January 11, 2011

The Third Date - Listen to their warning...

The big difference between meeting someone through "natural" circumstances and meeting someone through an on-line service, is the frequency in which you "meet" them.  One thing remains the same...However you meet someone of interest and begin to court each other, when it comes to the third date, the truth comes out.  In my experience, (always with the intention of finding "The One"), the third date always brings a warning.  I've noticed that this phenomenon definitely increases in intensity with age, as people have gathered more experiences with past relationships/life and have labeled their personal baggage with little stickers that read "been there, done that". (I much prefer those whose baggage is covered with gobs of vintage travel stickers, but that's for another post)  


For instance, in my 20's I might have heard on my third date:  "Oh, by the way, I have to leave the US in about 6 months when my visa expires", but now in my 30's it can sound more like "Oh, and by the way, I'm still technically married" or "Oh, and I don't know if you want kids or anything, but, just so you know, I technically can't".   And for some reason or another, this kind of information usually comes out on the THIRD DATE.  OK, so it may be the second if you're lucky, or the fourth if you're less so, but let me tell you, you need to heed this warning, whatever it is.  


If you're anything like me, you'll hear something that just might not sound right, but give the person the benefit of the doubt, thinking to yourself 'I can live with that'.  I just urge you to really think about whether it's true, because what I've noticed is that what they warn you about on that third date, is what eventually will break up the relationship if either of you can't live with whatever "it" is...and it won't always be your decision.  And then, you're just left there kicking yourself for having investing so much time in trying to make it work...and bruises can be SO unsightly...


Everyone's got their own experiences that make them unique. Everyone's got something.  I call it all "part of my charm".   But I don't think it's so bad as to scare away a potential mate, unless he always has to be on time...but I don't intend on dating a Dutch train, so I should be OK, right?


You've been warned...

January 5, 2011

New Year's Resolution = to start my blog already!

And what better way to start 2011 but with a trip to Australia!


Last time I went to Australia, it was January 1998.  I was working away at my first "real" job in Portland, Oregon, and living with regrets of not having backpacked around the world before settling down into my life's career.  So, I saved up my vacation hours, and went with a relatively new girlfriend, Pia to go "see about an Aussie boy" whom she met the summer before.  Yes, I was the third wheel, but it wasn't as bad as it sounded.  I actually acted as a bit of a translator back in those early days, as Pia, being Swedish, could hardly understand her new "mate".  1997 was a time before digital photography, before I started waxing my eyebrows, and when denim shortalls were all the rage in casual attire...at least I thought so anyway.  Needless to say, my photos from that first trip are rather funny to look back on, and aren't the best quality (I would've retaken most of them had I been able to see them before I developed them!)


Funny enough,  I'm going back to OZ with the same couple, who have become two of my best friends and travel buddies over the years, and finally tied the knot last year!  But this time, I'm bringing my fancy camera with me.  Eyebrows are tidied up, but I'll still probably look back at what I'll be wearing in a few years and wince...that's just the way it is.


We'll be going to spend a week in Sydney, and then go up to the Sunshine Coast (Eastern Queensland) for 5 days.  It's actually raining buckets and flooding on the Sunshine Coast at the moment, but I'm really hoping it will be living up to it's name by the time we get up there, and I'll come back to winter in America looking like a "Bloody English Tourist" yet again.  


Cheers!