Taking Chances with Dating in 2010

New Year's Eve looked like it was going to be a wash. The snow was coming down hard, which meant plans to travel about 2 hours from here to meet up with family for the night wasn't going to happen. Roads weren't plowed and my backup plans to see a local band fell through the wayside when I saw the pricetag they were charging for their show (ie. more money than seeing an actual concert by a big name band.) Out of boredom, I popped onto my dating profile for one site, deciding to hide it...but immediately saw a picture of a guy that grabbed my interest, so I took a look.

I chose to contact him honestly not thinking he would answer, but he did. Quick emails turned into IM'ing and after a few hours I decided I would go against what my friend Mike the Master Dater has always advised me not to do--I asked this guy out. Of course, he happened to walk away from his computer just when I asked, so I was left hanging and thinking he would say no, but instead he replied, "So where do you want to go?"

It was literally 11:50pm and we met up in a parking lot. It was still snowing hard and I couldn't believe I was driving out in a snowstorm to meet a complete stranger 10 minutes before 2010. But as soon as I saw this guy in person, it was instant "wow." (At least from my end it surely was.)

Every bar we tried to go to in the area was closed, which was baffling considering it was NYE. We ended up at a restaurant that only had a handful of people in it. We talked until the owner booted us out at 1:15am citing that he was tired and wanted to close the place. Without anywhere else to go, we simply headed back to the parking lot.

Conversation continued to flow and lots of laughing. We discovered we had a lot in common and I just kept thinking how I was glad I took a chance by emailing this guy and asking him out. I think my best laugh of the night was when he said he wanted to drive over to the gas station across the street to use the restroom so that he would not be another guy who just pees on the wall. What a relief!

Finally at 5am he asked me if he could kiss me.

A few minutes after he was on his way back home and I was driving back to mine, my cell phone was ringing. We talked until he made it back home (about an hour away) so that he wouldn't fall asleep driving. He told me he had a great time despite not really doing anything. We ended the call with him saying he wanted to see me again and asking when he could call me. My first great date of the New Year. I hope it is a sign.

Despite if this works out or not, one thing I have pledged for dating in 2010 is that I want to take more chances like this.

*Photo Source: SavageChickens.com