Try as I may, I have not contacted or been contacted recently by anyone else on that dating website I signed up for. I’m just not that way. One at a time please! I think it’s probably also because I’m so busy with everything else – work, studying, lazying around the house. On the flip side, most in my circle of friends are signed up for the website now. I live vicariusly through their stories about awful first messages and awesome first dates. Good times. I love seeing them all so happy/giddy over this.

I’ve already decided on the theme for my birthday party this year. Actually, I wasn’t even going to have a party, but what the hey. It’s just another excuse to gather the friends at a bar. Here’s a clue as to what the theme is this year:

I had hoped that there would be several degrees of separation between JM and me, but alas, that is not the case! We are separated by ONE, just ONE! He came out to Christopher’s birthday party on Saturday at Lucky 13, and it turned out that he was an acquaintance of one of my friends. It’s a small city. He got to meet most of the people who make regular appearances in my life. I’m probably breaking every dating rule there is out there on how long one should wait to introduce the person to the circle, but hey, I’m learning! And so far it hasn’t backfired on me yet…

I actually do like the pace that we’re going at the moment. I’d rather not move quickly along or jump into anything. I am definitely still self-conscious. It’s still that “I hope this person still likes me… even though I [fill-in-the-blank].” I could fill in the blank with so many off-the-wall things. *sigh* He’s off to Burning Man next week, so probably will be incommunicado.

Other news, work schedule is crazy. I won’t be getting the time off that I’m wanting in October. In fact, I’ll be a busy bee until December. It’s madness but will be a good experience. I hope. I’ll be driving a LOT in the next half year…

In all seriousness, I was lucky that S didn’t really care that I blogged. He’d read it occasionally to check up on what stuff I was up to, but we talked nearly every day, so he knew all about it already anyway. We were big on communicating, so most of what I’d write about, I’d already talk to him about, or it would be the next topic of discussion. My closest group of friends now has access to this too, but I’m in contact with them all day, every day via some internet communication.

I tend to censor myself at times, only writing bits and pieces, and most likely speaking in a language that makes no sense. Out of sight, out of mind. I’ll be the one reading it in the future, and with how poor my memory is, if I didn’t blog about it, it didn’t happen! And usually, I’m not the one with the crazy experiences.

I’ve already plugged my friend Amanda’s blog a bunch of times. She has outrageous stories, and I love her for that. Recently, I talked my friend Melanie into checking out an online dating site. Needless to say, funny stories/experiences have also found themselves onto her blog. Her latest is in regards to some message a guy sent her through the site. It’s ridiculous, and he’s lucky she didn’t plaster his profile all over the internet! Check it out at Operating in Consciousness.

I’m living vicariously through these two…

This Someecard summarizes how I feel about dating. Leave it to me to sit there in an awkward silence. Hahaha. I love this site. It’s got quite a few gems on there.

I went hiking today on one of the trails around the resort area. It was a quiet and quick trek through the woods. A very calming, relaxing experience. I know that I had some epiphany while hiking, but being the smart person that I am, I didn’t write it down. I should’ve known better. Thoughts leave my mind as quickly as they enter. I need to work on my memory.

Prior to the hike, I caught up with a co-worker from Los Angeles whom I had not seen in several years. Actually, I lie. I caught up on the news of him in class with someone else. The last time, he was engaged and ready to be married. Apparently, their marriage didn’t last very long. So I didn’t bring up the hot topic of relationships with him when we did speak, and he mentioned that he was actually on his way to the London office.

Wow, what a difference a few years makes. One minute, you think you’re ready to settle down. The next, you’re moving to another country. I guess he’s got a bit of soul-searching ahead. When will I pick up my bags and go? Will I be leaving everything behind or taking it all with me?

The sunset was beautiful tonight. I took pictures with my phone. Will post ‘em tomorrow.

A friend of mine recently started a blog called “Dating is Miserable.” She has fewer than ten entries up, and already – WOW. I am not much of a dater, only starting recently, but it’s amazing who’s out there. Some of her stories are hilarious. Others are just sad and make you want to lose all hope in the dating process. Goodness, I’m glad I’m not anyone she’s dated. Wouldn’t want to be one of the topics of discussion. At least it makes them a little internet famous!

Fortunately, my life is not anywhere near that level of excitement. Instead, I’ll bask in the random traffic I get here from being linked by my friends. YAY!

Her latest entry is about the questions she usually asks on a first date to gauge whether or not to continue on with the shenanigans. Here are my answers:

1. How do you take your coffee?
I tend to like the sweeter, mixed drinks. However, lately I haven’t been taking my caffeine very well. It keeps me from sleeping properly at night, and during the day, it makes my stomach gurgle.

2. How do you like your eggs?
Poached. Eggs Benedicts and versions thereof make me super happy.

3. Have you ever been married?
That’s a negative.

4. What is your favorite movie?
I don’t have a favorite, but movies I enjoy include: Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Amelie, Garden State, Matrix, Serenity, Serendipity, Love Actually, Wristcutters: A Love Story, Big Fish, etc. This list could go on…

5. Taken from Chuck Klosterman’s 23 Questions I Ask Everyone I Meet, Let us assume there are two boxes on a table. In one box, there is a relatively normal turtle; in the other, Adolf Hitler’s skull. You have to select one of these items for your home. If you select the turtle, you can’t give it away and you have to keep it alive for two years; if either of these parameters are not met, you will be fined $999 by the state. If you select Hitler’s skull, you are required to display it in a semi-prominent location in your living room for the same amount of time, although you will be paid a stipend of $120 per month for doing so. Display of the skull must be apolitical. Which option do you select?
This one is just bizarre. If someone asked me on a first date, I’d probably just look at ‘em… like what?

6. What is the last book you read?
Sadly, nothing new lately.

7. What kind of music do you like?
Everything! Something different for every mood. I like to sing along to pop songs on the radio in my car or at home. I’ll dance to anything booty-shaking.

Yeah, I don’t think I passed…

I know that my spelling and grammar are not perfect. In fact, I’ll often type sentences with various words missing. But, really!? One should be able to at least differentiate between homophones!

I just signed up for one. Not sure how this will turn out. It matches you based on your responses to various questions. In a way, I’m learning about how I would respond to questions I’d normally not think about. Of course, there are times when I answer a question one way and then realize later on that no, I would have given a different response… Oh well.

There’s a chat option on this site. The first person I chatted with somehow led the conversation to 10-keys. Who does that? I’m an accountant. I don’t want to date an accountant.

It has been raining, off and on. I’m actually loving it. The only part I might not enjoy is having one less arm to carry everything. They need to get me an umbrella that will just float over me at all times. That would be fantastic.

Despite my last entry, it appears that now MH and I are “dating,” whatever that means. It was posed to me in the most informal way: So uh, are we like dating or something now? Cuz I mean, sorta seems like it… Yeah, that’s how I remember it. Perhaps it was a bit more eloquent than that, but I was under the influence of a couple shots of Fernet. Oh well, why the heck not, right? I have my reasons for hesitation, but I will play it by ear and just see what happens. I’m not really certain what this entails. I need a handbook or something! I’m not really into the guy in the romantic sense, but heck, what better things do I have to do? Oh wait, yes… WORK. Nah, I do like the attention.

Anyway, the weekend was a relaxing one. Spent most of it with Donna. Despite living in the same house, we hadn’t seen each other in awhile or spent much time together. It was good to just hang out with the sister once again… I hate being so busy because it really cuts down on family time.