Syntax and Face-to-Face

Even after washing my clothes and using copious amounts of febreeze, everything still smells like smoke.

Despite some of you thinking I ought not go on this date, I had to give Mike credit for being ballsy enough to ask me out without knowing anything more than a few blogposts worth of information about me. I went and I have no regrets. First of all, upon texting him I was pleasantly surprised that not only was his syntax excellent, but he was also pretty witty. I feel as though good syntax and good conversation skills via text is a lost art. So often I'll start talking to a guy via text and the way he texts or the way he tries to impress me becomes off putting. Let's face it, using netspeak in this, the age of smartphones with QWERTY keyboards, is a sign of laziness and lack of respect for the English language. You have a full keyboard on that iPhone of yours, why not put it to use? We're adults, start acting like one. You can't JK or LOL your way into my heart.

So yes, Mike has good syntax. Brownie points! Also nice was the fact that he didn't overwhelm me with texts, ask for my full name so he could facebook stalk me, and he also made sure I was aware what was going to happen on this date so I could dress appropriately. I once went on a date where we ended up walking to the Ricks building from the far end of campus. It was November and it was ridiculously windy and freezing. I wasn't adequately prepared. There wasn't a second date. Mike had already told me we'd be going with other couples out to Beaver Dick to have a bonfire, but he made sure to remind me before he came to pick me up that we'd be outside and it would be cold. I think the only thing I wasn't prepared for were the giant puddles that had frozen over and how went my boots got. No biggie, though, the fire was enough to dry them pretty well.

Before Mike got to my apartment I got a little nervous, as I usually do before a date, mostly because I know he had no idea who I was or what I'd actually be like in person. I'm not sure where this insecurity stems from, but I have this crazy fear that I'm not actually a likable person when people are around me. Maybe it's because Tyson was such a douche in telling me, his best friend, that he never cared for me. Maybe it's just my head getting the better of me. Whatever it is, I still get afraid that I'm going to disappoint people with who I am. I think I did alright, though. While his friend went to collect his date, Mike and I sat in the car and talked for a bit. For the first time in a long time I had the opportunity to get to know someone face to face. It was awesome. We live in a technological world where it's easier to hide behind a text message in order to talk to someone. It provide a sense of confidence that we might not have in person. Sometimes it's nice, but other times I yearn to get to know someone without the crutch of technology. It's more raw, more real. And it's fun! At one point Mike was explaining to me the way caffeine works (he's a masochist, whoops, I mean he's a chem major) and instead of being boring, it was fun and interesting and it gave me a glimpse of something he's interested in. It's these kind of moments that make me feel slighted by text message conversations. That kind of interaction simply wouldn't have worked over text.

I'm not going to get into the nitty gritty of the date in this post, that will come later. Overall, it was really fun. Like I said, I have no regrets. Mike is a pretty cool guy and he did a good job of making me feel at ease. Plus, he's a gentleman.