I think we tend to compare new things and new experiences to what we have historically known. Sometimes this a good thing – “oh this music festival is good, but not as good as the other one” or “Well, this job is a huge step up, thanks to X, Y, and Z, but I still miss N, and M from my last job.” That kind of thing. This happens with new relationships, too. One of the reasons why I’m trying not to gush about my few fella is because every time I compare this to the past I have to remind myself of 2 things. 1. This is still a new relationship, we’re both still on what’s considered our ‘best’ behavior. It’s the ‘honeymoon’ phase, if you will, so calm down. Also, 2. Usually what I want to gush about just shows how very low the bar has been for guys in the past, which kinda says more about me and my issues/traumas than it does about how wonderful my new fella is. Don’t get me wrong, I think this guy is fan friggin tastic! I’m glad we met and that we chose to get together. We’ve spent every weekend together and our dates have been fun, nerdy, adventurous, goofy at times, and comfortable. Like, I’m comfortable with him, spending time with him doesn’t drain me the way dating has done in the past. I like that we’ve been able to talk about things that are difficult to talk about with new people – frankly we’ve both had a less than stellar time with the online dating thing and it’s left some scars, for sure. What I will gush about is that we seem to be on the same page, looking for the same things, and we enjoy each other’s company. I think we have a pretty solid foundation, which is nice. He also reads this blog, so 😉 he he… I like you, honey.
OK, gushing over. Now back to your regularly scheduled shenanigans.
This weekend he got to pick our date ideas because he won the bad movie face off. The thing is, we found, like, SUPER special releases of this movie, which has led us to believe that some people LIKE it. Which blows both of our minds because it was convoluted, we saw the ‘twist’ from a mile away, and the one thing that was surprising is when the princess is eaten by dragon babies. The movie was… Dragonslayer from 1981. Seriously – bad acting, weird story, the dragon was OK, but really the best part of the dragon was that Phil Tibbets was in charge of it and he’s also the guy who did the dinos for Jurassic Park. It’s a Disney movie that doesn’t really have the Disney logo anywhere on it, which leads us to believe it’s the bastard stepchild of the Disney mega-complex. I chose a movie called The Bride which looked promising. It was bad – it opens with Sting as Charles Frankenstein making the bride for the monster. There is an accident in the lab and the monster runs away (presumed dead) and the bride (who has NO scars, stitching, or physical deformities of ANY kind) lives with Charles as a lady who has amnesia. The monster runs off, meets a circus midget and joins a circus with him, gaining the name of Viktor. After the midget dies, the monster goes back to Charles to claim his bride, who has realized she is… different… than other ladies. Really, all the scenes with Sting and the bride are ridiculous, but I was SO invested in the monster’s adventures. We are planning a rematch for another ‘goblin mode’ day when we stay inside, watch movies, and eat snacks.
So, he decided to take me on a bookstore tour of Oak Cliff, which is an area in Dallas that I’ve never really been to. It’s an older neighborhood, but there’s recently been some development and it’s becoming more popular. We started with lunch with a couple of his family members (eep! But it went well), and then went to a super old bookstore. It didn’t have a/c, all the media in the front window were sun faded, but it was sooo cool because it had that used bookstore smell. Honestly, if there was going to be a bookstore with a cat, it would have been that one, but a cat would have been too smart to hang out in such a hot place. The next one was in the more ‘bougie’ side of Oak Cliff and had a coffee/cocktail bar in it. So we sat and enjoyed some cocktails, I bought a book, and the happy hour special was if you buy a book you get a free drink! It was very nice. It started storming while we were in the shop, and it was just a super cozy feeling. When the rain died down a bit we went to the last bookshop, which was more kinda ‘modern’ but still nice. I need to find the book “The Wager” at the library as it’s about a shipwreck/mutiny. Looks interesting, but I didn’t want to spend $30 on a book (I know, I’m cheap, but the next day was Scarborough, and we KNOW how much I can spend there). We got some food after that and then went to the Historic Texas Theater in Oak Cliff, which apparently is where they caught Lee Harvey Oswald after the Kennedy assassination, which was cool. The building was built in the EARLY 1900’s, all stucco and stuff. It now has 2 theaters – one upper and one lower. We were in the upper theater which wasn’t totally comfortable (old-style theater seats and NO leg room, unless you kick the person in front of you), but was fun, nonetheless.
And booze. The purple one is the "daytrippers grog" and the other is "between living and dreaming."
Saturday, we had to kill about 20 mins before we could register his car to park, so we went to a retro game store, then dropped off his car. We spent all day at Scarborough Faire, and it was the FIRST time he had ever gone. We did the usual stuff, had some drinks, ate a gyro and a scotch egg, talked to/flirted with vendors, complimented people on their outfits, bought some pepper jelly and flavored honey, came home, watched Demolition Man (and napped a bit), then he went home, and I went to bed. It was a perfectly lovely weekend and is a good example of our kinds of dates.
We have a good time together, it’s nice. I mean, it’s been a month of dating, almost 2 of knowing each other, and he hasn’t ghosted, pressured me, made me uncomfortable, left me in a movie theater 5 mins into a movie, or accused me of trying to make him sad when I tell him I’ve got plans that don’t involve him! Seriously… I’ve been thru it. Then again, so has he.
I know I’m talking about my fella a lot here, but other than work he’s the real ‘news’ going on in my world right now! Work continues as normal; we will have a follow-up TJC visit any day now. I’m working on a grant which is driving me bonkers, and another grant which should be just fine. I got a settlement check from some lawsuit against TurboTax, but it won’t deposit via my mobile app, so I’ve got to find some other way of cashing it. Next weekend A and I are going to Scarby, so I’m looking forward to spending time with her, and then I have a dog/housesitting gig the following weekend (playing with the schnauzers). It’s gonna be a busy start to the summer, and I’m enjoying every second of it!!
