Uhhh...wanna go on a date...with me?

This first part has nothing to do with the title of the blog or anything after this, but I have to admit that I lost to Andrew "Doms" Sterrit in a push-up contest.  There will be a rematch next Monday though and redemption will be spelled "Joseph Esch."

Now, on to the real blog.  If you've read any of the previous posts you know that my dining experiences are a main focus.  When was the last time you went out to eat at a nice restaurant by yourself?  Well, I'm like the rest of you, I like to have good company as well.  Last year, when I went to most of the places I'm going to write about, I had a girlfriend.  Too put it bluntly, that ship sailed at the beginning of this school year and consequently I have not been on a date in a really long time.  So not only has my love life been non-existent, but my eating adventures have suffered dramatically.  There is not an activity that I enjoy more than good food and good conversation (as I've typed many times before this), so I've been trying to remedy the situation.

We (the BC student population) got an e-mail last week outlining upcoming events/talks on campus.  One of these was about getting an internship this summer, naturally I skipped right over this one because the lecture listed below it was titled "Why you aren't dating and what you can do about it."  Hooray, problem solved!  I asked the two guys I live next door to if they would come with me.  One has a midterm tomorrow he needs to study for and the other responded with an effective "No way in hell."  So after dinner tonight with a bunch of guys from my hall (shout out #bros) we all went our separate ways.  Some went back to the dorm, some went to the library, and I made the extremely cold and lonely walk to a lecture hall about how to get a date.  On the walk up I was thinking "A good start for me to get a date would be to shave the nasty goatee I'm sporting and to not be a loser going to a lecture for desperate people."  Unlike the majority of the people attending the lecture as part of a class requirement, I was there to hear the magic formula for getting a date.  This is a very humbling thing for me to admit because I've always fancied myself as being quite well versed in talking to girls.  But it's been a very long drought so I left my pride at the bottom of the Million Dollar stairs and made the walk.

The professor who gave the lecture is very well known for being funny and engaging so I figured even if she didn't pass out a magic lamp that granted dates, I would still enjoy the lecture and get a laugh.  She had flashcards for the ten reasons why we (single people...) aren't dating.  This is where I began to get skeptical.  Some of her reasons were; you spend too much time smoking weed and are lazy, you get your emotional fix from your dog, you're afraid of rejection, you're satisfied with random hook-ups, and you're afraid of commitment.  Her reasons didn't wholly apply to me.  I don't smoke weed, I don't have a dog, I'd rather take a girl to dinner and talk than "hook-up" with her, and it's not like I'm asking anyone to marry me, just to grab some coffee.  

I skipped the rejection one on purpose.  Prior to coming to BC I didn't think I would ever even have this problem.  In high school there was always a girl who was willing to hang out on a Friday or Saturday and catch a movie or just hang out.  Since I've been at BC I've actually gotten the "Ohhh, can I get a rain check" line three times, and I still have three outstanding checks.   What?!?!?  I didn't think that happened to people as desirable as me (joking).  Part of this problem is I have high standards and a false sense of confidence which = my playing out of my league = not gonna win them all.  That wasn't a knock to any girl who's ever said "yes" to me, rather a thanks for entertaining the thought that maybe I have a great personality. Regardless, I've gotten over being afraid of a girl saying "no."

One of the professor's ending points was really good though.  She said that you aren't supposed to be sure about a first date (or a Level 1 date as she called them).  The whole point is to just get away from other people and have a conversation and see if the interest to go on another trip to White Mountain (classic) is there.  So ladies, when I come up to you and say "Yo girl, your daddy letchu date?" you don't have to be sure if we're going to be together in three months.  Heck, I won't be sure that I won't leave after the first 10 minutes when you've already ordered the most expensive thing and are talking about how many push-ups your ex-boyfriend can do, but let's be unsure together and go get a stinking sugar cone with a twist and rainbow sprinkles.