Is this thing on?

Good morning blog readers!  I'm so glad you could join me for another edition of the Great Dating Experiment.  Last night I had another adventure in dating through IJL with a young man named "J".  Well, let's just say the high light of the dinner were the crab cakes.  Here's what went down...

So I arrive at the restaurant 10 minutes late.  I know, I know - that is rude.  But I have to tell you the valet at this place could not have been more awful.  I sat in my car for 5 minutes waiting for him to come get my car.  I mean, I'm a single gal in the city.  I can't be parking my car in random lots in downtown Cleveland after dark!  So anywho, he finally get to my car (that hoodlum) and allegedly parks it.  We'll come back to this valet later...

I walk into the restaurant where I'm taken to "J" and I apologize for my lateness.  First impressions were a little rough.  "J" has a goatie.  As many of you may know, I have issues with facial hair.  I think it either looks really good...or it looks really bad.  Let's just say this was not a goodie.  He stands up to shake my hand (what a gentleman), and he is definitley at least an inch shorter than me.  Now, I was wearing heels...but when am I not??  You know how I feel about shoes!

Moving onto conversation with "J" - he is nice, has a good job, asks questions - so overall seems like a good guy.  But what is missing?  Humor.  I mean is it too much to ask for a guy to have all the above attributes plus be funny and charming??

I will admit that I accidentally got on the subject of religion at one point...don't ask - I'm an idiot.  But basically, I wanted to ask if he was ready for Christmas and it turns out he is Jewish.  Great work, Jenny.  Nothing like keeping it casual.  Anyway, he didn't seem phased and he told me how he celebrates both holidays.  Phew!

So we end the date and he awkwardly ends it with, "I had fun tonight.  You have a good personality and I find you attractive."  Okie dokie then - that's to the point.  We go to find the amazing valet to get my car...and he basically parked it on the street right in front of the restaurant.  So he gets my keys off the rack, hands them to me, and just points to my car.  Worst valet ever.  I coulda parked there! 

Thankfully, the date ended with "J" saying he'd call me after the New Year.  I'm thinking it'll be a no-go when he calls...

Moral of the story - IJL really needs to listen to what I'm looking for.  I mean, is this thing on? 

Comments

[Jimmy D]

Hi, I stumbled across your blog pretty much by accident while searching from some Cleveland related blog posts on Google. I'm about the age of the men you write about on this blog, and honestly, I'm appalled by the way you judge these men. Although you may be wondering why it's so hard to find Mr. Perfect, you live in a town where the deck is heavily stacked in favor of women your age (although your fear of walking alone downtown is a pretty huge turn-off, I have many female friends who can handle living and working downtown without any issues) . If an agency matched us for a date and I walked in and saw the face on the right-side of this screen, I'd say hello and walk right back out, because I don't need to be publicly judged and rejected in you search for things wrong with me.

[Jenny]

Dear Jimmy D.,

So glad you had a chance to check out the blog. I appreciate your thoughtful feedback and the time you took to post a comment here. Unfortunately, women are judged on a daily basis - on hair color, on boob size, on waistline, and the list goes on. It amazes me that you are so appalled by my abiltiy to know what I want and take nothing less.

As far as the parking situation goes...I work downtown, eat downtown, and generally feel comfortable in the city. Parking in a lonely parking lot at night...is just not safe or smart. You may want to pass that piece of wisdom along.

Also, just because I write about my experiences, doesn't mean I disrespect these men - I'm simply using the writing process so I can work through the crazy world of dating and share my experiences with friends, family, and other singles in the city.

You talk about judging? Well, what are you doing right now? In all honesty, everyone does it on a daily basis. Don't get on your high horse and tell me you never rejected a girl based on personality flaws or a physical "issue". It would be a lie. That's what dating is about. I'm just putting it out there, minus the frills.

Feel free to stop back anytime. My blog will continue, along with my search for Mr. Right. Enjoy.

[Nike Shox]

Jaramillo has been with KFOX since 2006, when she returned to El Paso to host the morning show after a three-year stint at KTVU, the Fox affiliate in San Francisco. Of course, she was KFOX's first-ever anchor in 2011 ore that she was a reporter at KVIA here in El Paso and for TV stations in Roswell, N.M.

Happy new year by joy.