Mr. BuSy and the Blah, Blah, Blah

I was talking to my sister last night.  I called her for advice… She’s probably the only person on the planet that knows me… really gets me.  I called her because I needed a dose of reality.  We discussed many things, identified some fun things to blog about…. and we talked about my Saturday night date, who I will call, Mr. BuSy.  Mr. BuSy originally contacted me about a month ago.  We emailed for about a week, while he was traveling for business and then ended the week with a really great phone call.  He finished the conversation with ‘let’s try to set something up for next weekend’.  I never heard from him again… Until Friday.

Friday night I was fiddling on my computer when I get an email from Mr. BuSy.  ‘I’ve had a busy month, I was dealing with some health issues’… blah blah blah.  Of course, it’s all quite possible and I suppose it’s equally possible that he had broken all his fingers and had his vocal cords snipped.  Let’s face it, if he was truly interested, he would’ve contacted me to let me know.  However, since he did apologize, I made the decision to give Mr. BuSy the benefit of the doubt, and agreed to a phone call, which then lead to our date on Saturday night.

The date was pretty wonderful… Dinner lasted 4+hours.  There was definitely chemistry which he confirmed with words and actions–  ‘This was probably my best first date ever’, ‘There’s definitely going to be a second date’… blah blah blah.  I was attracted to Mr. BuSy on so many levels and it seemed he felt similarly. (YES, I broke dating rule #1… Don’t let your emotions get involved too soon).

So after a lovely kiss goodnight, I went home floating on cloud nine and feeling hopeful for the first time in a long time.  As the hours passed, I looked back fondly on our date.  Of course,  all the positives were being highlighted in my mind.  As the days passed, however, I started feeling confused.  By last night I was feeling downright depressed.  I didn’t call or text, because I’m old school and believe if a guy is really interested, he’ll move heaven and earth to make it happen.  Maybe he was too busy?  Maybe he had more health issues that prevented him from sending a quick text? blah, blah, blah.   The truth is, if he was able to log into Match last night, then he was more than able to contact me… YES… I LOOKED!

So I called my sister, nearly in tears, to get some insight.  She had to agree– if he was truly interested, he would’ve made the effort to be in touch by now.  At first, I tried to rationalize his behavior… He’s probably just really busy at work.  Maybe he had family issues that needed his attention?  blah blah blah… Ugh… the mind is a scary thing when it tries to drown out the voice of reason.

My sister has this great way of asking question so that you’ll arrive at the truth on your own (a true gift).  What was my truth?  He’s just not into me… enough. I know myself and I know I need more than the bare minimum to be happy.  So what if Mr. BuSy sticks to his pattern and contacts me a month from now… I hope to say (thanks dear sis!)… “I haven’t heard from you in a month and have since moved on… I’m sorry, but I am no longer available”.  That might actually be a true statement… Remember Bachelor #2?  He called again last night and we have a third date set for next week 😉

A Week Gone by in a Flash…

So I woke up last Sunday to a lovely email from a gentleman from Match.  I had checked out his profile the night before and was thinking about emailing, but he beat me to it.  I emailed back and that was the start of a whirlwind week.

We spoke on the phone on Sunday afternoon… He seemed like a very nice guy.  We had a great conversation.  He was intelligent, witty, sweet… I learned he had a stable career and was a very involved dad.  He had a lot going for him  We agreed to meet the next evening for dinner.  This was the quickest I have ever moved through ‘the process’.  I guess I’m getting to the point now, that I don’t want to waste hours on emails and phone calls, only to meet and realize there’s no chemistry at all.

Monday comes and we meet at a casual restaurant for dinner.  He is extremely warm in person… a big hug… touches my hand over appetizers… says all the right things.  When we leave the restaurant and decide to go for coffee, he leans in for a kiss.  A very pleasant kiss.  He says he’s been wanting to do that since I walked into the restaurant. Another big hug and we’re off for coffee.  He asks me out on two more dates… Friday and Saturday night.  Okay, I think to myself,  this guy is really interested!  He made me feel… good… attractive, desirable… sexy.  It was ‘almost’ too good to be true.

I wasn’t even home yet when I got his first text… ‘I miss you already’.  Sighs… writing this now, I realize just how ridiculous this all sounds.  I totally ignored the ‘too much, too soon’ warning bells going off in my head.  I always wanted to be ‘swept off my feet’.  I saw the broom coming and leaped right in its path.  The week proceeded at a breakneck speed… more texts, phone calls, and requests for dinner dates.  I had plans most of the week so had to politely decline, but changed my plans on Thursday so I could go out to dinner with Mr. Flash.

