Where have you gone, Alejandro? A nation turns its lonely eyes to you...

Has it been that long? Nearly four months since my last entry? I heard, through the grapevine, that our dear readers felt neglected - nay, rejected! - by my absence. They thought, perhaps, that I had abandoned them for some sexier, more attractive blog - possibly wordpress - where I was extolling the virtues of match.com or some such.

No no, my dear friends, I have not abandoned you. Rather, perhaps, I have achieved what this blog set out to chronicle - my own search for awesome.

You see, dear friends, a few months before this blog began - before Alejandro returned to the world of online dating that he had once spurned - Alejandro met Ginger. And they become acquaintances, and then friends. And as their friendship blossomed, they shared the details of their respective online dating adventures. And they learned more and more about one another, and spent time together, watching films like Kick Ass or debating the pros and cons of Anthony Bourdain.

Somewhere, in between study dates and trivia dates, Alejandro and Ginger realized they wanted to go on real dates. And so they did - to see Easy A and to eat some delicious Mexican food.

And so began a wonderful journey, now going on three months and change, as we each discover, more and more, the awesome that indeed we were both in search of.

Dear readers, do not be upset at my absence, for it occurred, simply speaking, because this blog has been so successful - precisely because you, dear readers, have given so much. And so, in this post, I wish only to thank you all.

And, I'm not going anywhere. Will I blog in any detail about Ginger's and my relationship? Haha no. But will I blog about the search for awesome generally? Yes. Will I respond to questions, or inquiries for advice? Absolutely.

Indeed, I hope to hear from you soon.

Another Atheist!

Today's Atheist is a real treat. His name is Jimmy. He' s "trying my best to live my dream of making a living in the world of professional wrestling."

Furthermore, he is very good at: "getting stressed out, saying the wrong thing, spending money, making people happy!, over thinking thinks."

If I want to go to Philly and grab a cheese steak, he thinks it would be "a fucking blast."

We are a 92% match.

As Alejandro has found Awesome, and I'm on a bit of a dating hiatus, there hasn't been much to write about. However, the 12 Days of Atheists has called me to write.

The 12 Days of Atheists is a concoction of okcupid. For all the atheists on the sites (me), they send you one other atheist per day. Hilarious. Each day I forget that I am going to have an atheist hand-delivered to my mailbox so it is always a surprise.

Today's "Match" was thin (a little Edward Norton-esque), is 33 (age of Christ), is good at "making people laugh," is new to town, quotes D.H. Lawerence, and doesn't believe in god.

Missed Connection

There's nothing that gets me more turned-on that a winter runner. I noted one just this morning, sporting his Adidas athletic pants and sensible neck gaiter. He was stretching his hamstrings against a tree, his muscles taut.

I gave him the eye once.

I gave him the eye twice.

I walked past, strutting a bit, and turned--casually--to give him the eye a third time.

Of course, nothing. Perhaps my not-so-sensible hoodie caused him to take pause. Or perhaps the fact that I was staring him down at 7 in the morning. Or maybe he was just focused on giving those sexy hamstrings a nice, long stretch...

I like to think that there is a parallel universe out there, somewhere, where Winter Runner and I are busy makin' babies...and pork chops.

"Cagney and Lacey" has been canceled

Numbers were exchanged
His attraction was alleged
Even hugs were shared

Alejandro drives
Genius mix of pop music
Bumps on the speakers

Like the apostles
Three days Alejandro waits
Rules and Resurrections

Lo, the call is made
Lo, now he must play it cool
Lo is Lauren's friend

Return call never comes
The message falls on deaf ears
Too meh to notice

And the prior girl
Was already forgotten
He's back to square one

The synchro swimmer
Cuter than any button
Returns, well sort of

Irons in the fire
They are fewer, but still hot
This dater abides

Do you like apples?

No, I haven't been holding out on you dear readers, I've just been crazy busy. But not too busy to go on a date!

I went out last Thursday with Lacey. We went to a bar I am fond of and had drinks. It was good, but not quite great. A couple things of note:

(1) I did find myself wanting to impress her, which is a great sign during a date

(2) She didn't necessarily find me as hilarious as I find me (which is ridiculous - I'm hilarious), but I was struck by some of the things she did find funny. For instance, I told me the amazing story about when I sang the National Anthem at a high school volleyball game, and the part of the story she most strongly responded to was when I began the story by saying "In high school, I was the announcer for our volleyball team." (Seriously, it's an awesome story)

(3) She refuses to watch 30 Rock because she hates Alec Baldwin. I don't know how I feel about this. I agree that Baldwin is probably a terrible human being, but he's just so damned funny.

The date ended, as I had to head to tutoring, but I did ask if I could call her, and she gave me her number (and it's her real number, which is great). We then hugged, and I gave her a smooch on the cheek. CHEEKED! BAM!

In the days since, I did call her last night and left a message. I hope she calls back. I wasn't, at the end of the date, super crazy about her, but I think it's possible that something will develop there over a couple dates. Some relationships are like pan-seared scallops: they don't take long to achieve awesomeness. Others, however, are like braised pork: they need time and some simmering before they reach their potential. But I love braised pork as much as (if not more than) I love pan-seared scallops, and so I'm happy to put in some time to see if this works.

First date: Cagney

Sunday night, Alejandro had a date with Cagney – and on the whole, I would say it went well. We met up for drinks at a bar in her neighborhood. It wasn’t too busy, it being a Sunday night, so we had an attentive waitress and almost an entire section to ourselves. After some good conversation, featuring only a few awkward pauses, I walked her back to her apartment and said the standard “I had a great time, I’d like to see you again” blah blah blah. Being the cad that I am, I of course went in for the smooch – but I got cheeked. CHEEKED! BAM! Well played, Cagney.

All told, we spent about two hours together, and on the whole I had a good time. However, Alejandro was not feeling any serious chemistry. She’s nice, she’s intelligent, she’s witty, and these are all important factors. Indeed, further items in the “pro” column include our shared love of Britney Spears and The Hills. Yet there are serious negatives as well, mainly that she’s not on the Christian/Catholic spectrum (which is important for Alejandro) and she’s a vegetarian. And anyone who has heard Alejandro extol the sublimity of bacon or the joys and travails of making pulled pork at home knows that vegetarianism, though not a deal-breaker, is at least a red flag.

I did, in the end, make it home in time for Mad Men, if barely. Did I cut the date a little short to make it home in town? Possibly. Not because it was crashing and burning, mind you, but because first dates are tricky. Chemistry isn’t always obvious on a first date – sometimes it is only there as a kernel. And in that situation, if the two spend too much time together, then it can erase some of the mystery and excitement of what might happen in a second date. Some relationships might be on fire from the get go, but others need to be stoked and encouraged a little more slowly. And a little more than an hour and a half in, I knew that this risk was real.

So then the question remains: will I in fact see Cagney again? I don’t know. I clearly indicated I would be interested in doing so while simultaneously mentioning that my schedule for the next two weeks would be crazy busy. And indeed, she seemed receptive to the idea of seeing me again, despite the blatant cheeking. So it’s a possibility.

But then again, this Thursday, I have a date with Lacey. That date is at one of Alejandro’s most favorite bars, which means there will be some major mojo in play. And moreover, I was definitely a little more interested in Lacey than in Cagney during our “intimate messaging” phases, so I am sanguine about the possibilities.