Ooops! Let's play catch-up.

I realize it's been a long time since I posted. Time has been getting away from me since I started classes and since I've been trying to wrap up some work as I'm transitioning to my new position.

So.... with that in mind, let's play some catch up!

Science Guy:
Remember how in that last post I mentioned that Science Guy was growing on me? ...Sigh... Seems like we take two steps forward and then one step back. We went out about a week ago, and things were going well until I brought up the whole "Girls Gone Wild" episode (I know, I know, I couldn't leave well enough alone.) It still bothers me that he thinks I'm over reacting, whereas I just think it's totally douchey. I know on some level he's just immature, and I know that I can't expect him to agree with everything I believe in, but to me this is rather important. I'm not even anti-porn, I just think Girls Gone Wild in particular is so disrespectful to women. (And now that I've mentioned "Girls Gone Wild" two three times in this post, I'm sure to have many new readers finding their way here!) I'm just not sure where that leaves us. Add to that the fact that he seems perpetually stuck in this place of expressing interest, but then backing away when I reciprocate, and I just don't know where to go from there.

Muckraker:
Speaking of immature.... ! Muckraker is WAY too old to be acting like a second grader. (I've spoken to a couple of my guy friends about him, and they were both saying "Oh, yeah. He's interested. That's how guys show their interested." Which, to me, just proves how weird, and how perhaps I'm not equipped to deal with men.) He passes me notes in class, and 'playfully' hits me... (DUDE! You're FORTY FUCKING YEARS OLD!)... And he's incredibly annoying....

And yet-- let's face it-- there's a part of me that gets off on the attention, the drama of the 'hot and cold' attention, he gives me, or I would just tell him to fuck off.

But there's another part too....
We had dinner with a couple of our mutual friends the other night. It was an impromptu thing, and I didn't really invite him to join us, a couple of the friends I invited to dinner did, (because they're both trying to play matchmakers...) Every once in awhile I would turn towards him and I would catch him staring at me. And he gets this expression on his face, this expression that somehow says, "You are the most beautiful, interesting, amazing person I've ever met." Maybe I'm projecting... maybe it's wishful thinking... but that's how I read it. And that expression stops me in my tracks and makes me forget all his douchiness. And that's what I really get off on. (Hell, I totally know I could be wrong. For all I really know, that expression actually means, "I'm constipated.")

New Guy... Let's call him ShyGuy...
I've been set up on a sort-of-blind date for this coming week. Npapaya's friend has been trying to set me up with ShyGuy for almost a year now. I'm pretty open to being set up, but this person is a (distant) colleague, and he's quite a bit older (Somewhere between 40-45... which, I know though Muckraker is 40, he seems younger somehow-- perhaps because I met him in my classes, I first met him when he was 39--which psychologically puts him in a different place, and...he's so fucking immature.) I had seen him from afar before-- he's not bad looking, though rather short, but he's also not someone who would make me turn around and take a second glance. Mostly because he seems very much like someone who would have three kids, and be settled down...

All that to say that I wasn't too keen on being set up-- not for any particular reason, but rather because there didn't seem to be a compelling reason to go out with him. Didn't seem like there'd be much in common.

Npapaya invited me to a July 4th party and ShyGuy was there. I didn't realize it was him since I'd not really seen him up close before (and frankly, I don't know that I'd be able to describe him now... like I said, not unattractive, but just nothing distinguishing, I think.) We talked a little bit...and the conversation was a little bit of a disaster. I believe I said something along these lines.

(About the brownie's he'd made.) Me: These are really good brownies.
Him: Oh, I'd be happy to give you the recipe. (In hindsight, this would have given him a good excuse to contact me. If I'd been thinking clearly, I would have realized this.)
Me: Oh. No thanks. I don't cook. I mean, I would... If I had anyone to cook for. But I don't. Because I'm single. But I'm a good cook. If I did cook. But I don't. Because I'm single. I mean, I don't mind being single, but I'd probably cook more. If I wasn't. You know. Single. Did I mention I'm single?

Doh. Now, normally such verbal diarrhea would indicate nervousness because I really liked this person, but in this case it was only because I was trying to keep the conversation going. I didn't really feel like we had much to talk about.

Npapaya and her friend were very excited the next day, saying, "It couldn't have better planned! What did you think of him!?" etc. I mentioned it was fine, but nothing exciting.

Npapaya asked me if I would want to go out with him? Did she want me to set something up. Again, no real compelling reason to go or not to go... I said ok. And, well, she did. And so we're going out sometime this week.

The reason I said yes is really because Npapaya and her friend have been really talking him up. "He's the nicest guy! Really sweet! Quiet and Shy. You just need to get to know him!" Ok. What's there to lose? Worst case scenario I'll have gotten to better know a colleague, right?