So: all in all, it's been an interesting week.

For today's blog, we'll talk about just a few of the lay-dee related incidents in my life, and then wrap up with the not one, not two, but three blunders from my first blind date. Skip ahead if you would like - I understand not everyone is interested in minutia from Sean's strange life. (Check that - If I really understood that, I probably wouldn't have a blog)

But moving on - It's been an interesting week, all things considered. Mom was in town, so she came over last weekend. It was great to have her there, and I even gave her a chore or two, which felt nice from a karmic standpoint. As we were flipping through my collection of DVD's, deciding what to watch, I discovered that she had never seen Say Anything. As that movie is sort of a seminal 80's movie, with some of the best scenes of teenage angst ever filmed, we decided to watch it. At about 15 minutes in, my cell phone rang. I checked the caller ID. Wha whaaaaa? TwoPairs was on the other line?!?

I don't think that I've related this story before. And I won't now. (thank blogger for eating my post!!!) Short form - One of (if not THE) first dates that I went on in high school was with a friend. For whatever reason, my family calls her TwoPairs now. Be that as it may, we hadn't spoken in 6 months to a year. (no bad blood - just missed connections.) A. also called, but Mom and I were watching a movie, dammit! Still - calls from first date, and ex-fiance - strange timing.

Then on Wednesday, I had my first blind date. I may have mentioned this whole thing about holidays being interesting to me for relationship based things. (I know I did - look it up, using Google's built in blog- searching capabilites.) {grin} But what I realized the day AFTER this date was that if I was willing to REALLY stretch on the definition of a holiday, it's still there. Because Wednesday was Pearl Harbor Day. Seriously. However, after my Veteran's Day of last year, I am seeing a disturbing militaristic trend; I'll aim for something less martial next time.

Back to the Three. Fatal. Errors. (TM)

1) Didn't pay for her meal.
Positive Spin: Um. Not really one.
Negative Spin: Cheap.
Reason I Didn't: Cafeteria type place. She jumped ahead of me. I'm new at this, and didn't want to appear paternalistic.
Remedy: Next time, let the goodies flow.

2) At end of date, didn't walk her to her car.
Positive Spin: Hey, we met online; he's not a stalker!
Negative Spin: Cheap *Jerk*, who doesn't care if I get mugged in the parking lot of Ikea.
Reason I didn't: Worried more about looking like a stalker.
Remedy: Next time, ask her if she minds if I walk her to her car, as my grandmother raised me that way.

3) At *end* of date - Sean-initiated handshake. Wha Whaa??
Positive Spin: Umm.. she saw my unnaturally flat fingernails?
Negative Spin: Oh. My. God. {shakes head}
Reason I didn't: I'm new at this? I am socially stunted? Against all previous evidence, I am shy? . . . I'm doomed.
Remedy: I've been advised of the existence of the 'half-hug-side-kiss,' of which I was previously unaware. That will prove helpful in the future.

No one warned me of these common pitfalls. Positive Spin: But even if I messed up with this date, I'll hopefully get the chance to make all new mistakes next time.

As evidence of synchronicity, however, a monster attacked a villager on the shore of Loch Ness. Er. No - that was Sting. What happened to ME was that I got a call from my high school prom date THE DAY AFTER the Three.Fatal.Errors.(TM) And we reminesced.
But that's another entry.