My dating persona

I stumbled across this on Hahn at Home and just couldn't resist taking the test. The results are in, and I am...

Your exact female opposite: The Wild Rose: Random Brutal Love Dreamer ALWAYS AVOID: Genghis Khunt (RBSM), The Wild Rose (RBLD), Half-Cocked (RBSD) CONSIDER: The Dirty Little Secret (DGSM), The Intern (DGSD) The Dirty Little Secret Deliberate Gentle Sex Master (DGSM) Innocent but fundamentally sexual, like the word "finger". You are the Dirty Little Secret. Few women have the confidence for sex mastery, and among nice girls, like you, it's almost unheard of. So congratulations. You've had plenty of adventures, but you've remained a kind, thoughtful person. Your friends appreciate your exploits. They even live vicariously through you. You seek pleasure, but you're not irresponsible. You are organized and cautious, and you choose your lovers wisely. One, you don't like dirtbags. And two, you like to maintain control. Or at least lose it selectively. You might notice that older men single you out. They have an eye for your sensual nature. Take it as a compliment. You enjoy making people happy, and it's inevitable that many girls will fall harder for you than you for them. You're not completely comfortable in a serious, long-term relationship right now. Our guess is that the key to extended happiness will be finding a responsible, but kinky, mate.

So go ahead and see if you're a match for me here. Hmm, maybe I'll make Ex-Gaybor take the test... I wonder if we'd be compatible at all. My spontaneous reaction is "no, we would not".

The long awaited kiss

Well, to call it a "kiss" is almost stretching it. It was more of a peck, on the lips.

I finally took the first step, since it was becoming blatantly obvious that Ex-Gaybor wasn't about to. And she didn't give me any great openings ever. I feel like I've been waiting for a moment to lean in and plant one on her since the first time we met up, but what do you know: That moment that I've experienced so many times before, where you look at each other and think about kissing each other before coyly looking away - it never happened. Instead I walked her to the bus stop for the third time, at the end of our third date. The rain was pouring down and I was making small talk, trying to open up for an opportunity to naturally bring up the whole "where's this going" angle. I jokingly asked if she often meets girls online. She responded that no, that pretty much never happened. I said it was nice hanging out with someone I really felt I clicked with and she agreed, but in a very casual way.

Finally, we were standing at the bus stop and I realized I didn't have many minutes to make my move. And I'd be damned if I let another date go by with no progress. And so, i asked her what was going on with us:

Me: "Umm... So, this is kind of weird. But I'll just be honest and lay it out there: We've been hanging out quite a bit and, well, I'm wondering where we're headed. Are we friends? Are we more than friends? Do we have potential to be more than friends?"

Ex-Gaybor: "I don't know... Crap, I'm really bad at this stuff. I guess, maybe a little bit more than friends?"

Me: "Okay... Well, then maybe it's alright if I say goodbye like this?"

At which point I leaned in and kissed her. The kiss was extremely timidly responded. And then the bus was arriving and we just said goodbye, said we'd call each other, and I took off on my bike.

By the time I got home I'd received a text message from her, saying she felt really akward and wished she had handled the situation better. I responded I could probably benefit from taking a class on how to make a first move, but she replied that I should give myself lots of credit for making the move because if left up to her she probably wouldn't have had the guts to do anything.

Then I called The Ex up in a fit of anxiety wondering if I really want to get into this mess. I always feel like I'm going into a mess when I'm starting something with someone... what's that about?

Long date, no kiss

So, my second date with Ex-Gaybor lasted for about 27 hours.

We started out at her place in the early afternoon of midsummer's eve, watching movies and talking and playing with my dog. We made plans with The Ex and a friend of her's (H) to have dinner together before going to the party at the Acquaintance's. I told Ex-Gaybor that The Ex was my ex, figuring I might as well get that out of the way, mentioning how stereotypical it was that one of my best friends was my ex. Ex-Gaybor got kind of quiet when I mentioned that and I asked her if she had any close friendships with her exes. She replied "no" and got even quieter, so I just dropped the subject.

We made our way home to The Ex where we all joined together to cook a delicious vegan midsummer dinner. We had a nice time and everyone was getting along, although we may have been trash-talking couples a bit too much, for me being out on a date and all... But old habits die hard I suppose. After dinner Ex-Gaybor and I walked back to my place and dropped of the pooch before meeting up again with The Ex and H by the Acquaintance's place where we entered and mingled away. I was drinking, a was most everyone else, but in moderate amounts. Ex-Gaybor was not drinking at all, due to having a persistent cold. The Acquaintance and I were flirtatious with each other as per usual I suppose, though I'm still not sure if it's flirtation or just regular friendliness, it's hard to tell with some folk.

