My first date!

Ok, all. This is what you've all been waiting for...

I did it. I replyed to a message, and began a conversation that was quite stimulating. So we set up a place to meet...Jaleo in Bethesda. I had never been there, and Ive heard it's fabulous, so there was at least that to look forward to. My dad was sure to ask, "Well did ya at least get a great dinner out of him?" Yes dad, sho did.

He is a very sweet guy. And when I say very, I mean that for someone, he is absolutely picture perfect. He has a ridiculously adorable face, which some of you know is my downfall. He is brilliant. A biochem undergrad, an MBA. He has a great job for a drug research company and now travels internationally, all the time. He swims every morning. He reads, maybe more than I do, and loves music...so what's wrong with him?

He's a mute. He was that kid in your second grade class that sat behind you, and the only time he spoke all year was every morning when the teacher called his name, and all you'd hear was "here." I'm pretty sure he did his homework during recess, and ran home to read an encyclopedia. I'm definitely not making fun of the fact that he's quiet, and definitely not that he's smart. Just that our date was an adapted version of the game 20 questions. Adapted version: 600 questions. Bet you can guess who was asking the questions....

What I learned about him: He's 34. He sleeps 3 hours a night, and while he has supposedly an amazing bed, he sleeps on the couch. This was fascinating, there was at least 100 questions around this..."why the hell would you sleep on the couch?" Unfathomable. He has one brother, and when asked if they were close, he paused and said "as close as brothers could be, I guess." Yep, another 10 questions. My brothers' are hearty, Vermont-born and raised, football playing MEN. And they hug eachother everytime they see eachother and have a hard time saying goodbye. That's close. Psychoanalyzing came quite easy....though, I did avoid asking him about girls. Him ever having a girlfriend is highly unlikely...so, I spared him that awkwardness. He has done one triathlon..just bought a house..loves wine and plays soccer. We talked about our countless injuries and surgeries. He described himself as a "great listener". I tried hard to keep my chuckle from being the erupting outburst that it was inside..

What I learned about me: I always thought I was awkward, but truth be told I'm good at putting my own awkwardness aside if someone else is struggling. I learned that I'm brave when I decide to be. I really can have fun with someone whose definition of fun involves chemical research. Also, I think it took him at least 200 questions to realize, while I come across sometimes like Sporty Spice who fakes a college degree, he did begin to realize that I do in fact have a brain. I recognized he was playing me for a ditz, didn't change at ALL, and wound up having decent conversation. (It's difficult to overcome that, as some people decide not to take you serious.) I found genuine common ground where in the first 3 minutes I wasn't sure if there was going to be any. Finally, the heels I wore were HIGHLY unneccessary, though did make me feel pretty. :-)

Lessons were learned. :-) And since this was not quite as hilarious as I'm sure some of you were hoping, I'll share verbatim my roommate's voicemail to me when I didn't call her back right away, circa 9 pm...

"O.M.G. NORSE call me back RIGHT NOW. I've called you three times and you're not answering. I'm about to get in my car and check every dumpster in BETHESDA! Do I need to be your grandma sick in the hospital to get you out of something awful!? WHERE ARE YOU??? Ok...Listen..I don't care if you are at third base with this guy, you need to stop for 20 seconds and tell him that you need to call me before I call the cops on yo ass. CALL ME. love you bye." If not hilarious at first, I'll always leave you with a smile. :-) (Or Erika will...but either way..)

So how did it end? A curt handshake, and a "thank you so much for dinner!" And, for which I feel bad now, "call me when you're back in town." His face broke into a gargantuan grin and an elated "OK!" and nearly skipped to his car. I'm going to have to call up a friend and ask how "the fade-away" works, because I have a feeling I will be throwing a few of these fishies back....

But it's ok...there are plenty of fish in the sea.

Seven Months to date DC....

My sister Marcy is brilliant. No really. Her and I decided, (on sister day of course) after much discussion about my what to do with my life...she had a flash of brilliance. Since I love to write, and would like to one day do it for money...I need to become the Carrie Bradshaw of Boston. If you don't know who she is....check yo'self.

Anyways...Marcy decided that I needed to start dating DC (while I'm here, for a guaranteed seven more months, until my lease runs up...hence the seventh month deadline) and then write about it...I may have initially threw up in my mouth at this idea...how many horrible first dates would I go on??! Or, on the flipside, how many friends was I about to make. I suddenly began contemplating. I can't lie...a book about this would be ANYTHING but boring...

I went to the very website that a guy friend mentioned joining. (Ok, I told him he was a fool for going to a lowly online dating site and probably made him feel shitty. Thanks to my bash session on him, I pulled out that website from my brain and went straight to it) and within 10 or so minutes....BLAM. I had myself a profile...complete with bits and pieces of my standard witty charm, labeled with my diva picture taken from a lululemon photo shoot for our october "run" window. What has become of this profile in the last 24 hours is nothing but ABSOLUTE hilarity...do enjoy:

- Happy New Year to U! How u doing on this Sunday? Good im hoping. My name is .. im new to this so please bare with a brotha. Oh and if u can please, please excuse my bootleg side way pic I had to post of myself. (smile) I email u, hoping we can get to know better and hangout sometime. Let me know if this works for u. I hope to hear from u, but until then u have a good day!

WHATS WITH THE "U" 's, dude? You're thirty. Delete.

- You're pretty cute and you seem like fun. Just curious, where do you typically like to hang out?

-"Just curious?" Is that curious like Ted Bundy was probably curious?" Telling you where I hang out would be about as promising as a drug overdose, I'm sure of it. DELETE with the quickness....

-"I am slowly falling under the impression that you and I would probably make beautiful babies. But here's the deal....if its a girl you can name her but if its a boy I get to name him. I would also like to complete the family by buying a pet duck. I think it would make a great addition. Just a thought....get back to me and let me know your opinions on this. Signed, Forever yours (and forever young)

Ok, that one made me laugh...alot. Laugh, see you're pictures, they're ok. But you have a GREAT personality...sigh. And also, you're 19. Delete...

There's the standard "yer hot" or "hey cutie" which clearly they didn't read the bottom of my profile, where you can find this, where it asks what you're idea of a perfect date is (lamest question ever) : REALLY? If you make it past the "hey, you're pretty hot" message, then I'm sure we'll be fine. PLEASE just answer me this....does that ACTUALLY work?? If you don't have questions about the things above then do not send me a "hey whats up" message or I will absolutely thrash my head on a blunt wall. Back to a first date: I could make sitting in an empty room a blast, so I'm not worried about a first date. Like I said, if we even get there...;-)" ...yet I STILL get the, "hey, u mus be a runer"...and if you read my profile you would have gotten that. Not only can you not read...but you can't spell either. Nice.

So, seven months to date dc...I'm optimistic. This might be the most FUN seven months...there's plenty of fish in these DC waters...