Speed Dating Match (or lack there of) in Journey Back to ME

It’s been a few weeks now since I decided to attend a local Speed Dating event. I had never done anything like this before. I purchased the ticket as soon as I secured a babysitter for my kids.

The day before the event someone posted in a local women’s friend group on facebook asking if anyone else was going to the speed dating event because she was looking for someone to go with. I PM’d her and told her that I was also going if she’d like to meet up before the event, we could go in together. She was so nice. We hit it off right away. She works as a substitute librarian for the same school district that I work for. We planned our outfits and our makeup and bonded over our height (I’m 5‘11 and she is 6‘1).

Fast forward to the event. It was held in the LOBBY of a local hotel. In all fairness, there was also a bar in the lobby and a pool table area and lots of seating. They had us all dispersed (the ladies), and they gave us a number to put on with our name tags, and they gave us all a sheet where we could keep track of peoples names and write small notes about them. Each rotation would be 10 minutes.

ALL IN ALL the event was a DUD as far as the “dating” component. There were more women than there were men and the men were on the lowest level of the attraction scale. I think there were 7 guys total. No one asked me anything about myself unless it was a “what about you?” in response to a question that I already asked them.

1st guy was from an hour or so away. He works at a Casino and was only there because one of his female coworkers suggested he come. He was maybe a 4 attraction wise.

2nd guy was a pilot. Maybe a 2 on the attraction scale. No kids. Is busy with work and doesn’t get to travel.

3rd guy was an engineer. Travels for work. Wore a polo. Doesn’t have kids but he has dogs. maybe a 3 on the attraction scale.

4th guy. Entrepreneur. Teenage kids and a dog. We probably hit it off the best in my opinion/ we laughed a lot. He was probably a 5 on the attraction scale.

5th guy was very socially awkward. He spoke a lot about religion and the religious groups he’s involved in. Hasn’t traveled outside of mission trips while in college. He was a physical therapist and a a solid 1 on the attraction scale.

6th guy was in scrubs. We ALL thought he might’ve been a doctor or nurse, but he does
home health care. He doesn’t travel. He likes to run. We actually probably had the lengthiest conversation. He was somewhat funny. The friend I met said when it was her turn with him that she tried his glasses on. LOL. He was a 3/4 on the attraction scale.

Last but not least (7th) there was the SHIRT GUY! It was a horrendous holographic shirt. I loved it because it was a bold choice. He was a 3 on the attraction scale. He works in the IT department for the school district I work for. He doesn’t travel, and recently installed new smart plugs in his home. LOL.

I marked YES on guy 1, Guy 4 and shirt guy!

The night ended after 1 hour of being there as there were only 7 guys! The conversations weren’t great. These guys read as desperate versus being actual sexual attractive beings in search of actual relationships. They need to advertise a lot better before I ever attend one of these events again. Me and a handful of the ladies stayed at the bar and chit chatted after the event about our similar thoughts and experiences with the event. I enjoyed them A LOT MORE than I enjoyed the man.

24 hours later I received my MATCH emails and Shirt guy also chose me! And the glasses home health aide guy chose me, but I didn’t choose him.

I eventually received an email from Shirt guy asking me out on a date. He suggested either his swing dance class on Tuesdays or the Art Museum on Fridays. I told him that I would get back to him.

He sent me another email a few days later asking if I was still interested, and I explained that I was and that I had just been busy. I work face to face with students and I have 2 children of my own PLUS we were nearing Holiday break. We had never actually set a date for anything, but really just put a few ideas into the atmosphere. He even let me know that the swing dance class would cost $15! WHO INVITES SOMEONE TO A CLASS AS A DATE AND ASKS THEM TO PAY?! I have no problem paying my own way, but it won’t be looked at as a date. It would be me attending a class with a platonic friend. LOL. Anyway, but like I said, I got busy…I didn’t forget about him and had every intention of sitting down and figuring out a time, place and date for our “date”. He continued to email me daily. Let me just say that last week was absolutely HECTIC! Last week before break, it was spirit week for me and my kids and we’re all at 3 different schools…there was just A LOT going on, so checking my emails from Shirt Guy was not at the top of my list. Plus he hadn’t yet given me a chance to response…however, every single day I would receive a new email that I hadn’t yet had time to read on top of everything else.

In all honesty, I had every intention of setting a date for our “date” for this week since I would be out of school, my kids would be with my mom and I would have free time. However, this person kept emailing me daily without giving me a chance to respond. Contrary to what he must’ve thought, I don’t sit around awaiting his emails to respond to. I’m an adult with a life, job and kids. I already told him that I would go on a date with him, but he was so eager and needed it to be RIGHT THEN. Anyway, Friday he sent one last message and I actually read that one and it said something like “I’m going to stop trying now because you’re not communicating back to me”…or something similar to that. LOL. Thank goodness he stopped! I’m not even interested in that platonic friend date anymore anyway. I probably wouldn’t have said yes to him if he didn’t stand out with that SHIRT anyway. I felt like I had to pick SOMEONE.

In other news there was a chick (I won’t say her racial background but it is one that is fetishized a lot by men). She showed up 45 minutes late to the event…and had eyelashes on the length of my arms....and 6 out of the 7 men said YES to her. So there’s that....

While the actual event was a BUST. I did enjoy hanging with the ladies and making my new friend! Hopefully she and I will get to hang out again soon!