Dinosaur Dave... The rest of the story

**If you haven't read part 1 to this story, it really is a lot better if you read it in order.**

Also... this is the part the gets a WIDE variety of responses.  You will soon understand why.

Fast forward 3 years.  I had not been on any dates since my less-than-pleasant experience with Dave.  I was taking Salsa dancing class instead of tennis.  And, I was in my upper division Social Work classes- one of which happened to be basic criminology.  One of our projects for this class was to observe and analyze a real case in a courtroom.  There were a few specific requirements, but the primary objective was to record as much detail as possible while in the courtroom.

Like any good college student, I waited until the week before the assignment was due to get started.  It happened to be the week before Thanksgiving.  I drove to the courthouse first thing in the morning and asked the court worker where I could find a case in progress.  After hours of listening to deposition after deposition, but no actual cases I was starting to wonder if I'd be able to complete my paper.  I decided to take matters into my own hands and just peek in all of the courtrooms that were open.

I walked around the hallways and as far as I know found the only courtroom with a case in progress.  There was a sign outside the door that said, "Please be quiet when entering the courtroom.  Closing arguments in progress."  Success!!

As slowly and quietly as possible, I opened the door and took my place in the observation section of the courtroom.  I felt slightly awkward since I was literally the only person in the room that was not directly involved in the case.  But I was determined to use this case for my assignment.  And... I didn't really have any other options.  The prosecution gave their closing argument first and as the details of the case were summarized, I was intrigued:

The location of the alleged crime was my university (this made me wonder if I'd ever seen anyone involved)

It happened at the high school that happens to be on our campus (so I figured I probably hadn't ever run into anyone involved).

The defendant was being charged with 2 counts each of 2 different sexual crimes against 2 minors (it wasn't called assault, but basically he was being charged with behaving inappropriately with them).

The defendant was a P.E. teacher at the high school & they were at the university's health center in our Student Union building... where I spent much of my free time.

The prosecuting attorney reviewed details of the case and by the time he was finished, I was convinced the guy was guilty and was wondering whether or not we had ever crossed paths.

By the time the prosecution finished their closing arguments, it was time for lunch and the judge called a recess.

When we all returned, it was time for the defense's closing arguments.  By now, I'd gotten a better view of the defendant but still couldn't decide whether or not I recognized him from campus.

The defense outlined some facts of the defendant to demonstrate his character:

David ---- (what was Dave's last name, again?? Did I ever know it?)

He was a lifeguard (There could be more than one Dave/David who was a lifeguard who attended my university... right?  I'm sure of it.)

He was a girls' gymnastics coach for many years (umm... I don't think there could be more than one David, from my university, who was both a lifeguard and a girls' gymnastics coach... did I really go on a date with the defendant in this case???)

At that point, I blank out a little bit on the remaining details of the case.  The defense finished their arguments and left me unable to decide whether or not Dave was guilty.  I was stunned.  I was shocked.  I was relieved that I had not gone on a second date with the man who was now a defendant in this case.  The jury went into deliberation and as I left the courthouse Dave & I looked at each other, but I will never know if he recognized me.  The jury was still out the rest of the week so I will also never know the verdict of the case.

Of all the courthouses and courtrooms I could have chosen for this assignment, I ended up in the one with my old date as the defendant.  And I thought that stuff only happened on television.

It was slightly traumatic at the time, but is now a distant memory that I share with an animated reenactment usually ending in more stories and a lot of laughter.

Dinosaur Dave...

So... Dave is a slightly involved story, but if you bare with me through the details, I think they'll really contribute to your understanding and appreciation of the situation.

I first met Dave the last quarter of my freshman year in tennis class at my university.  Now he must have been in the class with me all quarter, but it's tennis... the maximum number of people you interact with at any given time is 3 (and that's if you play doubles) so I didn't even know he existed until the last day of class after we had finished our final.  Yes.  A written final in tennis.  A little strange, but true.  Well, on that sunny Southern California day as we were standing outside the fence of the tennis court, the conversation in our group turned to summer plans and lifeguarding (a common experience!).

Dave began sharing about his participation in lifeguard competitions, mentioned how they were held every summer, and suggested that I might enjoy observing them sometime.  Without making any connection beyond lifeguarding, I thought it did indeed sound interesting.  He got my email address so he could send me information about that year's competition when he found it.

