Dates @ MindSay

As if trying to understand men and men's intentions weren’t hard enough, I somehow just made it harder on myself! I have a date on Saturday, and I don't know what to expect at all!! Help!

 

On St. Patrick’s Day I went out to a local Irish Pub for some festive green beer. I had my green beer, my green shirt, and was in an Irish Pub - I did my I finally had given my solute to my small fraction of Irish blood. I was standing around at a table with a couple of my friends and I overheard someone saying "You're Irish! Sweet!" Since everyone claims on March 17th that they are Irish, I completely ignored it and continued with my peanut throwing contest.

 

As the night went on, my group of friends dwindled inversely with how crazy the bar was getting. Somehow in the shuffle of the crowd I found myself talking to what I thought was a friend of a friend  - turns out he was a complete stranger, but seemed very nice, so I decided to get to know him a bit. The music was ear piercingly loud so I could barely hear what he was saying and I tried my best to read his lips and body language for his answers to my awkward small talk. I figured I would go with the classic, "Where are you from" question that every college student asks when they are forced into new social situations. I thought it was a joke at first, seeing the holiday and the pub we were at, but I clearly heard him say, "Ireland". I tried to laugh it off, but he wasn’t laughing back. I finally realized through the music that he had a very deep accent.

 

Yup - way to go idiot Lauren. As irony would have it, Dave is a study abroad student from Ireland currently attending the private college just up the hill from the college I attend. And yes- he does have a very HOT accent.

 

Long story short, he asked me to go out on a date this Saturday. I get so nervous going out on dates, especially with people I don’t know very well. Now I'm even more nervous seeing as how it is someone I randomly met (especially at a bar) and don't have common friends with. The longer I have had to think about it, the more nervous I'm getting! I'm not really familiar with Irish customs very well, so more and more questions are coming to mind. "Can he drive in this country", "What's their view on 'going Dutch' vs. the guy paying", "How do they act on dates", "What are guy's expectations when they go out with girls in Ireland"...

 

The list keeps going. Obviously I'm going to be myself, and I'm not going to do anything I don't want to. I already have half of my sorority sisters to agree with a "help text" incase things go bad and I need someone to swoop in and rescue me.

 

I am just really curious what other people think. Am I stupid for going out with someone from Ireland? Someone from Ireland, who is leaving in August. Someone from Ireland, who is leaving in a few months, who I met at a bar?!!!! Any tips for dating foreigners?!

 

 

I hate when guys act like jerks because you don't flirt back and/or your reaction to their flirting is sarcasm (i.e. my form of flirting), rather than eye-lash-batting and incessant giggling (i.e. the expected form of flirting which I never do).

I went to C.B.'s for dinner with my mom and sis before going to see that new Eva Longoria Parker movie (Over Her[My?] Dead Body--kind of sad, btw). I had to pee super bad so I went to the rest room as soon as they seated us and left my drink ordering up to them (I assumed [correctly] that they would order my usual beverage of choice--unsweet tea with lemon). Well, when I got back our waiter came over and asked if unsweet tea was okay with me. I said "yes," and asked if we could get some more sugar (there was only one packet and I like about 2-3. I realize this makes is sweet, but I like to order unsweet tea and add the sugar so that I can [1] control the sweetness and [2] taste the granulated sugar as I drink from my straw). Well, he said
"No." and walked away. Oookay...? Then he came back later with it and started teasing (as well as flirting with) me about how he should just give me sweet tea and why I didn't just want that since I was adding sugar anyway, etc (I gave him my reasons, albeit rather sarcastically, as that is my inclination).
Later, a particularly beat-oriented, salsa-like song came on and I was kind of seat dancing to it (you know, slight move of the shoulders, tap of the foot, etc). I'm frequently moved to do this when a song I like comes on. It's in me to want to dance. Well, he walks by and is like "I see you dancing over there!" (Wtf, way to make a girl feel awkward, dude). Anyway, after that I kind of ignored him and then he became the "What's that, you're not going to flirt with me? Fine. I didn't think you were hot, anyway" guy for the rest of the meal. It's like jeez, get over yourself. Just because I'm blond doesn't mean I'm a flirt. Just because I have boobs doesn't mean I'm easy. Just because I'm fat doesn't mean I'm desperate.
I hate when guys put up those kinds of fronts because their egos somehow got bruised. I mean come on, if you're flirting with someone you don't even know then you shouldn't take things so seriously that if the girl doesn't flirt back (or else in my case is their normal sarcastic-flirt self who's flirting style is severely misunderstood on most occasions) your ego gets bruised over it.

