J: Mr. Maybe January(s)

I mentioned in my “The start” post, that I unofficially started this experiment before I was able to fully rope Sheila & Elle into the madness. I only actually went out with a November & a December before the “official” challenge began. Both were interesting (but not earth shattering) dates. They also were both blind dates that married friends sent my way. Now, here I am in January and as luck would have it I actually have two more potential blind dates, each of whom might (if they play their cards right) be the official “January.”

Please understand…none of these dates are due to my amazing man-catching abilities. If nothing else, the last two months have taught me that if you even hint to a married friend that you are open to blind dates, invariably, they will know of the “perfect guy for you” that they’ve been dying to introduce. Turns out, EVERY married couple has a single guy friend who is “sooooo sweet” and “suuuuuch a greeeeat guy."

There is actually a drug that they put in the wedding cake frosting that gives married couples an unquenchable desire to make sure all living creatures within a 500mile radius are enjoying (or pretending to enjoy) the same matched up bliss that they, themselves are (or remember) experiencing. I know this is true…I once had a wedding cake of my own!

But...isn't a blind date (gasp) cheating??

Granted, it might seem a bit easier to go on a blind date than to try catching those boys myself. As I'm warming up to the challenge, it’s nice to not have to chase the boys yet. It’s REALLY nice to let my friends be the ones to talk them into going out with me. :) But, when you think of all the “will he see me and pretend that he’s not here to meet me” angst that accompanies blind dates, they really should count DOUBLE!

It comes down to the fact that when all’s said and done, I’m still gaining valuable experiences and getting practice at dating. This whole challenge is about meeting new people…right? It’s about putting myself out there…right? It’s about keeping an open mind…right? I would venture to say that blind dating provides ample opportunity to stretch all of those boundaries. So, in my book…blind dates totally count!

So, here’s my “January(s)” situation: One of my (married) friends gave Mr. Maybe January (The First) my contact info, back in…um November? He didn’t actually call until the weekend before New Year’s Eve when I had company that had just arrived in town. I asked him to call me during the first week of January…and when I hadn’t heard anything by Saturday, the 9th, I txted him…scared that he might have thought I was blowing him off earlier. (Totally reasonable, right?) We went back and forth via text and then suddenly, nothing more from him. I freaked out a bit. Didn’t he know I was on a deadline? (NO, of course he didn’t!) Was he going to get back in touch in time again? (Tick, tock, tick tock!)

In the midst of my Maybe-January worry, a different (married) friend called with news of another potential blind date. Of course, I told her to have him contact me. Surprise of all surprises…he actually did! So, Mr. Maybe January (The Second) and I arranged an “introduction” phone call for later in the week. My guess is he wanted to make sure I wasn’t crazy before committing to an actual date. (Hopefully I’ll pass the “introduction” test…we’ll see if I can keep my “crazy” in check…)

The very next day, Mr. Maybe January (The First) arrived back on to the playing field, with another brilliant text. Of course.

Needless to say, I am feeling some of the “January date” pressure lifting. If I blow both of these opportunities, I fully deserved to have my club membership card ripped into a million pieces.

Now the scheming side of me is wondering…is there any chance I could put off Mr. Maybe January (The First) long enough to turn him into Mr. February?

Hmmm…