Well, a few weeks later I got an email from Dave.  However, it had absolutely nothing to do with a lifeguarding competition.  In fact, not a word was mentioned about being a lifeguard!  I was a little caught off guard.  Now, I don't still have the email he sent (it was quite a while ago), but it went something like this:


Hi Becky,
This is Dave from tennis. I'm not sure if you remember me but I was wondering if you might be interested maybe you and I could possibly go out if you want to sometime.
Dave


I thought it was sweet and I had a vague recollection of our lifeguarding conversation, so I said sure.  He asked for my phone number and called to arrange the date.  By the time our date rolled around (a week or two later), we had spoken once in class and once on the phone.  So technically this wasn't a blind date, although, it might as well have been... soon, you'll understand why.

It was the end of June, the weather was beautiful, I had a new skirt for my date and I was just about to get ready when I got a phone call from my neighbor and close friend.  Her husband was sick and was on his way to the hospital.  They had a 2 year old daughter and a 4 month old daughter.  I was the only one other than family who ever babysat and she asked if I could come over so she could go to the hospital.  As soon as I got the call, I was prepared to cancel my date.  Immediately I went next door and told my friend to go to the hospital.  She left.  I was now responsible for 2 small children until further notice.  But when my friend realized I was supposed to go out that night, she called her aunt to be my replacement.

The date was back on.  Dave had no idea any of this was going on.  This may have increased the unintentional shock factor that evening when he pulled up to my parents house and saw:
Me, standing in the front yard holding a 4 month old baby on my hip
A toddler running around the front yard in cute pink dress
BOTH of my parents standing in the front yard talking to...
My friend's aunt (an older Scottish woman)
My best friend's mom (who had just happened to stop by to say hi to my family)
My brother
My sister
AND
Her fiance

All TEN of us were in the front yard of my parents' house... either standing, sitting on the porch swing, holding a baby, or talking about how potentially serious the condition was of the guy in the hospital.

Although I admit Dave must have been shocked and could have driven away without stopping in front of the craziness, I might have been even more stunned when I saw him get out of his black pickup truck.  I didn't remember anyone looking like that in my tennis class and it is NOT what I was expecting.  I clung to the 4 month old, thinking, "OH MY GOODNESS!! THAT GUY IS SO OLD! He could be my dad's best friend!  I'll hold on to the baby and there is no way my dad will let me go out with this guy.  Everything will be okay."

Less than a minute later, my sister gets up, takes the baby and says, "Go say hi, at least."

Reluctantly, I release my "security blanket" (aka- my friend's baby), walk over to Dave, and we head over to his truck to go to dinner at the Irvine Spectrum and then play a round of miniature golf.  On the way to dinner, my main priority was for Dave to realize that I was only 19 years old and that I was clearly too young for him.  He must have thought that I was much older than 19... right?

Well, I don't remember the questions he asked, but I very clearly remember my answers.  At least 3 times before dinner Dave asked me something about how long I'd known my neighbors and how long I'd lived in the same city and that house.  Each and every time I emphatically stated that it was NINETEEN YEARS! ...my WHOLE LIFE!!  Or my WHOLE LIFE... just NINETEEN YEARS!  I was quite proud of myself for making it so easy for Dave to learn my age so he would know that I was still practically a child in comparison to him.

And this is where the story gets good...

We sit down at the restaurant and start talking.  I find out that he was a girls' gymnastics coach part time, in addition to being a lifeguard.  Fascinating?  Yes.  Enough to make up for the huge difference in age?  No.  Then I find out that he is a Jehovah's Witness.  Now, I am sure there are many wonderful people in the world who follow those beliefs, but they are quite different from my own... and I was quite aware of this fact, but was beginning to think that Dave didn't mind my age, so I had to make it clear in any way possible that he should not ask me out again.  I asked him the differences in his beliefs and my own.  He said they were basically the same, except for 2 key foundations to my faith.  I asked about his experience going from door to door and I actually told him at one point that if he were to come to my door I would shut the door in his face!

I was desperate!  I kept thinking that my date would be so much better if Dave and our waiter would just trade places.  The conversation was decent, but I was definitely not interested in Dave beyond that night, and it felt like the night was never ending.  At one point, I finally looked around and noticed that the restaurant staff had already put the chairs on the tables in the dining room.  Eventually I realized that even our waiter had gone home after he dropped off the check at our table.  I didn't know what to do... and this was just dinner.

Luckily, however, Dave noticed the time and suggested that he just take me home so my dad wouldn't send out a search party.  I was SO grateful that everyone had been in the front yard so he had to at least meet my dad (even if it was for less than a minute).  By the time we pulled onto my street, it was nearly 1am.  I was exhausted, relieved the date was almost over, and was confident that I had made it clear that I was not interested in any future dates.  BUT- he asked me out again, anyway!!  I politely refused as he pulled up to my house, I got out of his truck, and said goodbye.

