<-On Wisconsin! |Main|Tequila Night->

35 Percent

August 9, 2007 4:01 AM

went on a date tonight. Before I tell you all about how it went, I think that I should give you some background information, as well as explain how the whole date thing came to happen.

A friend of mine played in this softball league this summer and I, having nothing better to do, went to a few of the games. Inevitably, I got to talk to some of the members of the softball team. One of them--let's call her Abby--immediately struck me as both "intelligent" and "personable." But also, she was smart and had an agreeable personality. (I'm not being redundant here. If you want an explanation, e-mail me.) I talked to her a couple of times and then, when the team had its final game, talked to her again but didn't ask her out or ask her for her number or anything. A few days later, I thought "fuck it" and friended her on Facebook. After a series of events, we agreed to get dinner tonight.

To be honest, this girl might be a lot smarter than I am. That's not unusual--lots of people are smarter than me. But it's still intimidating. I was afraid, for example, that I wouldn't be able to keep up my end of the conversation.

Anyway, I was supposed to pick her up tonight at seven. I was extremely punctual, and we went to this diner sort of place. To my surprise, the conversation was extremely easy to keep up. We don't really know each other, so there were a lot of introductory questions like "where are you from?" and that kind of stuff. I thought that was fine.

We got seated in a booth, and we were talking pretty well--there were only a few awkward moments all night. There was, however, what I thought was a rather funny moment:

Me: [thinking] Man, the meatloaf really looks good.
Her: [out loud] I've never understood meatloaf. Who would order that?
Me: [out loud] I was thinking about getting that, actually.
Her: Oh.
Anyway, I got the meatloaf. And it was pretty good. I originally asked her out to dinner and a movie, but she said that that was cliche, and said that we should just go to dinner. I said that was ok with me. So that's what we did. At dinner, I asked her why she was opposed to getting dinner and a movie. She explained that she preferred doing things where we'd be able to talk to each other, which suited me just fine. Still, when the meal was over, I made it clear that I was perfectly willing to keep hanging out if she wanted. My plan was to propose that we go to the Terrace. Anyway, she said she wanted to do something else, but she also said that, although she'd normally suggest the Terrace, she had gotten really drunk the night before and the thought of alcohol made her want to throw up. So it was up to me to come up with something to do that would allow us to interact while not drinking. Here's what I was thinking:
Ok, dude, you've got to come up with something to do. God, dude, seriously, think of something. C'mon, think of something. Oh, fuck, it's been too long. Dude, say something. Seriously, say something. OH. MY. God. Say something! Anything! Say ANYTHING!

I ended up suggesting that we go bowling. She, surprisingly, seemed to like the idea, so that's what we did. We ended up talking a lot at the bowling thing. So much so, in fact, that bowling completely took a back seat to the conversation, and I was actually annoyed that I had to bowl because it meant pausing our conversation. Still, I think that we both had a pretty decent time, although she demonstrated that she's, if not smarter than me, then certainly more knowledgeable about certain subjects, which is, of course, extremely attractive.

As I drove her home, I suggested a second date. She said she'd call me. She is actually pretty busy in the next week and, after next Thursday, she'll be out of the country for three weeks. Still, I couldn't shake the feeling that I was getting blown off. So, we'll see.

I say there's about a 35 percent chance that she'll call and we'll hang out again. I'll keep you guys posted.



9 Comments


tRJ said:

I married a woman smarter than me and it was the best thing I ever did.

Also, might I recommend a drive in the country as a good conversation-filled date? It's sort of like going to a movie, in that the picture in front of you keeps changing, but you get to actually talk. Just don't try it too early on, lest she fear being dumped in a field.

August 9, 2007 9:02 AM



jbob said:

Oddly enough, I went bowling too last night...only in Milwaukee instead of Madison. Must have been a bowling sort of night.

Good luck on the whole second date thing. She'll call you, but it will be a long month before she does.

August 9, 2007 12:30 PM



dicta said:

i know your situation was at night, but i enjoy hiking (or walks if you prefer). this gives you an opportunity to talk and get to know each other, and much like the drive suggested above, the scenery changes (and can be quite cool). and if the whole thing goes awry, at least you got some nice exercise.

August 9, 2007 3:05 PM



Lauren said:

I'm not foolish enough to suggest hiking given our past experience at West Fork. Actually, I'm not going to suggest anything at all. I'm glad it went well!

August 9, 2007 6:52 PM



Dee said:

Well, it sounds like an interesting night. The chick sounds a wee high maintenance--she'll tell you what she doesn't want to do, and you have to figure out what she does want to do? thumbs down! anyway, we'll see what happens. under what name do you use facebook? i cannot find you!

August 9, 2007 9:45 PM



TheExpat said:

Dee's got a point, though I won't hammer it home for her. Suffice it to say that my wife's observations on women tend to be very good, thought it sounded like she was an agreeable enough person to be around. The details of where to go on a first date are invariably thrust upon the man, no matter the personal views of those involved.

So you figure a 1 in 3 chance? Sound like pretty good odds.

August 10, 2007 12:39 AM



Ismael Tapia II said:

tRJ,
That's not a bad suggestion, actually. In fact, given some of the cool places around Madison, that might be really cool. I'll take it under advisement, assuming I ever need to plan a date again.

jbob,
So you'll think she'll call after her trip? That would be fucked up.

dicta,
I actually almost suggested a walk. One of my favorite date-type experiences was on a walk, actually. It's definitely a great idea.

Lauren,
You know, West Fork notwithstanding, I do enjoy hiking. I mean, I did go to Fossil Springs a few weeks later, right? I just didn't know what I was getting myself into with West Fork. And, also, I was horribly out of shape. But, still, that's a story I'll be telling for a while. Just like that time you me and PJ went offroading at night and PJ decided it would be prudent to climb all over my car. That was awesome.

Dee,
It actually hadn't occured to me that she might be high maintenance, but that's not a deal breaker. Sometimes being high maintenance is worth it. I don't know if this girl is, but I'm just saying.

As far as Facebook, I just added you, so that should have taken care of that.

Expat,
Yeah, I didn't really mind making the decisions, and kind of liked the attitude, actually. It was almost as if she was saying "I'm pretty much down for whatever, but if you want to do something I'm not down with, I'll let you know." I like that, because I have no doubt that she would have told me if I had picked something she wasn't interested in. It was relaxing and very honest, I thought.

One in three might be overstating it. The more I think about it, the more I think there's probably a smaller chance. I sent her a text message today related to a conversation we had last night. It was sort of a joke, kind of. I cleared it with one of my many dating consultants. In any event, there was no response. That was discouraging.

August 10, 2007 3:23 AM



TheExpat said:

Don't push it, man. Just relax. Sometimes people don't reply to everything you send to them, you know?

August 10, 2007 8:33 PM



Ismael Tapia II said:

Relaxing, of course, has always been one of my biggest problems in this situation. But I don't think anything's fucked that wasn't fucked before. We'll see.

August 11, 2007 4:04 AM



Leave a comment