This Is My Life

I have a label I sometimes use on blog posts, called "This is My Life." It's meant to be a tongue-in-cheek, ever-so-slightly-sarcastic way of pointing out that my life is...well, never truly dull. My friends laugh at my ability to live a life that is Wild and Absolutely True. It's not that I invite drama. I prefer to think that I court adventure and take chances. Think about it--how many people do you know who move from California to England to teach music for a year?

I rather like my crazy little life, for all its twists and turns and ups and downs. I choose to come at the crazy times with laughter whenever possible.

And did I need it this week.

While I'm no longer doing the pay-for-online-dating thing, I have kept open a free account and I periodically check it out. In the last couple of weeks, I've noticed that I'm getting more messages than I was previously, and I've replied to a few here and there, figuring it can't hurt to get out and date more. So last week, when a guy sent a somewhat witty message indicating his interest in meeting me in person, I thought, "What the heck?" and agreed to meet for coffee.

He offered me his cell phone number, but I don't exchange numbers right off the bat (safety thing). He didn't seem to mind, and for that, I was pleased. Nothing turns me off faster than a guy who pushes the issue. He did seem to be a little too confident in his ability to woo me: "Meeting in the future will be much easier I'm sure for us lol"

As we continued messaging and looking for a time and date to meet, I felt an odd vibe in his messages. He seemed intent on asking how my job interview went last week. I would reply to his initial question and not mention the interview, and he always came back to it. He also seemed intent on reiterating to me, every other day or so, that he, too, likes to run. In my mind I was thinking, "Dude, I got it..." but outwardly I was friendly and determined to take a chance. People can be awkward online.

Well, it turns out they can be even more awkward in person.

Where do I even start?

I'll start with the camping. We were talking about travel--places we've been, want to go, etc. He mentioned Yellowstone. I said, "Oh, I've never been there. I hear it's beautiful." He said that it is...and that we'd probably want to camp when we go there. "Are you okay with that?"

Um, what?

Now let me insert here that pretty much from the time he arrived (I got there first), I had been giving off slight "back off" vibes with my body language while I took stock and got the lay of the land. Legs crossed, pointed away from him, arms lightly crossed. I had been friendly, of course, but I'm pretty sure my overall message was, "Well, it was nice to meet you but I am not promising anything 'til I know what I'm getting into."

The camping thing, then, came as a surprise. I think I said something like, "Ahhhh," which is my normal response when faced with something that I have absolutely no response for.

My friend Shae had sent me a text to let me know she'd be available if I needed an out, so I sent off a quick text while Yellowstone scrolled through endless pictures from his Hawaii trip on the iPhone, explaining in great detail to me just what he and his travel companion ("A girl, but not my girlfriend or anything...") had been doing.

"HELP ME."

Shae, bless her, tried to call me, and I accidentally hung up on her because I was texting her again. I apologized to Yellowstone, telling him my friend has been going through some hard times and I have to answer a couple of texts.

"Oh, no problem...is this friend a boy or a girl?"

Pause.

"...A woman."

He looked too happy to hear that.

Finally, after about 40 minutes (yes, I lasted that long), I started making my excuses. Early start tomorrow, gotta run before it's hot out, etc. Yellowstone smiled cheerfully and said, "Yes, I figured we'd only meet for an hour at the most this first time."

"Ahhhh."

"Maybe we can hang out again. And after we hang out a few times, I can ask you to be my girlfriend."

"Ahhhh."

He walked me to my car and I said something inane like "nice to meet you" before diving into Rosie Pro and frantically plugging in my hands-free device and calling Shae. I spent most of my drive up Eastbound 80 giving her the sordid details.

I haven't heard from him since. I consider this a bullet dodged.

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In other news, I did not get one of the jobs I interviewed for last week. And that's okay, as I left the interview feeling it would not be a good fit. The job I really want, a local one, part-time, teaching K-8 music, is still up in the air. They told me it would be two weeks, and we're not at two weeks yet. I'm hopeful.

In the mean time:

1. I have my first meeting with ESL Arts Advantage next week (my summer gig), 
2. I have joined a running club, 
3. I'm working on my swimming, 
4. I'm planning for that happy day I can buy a bike and really be a "triathlete,"
5. There's the last choir concert of the season this weekend, 
6. I might soon have five private music students,
7. Keane are coming to Oakland at the end of this month,

 This is my life. It is Wild and Absolutely True. Bring it, world.