Dave didn't seem like a terrible guy... just very, very wrong for me.

And that was the end of that story


.....or so I thought.

Boring Brian

Remember how I said that if someone wants to set me up on a date, I'm all in?  Well, Brian was the first date that someone actually followed through with her promise.  One of my former roommates and I would often talk about guys and dating and potential dates... like so many girls do.  One Sunday night, she came home from her church group and brought her best friend.  As the three of us were talking, she got really excited about setting up a bunch of her friends on blind dates... and she wanted us all to go out together for the first time.  She had this elaborate idea of how it would all work, too, to ensure that everyone would have a good time.  The initial proposal would have resulted in 10-16 people going out together as a group, but each with a specific match in mind... I told you it was elaborate.

In the end, only four of us agreed to this group blind date, but since she was the only connection we all had, we each separately told her that she still needed to go (even though her date fell through).  Now, you might be thinking... at least there were five of you... it couldn't have been THAT boring, right?  Actually, you are right.  That first night wasn't too bad.  It just wasn't very interesting either, so I won't bore you with the details.  It IS important to note, however, that at our final stop of the evening after eating Yogurtland frozen yogurt, I DID kind of fall asleep... but just a little bit!

Apparently, Brian understood that I was just tired because he called me that week to ask me on a date with just the two of us.  It sounded like a good idea, so I happily agreed.  He picked me up and my first hint that this might not be the greatest date ever should have been when he asked me if I knew how to get to the place he wanted to go.  I was distracted, though, because the place we were headed was this super fun arcade on the boardwalk that I grew up going to!  How could we NOT have a great time at an arcade?!

Well, on our way to the arcade we stopped for dinner.  Since Brian didn't want to go to one of the chain restaurants at the beach, he decided to stop at this place we saw on the side of the road called "Shorehouse Cafe."  You could tell it had been around for a while and on the door, in that self-adhesive lettering let us know that they had "The best food around!"  As soon as we walked in, I think Brian's jaw dropped because it turns out that "cafe" actually meant lounge/bar.  There were plenty of people inside, but they were all middle-aged men, sitting at the square bar in the middle of the room, and they all turned to stare at us as the hostess confirmed that there would be 2 of us that evening.  So far... the date was actually somewhat amusing with the inner commentary I had going on in my head. :)

Then we sat down and the actual conversation started.  At first it was normal get-to-know-you topics and during that time he accidentally mentioned his ex-wife... Now, I was in my early twenties at the time, so I was a bit shocked to discover that he had been married and divorced already (something my roommate neglected to mention when she set me up with him).  As shocking as that was, I understand that it's not the end of the world and maintained my composure as we continued our date.  By the time dinner was over, I was REALLY excited for the arcades.  I thought it would give us something to do to break up some of the monotony and interview-like-feeling that was already taking over our conversation.

Little did I know, that when Brian asked about the arcades on the boardwalk, he didn't actually want to go to the arcade... he just wanted to walk... and walk... and walk... and walk.......

We walked across the street after eating "the best food around."  We walked to the boardwalk.  We walked past the frozen banana stand.  We walked past the first arcade... then the ferris wheel... then the second, third, & fourth arcades.  We walked past the carousel at the end of the arcade line up.  Then we turned around.  I thought, "Great!  He just wanted to see all of our options.  Now we'll go back and play some games!"

I shouldn't have gotten my hopes up.....

We walked back past the carousel, past the fourth, third, and second arcades... then the ferris wheel... and finally past the first arcade and banana stand.  THEN, what do you think he wanted to do?  Turn around again to continue to walk past it all yet again!  I think on the fourth or fifth time past the arcades, we did stop for about 2 minutes to play one round on one of those dancing games (think- imitation Dance, Dance Revolution), but we didn't even get to finish all three rounds that came with our 50 cents.  He started to walk away after the first round, so I followed.  I mean- I didn't want to be rude!  And, I thought he might be choosing a different game... I was wrong.

Brian just wanted to keep walking... back and forth in front of all the fun games and rides!  I guess the arcade scenery got old after a while, so after a couple hours of walking back & forth, Brian suggested we just keep going straight instead of turning around.  I tried to make the conversation interesting by telling stories about the different places we past, but Brian just wanted to keep walking and asking ice breaker questions the ENTIRE TIME.

