A long, but enjoyable weekend, finishes.

A few days ago, I went to FBS's unofficial wedding reception along with a few other friends, such as D and D's wife. It was good fun even though I still feel somewhat self-conscious around FBS, given our past. One thing I did notice, especially given my recent thoughts about meeting people is that there were no single women there. I did see a few that were interesting. I can remember one girl who was wearing this slinky blue dress who was cute and reminded me of a cross between Date No. 1 and Vicki Butler Henderson (and the two of them are similar looking too). Sadly, she's married with kids as were the other interesting women. It was just a reminder about how old I'm getting when a wedding reception has no available women.

MfW turned up later and we eventually crashed back at mine for a few beers and some late night chat. I found out some interesting things about co-workers which was entertaining, but nothing that will ever be made public. It was interesting having a chat with MfW though. He's recently broken up with his girlfriend of about two years, but is looking for someone already rather than something physical. I did joke with him about him spoiling my chances a few weeks ago with NM, but that wouldn't stop me from heading out with him again.

Moving on.

I'm in the middle of a busy weekend. I was out at a gig on Thursday, a few quiet drinks on Friday, a stag night last night and a pseudo-wedding reception tonight with FBS and D amongst othes. Mostly, these have all been fun.

The gig was amazing. I'd spent all day not really feeling the excitement, but once there, it all kicked in. A few quiet drinks with a couple of mates was food fun, but low key. The supposed big night of the weekend turned out to be the most disappointing. It was disorganised and the people involved were, well dicks. The stag suggested a pub (the one where I met NM), there were a few dissenting voices, but no real reason why we shouldn't go. Fourteen of us managed to get in, except for the best man who wasn't allowed in as he'd worked there before... a fact he'd neglected to tell us. The party went across to that trendy bar I was in last week while me and a mate stayed behind "accidentally".

I did keep an eye out for NM or her friend, but I saw neither. I had hoped, a little, that she would be there last night. After all her friend has been there a few weeks running, so I'd hoped she would pass on the message that she'd seen me and NM would turn up herself. That was clutching at straws a little, I think, and as she wasn't there last night, I'm going to have to give up on NM and look elsewhere. Time to have another conversation with DSC, I think.

What do you want?

After more text-teasing DSC about CF or specifically, hooking up with CF, I got a text message through yesterday:

"I sense a bit of frustration... LOL"

Which is true. I am incredibly frustrated and the incident with NM recently has really not helped matters... so close, but so far. I replied:

"Yes, that's fair to say. NM hasn't helped."

"I can imagine. So are you looking for a shag, fun dating or to meet someone?"

Interesting question from DSC.

"All of the above? I like dating. It's fun. If I can get a few dates and the odd shag along the way of meeting someone, I'll be happy"

"LOL. You'll be lucky"

Hmmm... not exactly what I wanted to hear, but is it really so unlikely or unrealistic?

I fucking hate when this happens - UPDATE

Well, tonight's no longer happening. The cute friend has (unsurprisingly) cried off, giving me a Get Out of Jail Free card to play, which I did. If DSC comes online, then I'll happily explain why I've done this. I've just given the cute friend all the details. I think she disagrees with me, at least with my point of view that DSC's boyfriend is a cock. I stand by it though.

I am annoyed, but less so given that the cute friend wasn't going to be there. And it's about time the cute friend got her own tag, so it's CF from now on.

I fucking hate when this happens.

With four hours to go until I’m meant to meet DSC and her friend in the pub, I get a text message to tell me that she’s also bringing along her boyfriend. A man who, I’ve made pretty clear to her, I think is a complete cock.

There are two things wrong with this picture. The first is that I have no say in the matter. Heading out tonight for a drink and a chat was my idea, and it was my idea to being along her cute friend, to try and get her to break her routine of always staying in during the week. DSC suggested that I might bring out a few mates, to expand her own social circle and generally make the night more fun. The second is the person that’s she’s invited.