Other updates include....
*I was supposed to go to a conference with my mom&sis in Nashville this weekend, but we decided not to.
*We (sis/me) were supposed to get together for lunch with Donna today but plans fell through. However, we rescheduled for possibly friday of next week.
*Greg had a hot date tonight...I hope it went well. He's such a sweetheart and he deserves a great guy (although I wish I could convert him and have him all to myself lol).
*I have a crap load of hw to do this weekend. Lithography's proving to be a bit of a bitch (I ate a whole king size chocolate bar on Thurs in an attempt to raise my spirits--it didn't work). Painting's okay...but also depressing. Marriage and Family's relatively interesting. I don't really have an opinion about History.
*Haven't seen/heard from Ryan since last week. I may call him next week. Maybe.
*Haven't talked to Ira in a while, either.
*Kind of planning a get together for sometime before finals week in April. So far I'm thinking the guest list will include but not be limited to Donna & Perry, Greg, Mama, Sis, Maria, Paula, Ryan, possibly Ira, Josiah & Suzanna, possibly Cory & Jessica, Ariel, Charles, and possibly Amy.

Ugh, I have heartburn and I've no idea why. I'm poping pills then it's off to bed. Goodnight all!

So the date last night was great in my opinion. He picked me up and we went to a great sushi place for dinner. Lots of conversation and laughing. We went to play pool after that and he won 2 of the 3 games (I won one game fair and square - he definitely didn't let me win) and he drove me home - it took a bit longer than usual cos of the snow and the fact that he had to drive at 20 km/h. Nice goodnight kiss at the end and I had a great time.

Now today.

I'm second-guessing myself and thinking that I mis-read things, even though I technically don't think I did. No plans were made for a second date and I doubt I'll hear from him today, yet I've turned into a self-torture, second-guessing machine. I'm wondering whether I imagined the good time and whether he drove home thinking "well, thank goodness that's over cos I never want to see her again".

Arrrggghhh.

/end rant.

Okay, I have a date tonight and I have a secret. Well, it's not really a secret - this, my friends, is an internet date. Before you laugh and point and yell insulting phrases at me, my reasons for this experiment are as follows:

• It's a way to meet people - new city = meeting new people any way possible. My bookclub is filled with married women, so that's a negative!
  
• I've got nothing to lose - after my recent dating disaster where the guy had told his mother all about me before our first date and was planning my visit over the holidays and had probably named our kids, I figure this can't be worse.
  

So I went online last night, started chatting to J and ended up talking on the phone three times - once he called on the way to the gym, then on the way back and then after his shower. So that's a good time to tell if he's a complete weirdo. So far, no major red flags.

He said he'd call today and .... he did. Then he call to let me know that his errands were taking longer than planned and would I mind if we went for dinner instead of out this afternoon. I'm still okay with this - no baby naming red flags here.

His photo looks really pretty boy like which makes me a little wary - either it's not really him or he's a potential player. Or I'm just being judgemental and should slap myself.

Anyway, dinner it is and while I'm obviously not going to be all glam considering it's -10 degrees celcius and snowing like mad, I'll still look purdy.

Wish me luck and hopefully this won't be a disaster story!!

Those are the words of a co-worker of mine. I don't think that a book like that would be all that good as many people would basically take it as I was a dumbass for taking him back three times and then see a pattern of all my past relationships. If I wanted my love life analyzed, I would go back to therapy.

 

Anyways, haven't heard from the guy who visited in November since his visit. Rather disappointing, but I guess that is life. Had a date last week with a local guy. All went well, but scheduling is a bit of an issue....big surprise there, eh?

 

The other day I asked Doctor Andy to marry me again. What does he do? He laughs at me! Then he reminds me that he doesn't like to rush into things. Hell! Andy and I have known each other for at least five years! Rushing into things? What world are you in? lol