I Might be Addicted

Oh god, what is wrong with me?

In between our dates and since he's left, I've been texting back and forth with Alex, and it's just the most random stuff we'll talk about. It's funny, my friends have heard me rave about this guy, but yet I can't even tell them what we talk about and why that makes me excited, since it's so mundane. He'll check in on me to see how I'm doing, we'll talk about our plans for the day, hell, even what we're having for lunch. And I can't help but feel a bit giddy and let a smile creep across my face when I see the LED on my phone blink. It's seriously a struggle...he keeps talking about things he wants to do the next time he's back in Vancouver, how he wants to spend more time here, and then he asks me if I'd spend some of that time with him. I say, maybe a little too enthusiastically, that I'd definitely like to hang out again and end up wondering what the hell I'm doing. I know I could stop talking or try to end the conversation, but I can't help it, I don't want to.

It wasn't supposed to go this way, at least not this quickly. I'm sitting here, writing the third post in three days about this guy, wondering what happened to taking things slowly, meeting new people and making friends first before getting into any sort of relationship. Part of me is saying, hit the brakes and stop leading this guy on, there's still sooo many more guys to date, so why start a relationship with the very first date now? Besides, it's only been two dates! What are you doing?! The other side says this feels so right, that he's a really sweet guy and I remind myself that I can connect with him in a way that I can with only a select few people.

I'm both impressed and completely astounded with myself. This is absolutely crazy.

Conflicted

Despite us only having messaged each other back and forth, Alex seems to be picking up on my personality and likes pretty quickly, which was reflected in our second date, which involved us getting gelato, realizing there were no seats in the cafe, and us sitting in his car talking. Regardless, I still I had a great time and even appreciated the simplicity and intimacy of just talking in the car.

First-First Date

Well, if I wasn't dating before, I definitely am now. Alex, the Vancouver transplant from San Francisco I met on OkCupid messaged me during the week asking to meet up while he was in town this weekend. And, for something different, I decided to go for it.

By all accounts, things should've gone awkwardly. I had a pretty significant anxiety attack this week and wasn't feeling too confident in my sociability, and not having a coffee for a week made me pretty jittery and nervous, as if I wasn't already in preparation for what was an actual date in my mind. But it's amazing what the right person can do. He was really easy to talk to, and despite my nerves, we never really dropped conversation. We seem to share the same values, like closeness with family, friends and dedication to self-improvement. Even where we are in life seems somewhat similar; we're both mostly out to our friends and family and we're looking to enrich our relationships with people. We share a similar outlook on life (cheerful, or at least trying to make it that way) and while initially I didn't think he was my type, in person he was pretty cute. 

One of the things I wasn't used to was being on the receiving end of chivalry. As soon as I arrived at the coffee shop, he offered to buy me a coffee and as soon as I was done that, he offered to get up and get me a mug of hot water. And at the end, just as we were about to depart, he gave my arm a bit of a caress, which I wasn't used to. I guess because normally I'm  the guy to take charge and take care of my friends, it was a little odd to sit back and have this guy wait on me. Not to say it felt awkward, it was actually nice for a change, it just felt...foreign.

Now, I'm not sure where he wants to take this, but he's definitely looking for a boyfriend. In our conversation about our extended families and coming out, he mentioned that he was catching flack from his grandmother for not seeing someone and how at 30, he's really the last one out of his cousins and siblings to not being someone over to family dinners. He seemed pretty hopeful that that trend would end soon. We also talked about moving out and being independent, so I inadvertently asked him if he would ever consider moving back to Vancouver. Even though most of his job prospects are down in California, he would consider coming back for his family, a decent job...and the right guy. Definitely for the right guy. Hmmm. I'm curious to see where he wants to go with this, and whether he would be okay with the glacial pace that I would like to see. In the meantime, I'll keep my options open. 

So overall, a pretty solid first date; and it must've been in his eyes too since he asked me for a second date before he flies back to San Francisco on Monday =)

You Ask, I Tell...in Video!

I was inspired by socrkid17's awesome vlogs over the last little while, so I decided I was going to finish off all your questions from BEDID in this handy video! Enjoy:

PS. If I decide to do this again, I promise I'll adjust my headset so the mic isn't so close to my mouth...!

Am I Dating...?

Hey Guys,

So, some good news and bad news on the personal life front in recent times.

Car Reviews from a Lot Guy

Two Saturdays ago, I worked my last day as a lot guy at a mid-level luxury car dealership. In the 3.5 years I've been there, I've gotten to drive everything from econoboxes to posh, decadent luxobarges. Here's just a few of the more memorable cars I've driven in my time there and my impressions. (Most pics courtesy of Wikimedia)

Goodbye 2012, Hello 2013!

Wow, 2013 already...craaaaazzyyy.

Anyway, the holidays were alright all things considered. I spent Christmas Eve with my mom's family, which is always a laugh and a half. Little disappointing since my cousin and her kids were out of town, which meant there were no actual kids around excited to open gifts and have toys to play with (my sister and I were the last "kids" in the family). Christmas Day was a little different this year, since it's usually spent with my dad's side of the family, but my parents, sister and I had a pretty normal Christmas morning watching movies we had gotten and having a nice breakfast. Later, we went to go keep my grandmother company for a bit, then off to my uncle's for dinner. Because of all the planning for the funeral and missing Christmas together, I ended up spending a lot of time with my dad's side of the family between Christmas and New Years. They're family, and I love them, but that was more than enough time with them, and I'm glad the dust has settled and everything is getting somewhat back to normal.