Where I do have issues is that DSC’s arbitrarily inviting along people without really asking if it’s OK. She did this before, when I had suggested we (me, DSC and the cute friend) go out at the end of June. She invited other friends, changed the venue and when I did show up, there were another four people there that I had no knowledge of. The fact that she’s done it again with someone I don’t particularly like, is a double whammy.

I’m considering not going out tonight now.

The weekend, rescued!

My weekend was rescued by two things, namely an afternoon in the company of DSC and a couple of drinks later with G and M.

The conversation with DSC was good, it was a nice day outside and things were just nicely chilled. Over luncha dna few drinks, we touched briefly on my own lethargy, but I still don’t really understand it myself, so couldn’t explain why I was in that mood to DSC. She also suggested that I try online dating again, and I really am not in the mood right now, but I suggested we leave it a few weeks and have another go. DSC got plenty of action on Plenty of Fish, so if I get her involved in my profile, who knows what might happen?

By coincidence, G was also asking about my dating status. I explained to him that it was all a matter of minor dalliances at the moment, but that I was looking a little more seriously than I had in the past. He wanted to know why and I explained that I was simply fed up of being single.

I’m meant to be meeting up with DSC and her cute friend on Wednesday, so I expect this topic to be raised again, not only with myself in mind, but DSC’s cute friend too as she’s currently single and looking (albeit in a weird and twisted way).

Meh. And lots of it.

Last night, I kinda got my plans all mis-timed, so ended up spending the majority of the evening at M's girlfriend's gathering. I didn't get to see my mate's band and the thing with NM nearly went un-tested. As it happened, we went to a really new place in town. It's where all the local celebrities hang out, and by Christ, it was horrible. The music was crap, the ambience was zero, the people were idiots. There really were very few positives. I just felt the life getting sucked out of me.

DSC had demanded that I go on the pull last night and after last week, I was really up for it all this week, but after being in that place for an hour and trying to scope out interesting looking women, I really couldn't be arsed. Plus, with no wingman to help me along, I was never going to go out there on my own. Both M and myself contacted G to see if he was going to come join us (and he makes an excellent wingman), but he never returned our texts and calls.

I quit early and, on the way to get a taxi, stopped into the bar where I met NM last week. I bumped into her friend (as she was leaving), but NM was nowhere to be seen. I had a quick drink then went home. DSC was texting me and we had a text chat for about an hour about my general feeling of lethargy.

I woke this morning with that feeling still present, along with something else. I don't know what. Disappointment, perhaps, as this weekend had promised so much but has spectacularly failed to deliver.

Fun times ahead.

Lots of things on this weekend. Was already out last night with my brother-in-law for a few pints with his brother. It was a quiet-ish night with me being in work today, but the unexpected nature of it meant that it was good fun.

Tonight, I've got a gig to go to - Stereophonics - which I'm looking forward to. I'm going with a few old work colleagues from the past, including GfW.

Tomorrow is M's girlfriend's birthday, where DSC has demanded I go on the pull, along with the very long shot of NM being in the pub we met in last week, plus a mate's band is playing too. Saturday should be a really good night and I'm looking forward to it already.

A last minute addition to the weekend is meeting G on Sunday night. M will be out as will FP (shifts permitting, of course) plus various wives/girlfriends.

All in all, it's a packed weekend... the first of about three or four on the trot. It's going to cost a small fortune, but I'm hoping it will be great fun.

Further options now appearing.

My plans for Saturday night have been compromised somewhat by an invitation to see a friend's band and an invitation to M's girlfriend's birthday. Also G's home this weekend and there's a possibility of meeting up with him. He knows M though, so if we're out on Saturday night, it's won't be an option of M or G...

The only issue is how I'm going to fit in my quick journey to the pub to see if NM is about. DSC still thinks it's a good idea, but I'm not entirely convinced she'll be there. The upside of all this social action is that the thing with M's girlfriend and my mate's band are all in the same area of town as the pub where I met NM, so I could possibly do it all. I still have to figure out the logistics though.

Decisions, decisions.

