Joe9 - Tall, dark and handsome - nice

Joe9 and I found each other on PlentyofFish quite a while ago. We spoke on the phone one time, and I remember that I said something that made me think he wouldn't be back. I can't remember what it was, but I must have been wrong. I was sleeping off an antihistamine hangover this morning when he contacted me and said he got the day off and wanted to ride. Yay! I warned him that my eyes were looking pretty rough from the allergies. Of course I was thinking back to Joe 6 (was it 6?) and my disclaimer that I was looking as bad as I ever would, which I don't think helped. I'd been looking forward to meeting Joe9 for a while, so I jumped on the chance even though I felt like a bag lady.

We decided to meet at The Buzz in west Greeley and figure it out from there. He pulled up next to my bike. Everything was looking good. We sat on the patio and chatted while drinking our coffee, and then Joe9 asked if I was interested in Nordy's Barbeque, which I love. We hopped on the bikes and rode over. Our bikes sounded good together. I enjoyed the ride.

I have to say that it seemed like we were getting into TMI territory with some stories about exes, but I'm starting to change my stance on that. We can't sit around and pretend that we don't have pasts. Besides, hearing someone's side of the story does reveal something about a person. Regardless of the content, you can tell how much hate or bitterness is still there. He talked about his stepkids as though they were his own, which gave me the impression that he is a caring person. He talked about an ex-girlfriends son, which told me he was caring but had his limits. That's good too. There may have been some bad memories, but he isn't still living with the angst.

I went to the restroom, and when I came back I noticed that he'd paid the bill. I was mortified. Not so much that he'd paid, but a couple of years ago I read something about how some women will go to the bathroom at check-paying time so the guy will pick it up. In this book, it said that everyone knows this is scam, so don't do it. Again, I was mortified. Did he think that was a trick? That was totally not my intention. When the check came back, I asked if I could give him some money and he refused. Very nice of him, but I still felt like a jerk.

This is where the waters get muddied with this project. I haven't told everyone up front that this is what I'm doing. I haven't presented myself as someone who's looking to get hooked up, moved in, and married ASAP, but would someone be willing to buy me lunch if they knew what I was doing? I had planned on telling Joe9 ahead of time, but it happened so quickly. I've resolved this with the consideration that whether I'm writing about my dates or not, I'm still dating with the intention of creating relationships, whether any of them turn into romantic or not. And when the rubber hits the road, there are no guarantees in dating, project or no project.

From Nordy's we went to Tri City Cycles. That was my first time there. Impressive! Lots of used bikes of all different kinds, even a Thunder Mountain Custom. From there we rode up to Carter Lake and the Windjammer for a few games of pool. It has been years since I've played, and I told Joe9 that. Wouldn't you know, I sunk a ball on my first break and proceeded to sink two more before I turned the table over to him. I even won the first game. OK, now my credibility is shot. He came back and won the second game, and I scratched on the 8-ball on a really easy shot on the last game.

During pool we started on the second round of a TMI conversation: our online dating stories. This seemed like a great opportunity to tell him what was going on, and I was heading there with the "I'm planning on dating more than anything," disclaimer, but the conversation took a turn in another direction. Foiled. We headed out on the bikes and back down out of the hills. Joe9 asked if I wanted to stop by his house. When I hesitated, he said, "Don't worry. I won't rape you." I replied with, "I'm not worried. I'm armed." I stopped and we chatted a little more. My allergies were hitting hard again, so I headed east, hoping to get home while my eyes were still functioning.

Prognosis? I enjoyed his company. He seemed a little stiff at first, but by the time we were playing pool, he was joking around with me in a quiet subtle way that I found very sexy. I'm not sure what his feelings are toward me. I'd like to hang out with him again, even if it is just as friends. We'll see.

Lessons Learned:

1. Things that turn me on: a nice strong forearm, teasing - but not so much that the guy comes across as a jerk or sarcastic, getting whacked playfully in the back of the leg with a pool cue (who'd a thunk?)

2. Start on a regimen of non-drowsy allergy meds and keep taking them until the season is over.