"If you could be any animal, what would you be and why?"

"If you were a vegetable, which would you be?"

"What 3 things would you bring with you to a deserted island?"

"What was your favorite subject in high school?  College?"

"What is your favorite color?"

"What is your favorite superhero?"

"Did you play any sports in high school or college?"

And so on, and so forth... In and of themselves, he wasn't asking bad questions.  But I can only handle a limited amount of shallow small talk.  5+ hours was definitely WAY beyond that limit.  In addition to that was the walking... and more walking... and more walking... and more walking... with NO destination or purpose.  In our walk beyond the arcades, we were almost closer to my house than to the car so I suggested that we turn around.  We finally got back and then went into BJ's Pizza for a Pazooki (think pizza+cookie+ice cream)... and by the time the Pazooki was gone, so was I.

I can only assume that Brian noticed my eyes struggling to stay open, so he asked if I was ready to go.  At first I asked where, but then as soon as he started to answer, I panicked a little since I had missed my opportunity to go home!  About 2 minutes more of boring-ness and I told Brian that if we stayed any longer, I would probably fall asleep again.

He drove me home, we said goodnight, and I was thrilled to close the door behind me.

I didn't even mention that in all that walking, Brian also accidentally mentioned his "so- ... son" and "dau- ...daughter."  More shocking news for me, but I guess at those points it at least provided a brief relief from the boredom.

Trivial Topher

When I started emailing back and forth with Topher, I really had high hopes.  His emails made me laugh.  He added substance and depth to our conversations.  We shared the same beliefs.  We had common interests... he even played ultimate frisbee multiple times a week... so did I!!  Things were looking quite well for our first date.  With so much to talk about, surely we would enjoy each other's company!  Right?

...right?

After so many other bad dates (and I haven't even shared the one yet that gave me nightmares for months), I had started  to be a bit more picky about who I would choose to date... I was actually even a little bit excited to meet Topher.  We were going to have so much fun!  We were even going to a new restaurant/cafe that I had never tried... more bonus points!

With much anticipation, the day finally arrived.  I drove to The Boiler and as I pulled up, I saw Topher getting out of his car.  He had a big smile on his face... and I was still happy to be there.  First impressions seemed to be going pretty well for both of us.

But then came the rest of the date...
Have you ever had a date that just seemed blah?  There was no connection at all?  Where it was like talking to your classmate's friend?  So you were trying to be polite and still leave a good impression, but not because you cared about what the other person thought?  This is what the rest of the date felt like.  There was nothing inherently wrong with Topher... or our date... but it was all just...

...trivial.

The humor no longer came out.  The depth of conversation moved to the shallow end.  Everything that had made me excited to meet Topher had just vanished.  After lunch, we even drove to a nearby park to throw around a frisbee for a little bit, but even with something we both loved so much, there was absolutely no connection.

Maybe it was just nerves.  Or maybe I was the bad date this time (hard to imagine... I know!).  Maybe my expectations were too high.  Whatever the reason, Topher & I didn't really talk after that.

I almost didn't include Topher's story here, but then I realized... I am sharing my dating experiences... the good, the bad, and the boring. :)  So, even if you haven't had an experience similar to any of my others... most people will be able to relate to Trivial Topher and the shock of boredom that will jolt you into the realization that you are still on a journey and running that 10K (see my very first post for the reference here). I haven't reached the finish line yet, and I'm sure there will be many more trivial dates along the way.  I'm just praying now that all this dating isn't a trivial pursuit. :)

(haha... I know you had to laugh at my Trivial Pursuit joke... I laughed when I thought of it, AND when I typed it.) :)

Coming next... Boring Brian (this one is actually funny, though... not boring) and then... the much anticipated Dinosaur Dave!  Reactions to this story in person range from hysterical laughing to gasps of horror and disbelief... it's one of my favorites to tell for that reason alone.

Mistletoe Mike

I still have so many options of stories to tell, it is sometimes difficult for me to choose, but... my friend has been requesting this one since I started this blog, so here it is: The story of Mistletoe Mike.

The first date (yes... I said first... meaning that I actually saw him a second time) was fairly standard, but not great, and I didn't think I was super interested, but I felt kind of bad because he was definitely interested and over the phone the conversation was actually pretty good.  I figured he was nervous... especially since it was almost like a date planned out of a text book.  We met at Starbucks for coffee.  After about 45 minutes (and after checking his watch a few times), he asked if I had eaten and would like to get dinner.  We walked down a few doors to a cute little restaurant in Brea and enjoyed a pretty good dinner at which point he asked if I had other plans and would like to go see "Blindside" since we had talked about it during dinner.  Isn't that what everyone hears as the "how to" of a first date- ask her for coffee, if it's bad you have an easy out.  But if it's good, you keep going... but just one step at a time.

