A little bit of real attention...

Whoa, someone actually sent me a message today? Kinda nice guy seems harmless enough and we begin a dialog back and forth of small talk. He's local and seems nice enough. Our messages consist of small talk...then he drops the bomb and asks about me being in the final stages of my divorce, what does that mean? I give him the details that I have been on my own for a year and that I am hoping my divorce will be final on December 11. He seems ok with that and we exchange phone numbers.

I'm out of town at the time all of this is happening and call him from the airport on my way home. He has a nice voice on the phone, the conversation is fun and I can tell we both enjoy it. He asks if he can call me when I am home and I say yes...

In the meantime another person enters my Yahoo Personals arena--no photo and sends a short flirty message. I notice in his profile that he is seeking someone who is *open minded*. I like to think that I am open to any and all people and see on his profile that he is black. That's really not something that I have even thought about, and my interpretation is that *open minded* means that I don't have issues with the color of his skin, which I don't. We begin an email, telephone dialog--also while I am out of town and Dazzling's head is starting to swim with all of this attention.

Guy number one asks if we could meet for drinks? I agree, say sure, why not and we meet at a place close to where he lives. In the course of the time we talk about where and when to meet, drinks becomes dinner and I'm thinking hey, this may be alright...

I of course fretted, what to wear, first time meeting someone, nice restaurant I picked out a simple dress and a sweater, nice heels thinking I should make a good first impression. I arrive about 5 minutes late but find him waiting in the bar for me---dressed in jeans, a t-shirt and a flannel type shirt over the top of it. Oh hell, can you say overdressed?

Nice guy, easy to talk to and he makes me giggle. He's never flown on an airplane, is retired after 36 years working as a produce manager at a local grocery store. Kind? yes. Sweet? yes. Would he make a great friend? yes...He tells me that he's been married 3 times, and has been on Yahoo for nine months looking for his soul mate...

Excuse me? What part of this Dazzling bio to you screams this woman wants a soul mate?

I am looking for fun and someone to share the smiles of life. Life is too short not to be lived in the moment--it's about enjoying the here and now.

I love to travel, have a sense of adventure and a willingness to try new things. I think it's important to give back so I do a few charity projects here and there. I think we need to leave this earth a better place. Kindness, caring and giving matter to me.

I have a busy life working full-time and teaching part-time. I like being active and try to workout a few times a week as well as hiking trails around the area. I often have camera in hand while exploring, I love scenic vistas. I have been taking belly dancing classes for the last year, it's great exercise and lots of giggles.

I honestly am not looking for a soul mate, a marriage or a long term relationship--not at this point in my life. One can't predict the future, but for now just having someone to share an evening and some witty conversation would be spectacular.

This is definitely new territory for me, please be gentle. :o)

We ended up having dinner in the bar, which was ok, it was nice there and had those high tables and stools. When it came time to order he looked at the menu and said there's really nothing on here that I like. (Italian restaurant--great food!) I said where do you usually eat? He said I usually like to eat at sports bars. Ummmm ok I think I'll just order a ceasar salad. He ordered the same and we continued our conversation. Conversation topics included:

1. Divorce
2. Yahoo personal experiences-This part I found QUITE fascinating
   
1. People don't post current photos of themselves
2. Some women have income limits in that they won't date men over a certain income level.
3. Kids his and mine...mine seemed like angels after hearing about some of the adventures of his children and their assortment of wives
4. He has one hobby, fishing that he only does in the summer.

We had been sitting on high stools the entire night, when we both hopped off to head for the door I realized that with heels on at 5' 3" I was a little more than eye-to-eye with him. As the evening ended he walked me to my car and there was a quick kiss. He said he'd like to see me again.

Next stop...taking a rocket ship to the other end of the spectrum...

Dazzling