I'm a pro...

... at dating.

I'm just saying, I'm really very good at it.  I'm good at being a gentleman, at picking up the tab, at finding cheap activities that don't scream, "I'm cheap," at finding unique date ideas, at asking probing, yet not terribly personal questions, at turning off my cell phone so I can focus on listening, at making sure my breath and body smell fresh and pleasant, at showing up just a few minutes late so the other party has enough time to get ready, at being prepared with extra jackets in case the night is colder than we expected, at driving safely and obeying all traffic laws, at cleaning out the car and making it as presentable as its 200,000-mile-old paint and carpet will allow, at being charming with roommates and friends, at smiling and acting politely towards clerks and waitresses, at opening doors, at saying, "Pardon me for just a moment," instead of "I have to pee," at giving sincere and genuine compliments, at remembering details from our last encounter, and even at getting my date home in time for bed because tomorrow will be an early, busy day.  In fact, the only thing I'm not terribly good at is keeping food on my plate instead of on my shirt.

Seriously, you should be so fortunate to date me :)

Just kidding, but not really.  I am a great date.  Tonight was just another in a long line of good first dates I've had.  Like most of the others, it's probably not going to turn into a relationship of any sort, but I still had a great time.

Like I said last week, I feel something of a drive to go on more dates lately.  I'm not really trying to straighten myself out or anything, and I know that merely dating and pretending to be straight isn't going to make it so.  But I enjoy meeting new people and making those acquaintances "dates" is a great way to make a girl feel good about herself.  It's fun to be a gentleman and get all handsome and dashing and then open doors all night long and make small talk and turn a stranger into a friend.

I met tonight's date in my history class.  She sits near me and has a pretty radiant smile, so she's hard to miss.  I saw her one week singing in the choir at campus devotional and complimented their performance the next day, and we started talking with each other before class and choosing each other as our partner whenever we broke off for group work.  We've been talking for about three weeks now and this week I decided I wanted to take her out.  She came in late on Tuesday, so I couldn't ask her before class, and she bolted right out, so I missed her after class, but Thursday, we had some good contact.  After she pointed out a fluff of dandruff in my hair (possibly the one thing I'd change about myself physically), I almost chickened out, but I recovered from the humiliation enough by the end of class to walk with her as we left.  She was headed in the opposite direction to a class, but all I had were some errands, so I pretended I was headed her way as well, haha.  I walked a half-mile out of my way to chat with her and bring up her weekend plans casually before asking her out.  Some straight men don't even show that kind of dedication.

Tonight, we had a picnic of homemade lasagna, which we ate on the dock of the lake (I like watching the sailboats).  The conversation was easy and light, just like I like it on a first date.  Like last week's girl, she too kept glancing back at my car and admiring its lines (I could almost love someone, just for that).  After dinner, we went to an outdoor movie, My Fair Lady, and snuggled under a mountain of blankets.  (Can I say something that might enrage the entire world?  I don't really care for My Fair Lady.)  And after the movie, which she loved, we went to the ice cream parlor and split a strawberry milkshake, 1950s-style.  It was a lovely, innocent, idyllic first date with a charming young lady, and I look forward to seeing her outside of class more.  I don't hear wedding bells, nor do I expect them to come, but that doesn't keep me from having a good time.