weekend madness.. and then some...

It has been some time since I last wrote.. why? you might ask.. And I have no real answer except that I have been lazy and uninterested. Dates have not been very interesting of late either. Since being dumped by the CO, I have become a bit more circumspect.. wondering what I do want, why I want it and if it is worth having. I am, however, still dating, meeting men and living life.

Baseball games and plumbing were on the agenda the last time I wrote.. week 2 (or was it 3?) with MachI had him experiencing me dirty and sweaty.. and no, not that kind of dirty, but maybe that kind of sweaty.. can we say salted? Peanuts, beer, sun and the game made for that sun glow kind of sweat and grime, but ceiling failures and looking for a shut off valve resulted in a whole different kind of grime.. ewwee baby! The best part- worst part? - We never did find the shut off valve and the whole reason for the season was to fix my diverter valve in the bathtub..now that does sound dirty! But no... we did not do that nor did that other deed appear on the horizon - and this would be me, not him. He was ready!

The following weekend we went to an end of school party - and, speaking to a complete stranger (could it be my boss's wife?! Holy $h*&, I believe it was!), he reveals that I hate the guy... oh am I glad I had not parted my thighs for that guy! Bada bing, bada boom ~ it is the last date. And, in case you were wondering, MachII never called again.. vomiting on the first date is not a great way to leave an impression on a gal - or is it??!

Not to be discouraged or dissuaded, I continue to browse the dating pond, and meet up with The New Guy. Now, the new guy is cute and tall and funny - and gets drunker than a skunk on our first extended meeting/date. I blame my friends for this, at least in part. TNG has recently had surgery on a malfunctioning artery - only the week before as it turns out, and is on coumadin . As it also turns out, this is one of those things you should tell a gal you have just met - especially if it is me and you are agreeing to party with me. The friends embrace TNG and have decided they definitely like him - and this, after they fill him with 18oo Tequila (eh, Patron!). I do give them points, I think, for pouring him into his truck ~ for which yours truly had the key ~ but I discount the points once we arrive at my house... the bus stops here?... and I am the only one left to roll him up the steps to the house. And roll he does.. by the way, any of you share this with him, and I will have to accuse you of lying! We are still dating.. Drunk, he is funny, feisty, a bit stubborn, but not mean. We eventually make it to the house, and the couch, where he snores the night away. I sleep in my bed with earplugs. Amazingly there is no hangover, and I make him one of my famous omelets...

As it turns out, TNG can laugh at himself, laugh at life. He has spent a day in the rain with me along with another day in the sun since then. He isn't big on email, rarely texts, but he does know how to use a phone. And he has not been drunk again.. thank goodness! I like him. ... not that I am putting my eggs all in one basket mind you...

I have begun a correspondence with a man in Afghanistan - training police officers there - he's due back in the states in October, and I spent an evening in the company of an old date from POF while visiting a friend in Eastern PA... oh, and I met a Resident  of my friend's fine establishment Behind the Green Door... I might have dated him if I had met him online first - I have a feeling he looks better online! He wants an honest girl, an attractive girl, a gal who will not dump him for another gal or his best friend (wife 1 and wife 2). He respects women yet has no control over the number of expletives that exit his mouth. He is a man of woe and hard knocks. I found it incredible (~y~easy to understand why) that he can't find a gal... Go figure!

and until next time, this is, as always...

~A. Tan Gledmess

A Tale of Two Cities.. or is that...

two men? It is two men, with the same name and in the same week. This does make dating a bit easier - no name confusion. One must, however, be clear as to which one does what. The optometrist probably does not want to be mistaken for a guy who does techie work - and vice-verse. It helps to have an associative memory at times like this. So, where to begin?? hmmmm

Date one this past week was with Mach 1 - nice man, a bit younger than me. Funny and interesting. Funnier still is that he proposes we meet at a local restaurant. And we do. We meet at the bar, have a drink - well, I have a drink, he has ice tea. It was after all, a school day, and if you have ever been to school, you will understand why a drink is necessary. We decide to move to the dining room. Seems like a good idea, right? wrong. As we are being led to our seats, he sees a group of women and immediately asks me to walk with him to the door, 

"can I talk to you over here?" 

Turns out that one of the women was someone he had been dating  a few months back. He felt it would be awkward and wasn't worried about himself but more worried that she might insert herself into our conversation. Makes one wonder what happened there and makes me wish I had paid more attention! I have no idea what she looked like. I might need to have a conversation with her before I get in too deep.

