One day at work, my friend (and cubicle wall-sharer) sends me a random picture message (G-rated, guys. C'mon.) of a guy with the caption, "Do you think this guy is cute?" (or something to that effect). I had no idea why she was asking. For her? For me? For someone else? It was kind of hard to even see him in the picture, to be honest. But he had a nice smile, so that's what I told her.
She told me that she wanted to set me up on a blind date with him. I'd never been on a blind date before (as the blog title suggests), so I was only going off of what my friends and people on the TV told me about them. You can probably imagine what I thought of blind dates. But it was an adventure, and I love adventures! So, my friend set up the date.
I got to Old Chicago (at least it wasn't Arby's!) and saw the guy at the designated meeting spot - a bench outside of the restaurant. We did introductions and the awkward handshake (the first of two, sadly) and then went inside and got a table. Once we were seated, the awkwardness was over for a while. We talked about our jobs, our families, etc. (small talk) and ate. Then the bill came. I did the reach for the purse, and he offered to pick it up. Very cliche.
We exited the building, and the awkwardness came on full-blast. We walked to the parking lot and...stood there. Now, those of you who know me know that I can stand feeling awkward for about 0.2 seconds before I freak out and run away from a situation. Which is what I did. I held out my hand (awkward handshake number two!) and said, "Nice to meet you!" and walked to my car.
Later, I found out that he had spent some time planning some other activities to do for our date. So in this instance, the "Major Fail Award" goes to me. Next time, maybe he'll talk about hanging out more sooner, so the girl won't run away like a chicken with its head cut off (I've always loved that expression). He also ended up being a jerk to my friend later on, so I don't feel so bad.
The good thing that came from this date: Free food! And I learned that Old Chicago makes an amazing crispy chicken salad! Eat it!
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Arby's Guy
One of my first dates after the big breakup was with a guy I knew from middle / high school. We had been talking on Facebook (oh, Facebook, how I loathe you for reuniting me with people who fail), and we decided to meet up when he came into town. I went to his house, and we had a great time just talking about our lives since high school. Then we decided to go get dinner, and that's when things when oh so wrong.
We got in the car and were deciding where to go when he said he felt like Arby's. I have nothing against Arby's! That's one of my favorite fast food places. But on a date? Really? A first date? Fail, Arby's Guy. Fail. I'm not even high-maintenance. Chipotle would have been awesome, and it's pretty much the same price. But I'm sorry, there's just something wrong with taking someone to a fast-food restaurant on the first date.
What was I supposed to say back? I said it was fine. We went to Arby's. And how was it? It was about like a fast-food date should be.
Later on, my friend and I met up with him at a bar. He was very drunk and insane. For example, we were giving him a ride home, and he tugged on my shirt sleeve (like a three-year-old) until I turned around, where he proceeded to try to mouth something to me. Needless to say, that was the end of my brief time with Arby's Guy.
In a crazy turn of events, we ran into Arby's Guy at a bar a few weeks later. I saw him at a table (but pretended I didn't see him), and instead of coming to say hi to me, he called me. From two yards away. I didn't answer. He did end up coming over to see me, but it was so incredibly awkward that he (finally!) got the hint and left.
The good thing that came out of this date: My friends and I now say "At least he didn't take me (or you) to Arby's!" whenever we go on a date. It's become a standard, really. And it always helps us find the silver lining on most bad dates.
We got in the car and were deciding where to go when he said he felt like Arby's. I have nothing against Arby's! That's one of my favorite fast food places. But on a date? Really? A first date? Fail, Arby's Guy. Fail. I'm not even high-maintenance. Chipotle would have been awesome, and it's pretty much the same price. But I'm sorry, there's just something wrong with taking someone to a fast-food restaurant on the first date.
What was I supposed to say back? I said it was fine. We went to Arby's. And how was it? It was about like a fast-food date should be.
Later on, my friend and I met up with him at a bar. He was very drunk and insane. For example, we were giving him a ride home, and he tugged on my shirt sleeve (like a three-year-old) until I turned around, where he proceeded to try to mouth something to me. Needless to say, that was the end of my brief time with Arby's Guy.
In a crazy turn of events, we ran into Arby's Guy at a bar a few weeks later. I saw him at a table (but pretended I didn't see him), and instead of coming to say hi to me, he called me. From two yards away. I didn't answer. He did end up coming over to see me, but it was so incredibly awkward that he (finally!) got the hint and left.
The good thing that came out of this date: My friends and I now say "At least he didn't take me (or you) to Arby's!" whenever we go on a date. It's become a standard, really. And it always helps us find the silver lining on most bad dates.
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