I really wanted to see the movie and it was just a little awkward, but not too bad, so we walked over to the theater to check times and it was just starting.  (It felt like this guy was trying to convince me why I should want to marry him like the Transylvania guy... Why do people do that?)

Anyway- the first really funny part (and where I should probably have ended it... since it didn't bother me too much that he was already talking about me meeting his family and our future life together) is at the end of that date... We walked back to the parking lot and he walked me back to my car.  A sweet gesture in my mind and he had started to gain a few points.  But then, he walked me to the other side of my car (apparently I tried to say bye too soon?).  I had my door open and was getting into my car when I looked over my shoulder to say goodbye.  When I looked over he had his arms open for a hug so I took the three steps to hug him.  During those three steps he mumbled, "Can I get a hug and a kiss goodbye?"  I was already in the act of giving him a hug when he asked, but he didn't give me a chance to reply before he went in for the kiss... It was SO uncomfortable.  I instantly jumped back and said, "...OOoorr just a hug..."  I felt bad, but didn't know what else to do.  I just knew I didn't want to kiss him.

Okay... so that was the end of date one, but way earlier in the date he had asked if I wanted to go to a hockey game because he had free tickets to the Ducks game the next Saturday afternoon.  I had already said I would go, so I went, but he knew I needed to leave early because I had plans that night with another friend.  We met at Starbucks again to ride together and when I got in his car to go to the game, he had bought me a box of chocolates.  A bit much for the second time we'd met, but sweet nonetheless.

At the hockey game, since it was near Christmas, they had the "mistletoe cam" that started going around.  He instantly said (with excitement), "Maybe it'll stop on us!"

And I instantly thought, "Oh no!  What happens if the camera stops on us?!?!?  Am I gonna be that big jerk and deny him in front of thousands of people?"  As I was deciding my level of jerky-ness... he STOOD UP and was trying to wave down the camera!  That's when he really blew it... I was already leaning as far away from him as possible (so he would get the clue) and kept my straw in my mouth the whole time, but he didn't care.  I glanced up at him, leaning farther and farther away, but it didn't seem to deter him.  I think I was practically in the seat next to me- that was on the opposite side of him.  Thankfully, the camera people got the hint even if Mike didn't, so it didn't stop on us, but uugghh... I was completely done with him by then and said we needed to go.  Then, on the way out he still offered to buy me a tshirt.  Don't worry, though, I politely refused so he wouldn't have to spend money on something that wasn't going anywhere.

I just laugh when I remember pushing back to refuse his kiss and then a week later... literally 7 days later... him trying again with the mistletoe camera.  Haha... I guess at least he's persistent, right?

Cautious Keith

Warning: This one is kind of long... funny... but long... :)

Something you might not know about me, is that for the past 8 years, I have always had many roommates... the most at one time was 8 (that means 9 girls in 1 house!) and I believe I have always been the oldest, at least by a couple years.  With that many girls, I don't think we had any other choice but to talk about guys on a pretty regular basis.  And being the oldest, the others always wanted to set me up on dates.

I don't know how many times in my life I've been asked if I'm willing to go on a blind date.  My response is always the same... Of course I'm willing!

I realize that my pool of potential boyfriends is greatly expanded if I can multiply it by my friends' friends!

My "date" with Keith is the result of one such statement.  Two of my roommates went to the same church and recently had gotten to interact with Keith.  They thought very highly of him... and since he was clearly older than either of them, that meant he would be perfect for me, right?

Well, they talked to me first, to see if I was open to meeting him... then they talked to Keith to see if he wanted to meet me.  My response?  You guessed it- Of course I'm willing!

Keith's response?  Sure... but as long as our meeting wasn't going to be a date.  That would be too much pressure and he was wary of getting into another serious relationship.  In order to make sure it wasn't a date, he said he would like to meet me in a group setting... at some activity or event that was already happening that we both happened to attend.

I thought I was just agreeing to a date, so I'm glad he had the foresight to put the brakes on before we met!  (I hope by now you can hear the sarcasm in that statement.)  After all, who would want that burden and weight on their shoulders?  It would be crushing.

