Keeping my eye on the prize

It started out as brunch, and then a meander through a farmer's market, a wine tasting, a fancy chocolate tasting, a stop for beer and Belgian frites, a trip back to the chocolatier to sneak another tasting, a walk to a Seattle park, and ended with a trendy hipster dinner and dessert. Eight hours. My first date with the Hurler (it's been awhile since I've assigned a nickname and have been offered a couple of others, but so far I think the Hurler is my favorite) was the equivalent of one full work day.

As I told AP about the date this morning, she asked me something I was staying very cognizant of throughout the date: was I prolonging it because I was having fun, or because I didn't have any other plans? The last time I had a marathon date, it was definitely the latter and apparently it was so obvious that I wasn't into him that it had people questioning what team I played for. I'm still not a lesbian. You know how I know? Because I like the Hurler. The marathon date was warranted.

Now that I think about it, another marathon blind date I went on seven years ago--the date I would classify as my worst date, but perhaps the my best story (wait for it, wait for it)--went awry because I was passive and didn't have anything else going on.

Even though the Hurler and I essentially already had our second, third and maybe even fourth dates all wrapped up in that first one, I want to adopt a wait and see attitude. I know me, and I know that not only do I have a history of extending dates because I don't have anything else going on, but that I can sometimes create relationships out of that same premise (you all might remember New Friend, and then there was my most recent relationship with the Olympian--a relationship that was never featured on the blog, but just know that it fit into that old pattern). My relationship with Mr. McMichael took a different route down a completely new and different path, and I'd like to follow similar coordinates with the Hurler.

Note to self: As you enter into future relationships continue to ask yourself: are you having fun or do you not have anything else going on? And keep having fun!