You know that theory about learning from past mistakes? Yeah, I'm not brilliant at that.
But there was one instance in my life where it totally paid off...
My second attempt at internet dating.
But I'm getting ahead of myself. Before I can prove that it was awesome, I have to prove that I was an idiot-face. Namely because I didn't just meet someone online...I met someone on a DATING site.
Yeah, I know...alright? Sheesh. I had just turned 19, I had just been hilariously dumped (This apparently happens to me often), and I was 2 months away from my flight to New Zealand. What better reason to meet strangers online than an encroaching convenient escape around the world? Bring on the boys!
Okay, that wasn't actually what I was thinking. I was just lonely and wanted to meet some friends. We'll skip over the most embarrassing details (like my hyper honest self-commentary that weirded everyone out) and move on to that day in April that I got an e-mail from a boy named Brian.
Brian didn't e-mail because of romantic interest (he was 9 years my senior), but rather because my profile made him laugh out loud. My reaction to this was one of unadulterated happiness at my own awesomeness. I wrote him back (something terribly witty, I'm sure), and so began one of the funniest e-mail conversations of my life. By late May we had given each other nicknames (Dorie and Crush, respectively) and determined that we were the funniest humans on earth.
We were mutually self-satisfied. But with all this silly getting along business, we both developed a smidgeon of a crush/interest/maybe-this-person-would-be-fun-to-hang-out-with. So Brian asked me out on a date. This was weird only because I had only been asked on a date once in my life at the time, by a 10 year-old who wanted to marry me. So I told my mother (THAT lesson was decidedly learned), and we set the date for the first week in June.
Since it was an absolute likelihood that I was crushing WAY more than he was, I was in a panic trying to get ready. I had to wear the perfect outfit (I can't seem 19, but I can't seem like I'm trying not to seem 19...), I had to do my hair (Lord, please teach me how to operate a hair-dryer), and I had to have my 16-year-old sister do my make-up...because I didn't know how to do it myself.
Off I skedaddled to Portland, where we were set to meet at Pioneer Courthouse Square.
Now, I had never been to downtown PDX before, so I had no idea what to expect. All he told me was that we would meet under the umbrella. This sounded romantic to me...and it totally was.
I was first to arrive, which at the best of times is horribly vulnerable. I found the umbrella immediately and stood underneath the stone man holding it for me. It provided a certain degree of shade from the fantastic weather we miraculously had that day (everyone knows that Summer in the Pacific NW doesn't start until July). I felt gorgeous standing there, like something out of a movie...but that didn't stop my near heart-attack at the sound of my name from across the Square.
I'm sure that I'm not the only one who has experienced this. But over a two-second period of time, all of my hopes, fears, insecurities, and desires crashed through my body. In the time it took me to turn in response, I had run the full gamut of emotions and was staring directly into the face of Brian.
For just a second he and I looked at each other. Me, slightly lovestruck under the umbrella, and Brian, tall and handsome, leaning down so that his head was inside that magical umbrella space. It was just a moment, with our collective breath held in hopes that we wouldn't be found lacking. And then he burst into an enormous grin, grabbed my hand, and whisked me off on the day of all days.
I might have proposed on the spot had I been older and wiser.
Our first stop was 10 feet away. He wanted to show me all of his favorite things about Portland, one of which was the single square foot of space that you could stand on, in the corner of the square, and hear your voice echoing all around.
It was awesome.
I'd been on a date for all of 5 minutes and I was already having the time of my life. He probably regretted showing me that spot. Seriously? Rachel getting to hear her own voice in stereo? I think YES.
Then we were off to Pioneer Place Mall. A place shaped like a cylinder, with a bazillion flights of escalators all lined up perfectly. I was instantly transformed into a ten-year-old. He couldn't have pulled me away for all the tea in China (and I REALLY like tea).
We rode all the way up, then all the way down, then all the way up...etc. Eventually we ended up at the top floor and buying movie tickets to the film Whale Rider.
Since I was shortly to fly off to EnZed, we decided to take in this Maori-made indie film. Luckily for me, Brian was awesome...because I did multiple leaps from laughing to crying all throughout this brilliant film. Everyone should see this movie...seriously.
Oddly, I don't remember what we ate for dinner. I'm not even sure we paused our talking for long enough to eat. I do know that eventually we had walked down to the waterfront at twilight. There were twinkly lights in every corner and the summer night was warm.
