Meeting Face to Face - Take Two

If you've been following, you know that the first time (and only other time) I met someone from Match.com, it didn't go so well. I tried to make jokes; he was offended. So I started getting really nervous about meeting "CMU guy". I ran around Monday morning like a crazy woman trying to put together an outfit to wear that night after work. But it had to look like I worked all day and then met up with him. Very tricky. So I settled for wearing my favorite brown-ish skirt. However, during work I wore a black top and black heels but changed into my green shirt that matches my eyes and my flip-flops. I needed comfy shoes.

The official workday ended so I went to take a shower (we have a gym and 2 private showers at work, which is nice if you go out after a workout or if you have a date and you're stuck late at work). My hair had dried enough by 6:45 so I decided it was time to call "CMU guy" and let him know I was done working for the day. My hands were shaking when I went to make the call. Why do I have to be such a nervous wreck? "CMU guy" seems like a perfectly nice guy - what's my issue?

So he and I picked a dining establishment (it was actually first choice for both of us - a good thing as I tried to calm my nerves before the date) and planned to meet at 8. What was I going to do for an hour? So I stopped at my usual hangout. I will call it "Crowley's" (who gets the reference? I'm sure most of my readers know where I'm talking about. I'm not good speaking in code I guess.) I hang out for a quick drink to kill a half hour and then head to the restaurant.

"CMU guy" shows up about a minute after I get there. Just long enough for the hostess to ask me where we wanted to sit, but not soon enough for me to ask him patio or dining room. He shows up (bonus!) and we say "hi", and then mutually decide patio. The patio was full, so we sat at a table in the dining room. Thank god - air conditioning! I sweat when I'm nervous.

At first I felt a little awkward, but things settled in after we ordered. We talked about what he did before grad school, traveling, if he liked sports, football (he's not a big sports person but I'm a huge football fan so it's unavoidable), and cell phones. So yeah, we talked about a whole bunch of stuff. We also talked a little bit about music since he was in a band and when he suggested drinks afterward, I suggested a place in the Southside that I thought he would really like. "CMU guy" is into more hard rock. He likes a whole bunch of stuff, but that's his genre. Like mine is alternative music, or as Foote says, that high school shit. (:

I was a little nervous taking him to this place in the Southside. It's a bit of a dive. "Crowley's" is a dive, but compared to where we went, you would think you could eat off of the floor. We drank some New Castle and talked about music until the band started. Then listened to the first band and were trying to guess how old they were by what they looked like and the songs they played. One of the last songs totally made us laugh. The lead singer said "I dedicate this song to" and then proceeds to look around the audience. Then the singer says "the bartender I guess". So they break into this song. It was something like "I Want to Fuck You Tonight" or whatever. I burst out laughing and "CMU guy" was laughing just as hard. I turned to him and said something like "wow - that's fucking funny!" He responds, "Didn't you know? This is one of their classics." Awesome comment! I like "CMU guy's" sense of humor.

It was just about 11 so it was time to head home. Sadly, I wouldn't have minded staying for the second band. "CMU guy" said that he really liked that place and was definitely going to have to come back. He walked to me my car and we did the exchange of "I had a really great time" and "we should definitely get together again." I was hoping for a hug - I figured since this was our first meeting, that probably a hug would be an indicator that it went well, especially after I dragged him to this hole-in-the-wall, dirty dive bar. The end of the evening definitely surpassed my expectations.

I really hope to see "CMU guy" again soon. Now I just have to deal with my typical girl issues: over-analyzing and the over-active imagination. I'm being positive now. I'm sure I'll post my typical insane and ridiculous thoughts later this week as I wait for word from "CMU guy".