Dating.

As many of you are aware, I date, and often. I like to say I go out on a lot of first dates because I like to give people a chance. A second date with me is iffy and a third date pretty much means I'm considering you as a potential father to my as-yet-unborn children. Yes, a third date is that serious. By the fourth date, I am either: a) over it and you or b) happy as all get out. It is that simple.

I saw Media today for lunch. Yes, kiddos, third date. Tell no one. This is our secret. *shhhh*

He is a great guy, lots of fun, makes me laugh and appears to find me both funny and attractive, not funnily attractive or attractively funny. This is good.

I don't know exactly how I got so picky about first dates but I'm blaming it on the Hex. I let shit slide far too long while we were dating and when I finally called him out on it, it was a year later. Dumb. Dumb. Dumb. Then a year after that we got married. I don't think I need to fill you in how that turned out since you now know I'm dating. Although that brings up another salient point.

WTF is up with married people seeking love/sex/whatever outside of their marriage?

Seriously, divorce is not the devil, people. It can be relatively inexpensive and solves the whole 'sneaking around' issue. Better yet, don't marry her/him so you don't have to go through the legal bullshit and can still live separately without having to sort your possessions into cardboard boxes. In my dating life, I have had two instances (one very recently) of married guys posing as single. I find it easy to avoid very pissed off and rageful wives when I don't date their husbands. I know of people that do, and that is their perogative (channeling Bobby Brown now ...). Just not my deal.

Anyhoo, dating has been a magical mystery tour of the weird since my divorce. The ones I've listed below have managed to at least make it to a second date with me, some a little longer and even some several months. Nothing 'clicked' as it were, so nothing involving set dates or rearranged living accommodations whatsoever. I've dated the following:

a window salesman
a civil engineer
a computer engineer
a long-haul trucker
a golf salesman (married -- although I didn't know that)
a logistics guy
an airline maintenance manager
a federal employee
a media guy

and innumerable first dates to which I don't remember/don't care what they did for a living.

As per usual, I don't tell my family who I'm dating until it has progressed to 3rd date, so as to avoid the innumerable questions about 'what is he like, what does he do for a living, has he been married before, does he have kids.' Ultimately my family wants me to be happy and I get that, I just try to avoid the questions as long as I can. Heck, if I can't decide he's second date material, why bring up a name to the family? It just gives them hope.

So there you have it, my dating life.