Key Takeaways: I’m setting a goal to be in the moment and not overthink things
Vitals:
Name: Kelly (round 2)
Length of date: 3 hours 30 minutes
How the date was obtained: He asked me for a second
Where: Bacari – Restaurant in West Hollywood (WeHo for locals)
After my picnic on the beach with Kelly, we started texting frequently. As someone who is quite a jokester in person, it’s interesting that I find joking over text a challenge. Luckily, my sarcastic banter with Kelly transferred well from real life into texts convos. I don’t consider myself an amazing flirty texter, but it has been fun to have a casual back and forth with him. It lets me know that Kelly doesn’t take himself too seriously, which is a big bonus for me. For instance, when we were planning where to get dinner for our date, I asked:
Me: “Is there any specific type of food you like?”
Kelly: “I’m good with anything but raw chicken.”
Me: “Okay shoot. I was going to take you to my fav raw chicken place.”
How do I not have a Netflix stand-up special yet?
After a few days and many jokes, we met at Bacari; which btw has a whole tab on its website called “Keeping You Safe” – another big bonus. When I arrived, Kelly was standing next to the entrance. He wearing a grey shirt and a denim jacket that had sherpa lining - cute look if you ask me.
Bacari specializes in small plates, which is usually not my thing. I am a fan of demolishing my own dish and not having to share, but the prospect of being in a relationship feels closer than ever and compromises will have to be made.
When we made it through the tunnel (yes, you enter this restaurant through a tunnel), we were greeted by a host who made it clear that we would only have an hour and thirty minutes for dinner because they were trying to serve as many guests as possible. This was a little bit of a bummer because I was looking forward to enjoying the evening with Kelly, but again, we must compromise.
We were led through a pebble-filled path and under olive trees to our rustic table, which was nestled in the corner and away from others. It was a romantic spot, lit with candles: the perfect date destination. Then, we looked at the menu and it was a little daunting. When I saw things like vegan pate and frog legs, I started to worry that I picked the wrong place, but then I saw fried chicken sliders and knew everything would be okay.
As we ate some delish small plates, we continued talking about our backgrounds. I learned more about his family and his interests, like volunteering and playing volleyball. We also talked about traveling again, which is just one of our many shared passions. I even learned that we have traveled to some of the same places and one particular travel experience stood out: we have both kissed the Blarney Stone.
The Blarney Stone is located in the town of Blarney at the Blarney Castle, now can you pass me my Blarney Stone commemorative mug? (Netflix, I’m here all week). Why do people visit this random, six-hundred-year-old castle, you ask? Well, located at the top of the castle is the Blarney Stone, otherwise known as the “legendary Stone of Eloquence.” If you kiss this stone, you are supposed to never be lost for words. But after Kelly and I discovered we both kissed the Blarney Stone, he said, “oh, so we have already had our first kiss,” and I was at a loss for words.
I know this whole Blarney Stone thing is confusing, so I tried to find a video to explain it, but I couldn’t find one that wasn’t a weird home video. What I did find, though, was a video of Irish Dancing Fails and that is 100% worth your time, so I’ll add the link below.
Back to the date, after an hour and a half, I thought our server would subtly try to get us to wrap up our meal. But, she didn’t. In fact, we had a hard time getting our check after another two hours of being there! Time seems to fly by when I’m with Kelly. I think it’s a combination of us having a lot in common and being able to joke with each other.
Overall, I had a wonderful time. The food was great, the setting was beautiful, and the company was the best.
For my overall rating and the Irish Dancing Fails, continue reading…
DATE #31
Vitals:
Name: Kelly (round 3)
Length of date: 1 hour 30 minutes
How the date was obtained: We talked about it
Where: Hook and Plow our respective homes
After we had the second date in my neighborhood, Kelly and I decided to have the third in his neck of the woods. He suggested an outdoor restaurant called Hook and Plow, which is about the most farm-to-tabley name I have ever heard.
But on the day of our date, my roommate woke up feeling achy with a sore throat. I immediately put everything on hold. She went to a medical clinic, had a COVID test, and got a prescription to treat what they believed was not the coronavirus but strep throat. Although I was feeling fine, I didn’t want to put Kelly at risk, especially because he works in a medical field. This idea of rescheduling a date at the last minute to wait for confirmation that I wasn’t living with a COVID-positive roommate is indicative of the kind of obstacle those of us in LA dating-mode are up against. There’s concern about getting close with another person, not really figuratively, but literally! This is the case, especially as California just became the first state to hit half a million coronavirus cases. It’s all daunting.
Anyway, I called Kelly and told him about the situation and we both agreed that it would be best to put off the date until she got her test results back, which by the way were negative for COVID, yay! Of course, it was disappointing that Kelly and I couldn’t see each other in person, but I put on my creative cap (a cousin to the thinking cap) and suggested we do a dinner date over Facetime. Kelly said yes with no hesitation.
I promptly got out some things for dinner: a burrito, with a helping of my dad’s famous bean dip (remember I gave you the recipe featuring refried beans, salsa and cheese?) So, I assembled those ingredients and called Kelly. He heated up some leftovers while I whipped up my dinner and we talked while we ate.
One belief I’m solidifying is that starting from scratch to get to know someone is harder than dating a person I already know. Well, duh, you say. Rude. There’s so much new information when you don’t know a person; Kelly and I don’t even have a real mutual friend, I just met him on a dating app. With the personal information coming at me so fast, I find myself getting caught up in the excitement and completely smitten, which does feel amazing. Then moments later, a guy might reveal what I view as a less mature trait and I feel guilty about my judgmental thoughts. In truth, it would be ridiculous to think the only people I’d enjoy dating are people I already know. One thing I do know is that these confusing emotions are certainly not fair to Kelly. So, my goal is to be in the moment when I’m with him and not overthink it.
Although our virtual dinner was a much shorter date than the one at Bacari, I really enjoyed our time together. And not to worry friends, our dinner at the farm-to-table eatery has been rescheduled.
Overall Experience:
Date #30: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Date #31: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ - because of the change of plans
The future for us… looking good
Next Week: more time with Kelly
Here is the content I know you all have been waiting for: Irish Dancing Fails