I got a moment alone with The Ex and asked her all about what she thought of Ex-Gaybor. She was really positive, thought she was cute and nice and lovely and also mentioned that she was surprised it wasn't harder to see me with someone else.

The Ex: "I thought it would be difficult to see you with someone new, but really, it isn't. And if I were to imagine you with a new girlfriend this would be it!"

Me: "Really? I still don't know if we're hitting it off as more than friends, I'm not sure she's interested in me in that way."

The Ex: "Are you kidding? There's a whole looking back and forth electricity thing going on between the two of you. There's definitely sparkage."

So I was convinced something would happen this night. I had hope. We had already decided she would spend the night at my place and when we walked home I was convinced there was at the very least a make-out session in store for me.

Instead: Lots and lots of talking. I think I'm cursed or something. Well, I know I share the blame here, I should've just made a move. But I swear I could not for the life of me find a moment where it seemed possible for me to kiss her. And the more time that passed, the harder it became. So we just lay in bed, side by side, talking about coming out, and having gay or straight friends (more or less all my friends are queer, more or less all her friends are straight), and trying to meet someone. And it became more obvious why she clammed up on the question about exes: I don't think she has any. Seriously! On our first date we established that she hadn't had a boyfriend since 5th grade and then on our second date we established that she came out at the age of 16 and then nothing happened. She kept thinking it would happen for her eventually, but no. She started at university, still nothing.

I felt bad for her but also I was thinking about how innocent she seemed. Does this mean she's a virgin? We've already established that all women I've slept with, I've been their first woman, but first-first? At the age of 21? Shit that's a lot to live up to!

Either way, like I said, I'm not sure she's angling for that at all. In one way I think she desperately wants to meet someone, have a girlfriend, get laid. And in anothe way I think she's just really excited to have met a lesbian friend who has the whole crew of dykes and bi girls and goes to gay bars and all that cool stuff she's only seen on tv before. And I feel like we've crossed some kind of line, both in how long we've hung out without anything romantic happening and with what our conversations are about. Let's just say: I'm confused.

The morning after we woke up, had breakfast and did a whole lot of nothing for the rest of the day, until she took the bus home at 5-6 p.m. We watched movies, bad tv-shows, took the dog for a walk, talked and talked some more... and that was that.

So, a 27 hour date, with no romantic action what so ever. That's got to be a record or something... Or was it even a date? And what makes a date a date? Is there a list of criterias I should know about? Can you ever know if a date is a date until afterwards? I should go back to reading "Same Sex in the City", try and find some answers there...

Time is a requirement for dating

It's been almost a week since I last wrote. And while I would love nothing more than to tell the tales of all the progress I've made in the dating arena, I've got nothing. I've been busy, Ex-Gaybor's been busy, we just haven't managed to meet up. But tomorrow the second date is planned.

Okay, so it's not all that datey this time. I'm going over to her place to watch a movie and then we might be going to a midsummer's eve party in the evening. Said party is at The Aquaintance's place. And The Ex is coming with.

So just to make things clear: I'll be taking my date to a party held by a woman I hold some romantic interest in AND I'm taking along my ex. There is something seriously wrong with me, isn't there? Why would I set myself up for these kind of situations if there wasn't some neurological dysfunction up in my head? To spice things up just a little more, turns out Straight Girl is good friends with The Acquaintance, or so I've heard rumored. So perhaps another flirtation will add herself to the mix.

It may not become a problem what so ever though. Ex-Gaybor is sickly and might not be up for going out tomorrow evening. And The Ex isn't too keen on coming along to the party if she's going to be the third wheel. So they might sort themselves out of the mix... And The Aquaintance: Well, since I don't even know if she holds any kind of interest in me I doubt it'll be an issue. We've gone so many years without crossing the line from friendship into something else and I doubt we will anytime soon. And hell, last time I was at a party at her place I got wasted and made out with some complete stranger in her living room (that girl turned out to be totally straight though, gay as she looked - it's those damn gender study majors, they throw my gaydar off!).

Speaking of alcohol, that might be a very good solution to an akward situation. Drink until you don't care! Plus, if I get drunk enough I might get brave enough to make a move on Ex-Gaybor... The Ex is telling me I need to make a move soon, or she'll slap me next time I complain about never getting laid. But I'm a wimp and I know it and I suck at making first moves. I'll try though. Promise.

