Monday, August 23, 2010

Not everyone deserves a first date

I will make the plunge and admit that I have done the online dating thing and that is where I met Clueless. From the beginning Clueless was very, very enthusiastic. We emailed for a while and then we talked on the phone. He would text me and if I didn't respond right away he would text again asking why I hadn't responded. He asked me out and I figured, everything deserves at least one date, right?

Day of date:
He had to work until about 3 but he said he would call me after he got off work. I would be driving to Provo because he didn't have a car (Strike one). 3:00 rolls around and I don't hear from him. 4:00 rolls around, I still don't hear from him. 4:30...nothing. He finally calls me at almost 5:00 and at this point I'm irritated...(strike two) but I decide to still meet up with him.

I'm driving along I-15 and as I'm coming around the point of the mountain I get a text message from him. "R U here yet?" (he uses obnoxious text abbreviations - strike three) (obviously I am not there yet as I am not sitting or standing next to him - strike four). Since I'm driving, I don't respond.

As I'm getting closer to Provo around American Forkish I get another text message "Call me when U get here" (no, I'm going to sit around outside his apartment and not talk to him - strike five). Again, I don't answer as I'm driving.

I'm getting off the free way and he calls:

Clueless: Are you here yet?
Me: Nope. Just getting off the freeway.
Clueless: Let me give you directions to my place....uh...well, you'll turn....hang on a minute.
(shuffling and muffled conversation)
Friend of Clueless: Hi I'm Friend of Clueless. Clueless wanted me to give you directions. (Dude can't give directions - strike six).

Clueless stays on the phone with me as until I get to the apartment. He comes out side and my heart drops. I wonder if it would be bad form to just reverse out of the driveway and just go home. Fortunately or unfortunately I'm not that mean. I watch him as he walks towards my car. He's short....really short. I'm only 5'3"...he's shorter than I am and he's sort of limping (strike seven). He waves and smiles at me. I get out of the car and he tells me that he wants me to come inside so I can meet his friends. Plus we have to wait for his wallet to show up as he has left it in a friend's car.

We walk up the stair of the apartment building and there is trash and general grossness spewing down the stairs (strike eight). I walk in the apartment to find a row of 5 guys waiting to meet me. They rattle off their name and all I can think about is how early is too early to end a date? We sit down and the most awkward conversation ensues. A girl was sitting on the couch and makes a comment in reference to a girl in their ward "Well, you know they get desperate when they turn 21." Hhhmmmm....I was 25 at the time (strike nine).

The wallet finally arrives and we leave. Turns out he doesn't have a drivers license because he has severe ADD. This proved painfully obvious as he could not give directions and carry on a conversation at the same time (strike ten). It took as twice as long as it should have to get to Olive Garden. As we were waiting for our table he continues to babble. He's on the ten year plan to get his degree (strike eleven). I'm only halfway listening and am relieved when we are seated. However, any relief I felt is quickly gone when I realize our server is very attractive. Of course he is...

We order and the entire dinner conversation his him asking me who he needs to impress to get on my good side. He asks if my dad likes camping. I reply in the affirmative and he says that's good because then he can go camping with my dad and get on his good side. He then goes on to say that he told his parent's he would bring a girl home for Christmas and then says that I would really love his parents (strike twelve, thirteen, fourteen).

After dinner he invites me into his place and puts on a movie and I'm just trying to figure out how to get out of there. I am sitting on the end of the couch leaning away from him, holding a very large body pillow as an added barrier. My feet are tucked under me and my knees are creating another barrier between us. He sits down as close as he can get to me, basically sitting on my feet. He puts his elbow on my hip and places his hand on his thigh (strike fifteen, sixteen and seventeen). I lean further away from him. He leans towards me. I lean further. He leans. I am practically hanging off the couch (strike eighteen).

He makes up an excuse to trade seats. I sit on the other end of the couch in the same position. He leans. I lean. He leans. I lean (strike nineteen, twenty, twenty-one). I ask to use his bathroom. His bathroom is disgusting. I was afraid to touch anything (strike twenty-two). I come out and say I need to get home. He seems surprised and gets up to walk me out. I don't look at him and he goes in to kiss me (strike twenty-three, four, five and six). I quickly move my face and he gets an awkward and very brief hug.

I get a text from him later that night. "I had a really good time tonight. I'm sorry if anything I did made you uncomfortable" (strike twenty-seven). I don't respond but get multiple texts and phone calls/voice mails throughout the week from him.

