definitely not worth it

I've already written about how dating sucks. So why bother? Well, I suppose because it gives me stories to tell. I'm a regular Carrie Bradshaw.
I was supposed to have a date with the guy who stood me up- the fireman. As I am clearly not on the date, there is a story.
The fireman stood me up on a Tuesday. When he finally called and asked if I would be willing to give him another chance, I agreed but told him I was leaving Saturday to go back to Texas. I told him I was coming back to New York the following Saturday. He said he would call me the Monday after I got back.
While I was home, I decided to call him. I was worried that maybe I hadn't acted sympathetic to the fact he stood me up for a funeral. I'm not one of those people who holds grudges or follows the rules of dating. He was surprised to hear from me and again said he would call when I was back.
After returning, Monday quickly came and went yet I did not hear from the fireman. By Saturday, I had officially given up on him. I spent the morning cleaning out my phone of all the guys who have failed to be more than someone I date for a short period of time- or even at all. Saturday afternoon as I was laying out in Central Park my phone rang. No name showed up. The guy on the phone said hi to me as if I should know who he was. It was the fireman. He asked if I was back from Texas, I informed him I had been back a week. He commented that if he had known that he would have called sooner. What? I told him when I was coming back. Do men simply choose not to listen? (I realize I am seriously stereotyping now.) I chose not to point out that I had told him when I would be back from Texas. He asked me if I wanted to go out with him on Wednesday so I agreed.
Not long after hanging up with the fireman, I remembered I had plans on Wednesday night. I was supposed to go to my book club. I decided I would call him the next day to see if we could reschedule to Tuesday. Then I continued enjoying the Central Park and deciding what to wear on my date that night with the hockey player.
I left a message for the fireman on Sunday to see about changing from Wednesday to Tuesday. I said if he couldn't change, then I thought we should keep our date for Wednesday. He finally returned my call on Tuesday. He was not available that night. But he encouraged me to keep my plans for Wednesday, and we rescheduled for the following Tuesday. As luck- bad luck- would happen, my book club was postponed to next week. I called the fireman to let him know my plans were cancelled and to see if he was still free on Wednesday. He was not. Although he said he would see if he could change his plans and call me back in an hour.
I have not heard from him since.
I've already dated a guy who would tell me he was going to call then I wouldn't hear from him. It drove me crazy and made me complain about it. I didn't like his behavior or mine. I haven't even been on the date with the fireman and already I want to complain about his behavior. This is not a good sign. So I've decided the fireman has definitely proven to not be worth it. But I know that I am.
Life is too short and the men too plentiful. Why should I wait around for this guy? I guess this leaves the hockey player and whichever guy I might meet next.
Hmm... I wonder if he still thinks we're going out next Tuesday?
Ugh, dating!
But at least it provides interesting stories...

bowling in the city

Sunday night my friends and I decided to do something we've never done in New York. We went bowling. After meeting for drinks at my favorite outdoor restaurant, we headed downtown to the Chelsea Piers bowling alley. Now I've been bowling lots of times. Generally when you think of a bowling alley, you think of dumpy places filled with smoke, crass people, worn out shoes, run-down lanes that take forever to reset the pins, and pitchers of beer.
This bowling alley included none of these things. It was new and shiny and smoke-free. The 'concierge' took you to your lane, set it up, got nice bowling shoes and bowling balls, and sent over your waiter. The waiter then took your bar order. Yes, this bowling alley had a full bar, not just beer. The atmosphere was more like a dance club than a bowling alley. To sum it up, this bowling alley was fancy.
It's what you'd expect when bowling in New York. I can't wait to go back!

my proper date

So I went out with the hockey player again. This time when he asked me out he said we should go on a 'proper date'- no hockey game, no hockey team. I agreed. Our date was Saturday night. It's been a while since I've had a date scheduled on a weekend. Actually, it's been a while since I've had a 'proper date.'
He picked me up. In New York, this means he took a cab up to my apartment to meet me. Then we hopped in a cab and went for drinks at one of my favorite spots in the city. It's an outdoor restaurant on the Hudson River. We drank, talked, and watched the sunset. Afterwards, we headed to dinner. He asked me if I had preference, then said he had a place in mind. Another cab ride downtown took us to the dinner restaurant. While we waited for our table out on the sidewalk, we sat at the bar drinking wine and sharing appetizers. Once at the table he asked me what I planned to order. I had decided on the chicken and grilled vegetables. He tried to talk me out of my choice saying it was too boring. Feeling like he was telling me not to order the chicken, I decided I was definitely ordering the chicken. When our meals arrived, he told me mine looked pretty good. After trying it, he agreed that I had made a good choice. In fact, he said it was really good. After dinner involved more drinks and conversation.
It was a good date. I'll likely be going out with him again.
But for now, my next scheduled date is tomorrow with the guy who stood me up. I'm giving him a second chance. I hope he's worth it.