Another great date. Mr. Flash was charming, generous and totally attentive.  The chemistry was still there and even kicked up a few notches.  I was really looking forward to the weekend.  Then Friday rolls around… I notice that there’s not as many phone calls or texts.  But hey, I chalk it up to a busy day at work.  We meet and head out to a concert.  It’s at this point I start to sense something is ‘off’.  He seems preoccupied.  He puts the radio on, in what seems like an attempt, to avoid conversation.  There are no compliments tonight.  He’s still a bit touchy feely, but even that seems to be on the decline.  After a kiss goodnight… I get a ‘see you tomorrow’ and Mr. Flash is gone.

The texts are now getting few and far between. No phone calls at all on Saturday.  I wonder if we’re still going out.  I finally text in the afternoon and ask.  I word it in a way to allow him to get out of the date easily.  I was rather surprised that he responded with an ‘of course we’re going out’.  Okay, now I think to myself, I’m misreading him.  I’m being too… too… too something.  I decide to go with an open mind and fully intend to have some fun.

When we meet, there is no hello kiss, no hug.  He barely talks to me… instead opts for talk radio.  Actually, he barely looks at me.  There is very little hand holding.  I try my hardest to keep the conversation going, only to be faced with one word muttered responses.  The game sucks, the conversation sucks… the date… sucks.  I can’t wait to get home.  But I’m starving at this point, so when he suggests we stop for something to eat, I open my mouth and say ‘yes’ before even thinking.  UGH.  Dinner was… painful.  Thankfully we were seated near a bar so I could watch TV, because Mr. Flash spent most of dinner playing with his phone.  Yes… You read that right… playing with his phone over dinner.  By this time, I’m utterly disgusted and want to go home.  At my car, there’s a peck good night and he mumbled something like ‘talk to you tomorrow’.

I cried all the way home.  Not because Mr. Flash turned out to be Mr. Flop, but because of my own stupidity.  I’m still wondering how someone can go from 0 to 90, back to 0 in under a week.  Here’s the texts I got today:

Him:  🙂

Me: No response

Him: Hey

Me: 🙂

Him: What are you doing?

Me: Laundry

Him: Awwww

That’s it folks.  That’s all she wrote.  Mr. Flash has now officially become… Mr. Flash in the Pan.  And me?  On one hand, I’m feeling pretty embarrassed, confused and stupid.  On the other hand, I’m proud of myself.  I put myself out there… I allowed myself to be vulnerable… I’m not sure if I was taken advantage of, or, just met someone that doesn’t really know what he wants.   In any case, I’m going to pick myself up, dust myself off and hope that the next broom that comes by is being pushed by someone with a bit more integrity.

Just When I Thought…

I had successfully dealt with my real life baggage… there’s a new strain of baggage in town… virtual baggage.  Virtual baggage is a by-product of the online dating world.  It’s the issues one develops at the hands of less than savory online daters.  You need really thick skin (think armor) and a strong constitution to deal with the rejection, rudeness and emotional manipulation that online ‘gentleman’ dish out daily.  Of course, I’d be the first to tell you that online dating should be ‘fun’… look at it as an adventure… these men can’t hurt you because they really don’t know you… blah blah blah.  The truth is, the rational side of me knows all that, but the less than rational side falls victim to ‘it’ every time.

I think I’ve fallen victim to virtual baggage. Lately,  I find myself expecting the worst out of the gentleman I communicate with.  The new guys are paying the price for the bad behaviored counterparts that came before them.  Totally unfair… totally out of character for me.  I am usually the one that can find a silver lining in any dark cloud.  I always think the best of everyone… even when they fail misearably, I try to understand the ‘why?’.  Not so much anymore… at least where online dating is concerned.  I’m becoming… gasp… jaded, and I don’t like it… at all.

I have come to equate online dating with buying a new pair of shoes.  You’re attracted to the sexiness of the shoe.  You ask the sales associate for your size and bite your lip and pace around the store hoping that there is a pair available in your size.  When you see the box in his hand, you can’t help but break out into a smile.  You’ve made it successfully to the next step.

Your fingers almost shake as you peel back the top of the box.  You’re breathless as you peek at your beloved shoes through the tissue paper.  You slide them on your feet… oh the bliss… they look fabulous!  Your feet look two sizes smaller and the heel height makes you stand straighter… your boobs bigger and your ass… perfection.  You decide the shoes are magical and will change your life.  So you stand up… You’re confident.  No way in hell your magical shoes will let you down.  You take those first tentative steps, wobble a little and then you’re suddenly striding across the floor.  It’s too good to be true!  You quickly take them off and pack them in their tissue paper home and march up to the cashier and state boldly, “I’ll take these”.

