#6//DINNER WITH THE CARPENTER.

Hey guys. I went on a date last night! I also reread my old dating recaps and thought that I sounded really annoying in the fall. OH MY GOD. Sorry y’all. I seemed to cancel a lot on people. I seemed to have trouble writing back nice, normal messages to people. Dating seemed like something that I thought should be fun, but I turned it into this weird, scary, daunting, and exhausting experience. Maybe because I was experiencing reverse culture shock while trying to reconnect with old friends and return to work; at the same time, jumping into dating for the first time? Or maybe because dating is, in fact, actually kind of hard? Or maybe because I make it that way?

I’m trying to hit REFRESH.

#6//DINNER WITH THE CARPENTER.

Who: The Carpenter.

How we met: Through friends.

When: Last night. The Carpenter called me on Monday and invited me to dinner on Thursday. Old school. I liked it.

What: I had the most fabulous first date meal at a restaurant downtown. The Carpenter told me that the chicken and waffles were absolutely amazing. And they were. Buttermilk waffles and crispy fried chicken topped with maple syrup and this creamy dipping gravy. I also had a gin and tonic and cheesecake drizzled with honey for dessert. Yum. I offered to split the bill, but he paid for all of it.

Beginning: My coworkers knew this was my first date in like four months and kept asking, “ARE YOU NERVOUS?” I told them kind of. I really didn’t know anything about him except that he likes skiing and is a carpenter. My mom also called and told me not to talk too much, to listen more. So by the time I finished work, I was legit nervous and wondering how I could (illogically) get out of the date.

In my mind: FIRST DATES ARE SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO HARD. I CAN’T DO IT.

The voice inside my head: Maybe you don’t feel well? Maybe you’re getting a cold? Maybe you should just stay home and watch more Breaking Bad on Netflix….

My little sister told me to have a beer beforehand, put on some good music, put on a cute outfit, and go have fun.

Conversation: Luckily, the GORGEOUS snowy walk downtown subsided my initial first date fears (the snow drifts were crazy cool and I kept stopping to take pics), and the conversation flowed well. He seemed super nice and chill, but at the same time seemed very active. He skis and bikes and builds houses and has ridden motorcycles through England. He doesn’t watch much TV. He grew up on a small farm and still has it. He studied environmental science in college, but got into construction when he was living in Colorado after college. We chatted a lot about the West since I had worked in New Mexico, Colorado, and Wyoming for different lengths of time, too.

Swoonworthy Scale: 5/10.

This date fell in the middle of the zero chemistry grad student and the off-the-charts cab driver/yogi/engineer dates. He was tall and athletic and handsome in a rugged/woodsy way. He was super nice, but not super flirty or romantic. I’m not sure if he was into me? He was older than me (maybe by ten years…42?), and I wondered if he thought I was too young? Was he too old? I don’t know?!

Ending: We walked part of the way home together and parted with “thanks!” and a hug. I think I even said (awkwardly), “Oh, I’ll give you a hug.”

(CRINGE.)

Post-Date: Nothing so far.

Thoughts: What is the best way to begin and end first dates? I’ve taken a poll with my friends and coworkers. They either said, “A smile and a hug” OR “A smile and a kiss on the cheek.” Thoughts?