would be coming to an end.

He reeked of cigarettes when he walked me to my car. He asked for a hug good-bye and why I let him, I'm not quite sure.  Apparently he thought it would be a good idea to kiss me, which of course, was absolutely disgusting, and he held onto me a little too long.  His hands got a little grabby and thankfully he wasn't balanced very well and I was able to give him a nice shove.  Obviously he wasn't expecting that, but somewhat got the hint. The best part is that he had the nerve to ask me again to go to the bar by his house, and when I declined, he actually asked if I wanted to go to his house.  PLEASE! I almost started laughing at how stupid the whole thing was! After that, I said good-bye, got in the car and drove away.

The whole thing left a bad taste in my mouth, and that was in addition to his cigarette breath. I guess part of me expected a little more respect since he was a cop and a dad, but I was wrong. 

When he text me the next morning, I ignored it in hopes that he would get the hint.  Thankfully, he did.

So hopefully Garrett is the one and only ass hole I come across with this!  

Round Two Goes to Chicago

I once heard that laughter adds time to your life.  If that proves true, I think I have added at least a few months on thanks to Chicago.  That guy sure can make me laugh, and laugh more than I have in longer than I can remember.  I really should record some of our conversations so I can replay them , and of course, write about them!

I spent most of Saturday with him and he continues to be a front runner in the dating race.  For one thing, I get nervous when I go out to meet him, which is my sure sign that I actually like him.  He's so easy to be around and you none of our conversations are ever forced or boring.  And he's not afraid to bring strangers into the conversation! When we went to see Taken 2, the cutest pair of elderly women asked if the seats next to us were taken.  And so he replies, "I saved them just for you." And before they could even get out the typical "awww," he points at me and says, "and this one just followed me in from the parking lot." The joke continued on for a few minutes about how he didn't know me, and they thought it was hysterical (and so did I).

I did find out that he does have terrible aim when it comes to throwing popcorn.  To pass the time, we decided to take popcorn and practice throwing it up in the air and catching it in our mouth.  Naturally, that wasn't enough fun, so he decided to stand up and start throwing it to me to catch.  Boy, did he have terrible aim! I don't think I caught a single piece of popcorn! When I started to give him a hard time, without missing a beat, he says, "oh, I wasn't aiming for your mouth."  No, of course not...I should have known! Either way, his aim was still terrible!

Looking forward to date #3 with him.....       

Friday, October 5, 2012

I Think I'll Call Him Schmidt

I have been taking to a guy for over a week now and for the life of me, can't come up with a nickname for him.  Sure he's from SoCal and likes the Chargers, and moved here recently from Portland, but nothing I can think of really seems to fit him.  He's a pretty normal guy and we have a lot in common, so why in the world has this been so difficult?

We went out on Tuesday to my favorite local bar and had a great first date. We had spent so much time texting recently, that it took a few minutes to figure out where to start, but once we got talking, neither one of us stopped (I know, no surprise to those that know me).  The rest of the night was filled with bar trivia and drinks, both of which were fantastic!  We managed to make a glorious last place finish with the trivia game, but I have no problem admitting that I know nothing about Harry Potter, the middle east or which chick won the Miss America pageant two years running. 

When it was time to leave, he walked me to my car, where we stood there and chuckled about the awkward first date couple a few feet away trying to say good night.  It was kind of sweet watching them fumble around each other, trying to decide if they would be ending the night with just a hug.  Us, on the other hand, ended the night with the most amazing first date good night kiss I have ever had.  I'm not kidding - it made me forget where I was! There was nothing awkward about it and I probably could have stood there all night, had I not been right in front of the bar under the street light (yes, SD that was me thinking ahead in case he ended up being a psycho). 

So needless to say, there will DEFINITELY be a second date with this one!

As for his nickname, it came to me yesterday while we were having a conversation about the show New Girl.  I said, "all people have a friend like Schmidt," to which he probably regrets saying, "yeah, that would be me."  So there you have it....Schmidt!  

