A first date, by Rock

So needless to say, even though I just signed up for OKCupid two nights ago, I wouldn't be me if I didn't have a few other sticks in the fire (that's a saying, right? I'm a few drinks in.). I've been talking to guys in this city on a few other sites (Gays, I can't say enough good things about Connexion: it's like gay facebook) and even had a few dates. And I've only been back since the middle of November. I'll take my bow now.

One of the guys I had been talking to is 2.0. We're calling him 2.0 because he has the same semi-unusual first name as one of my ex-boyfriends, so I've already been referring to him as 2.0 to my friends. This is not a stretch.

After reading 2.0's profile, still 2,000 miles away in my old apartment, he was so ideal on paper that I went to bookmark him so I could say hi once I lived here and wouldn't appear crazy. Of course, I hit "add as friend" instead. Connexion doesn't confirm that you want to request someone as a friend, so I had to send him a message explaining the situation.

Someway, somehow, he was able to laugh it off and we started exchan

ging messages. It was different though than how messages usually happen on online dating sites. Nonexistent were the short little messages. Instead, when I heard from 2.0, I would get a full letter with paragraphs and salutations and the works. Granted, I would often wait a week between messages during which I had given up hope of something happening (which is fine. That's part of the deal with online dating), but when I got a message from 2.0 it was definitely a treat.

I don't know if he won me over when he told me about how he was hosting Thanksgiving dinner for his family this year or when he quoted a line from one of my favorite books as a conversation starter. All I knew was that I had to meet him.

And last night we met. We met at a bar and played board games all night. We met at 8p and left after 1a. It was a marathon of Connect 4, Scrabble, Subjective Guess Who, Yahtzee, and Uno. We traded stories of growing up. It turns out that underneath his jockish exterior, there's a dork that likes the same geeky TV shows and comic books that I do.

(I realize that Dawn is in this picture so I apologize, but Riley is in there as well so suck it and enjoy it.)

I was falling fast.

Around 11p, I had had quite a few beers and I suggested that we could either stay or he could come back to my place and watch Community (he had never seen it). He laughed and said no. It's a rule for him. I quickly explained that I only meant to watch TV (Seriously, I would have had no problem asking him back to make out or to do it if that was on my agenda. It wasn't.). But it was fine. We moved on. We stayed and played games for another two hours. I'm still a little self-conscious about the fact that I even asked, but I'm trying not to be. Clearly we were still having a good time. We were on different pages about acceptable first date behavior, but on the same page about our differences. How's that for convoluted writing?

No kiss good-bye (that's awkward in front of a cab driver), but some hand holding and plans for Friday, when by chance he's going to meet Doris.

I think I'm most proud, however, about today when instead of texting him or emailing him regarding tomorrow's plans I called him and we had a fantastically not-awkward five-minute conversation on the phone.

Trying not to get too excited, but this one seems good. I rarely have a first date that lasts so long or I enjoy so much. It was totally worth the massive hangover I've had all day.