We strolled down the walk until we had reached the end when Brian asked me what I wanted to learn in life. This elicited a speech so fast-paced and lengthy that I'm sure I startled him. But when I had finished he just looked at me and asked,
"Do you want to learn how to hand-whistle for starters?"
He then proceeded to show me the coolest noise-making technique ever.
It took me several tries to get it, and there was much laughter involved. But eventually we stood there, looking at the water, a warm breeze sweeping over us, making hand noises. Silliness was never more romantic. But at this point it was eleven at night and we started making our way towards where I had parked my car. Suddenly Brian looked at me and asked if I wanted to stay a bit longer and see his favorite place in the whole city.
Yeah...um...duh.
So off I went, trotting behind one of the handsomest, cleverest, and most intriguing individuals that I had ever met. I didn't think this day could possibly be any more magical. A handsome stranger had taken me to new places, taught me new things, introduced me to new adventures, and fully fed my appetite for mutual conversation. I was beside myself, when we rounded a corner and he held out his hand to show me this...
The Ira Keller Fountains. Just trust me, photos cannot do justice to the wonderment of this single city block. Surrounded by trees and full of hidden pathways, this oasis in the city blew me away. But not ten seconds later something happened that has only happened four times in the history of this fountain.
Some little vandal dumped soap in.
Mind explosion achieved.
Mere minutes later there is an absolute MOUNTAIN of bubbles cascading all around us and onto the street. The highest point was three feet taller than my head. So there we were, lost in bubbles in the middle of the night, standing on a stone surrounded by cascading water.
We looked at each other for a while, both of us thinking our own thoughts. Eventually he walked me to my car, said goodbye, and I was off.
At one point in our conversation it became clear to me that regardless of my full-blown romantic interest, I was just too young for him. He knew it and I knew it, and yet we had a full day and night of crazy, magical romance.
He came to visit me once after that day, and we stayed in touch until a few years ago. He married a lovely woman, runs his own Portland-based business, and will probably never know that I compare every single romantic event in my life with that one day. Nothing has ever measured up to it, and I don't know if anything ever will.
And for those of you who think the story should have ended differently, I give you this. The ending that should have been.
But there was one instance in my life where it totally paid off...
My second attempt at internet dating.
But I'm getting ahead of myself. Before I can prove that it was awesome, I have to prove that I was an idiot-face. Namely because I didn't just meet someone online...I met someone on a DATING site.
Yeah, I know...alright? Sheesh. I had just turned 19, I had just been hilariously dumped (This apparently happens to me often), and I was 2 months away from my flight to New Zealand. What better reason to meet strangers online than an encroaching convenient escape around the world? Bring on the boys!
Okay, that wasn't actually what I was thinking. I was just lonely and wanted to meet some friends. We'll skip over the most embarrassing details (like my hyper honest self-commentary that weirded everyone out) and move on to that day in April that I got an e-mail from a boy named Brian.
Brian didn't e-mail because of romantic interest (he was 9 years my senior), but rather because my profile made him laugh out loud. My reaction to this was one of unadulterated happiness at my own awesomeness. I wrote him back (something terribly witty, I'm sure), and so began one of the funniest e-mail conversations of my life. By late May we had given each other nicknames (Dorie and Crush, respectively) and determined that we were the funniest humans on earth.
We were mutually self-satisfied. But with all this silly getting along business, we both developed a smidgeon of a crush/interest/maybe-this-person-would-be-fun-to-hang-out-with. So Brian asked me out on a date. This was weird only because I had only been asked on a date once in my life at the time, by a 10 year-old who wanted to marry me. So I told my mother (THAT lesson was decidedly learned), and we set the date for the first week in June.
Since it was an absolute likelihood that I was crushing WAY more than he was, I was in a panic trying to get ready. I had to wear the perfect outfit (I can't seem 19, but I can't seem like I'm trying not to seem 19...), I had to do my hair (Lord, please teach me how to operate a hair-dryer), and I had to have my 16-year-old sister do my make-up...because I didn't know how to do it myself.
Off I skedaddled to Portland, where we were set to meet at Pioneer Courthouse Square.
Now, I had never been to downtown PDX before, so I had no idea what to expect. All he told me was that we would meet under the umbrella. This sounded romantic to me...and it totally was.