Tuesday, October 2, 2012

Look What the Wind Blew In

My latest date was with a guy that we'll just call Chicago.  Now, being a Packers fan makes it EXTREMELY difficult to go anywhere with a Bears fan - it's just not a natural pairing!  Lucky for him, the Bears were playing the Cowboys last night, and I somehow despise them even more than the Bears! In the spirit of putting differences aside, we agreed that we would only talk about the game at hand.  And without missing a beat, our server arrived to take our drink order, wearing a Clay Matthews jersey! The look on his face was priceless and I seriously thought he might ask to sit at another table.  Thankfully, he was a good sport and only managed to give her the stink eye every time she walked away.

I can honestly say that I haven't laughed that much in one night, in quite some time.  This guy definitely has the knack for humor and his comedic timing is pretty incredible. I think I even surprised him a few times with the one-liners I threw out there from time to time.  And if you know me, you know that I have no problem holding, and often dominating a conversation - Chicago can not only hold his own, he even put me to shame at times!  So I will apologize now to anyone who might get suckered into a double date with he and I....you will most likely be an observer to our conversation, so start practicing your "smile and nod" technique.

One of the best things about Chicago is that he's a pretty impressive athlete, but not in the "I lift weights and like to stare at myself in the mirror" kind of way.  He's into running, biking and loves to hike with his dog Meeka.  I'm envious of some of the races he has done here and in Chicago, so it gave us a lot to talk about. Who knows, maybe I will go out on a limb and take a run with him one of these days.

We talked about everything from his love of horror movies and zombie killings to our families and how we both ended up in Arizona.  It was all going well until my "security detail" text me to check in for the night......

.....now Chicago is a natural comedian and did stand-up and improv back in college, so he felt it necessary to "help" in responding back to my security detail (which really is just my two closest friends watching out for me, which I am SO thankful for).  I had started out responding earlier in the night that things were going well.  It was not MY fault that he changed my story:

Me: Okay, you might have to save me
SD: Why?!
SD: What?!
SD: Hello?!

Apparently, I had paused too long after my text....

Me: You don't even want to know
SD: Do I have to come get you?
SD: Are you home yet? Or Still at Zipps

Me: Neither (which was a TOTAL lie - I had not left the bar yet)
SD: His place?!?!?!?
SD: What do you mean "save you?" Hello?!?!?!

After that, the texts to her were about the food and other random observations, at which point, I got a phone call from the second member of my SD (her phone is archaic and takes FOREVER to respond back to text messages).  After convincing her that things were good, I was still at the bar and was going home soon, it was determined that I would be on Starbucks detail the rest of the week in hopes of ensuring my survival from the ass kicking coming from them the following morning.  I will probably be apologizing to my friends for a while on this one. Haha

Even though he got me in deep shit with my SD, Chicago definitely has potential......good thing we have a second date in the works :)   

Sunday, September 30, 2012

LMFAO

A message I received this afternoon:

"Well first of all Ms. Redhead, I love that you love the Packers!! Damn Refs!!!! I'm from Wisconsin, just recently moved to Chandler. Keep an open mind if/when you read About me. You'll most likely laugh, then say to yourself... "WTF did I just read?" Either way, I hope you're enjoying your Sunday. Let's talk later about stuff and things"

So naturally, I had to at least go to his profile and check it out since he made me laugh.  Sadly, he's only 5'9", but his blond hair and blue eyes were an easy distraction from that.  So was his profession that was listed simply as "hitman."  Damn, one of those could come in handy!  

 Normally I wouldn't post an entire profile, but this guy has mad skills when it comes to humor! If he doesn't make you laugh, you need help!

About Me
I now work with special interest groups, mostly midgets. I've found them to be light hearted and full of spirit. That, and they have excellent mechanical skills. On the flipside, I enjoy underwater sports, such as snorkeling, pastry decorating, and clogging. If I'm not wearing a pair of rollerskates, I might as well be naked. Oh, and I like to make cookies.

