Date #1 - Dave

Date Number One started out with a bang. Well, maybe not so much a bang as the “thwump” of me smacking the palm of my hand to my forehead. I’ll explain.

I’ve known Dave since the beginning of this year, and I’ve wanted to go on a date with him. He’s kind, good looking, fun to be around, has great taste in music, and we have had some really deep conversations about life, God, and art. In fact, Dave is a phenomenally talented visual artist who currently has his work displayed at the Kayo gallery downtown and was just nominated for a City Weekly “Arty” award for his illustrations (http://www.cityweekly.net/utah/article-8731-artys-2009-ballot.html- vote for him!). Despite all of this, we have never been on an official “date”, so I thought that he would be a great choice to ease into this project with.

I told Dave about the idea and he was supportive. He suggested that we go to the “Craft Lake City” event at the Gallivan Center and check out the art, music, and crafts on display. As soon as I got off the call with him, I excitedly texted my friend, Winter, to tell her that I was going on date number one that night with the artist we’d gone to see at the gallery stroll.

At least, I thought I texted her... until I got a text back from Dave saying, “Would that be me?”

FAIL.

This is where the thwumping took place. I would have been a little mortified if I weren’t laughing so hard.

Dave came to pick me up and got lots of points for chivalrous conduct. Conversation was easy, balanced, and comfortable. When we arrived, it was amazing how many people there knew him. We had just slipped into the crowd when he ran into two fellow artists. I got to meet a lot of the interesting and talented people he associates with.

Dave suggested a scavenger hunt in the festival to look for something awesome. (Which he won when he came across a table selling items entirely made of duct tape...) Some of the highlights of the exhibits for me included a table selling nothing but

identical ceramic dinosaurs in different poses... gnawing on slippers, coloring, about to blow something up... and also, large spider christmas tree ornaments made out of ceramic and pipe cleaners. I couldn’t tell you why. Another vendor told us that he had two full library-esque card catalogues at home with nothing in it but “Skosi”, which is a word he made up to describe his collection of random homeless game pieces, clothing patches, and trinkets of all shapes and sizes. Funny, I guess one man’s trash really IS another man’s treasure. Or... something.

Most of the vendors were actually very cool. I loved being surrounded by so much creative energy and initiative. Even the skosi guy did some very unusual book binding. I hope that next year, Dave decides to sell some of his own work there.

On the way home, I got to learn more about some of the things that have shaped Dave's life and attitudes. He was also great at being interested in what I had to say. I really love how freely conversation flows with him. This was definitely a good way to take the book in my life marked "Dating" off the shelf and blow some dust from its covers.

So, if I were to write the Readers Digest version of my date with Dave, I would highlight the great company and conversation with lots of laughs, creativity, inspiration. Plus, some of the best people-watching I’ve had the pleasure of doing in a long time.

We’re off to an encouraging start.

Project Flirty and Thirty: The Inception

There are just 56 days until my birthday.

When I was little, I used to scrawl all over the family calendar “56 D.U.M.B., 55 D.U.M.B., 54 D.U.M.B...” as the countdown progressed to the day of my birth. I think it made me feel like the time was passing faster, or something.

And that was a good thing.

But this year is different. THIS year, there are just 56 measly days betwixt me and the big twenty-ten birthday. That’s what my former roommate, Winter, used to call her thirtieth. And I sort of like it, except for the fact that it’s a statement of denial.

I don’t really have a problem with turning thirty; I’ve seen many of my friends do it painlessly before me. I just have a hard time saying goodbye to a decade that gave me so many wonderful memories and experiences. I was sort of a late bloomer when it came to dating, so it wasn’t until this decade that I experienced a lot of my firsts in this department. And so I feel like I have some lost time to make up for before I hit the next milestone.

And that’s where Project Flirty and Thirty comes in to the picture.

The plan is to go on thirty first dates between now and October 2nd, the day that heralds the beginning of the next decade of my life. Thirty different single men-- friends, set-ups, strangers-- who I hope will teach me more about the art of dating and help me figure out what I am looking for ultimately. The plan is to blog about each of these dates, and invite you, Dear Reader, to vote on who you think I should go on a second date with.

I am open to dating all kinds of people, within a few parameters:

-I’d like to keep the dating age range between 25 and 35 years old.

-I’d prefer each of the dates to be with someone who is LDS, and has LDS standards.

(If you don’t know what these are, you can ask me.)

-All dates will take place in a public setting

-Each date should cost less than $30

-Each date should last at least 30 minutes

Since I’m especially interested in meeting new people, I’m hoping that my friends and acquaintances will be a good source of referrals for me. If you know of a guy who might be interested in going on a first date with a 5’ 7” brunette LDS girl from Maryland, and would be a good sport about letting me take pictures and blog about it, I’d love to hear about him. I realize that I’m opening myself up to a lot of possible scariness by putting that invitation out there, but I’m trusting that my friends will exercise good judgement in the men they refer. And after all, that’s part of the fun.

Fifty-six days, thirty dates. Let the project begin...