Clueless text #1 "R U mad @ me""
Clueless text #2 "Please talk 2 me!"
Clueless text #3 "Y Rnt U talking 2 me? What did I do?"

Voicemail#1 "Hey, it's Clueless. I just wanted to thank you for a great night. Call me."
Voicemail #2 "It's Clueless. Please call me back."
Voicemail #3 "Hey...it's Clueless. I'm not sure what I did to make you upset or uncomfortable. I really think we need to talk so we can work this out and save our relationship. I think this can really work and I want to be with you. Please call me"

Strike Twenty-eight, Twenty-nine, Thirty. Needless to say I did not call him back and I did revise my one date policy. Not everyone deserves at least one date...

Tuesday, August 17, 2010

Overly Eager to Marry...

Day one
I'll refer to this one as Overly... Today is August 17th... 16 days ago Overly approached me to go on a date with him. Not interested I said no; after all, why would I say yes to a guy that I'm not interested in--I don't believe in false hope and I sure don't do the pity dates either. I don't expect men to go on them and I have better things to do with my energy than to lead a man on. I believe dating is supposed to be fun for both parties and leave you wanting to be better and do better and enjoy life and the people in it more fully... not make you wish you were home washing that long beautiful hair of yours. I'm not sure if Overly thought I was joking, or playing hard to get when I said no but he simply did not comply...

Day Two
A brief respite.

Day Three
A day passed and he asked me out again... really what part of no was unclear? the N or the O? After being asked yet again I said yes... simply to drill home my disinterest and tell him in person that I truly have no interest in dating him and if I did I would have excitedly accepted the previous two invitations.

Day Five
I went out with him and it was abundantly clear that I was not interested and that we had little in common at the end of the night I let him know that I had a few other interests that I was pursuing and that I would not like to go on another date with him. I also I paid for myself... a sure sign that I in NO way want to feel obligated to go out with Overly again.

Still Day Five
That night I get a text thanking me for going out with him and telling me what a great time he had...? Were we on the same date, Overly? Really?!? I did not respond.

Overly.. if a girl doesn't respond to the 'hey I had a great time" text... it is because her mother, the good woman she is taught her the Thumper Principle and she has applied it to dating: 'if you can't say somethin' nice, don't say nothin at all.' The date was clearly NOT enjoyed by both parties. Give up.

Day Six
The following day Mr. Eager texts me, not once, not twice, but eight times. No response. I even checked with my phone company to see if I could block Overly. Sadly. I could not without changing my number.

Overly... if a girl doesn't respond to a text... sending more texts does not improve your chances of getting hold of her, it improves your chances of being served a stalking injunction or a restraining order.

Same day while talking to my roommate, relaying the horror story of the date the previous night and the boy who won't go away... a string of ten texts comes in with overly professing his love to me, and then expressing his frustration that I won't respond and then explaining that nothing in his life is going well and that if he could hurt someone he would, not just to hurt someone but to see them suffer... that his life is over and that he just wants to quit school, life, girls especially the really desperate girls in his church congregation, work--EVERYTHING.

Truly befuddled by this point I respond as follows: Overly, you need counselling. I have a no tolerance policy with undealt with emotional issues, please stay away from me and don't text me.

Fifteen seconds later: that is really smart of you, I'm not as bad as that probably sounded. Would you like to do dinner, or lunch? I don't really have any money right now, but I'd be OK with you making me dinner.

Wow. Really... Really? Not a snowballs chance in St. Lucia. I didn't respond.

Day Seven
Overly texts me to say it's really not as bad as it sounded and asks if we are going to get together again...
I do not respond.

***Seven Days Pass***

Day Fourteen
Overly texts me to tell me a friend of his is getting married and he thought I may be able to help them in my line of work, I agree simply because I am good at what I do and it is a once removed connection it will be harmless.

Day Fifteen
Overly texts once and calls once. I responded to neither and pretended to be asleep.

Day Sixteen
Overly calls twice. Then Overly texts me telling me it is extremely important and to call as soon as possible. I'm in a meeting; however, I text and ask what is so important. Overly proceeds to tell me that his friend is actually him, and he is engaged. And he is getting married in two months. Goodbye Overly. I'm sorry Mrs. Eager... you have NO idea just what you are getting yourself into.

Day Seventeen
The experience with Overly inspired me to start a blog... Cheers!