You bring your magic shoes home and give them prime real estate in your closet.  You can’t wait to have the opportunity to wear them.  In fact, you create an opportunity to wear them.  You get all dolled up, nervous for your first date with your magical shoes.  You’re convinced you’ve found your sole mate 😉 and this is true love.  And then… reality sets in… Your toes start feeling a little cramped.  Your calf muscles start protesting.  The burning starts and you’re starting to think these shoes aren’t quite as magical as you first thought.  By the time you get home, your feet are on fire and you can’t wait to pull the damn things off.  You literally throw them back in their box and toss them on a shelf that you’ll never reach without a step ladder.  Every time you enter your closet, you’ll feel the sting of embarrassment as you remember how you overpaid, fell in love a little too quickly and walked far too long in pain… all this for the opportunity to be burned.  Yep… online dating is a lot like the search for the perfect shoes.

And Then There Was One…

You might want to read Spread The Net… Far and Wide before delving into my next dating drama… So I had a great conversation with B1 (Bachelor 1) last night on the phone.  We talked about everything from politics to favorite movies… shared a ton of laughs… By the end of the call, I was really looking forward to our date on Sunday.  It was at the end of the call where things started to go really wrong.  I was saying good night and he said, ‘Hey, let’s talk about plans for the weekend’.  Okay, I’m thinking to myself, he must’ve enjoyed our conversation and wanted to firm up plans for Sunday.

Let me say, before I go forward, that I turned down a date with B2 for Sunday since I thought B1 and I had plans.  Perhaps this is karma coming back to bite me in the ass.  Anyway, he says that he wants to make ‘tentative’ plans (good Lord… is this an epidemic?  See Tune into Your Intuition…) for Sunday because his friend might want to do something with him on Sunday too.  Huh?  Do I have another Mr. Maybe on my hands here?  I’m not going to lie… this did not sit right with me and the following conversation ensued:

Me:  “I’m sorry… I don’t work that way.”

B1:  “What?  What do you mean?”

Me: “Well, I thought we had plans for Sunday.  Now you want to make tentative plans?  So I’m what?  Your back-up plan for Sunday if plans with your friend don’t work out?  Hmm… No… I don’t think so.”

B1 (totally annoyed): “I should’ve not said anything!”

Me (thinking to myself): So it’s better to make plans and then cancel on Sunday? (evidently he was channeling Mr. Maybe)

Me: “Look, I’d like to go out with you… When you have the time and want to make concrete plans to go out, give me a call.”

B1:  “What? What did I do?”

Me: “Talk to some of the ladies you work with; tell them what you did/said, and I have a feeling they’re going to tell you you’re an asshole.” (Okay… I admit… that comment was totally unnecessary and completely out of character for me. But dammit, I’m sick of this crap).

B1: Silence

Me: Okay, well… Have a good night, I’ll talk to you soon.

I think that’s the last I’ll hear from B1.  I truly believe he sees nothing wrong with what he did and probably thinks I’m some sort of wacko, and maybe he’s right.  But the bottom line?  I’m not settling for anything less than what I deserve, and I think I deserve more than being a ‘tentative’ anything.

Spread the Net… Far and Wide…

I was talking to a friend last week about my last date that ended up going nowhere.  She said, “You know what your problem is”, I braced myself  for a harsh dose of reality… this friend holds no punches.  She continued, “You’re limiting yourself by talking to only one guy at a time.  You’re putting all your eggs in one basket!  It’s like you think you’re cheating on a potential match if you pursue other opportunities.  You don’t owe these guys anything… You aren’t in a relationship… yet!  You’re just taking them for a test drive to see if you want (or they) want to continue dating.”  Mind you, she hadn’t taken one breath yet.  “You need to spread your net far and wide.  Talk to multiple guys. Date multiple guys.”

I never did learn to juggle, but I ended up, ending our lunch date by promising I’d give this multi-dating concept a try. The best way to stir up some interest and get your profile more attention, is to update it.  That’s what  I did.  Within a few days I had over 10 gentleman contact me.  There was no way I had the time (or patience) to communicate with 10 men at one time, so I narrowed the field to a more manageable three.  Here’s a short  profile/description of each:

Bachelor Number 1 – Funny, intelligent guy that likes to talk.  I think he needs to work on the two way communication thing a bit, but he does actually call me by my name (which I find totally refreshing).  Who knew something so basic would become something so important?

Bachelor Number 2 – Again… Witty guy, very intelligent… lots of similar interests.  Potential issues could be that he’s never been married/no kids…and he lives about an hour away.

Bachelor Number 3 – Seems like a down to earth, honest guy… but I don’t think we have the same views on child rearing (he’s never been married/no kids) and I think… and I don’t mean to be harsh… but I think he’d bore me to death within a week.

I have a date with BN1 on Sunday and a date with BN2 on Tuesday… This is the very first time I’ve dated two different men in the same week.  I’m not sure I’m quite comfortable with it… but since I’m looking for a needle in a haystack, I suppose it makes sense to use two hands instead of one 😉