Dating

A post about dating. Dating's fun! It's fun to meet people, hear what they care about, how they think, see their quirks and - at the "worst" - have some funny stories. I had a brunch date last weekend. This guy just could not get over that we weren't having a date at night time. The night before he called me to ask what to wear (I kid you not). During the date he kept saying "I can't believe we're having a date over breakfast!" Seriously? The date was, predictably, a flop, which isn't to say I didn't have a good time. I hope I kept my emotions (laughter?) in at the time. Inquire within for more details. So, that's the kind of date where you don't expect anything from it. You have to go into it as a little case study of weird people, pull yourself together, be outgoing, and push past the awkwardness in order to have a funny story to tell your girlfriends at yoga class. That's the Awkward Date.

Then there's the Unavoidable Date. This comes up in a couple situations. First, you see the eyes. You know what I'm talking about, don't deny it. The attempts at eye contact, the nervous chatter and flustered questions to make you stay chatting longer. Usually, the date is couched in some ambiguous terms like, "Can we get together to talk about a few questions I have from class" or "Can you help me with my paper." It's unavoidable. The terms of the date make it so that you have to say Yes. You can't refuse because then you'll look like the jerk classmate who won't give a second to help out a peer. But, you also can't respond with the "I'm seeing someone" line because then you seem like an arrogant egomaniac who assumes everyone is asking you out on a date when they really were just asking for help. I can't say no to a date when it's not officially a date. Unavoidable.

Then, and this is my least favorite, there is the Ambush Date. This is when you're hanging out, la-di-da, having a good time and, all of a sudden, Bam! It occurs to you that this could be, just maybe - I mean, is it possible that from his perspective - this is a date? Ack! How did that happen? When did that happen!? You look around and realize it's a romantic date restaurant. The lights dim. All of a sudden the eyes (see above for description) come out. You run to the bathroom and come back to see the check is paid. That's when you say, Shit, an Ambush Date!

I have yet to pull a Meg Ryan from When Harry Met Sally, but all in all, I'm having a lot of fun these days. How about you guys? Any genres of dates you've noticed? Gentlemen- what's your defense?