Chip and Dale

Sunday was the day of the double date.  Two dueling suitors, Chip and Dale.  Despite the names I gave them, there was a distinct lack of disrobing.  Too bad really. 

Chip
In one corner, I present Chip.  Chip is 30, lives in Fremont with a roommate, and does environmental consulting. 

For my date with Chip, we went to Fresh Flours in Ballard, a great bakery on Ballard Ave.  I'm not a big fan of the coffee date, since it doesn't involve alcohol.  I can't remember the last time I had a good first kiss sober.  Alcohol is Awkward's cure, Date's lube.  But coffee it was. 

I arrived early to secure us a table and spotted Chip immediately when he arrived.  He looked at me, then at the ground for a while until I beckoned him over from the door.  We shook hands over the cafe table and I asked myself if anything could be more awkward.  He soon answered that question for me.  This was going to be one long cup of coffee. 

Here is a sample from our conversation:
Liz: So what have you been up to this weekend?
Chip: I went rock climbing with some friends.
Liz: Oh cool, which gym?
Chip: Stone Gardens.
Liz: Cool, I climbed some in College, but not since.
Chip: ...
Liz: So, what else?
Chip: I went to Karaoke last night
Liz: Fun!  Do you have a signature song that you like to sing?
Chip: No.
Liz: ...

Going to the dentist is more fun.  I felt like every time I asked him a question, he was contemplating hiding under the table.  He wasn't asking me many questions either, so there were all these long pauses that I had to fill with more questions for him to which he answered in as few words as possible.  After we drank our coffee, we took the quickest walk around market possible.  He nervously walked a half step behind me, stutter-stepping, walking faster and slower.  We only stopped to watch a pretty impressive tap dancer / banjo player duo and then found ourselves at the end of the loop after about 4 minutes.  I gave him a hug goodbye and we walked in opposite directions.  I think he was more relieved to have the date over than me.  Poor guy was just so nervous. 

Dale
In the other corner, we have Dale.  Dale, 28, lives in East Lake, and does sales for a Lumber company.  He also has started a company which is exporting Washington wines to China.  Pretty cool. 

Dale and I met at Smith's in Capitol Hill.  Dale and I had a really good date!  We were there for 2.5 hours and conversation was relatively easy (relative to Chip, it was AMAZING).  He's definitely a smart guy, he's interested in a lot of different things, from work to play.  Thinking back on the date, he did most of the talking.  I think this is where my instinct to make someone comfortable, to plow through awkward silences and keep people talking about themselves can backfire.  I always have the next question poised, so unless someone has an equal ability to reciprocate the conversation, it turns into them talking about themselves much of the time.  Maybe on my next date, I should embrace the silences and let them drive some of the conversation. 

Unfortunately, I didn't feel chemistry, no spark, not a flutter.  He's not really my "type" and sometimes I've found that I've been attracted to people that aren't tall, dark, and scruffy, but I don't think his blond and short is going to result in butterflies.  I know I'm not that excited about him because after we paid, he kept talking about his band and I was just trying to find a way to leave gracefully.  Hmm, that's not a great sign. 

The funniest part of the date was when he randomly ordered bone marrow.  He said he wasn't sure why he ordered it, but out came a six inch bone, halved lengthwise, the two sides open with marrow.  If you haven't tried marrow before, it is like eating warm, runny fat.  It's like Foie Gras, but even more rich.  I have to give him credit, he ate the whole thing, and I watched him eat it. 

First date tip: Don't eat a plate of fat. 


In closing, it was no contest - Dale wins the dueling dates, but neither is a champion.