I think I've decided to see if the girl from last week will be at the same pub this Saturday night because of encouragement from DSC and QC1. She has promise, though I have this sneaking suspicion she's not going to tick a lot of my boxes.

Physically, I don't really have a type. I've dated all sorts in equal measure over the years - tall, short, blonde, brunette etc. NM was medium height, thin and blonde and very pretty. I do have a preference - tall, athletic brunettes, but I've not dated the same type of woman often enough to say I have a type.

It's the non-physical stuff that I'm not sure about and would like to know more... assuming she shows up on Saturday night. QC1 and DSC are pretty convinced she will. I, on the other hand, am not.

A girly suggestion.

Today, both QC1 and DSC came to me, separately, with the same suggestion. The big idea is that I return to the same bar as last Saturday night and see if Near Miss (NM) is there. I've wondered why they've both made this suggestion. I made it quite plain to both of them that she was fun, good-looking and sexy, and I was very keen to sleep with her last week, but I'm not convinced that she's dating material.

NM lives too far away for starters - at least twenty miles and I don't own a car - and I think she has kids. I've never been too keen on dating someone with kids. I've yet to make my mind up about whether I want kids of my own, so dating someone with kids of their own strikes me as being, I dunno, weird? Hypocritical? Plus, there was a lot of small talk rather than anything deep and meaningful, so I don't actually know her that well.

Anyway, their theory is that if NM is keen, there's a very good chance that she'd return to the same bar to see if I was about. She did seem keen, I will admit. There were hints from her about coming back to mine, and I am interested in her physically. But my own thinking is that if she really is interested enough to go back to the bar to find me, then a simple, no-strings shag or two is not what she's after. This is where my concerns are.

Maybe it's worth showing up to get to know her a bit better anyway, clarify the kids thing? Who knows how things might turn out?

Cock blocked by a mate?

Last night, me and a friend, MfW, hit the town, primarily to go on the pull. I don't do it often, much to DSC's chagrin (and AM and QC1 and QC2 and... well, you get the picture), but when I do, I'm usually pretty successful. 

Last night was no exception. We tried to get into the newest bar in town, a pretty trendy place, but as we didn't leave the house until after ten, it was packed and the queue was far too long. 

We nipped into a place across the street that had a good crowd in it. I bumped into an old school friend of mine, E3. I'd always had a thing about her when we were at school but never did anything about it.

Chatting with her, E3 was very tactile. I don't remember ever being like that before, so it was a bit weird. I was looking for other signs that might indicate she's interested, but there were none. The reason that I say this is because it was suggested at M's party a few weeks ago that we were both single and should hook up. 

Anyway, E3 left shortly after chatting. After admiring a girl that used to work for the same company as me, we eventually got chatting to two girls - a blonde and a brunette. It became apparent quite early on the me and the blonde had some chemistry (for reasons you'll discover later, I'll call her Near Miss), so at the end of the night, we went back to MfW's place.

Near Miss was very cute, wearing a thigh high flowery dress and strappy shoes and kinda, vaguely looked like actress Elizabeth Mitchell or maybe a bit of Elizabeth Banks, both of whom I find attractive.

Despite lots of (accidental) cock blocking from the brunette and MfW, Near Miss and I did manage to at least kiss. 

Anything more than that was a possibility, except that MfW pretty much managed to scare the two girls off before I could get Near Miss on her own to take things further. Near Miss was definitely up for it too, as she kept asking where I lived. "Only five minutes walk or so from MfW's house," I admitted, and SHE was very tactile before and after kissing. 

However, a few misplaced, blunt comments by MfW (not out of character, sadly) while I was out of the room, a quick girly trip to the toilet and the two girls abruptly left without returning to the living room. No phone numbers were exchanged so further contact is unlikely unless they do a bit of Facebook stalking - they know my full name and Near Miss definitely was rather keen. She's fun, sexy and good-looking, but I don't think she's dating material, though I'd like to see her again.

Being stubborn.