I love writing non-fiction stories. My favorite pair of shorts are Denim. I dabble with the Jazz Flute. I read short stories to the elderly. I have worn both a wig and suspenders at the same time. I also write fiction stories.

I'm originally from Wisconsin. My father is married to my mother. My eyes have astigmatism. My last name will get YOU into trouble if you ever Google Image it at work.

*** P.S. IF YOU ARE JUST LOOKING FOR A ONE NIGHT STAND, Well ... You know what ... I'll keep an open mind, but you better respect me at the end of the night!!
First Date
Formal dinners are slightly overrated! So, I would throw in a small treasure hunt, eventually leading towards a secluded, moonlit terrace. We would start off with a delicate platter of assorted cheeses and crackers. We will share funny stories about how different we both are, but realize that we are similar in many ways. Neither you, nor I will be able to believe this night is even happening!! We will laugh, and I will feed you crackers in the moonlight, only to watch them crumble onto your silk-woven dress. Butterflies will depart, and a blossoming relationship will begin. See you soon ... 
Now all this guy needs in a nickname....for some reason I just want to call him Hitman....

Saturday, September 29, 2012

What Was I Thinking??

How I chose my first date is still a mystery to me. There was nothing scientific about it, it just sort of happened.  One minute we were talking, the next, we were making plans to meet.

Now, if you are a friend of mine, you might find the rest of this TMI (even though I don't plan to give THAT much detail here), so if you are one of those people, just stop now so we don't have any awkward moments the next time we see each other. Oh who am I kidding, if you are one of MY friends, you'll keep reading just so you can inconveniently bring this up and remind me of it.

My first encounter was with a guy named Nick.  Decent looking guy that seemed harmless.  He was here visiting his sister for a few weeks and was just looking for someone to hang out with while on vacation.  I figured that would be easy enough and since he didn't live here, he'd be long gone in a few days.  In talking about where to meet, he asked if there was any place to get ice cream around where I lived.  Since we were meeting late, I didn't think anything of it and thought it was pretty sweet.  When he showed up at my door to pick me up, he looked just like his photo and was very polite.  We went for ice cream and were able to strike up some good conversation.  He had been on POF for a while an wasn't looking for anything serious.  Granted, he lived out of state, but that was his MO.  We hit all the normal topics, work, family, and friends and it was going pretty well.  After that, we headed back to my house and continued to get to know each other.  Now, not that I had planned for anything to happen with this guy, you can't help but have that thought in the back of your mind.  He was a nice guy that didn't seem crazy, so when he kissed me, I was completely okay with it.....at first....until I stated to feel like I was making out with a 13 year old.  Poor guy just really only knew one type of kiss and it got old REALLY fast!  But then things started to get interesting....nothing like making out with a guy and have him stop you to tell you that he is a virgin.

HOW THE HELL DID I GET THE 31 YEAR OLD VIRGIN ON MY FIRST GO 'ROUND?

It honestly stopped me dead in my tracks - I had no idea what to say.  I haven't encountered a virgin since I was 18 years old!  Not that I am judging the guy - more power to him - I just was shocked.  So at that point, since I knew it wasn't going any farther (which yes, I know was probably for the best anyway), all I could think about was getting this terrible kisser out of my house.  Thankfully he wasn't planning to overstay his welcome and it ended without me having to make up some excuse to get him to leave. Sweet guy, but just not for me.

Of course, after he left, I pulled his profile up.  And there, staring me dead in the face, was the one red flag on his profile that I overlooked.  When asked if he was a drinker, it said NO.   Damn...I should have known!

So the first encounter went without anyone being unscathed and I had nothing to regret this morning.  I'm sure there are worse situations to run into on any date, but I know from here on out, I am making sure that question is marked YES.

I guess that means it's back to chatting......