Date 86 - Benny Ha-Ha

originally posted Tuesday, December 06, 2005

Working over 100 hours a week is bound to put a cramp in anyone's dating calendar. J has been trying to meet me for ages so to celebrate a major milestone with my freelance work and the return of some free time to my schedule I finally agreed to meet him last night.

It was freezing last night so I channeled any blind date nervousness into my selection of footwear. Since J clocks in at 6'4" I figured it was safe to finally break out a pair of my new fabulous black suede knee high boots. Not that he would see them under my jeans, but it was an opportunity to wear heels for a change and I didn't want to pass that up. Precariously perched atop the 3" heels, I was feeling confident and sassy. Maybe it was because I didn't really need this date. Maybe because it was so impromptu.

Earlier in the afternoon we were debating having drinks vs. dinner when J had the brilliant idea to go to Benihana. Japanese dinner AS theater! Much better than the fairly generic Arboretum locations we were thinking of. I knew it would be a great meal and it definitely sent the signal that he wasn't afraid to spend a little coin on a random internet girl - always a good sign.

I arrived promptly at 6:30 and the place was a ghost town. I spot J sitting up in the bar. I'm assuming it was him since he was the only man in the place and bore ever-the-slightest resemblance to the pictures I'd seen. What is it about men putting ancient pictures on dating websites?

We sat down to dinner with our chef of questionable ethnicity, "Kreeeees". Hailing from "San Antokyo", we speculated that he was either from some little known Eurasian country or a combination of places. Maybe he was Spench or Franish? J was working on a beer and my glass of Pinot shattered any unwillingness to chat. We shared war stories, dodged flying shrimp and laughed our way through dinner. J was a great sport but missed an opportunity to lob a compliment my way when the woman seated to my left commented on my beauty. Poor guy... she beat him to the punch.

We were still in full swing when J got the check. Now we had to determine what the next venue would be. Neither one of us wanted to drink more, so we were going to head to Chez Zee to sit and chat a bit more, but then we realized that Waterloo was practically next door so that seemed a better choice. We chatted and laughed some more. Turns out we share some of the same goals.

J isn't a sexy man, but he is attractive. There's something very warm and inviting about him. He's a solid guy. Although he never went to college he's done very well for himself. He's obviously smart, stable and ambitious but without the razor sharp edge. He still seems relaxed and laid back.

He asked for my number a couple of times during the evening but somehow I managed to deflect him without realizing I had even done it. Bad form on my part. He pressed again at the end of the evening and I managed to find a card to give him.

J's a great guy. I'm not sure our Venn diagram overlaps enough for anything long term, but he was a wonderful date and I'm very glad to have met him.