In having a conversation on MSN with DSC, she mistakenly thought I was talking about her little brunette friend that I've sorta had my eye on recently instead of someone else. Once again, she stubbornly repeated the mantra that I am not her friend's type.

I'm still confused as to why DSC doesn't suggest we at least have a date. I don't know if she thinks I'm actually interested, but we're both single and DSC wants us both to meet someone. If it were me, I'd suggest it to both of us. We both get on well, there's some banter whoch can mean some sparks and certainly a few people have commented on Facebook that we do spark off each other. So what if we have a date and there's no spark? At least we can say we tried.

Maybe I should forget DSC and see if I can get her friend out and see what happens?

Busy times ahead.

It's a busy few days coming up. I've got an interview about a college course early next week, followed by an outdoor gig the following weekend, with GfW. DSC and her friend are also attending, albeit separately. The week after that, I have another outdoor gig with a few people from work. The same weekend there's a kind of wedding reception for FBS where I'll be meeting up with D again. The weekend after that is my cousin's wedding and again the weekend after that is DSC's friend's birthday.

Those are all plenty of good opportunities to meet new people, but I still quite fancy a crack at DSC's friend.

DSC also mentioned in a recent conversation that she thinks I need to meet someone...

"I think you need someone... even if it's just for the company"

Maybe she's right? There's only so far that friends can take you, after all.

An eventful weekend.

I was out with a few people from work last night to celebrate a friend of mine leaving work. It was a good laugh in general, but a girl there, an ex-girlfriend of a friend of mine got very drunk and became extremely clingy. She just wouldn't leave me alone. In the end, when we were moving from one pub to another, I cut my losses and went home.

I'd also spent a lot of time chatting to DSC via text and she was telling me that her friend, the one that's piqued my interest recently, has a date tonight. I'm still confused because, while there's no huge pang of attraction, the fact she's going on a date is very disappointing to me.

Still requires more pondering. DSC is still refusing to link me and her friend together, despite trying to get both of us to consider heading outside of our dating safe zones.

On the other hand, I have a night out with FP and a few of his friends tonight. Should be a good night but I hope it's not a big night out. I had that last night and really can't do it twice in a row anymore.

Bad news... ish.

I kinda got my answer from DSC last night and it's not really a surprise. Apparently I'm not her type. I've only known her a short time, but personality-wise, we seem to have hit it off. I don't know if that would ever overcome the fact she has a definite type, but I guess that, for now, I won't be asking her out on a date.

I know DSC is trying to encourage her friend to express herself more and look outside of her comfort zone in terms of dating men, so whether that's going to work in my favour we will have to see.

Plotting

I’m meeting DSC tonight for a few drinks. Partly, just to get out of the house and partly because I want to see if I can get any information out of her about whether it’s worth approaching her friend for a date. The pressure’s on because I’ve already told a few people that I’ve recently met someone that I might be interested in. I rarely do that, so there will be definite interest from others on how this pans out, and I hate that klind of pressure, but it also gives me motivation to follow through with it.

I am concerned that DSC has suggested I date several of her friends, but pointedly, not the cute brunette. Tonight I hope to figure out why this is.

Dancing king.

DSC has a cute friend - small, brunette, funny, cute, cracking smile. Over the past few days I've been speaking a lot to DSC about this weekend as we're all heading out to one of my favourite pubs where they have a cracking disco that plays some off the wall tunes. DSC has been telling me that she's going to find me someone, so I naturally assumed it would be DSC's friend. She is single, after all.

That wasn't to be. DSC's friend was friendly, and appeared interested in spurts but not enough for me to make any kind of move.

Plus, DSC asked me out a while back, so I'd rather run things past her first before doing anything. I don't think it would be an issue, but maybe DSC can give me a hint if she's interested and stop me from wasting my time as I do know that DSC's friend isn't really interested in dating right now. I have dropped a few hints that I think DSC's friend is cute, but I'm not sure if DSC has picked up on this. I might have to be a little more direct.

The dancing was excellent though! It's been a while since I was at a really good disco. We've already spoken about doing it all again soon.