The Dating Diaries: Throwback Thursday

I almost forgot about this one. Which would have been tragic, because it’s too good not to share.

How to start? 

Remember what you considered romantic as a teenager or maybe even dating in your early twenties? And I assume you are in touch now with how it kind of makes you cringe to even think about what you used to think of as sexy?

This is a story about a guy who apparently had such success in his youth with his Rico Suave moves that he never felt the urge to change or upgrade them.

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The Dating Diaries: Convenience Backfires

In an admirable “don’t-dish-it-out-if-you-can’t-take-it” display of solidarity, today’s Dating Diaries doesn’t call out the bad behavior of men. Instead, I’m pointing the finger at myself.

Naturally, when you start dating after 20 years of marriage, safety is a top concern.  It ranks right up there for me with “convenience.”

So when I started online dating and I got past the “I’m pretty sure you’re not an ax murderer” stage and it was time to meet, I picked a sushi restaurant near my home. 

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The Dating Diaries: Splitting Hairs (and Checks)

I love that when I blog about anything other than the guys I’ve dated, all anyone asks me is, “When are you going to post another Dating Diaries entry? We love those!” Never mind I’m beingattacked by serpent reptiles and have embarked on a new spiritual/emotional/mental connection to running. You want bad date stories. The people have spoken. Let’s do this.

Today’s installment really isn’t on “bad” dates. In fact, I’m still friends with most of the men the following snippets are about. These are more or less those small things that make you go, “Hmmm…”

OVERLY EXCITED GUY

This was a one-time date with someone who was way too young for me. I think he was 36 and not the brightest bulb in the box. Which fact I didn’t clue into until after we had agreed to meet. I knew I was courting trouble when I began to notice that this guy (kid) got really, really, really excited whenever we had the smallest match on interests. Our texts began to resemble this

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The Dating Diaries: Gum Guy

When people ask me about my worst date (And they always want to hear about the bad ones. No one wants to hear, “We went to dinner and had a really nice time.”), “Gum Guy,” or GG as I call him, always comes to mind.

We met online and he sent a couple of snarky texts that made me laugh. But alarm bells must have gone off somewhere because when he suggested we meet for dinner, I downgraded it to meeting for a drink.

We met at one of my favorite upscale bar/restaurants. I arrived first. GG texted he was running late—uh, leave your house on time, buddy—so I went ahead and ordered my drink. Belvedere vodka martini, extra dry, three olives.

When he arrived, I kinda sorta recognized him from his photo. Recognized in the way you can see glimpses in the paunchy man standing in front of you at your 20th class reunion of the boy who sat next to you in science lab in junior high school. Not a recent photo then. Okay.

He swaggered (and yes, that is the correct word), into the bar...

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