Date two was with Mach 2.. a bit older and a doctor. Why is it that the more prestigious the title, the cheaper the date? Remember the Vegan Lawyer? Subway and the cheap theater- showing movies currently on DVD and PPV? Well, the doc wants to meet at this old place with $2.00 soup. Dinner was $15.00. Big tipper left $5 for the server. Ok, that was nice, but still.... We eat, we chat, he feels queasy so we take a walk outside - get some fresh air. Seems like things are going ok, but apparently not. He suddenly suggests a U-turn back to our cars, and 20 feet later, he asks if I would mind walking back to my car and (he) will meet me there in a few minutes. He has to vomit... W?RUFK?? LOL

I walk. He takes care of business. A few minutes later, he reappears. First time I have ever been on a first date where the man throws up. I'm not sure how to take this, but I also do not believe I will hear from Mach 2 again. He was completely embarrassed and apologetic. And couldn't get away fast enough. 

Oh, I am never eating at that place again either.

Date two with Mach 1 is tomorrow. I wonder who we will stumble upon this time..  hmmm.. I think this might also be why I often date out of town.

til next time, and as always,

~A Tan Gledmess

Renewable Resources..

Yes, indeed, the world does go 'round and things do circle back. This week alone I have heard from 7 men I used to date. My question is this: if I am so memorable, why am I not keep-able!? Truthfully, though, there is only one in the bunch I would truly want to be kept by, and one other who is still under consideration.

Call Back # 1 was the Separated by 100 miles guy... who says he is now really separated. Call Back #2 is the Get-Away Man.. saw him last night too. Nice man. No self confidence. Going nowhere with me... Call Back # 3 is the one I'd like to CALL BACK, but he is ensconced in a romance with a woman who is not sleeping with him or having sex with him - he remembers me fondly and delightfully, and just wanted to say hello and tell me how fantastic I am (was!?).. RUFK!? Just step up to the plate, my good man - and I do mean GOOD.. dump her, pick up me!

Call Back # 4 came for a visit and made dinner.. well done, sir, even if you are still working 6 days a week and will never really have time for a relationship - more true because you live 70 miles away. Yippee. Next on the agenda are two (Plenty of) Fish I threw back to the pond. One was very nice - frayed pants and all; the other was just a buffoon - given his message to me this week, he still is.

Last but not least, I have heard again from the Philanthropist.  
And we have a date tonight - while he is here for the weekend ... if only he didn't live in Canada..

More to come (or is that cum?),

~A. Tan Gledmess
ps - we both came  

And the Beat Goes On..

So, one day dumped, the next week I get calls and instant messages from men I used to date... What's up with that!? I have to admit there is a certain amount of redemption there. It means that they all come back and the most recent head case will be back one day too. I can honestly say that in the midst of all this, I played fair and honestly. A small part of me hopes to say sorry for your luck while the bigger part wants to say I understand.

One man who showed up again, the Get-Away Man, told me he felt he had "blown it".. and indeed he had, but we are still on good terms and enjoy each other's company here and there along the way. Then there was the Man on the Lake.. he was the IT guy in an earlier post. And, though he has had a GF for the past year (which means they met about the same time we did), he still sends me an instant message, telling me how wonderful our time was together, and that, although he is currently still involved with that other woman, he "thinks of (me) fondly". yay.. what does one say to that!? And we all remember the fiance' and although he has not reared his disgraceful head, another one has stepped up to the plate.

Awakening earlier on a Sunday than any sane person should do on a weekend, I had time on my hands and decided to do a little research on that Great Date .. the man in the last post. Low and behold, he is NOT 59, he is 76. How do I not notice that?? All I can say is that age, with men, is trickier to discern than it is with women. And, separated means 20 miles - the distance from his house to the restaurant. Now, I get that his wife has not turned out the way he hoped. I wonder if he knows his wife probably thinks the same about him.. hmmm.. but, if you are going to step out on her, at least don't fake out the honest women. I'm pretty certain there are women out there who only want you for your money or the dinners out and have no intention of forming any kind of bond with you. GO. FIND. THEM. Leave me alone. Despite the fact that I did not point out to him what I had learned, he obviously had a change of heart anyway. I have not heard from him since. Yippee.

All is not lost, though. I have a rendezvous with the Philanthropist this weekend, and next weekend another beau is coming to call and we may well spend the day in DC, a place he has never been and a place I am getting to know better. A band member at a local establishment flirted with me this evening - and the thought of going back to hear him play has crossed my mind!

I am alive. I am memorable - and in a good way - even if I am not seen as permanent relationship material. The only conclusions I can draw is that A) men need bigger balls, and B) I am worth the time.. so step it up. Life is too short to waste it on those who have no trust in them selves. I am worth it.

As always,

~A. Tan Gledmess