Well, my roommates didn't know of any actual natural reason my path & Keith's would cross, so they decided to create this "natural" setting, by inviting us both to lunch at Chipotle after church.  They wanted to make sure it wasn't awkward with just the two of them and me & Keith, so they invited other mutual friends. In the end, there were probably about 15 people who came... and they ALL knew that this lunch was for the sole purpose of Keith & I meeting!  (Possibly with the exception of Keith)

Talk about awkward!  I can handle blind dates... I can handle group dates... But a blind date with an audience?!  At the same table?!  I don't know anyone who could make that seem natural.

We stood in line, ordered our burritos, tacos, & bowls, and as we all sat down my roommates made sure to point out a seat for me in the middle of the tables, right across from where they told Keith to sit.  Keith and I had a great conversation and it was actually relatively enjoyable... then I started getting distracted by the conversations surrounding me.

I first heard one friend say my name, but when I looked in her direction I knew she was talking ABOUT me and not TO me.  Then, I heard my name again... and Keith's name... and my name again.  We were the center of EVERY conversation at that table, but were not a part of any conversation... except our own... despite both of us trying to include others in our discussion.

We sat at Chipotle for 2 hours, talked about a variety of topics... and we were being analyzed the entire time.  I tried SO hard to focus on Keith, but must admit that I was probably the bad date (or non-date) that day, since I kept turning my eyes every time I heard my name.

I don't know whether or not Keith noticed, but I'm pretty sure the setting added more pressure to our meeting than just going on a simple coffee date... just the two of us... without the live studio audience sitting at our table.

Forgettable Frank... Or was it Fred... Or???

A few days ago, I had the awesome opportunity to go to the Long Beach Aquarium with my family to watch my dad go scuba diving in the main tank... with all the cool fish, a sea turtle, and even a few sharks!

As we were at lunch on the way to the aquarium, I started to have this foggy, distant memory with vague details slowly coming to mind.  I looked at my sister and mom across the table and with a perplexed look on my face said, "I think I went on a date to the Long Beach Aquarium at some point in my life... but... I can't remember who the guy was."  They laughed a little and probably didn't think much of it.

But the lack of detail was driving me crazy!  I could not believe that I could remember the aquarium, but had no recollection of my date.  I decided that maybe the details would be filled in throughout the rest of the day. Lucky for you... I was right!

...Kind of...

I remember a guy picking me up from a neighbor's house (I was cat-sitting... yes, cat-sitting... while they were away for a couple weeks).  I remember his old white truck with no A/C and windows that were barely functioning.  I remember where we parked and the tacos he ate before we went inside.  I even remember walking around the Lighthouse nearby, the family that asked us to take a picture, and each of the exhibits we saw together.

We watched my dad dive, which was an amazing experience, but still... I had no recollection of this mystery man.  The drive home provided more time to ponder the details of this date, and here is as much as I can remember:

After the aquarium, Mr. Forgettable asked if I was interested in grabbing dinner and we ended up at Flame Broiler near my house.  I was planning to go to a movie that night with a couple friends.  When I explained that I needed to pick up my friend for the movie, he eagerly mentioned that he also really wanted to see the same movie... What a coincidence, right?  So, I casually invited him along.

What can I say?  I like people.

We had to trade his truck for my car and first picked up one friend.  Then another.  The second friend had a few errands to run, so we joined her.  First stop: our church.  She needed to finish preparations for Sunday School the next day.  Second stop: Target, to pick out a gift for a wedding shower.  At this point, I was still debating my thoughts on Mr. Forgettable.  Our time together was... neutral... un-memorable.  At Target, though, I think he set his fate with me in motion.  Why, you ask?  Because he vanished... almost literally... I looked through the entire store with no luck.  I am still unsure of where he went or what he did, but when he finally returned my call, it was with a text: "Where r u? Did u leave?"

I thought fairly sarcastically, "Yes.  I left.  I went to the movie without you and now you have to figure out how to get back to your truck... that is parked at my house."

The end of the date is about as forgettable as the guy who accompanied me.  We watched the movie, dropped off my friends, and I took him back to his truck.  The only detail I remember about the end is his comment about the Pirates of the Caribbean movie that we watched... "It was a little bit complicated.  I think I'll need to watch it again to really get it."  A comment that is not uncommon with many movies, but usually those movies involve more complicated plots than fighting pirates.

The date itself isn't THAT funny, but I still can't remember what the guy looks like, his name, or anything else about him other than the details you've just read... and it still drives me just a little bit crazy. :)

Needless to say, this is another date that didn't make it past the first one.