44 dates down, 8 to go. I will repeat, 8. MORE. DATES. We are in the home stretch, people!
Here are my 2020 dates by the numbers
Total number of miles driven: 433 miles
Total time spent on dates: 101 hours and 30 minutes
Dates where I mentioned tortoises: 21
Date #41 - Don
This was the date when I went to “Magic Asphalt: Drive-In Comedy Under the Stars” with Don [Draper] the advertising executive with an adorable Bernedoodle (Bernese Mountain dog + Poodle). This date transported me back to a time before the pandemic where I could see live performances on dates, go to sporting events, or even get locked in an escape room with a potential suitor. Seeing live comedy with my date, even if it was through the windshield of his car, felt “normal.” It truly lifted my spirits to see live comedy again, which is one of the things that I loved to do before the pandemic. Although I didn’t feel a connection with Don and we shared a highly awkward kiss, I am grateful for this date.
Geovanni was a guy who I was pretty attracted to, and I don’t say that often. After 44 dates, I am confident in the type of guy that I want to date: someone family-oriented, passionate, has an appreciation for the arts, is spiritual, has a sense of humor… and is taller than me. And Geovanni seemed to tick a majority of those boxes, except I didn’t know if he had much of a sense of humor. I even felt a little spark, one that would need a lot of kindling and oxygen, but a spark none-the-less. So, when he didn’t text after our coffee date, I thought: “hmm, maybe I need to text him first. He was quite shy on the date, after all.” So, I initiated the next text and he seemed happy to set up a dinner with me. On date #43, his shyness continued. I had a hard time conversing with him and it just felt like he was uncomfortable and didn’t want to be there. There were long pauses, and I like fun banter. We were not clicking. I am no stranger to rejection – my chosen profession of acting is heavy on rejection and light on employment (for me at least). But rejection hurts regardless and when I didn’t receive a single text after our date, it stung a little bit more. It’s in times like this where I have to remind myself about the date-a-week philosophy: there’s always a date next week. So, I picked myself up, dusted myself off, got a Starbucks Java Chip Frappuccino, and set up another date with a kind, interested guy.
These dates were with Ace, the vet tech. The first date with Ace was a disaster or as Jake Tapper said about the first presidential debate: “a hot mess inside a dumpster fire inside a train wreck.” If you are having a hard time remembering, I will remind you: weed, weed, and more weed. The only redeeming thing about this date was Ace. He was kind, funny, and considerate when things went to shit. He worked to make sure our next date would be much better, which it was. We went surfing on date #44 and had a wonderful time. The ocean was a beast, but Ace coached me as I was getting tossed around by the waves. By the end of the date, I discovered that the feelings I had for Ace felt more friendly than romantic. I told him about this and he said he felt the same. I see this as a victory though, not a disappointment. Finding good friends that value the same things you do is always a win.
And to quote one of my favorite songs by James Taylor, Ace: “You’ve Got a Friend.”
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