I was first to arrive, which at the best of times is horribly vulnerable. I found the umbrella immediately and stood underneath the stone man holding it for me. It provided a certain degree of shade from the fantastic weather we miraculously had that day (everyone knows that Summer in the Pacific NW doesn't start until July). I felt gorgeous standing there, like something out of a movie...but that didn't stop my near heart-attack at the sound of my name from across the Square.
I'm sure that I'm not the only one who has experienced this. But over a two-second period of time, all of my hopes, fears, insecurities, and desires crashed through my body. In the time it took me to turn in response, I had run the full gamut of emotions and was staring directly into the face of Brian.
For just a second he and I looked at each other. Me, slightly lovestruck under the umbrella, and Brian, tall and handsome, leaning down so that his head was inside that magical umbrella space. It was just a moment, with our collective breath held in hopes that we wouldn't be found lacking. And then he burst into an enormous grin, grabbed my hand, and whisked me off on the day of all days.
I might have proposed on the spot had I been older and wiser.
Our first stop was 10 feet away. He wanted to show me all of his favorite things about Portland, one of which was the single square foot of space that you could stand on, in the corner of the square, and hear your voice echoing all around.
It was awesome.
I'd been on a date for all of 5 minutes and I was already having the time of my life. He probably regretted showing me that spot. Seriously? Rachel getting to hear her own voice in stereo? I think YES.
Then we were off to Pioneer Place Mall. A place shaped like a cylinder, with a bazillion flights of escalators all lined up perfectly. I was instantly transformed into a ten-year-old. He couldn't have pulled me away for all the tea in China (and I REALLY like tea).
We rode all the way up, then all the way down, then all the way up...etc. Eventually we ended up at the top floor and buying movie tickets to the film Whale Rider.
Since I was shortly to fly off to EnZed, we decided to take in this Maori-made indie film. Luckily for me, Brian was awesome...because I did multiple leaps from laughing to crying all throughout this brilliant film. Everyone should see this movie...seriously.
Oddly, I don't remember what we ate for dinner. I'm not even sure we paused our talking for long enough to eat. I do know that eventually we had walked down to the waterfront at twilight. There were twinkly lights in every corner and the summer night was warm.
We strolled down the walk until we had reached the end when Brian asked me what I wanted to learn in life. This elicited a speech so fast-paced and lengthy that I'm sure I startled him. But when I had finished he just looked at me and asked,
"Do you want to learn how to hand-whistle for starters?"
He then proceeded to show me the coolest noise-making technique ever.
Yeah...um...duh.
So off I went, trotting behind one of the handsomest, cleverest, and most intriguing individuals that I had ever met. I didn't think this day could possibly be any more magical. A handsome stranger had taken me to new places, taught me new things, introduced me to new adventures, and fully fed my appetite for mutual conversation. I was beside myself, when we rounded a corner and he held out his hand to show me this...
The Ira Keller Fountains. Just trust me, photos cannot do justice to the wonderment of this single city block. Surrounded by trees and full of hidden pathways, this oasis in the city blew me away. But not ten seconds later something happened that has only happened four times in the history of this fountain.
Some little vandal dumped soap in.
Mind explosion achieved.
Mere minutes later there is an absolute MOUNTAIN of bubbles cascading all around us and onto the street. The highest point was three feet taller than my head. So there we were, lost in bubbles in the middle of the night, standing on a stone surrounded by cascading water.
We looked at each other for a while, both of us thinking our own thoughts. Eventually he walked me to my car, said goodbye, and I was off.
At one point in our conversation it became clear to me that regardless of my full-blown romantic interest, I was just too young for him. He knew it and I knew it, and yet we had a full day and night of crazy, magical romance.
He came to visit me once after that day, and we stayed in touch until a few years ago. He married a lovely woman, runs his own Portland-based business, and will probably never know that I compare every single romantic event in my life with that one day. Nothing has ever measured up to it, and I don't know if anything ever will.
And for those of you who think the story should have ended differently, I give you this. The ending that should have been.
I adored this blog. Your blogs always bring a smile to my face because you are hilarious and a total blast!!!! You're one of the few honest people out there! You are willing to reveal the silly and crazy side of yourself without worrying about what people think! I do so wish we lived closer so we could hang out!!!!
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