Venturing into Date Land

I braved the entrance to Date Land and lived to tell. (Go me!) I'd been talking to Ex-Gaybor quite a bit online and on Wednesday she made the suggestion that we meet up Thursday evening for a beer. Now, she had suggested a meeting the previous Sunday, but I declined - partly because I eventually had other plans but partly because, well, I chickened out. This time I decided to be brave and all that good stuff and we decided on a place and time. We live in neighboring cities and she graciously offered to come to my neck of the woods.

We met up at 9 pm, after my appointment at the vet (my dog is cured, yay!) and after her soccer practice. We recognized each other from that year of helloing each other in the stairway back when we were neighbors and greeted with a hug. Then we found our way to a decent place with out doors seating, beer and food. And it was great! We talked talked talked. And don't think there was a quiet moment, or at least no akward silences, from the time we met up to the time we parted, at the bus stop four hours later. We talked about our lives, our back grounds, movies/books/music, coming out... nothing heavy really, just light conversation and lots of laughing. After finishing our beers and getting a little bit cold, since the weather decided to change from super hot summer to cold fall or spring in a span of two days, we decided to walk back to my place where the great conversation continued. She met my dog and they got along brilliantly (check), she has a sense of humor (check), she seems to be on somewhat the same political spectrum as I am (check), she showed no signs of mental illness (check, with a reservation as those things tend to reveal themselves with time), and she's very cute (check).

What else could a girl ask for?

Well, there was no kissing, no hand holding, no romantic action what so ever. So that seed of doubt was planted: Was it even a date? Or were we just two people meeting up as friends? Still, I've decided to think of it as a date. And as a damn good first date in fact! We definitely clicked, but if it's as friends or as more than that will have to develop naturally, I suppose. All I can say is that there's definitely an attraction from my side.

Since the "date" we've been texting each other on a daily basis and she's written that she enjoyed spending time with me and that it's great to meet someone you can be so comfortable with from the get go, AND a somewhat random message about feeling blessed to be a lesbian so she won't have to spend her life with an obnoxious man, despite knowing that there are plenty of great guys out there and plenty of dysfunctional lesbian relationships. And I've spent the last few days analysing every word with friends and pondering how to make a move. I just suck at making the first move and first kisses tend to come painfully slow for me (unless I'm drunk, then I'm a total kissing slut). But next time we're planning to meet up to watch a movie so maybe, just maybe, I'll push past those inhibitions and go for it. Or just go for The Ex's suggestion and drink heavily before the movie watching.

Lesbian singles: A tragedy?

I went to see a play by an amateur lesbian theater group yesterday. The play was entitled "Take what you can get" (freely translated from Swedish to English) and it was about a single lesbian who has nightmares about dying alone and ventures out into the world of dating in order to find a girlfriend and thus being entitled to an inheritance by a recently dead relative. It was a funny play, for the most time, with plenty of situations that I could relate to. The psychotic women, the bicurious women, the already-in-a-relationship-(with a man)-women. I've known them all. So that was kind of discouraging in itself I suppose, being in a trying-to-date-phase, as I am. But the real tragedy here is how the play ended: With the poor single lesbian marrying a stuffed animal in order to be awarded the million dollar inheritance, since apparently the dead great-aunt hadn't specified that the future spouse had to be alive or anything. (Don't ask, I didn't get it.)

I mean really? Couldn't she have met someone? A nice, sane enough woman whom she could live happily ever after with? Or at least happily for a few months with? Couldn't the playwrites have given me at least that? Some hope that there are sane lesbians left in this world?

Sigh.

On the upside: One of the actors in the play was oh so cute. And I happen to know from the interviews the theater troup did regarding this play that this particular woman is the only single, active dater in the group at the moment. Now if I could only figure out a way to get in touch with her and ask her out...

In other news: I still haven't met up with The Aquaintance for coffee. What's up with that? Yeah, I know, I better get on that.

I discovered that my former neighbor that always set off my gaydar is in fact a flaming lesbo (she sent me a message on a gay community site) and she wants to meet up! I shall call her Ex-Gaybor.

Other than that, I'm just enjoying the warm weather, still hoping my dog gets better (vet follow-up this week) and experiencing some serious eye-wandering what with all the tank top wearing, tattooed, smoking hot women that are out and about in the sunshine.

Oh, the hotness

I think it's time for some objectifying. Yup, AfterEllen inspired me with their Hot 100 List. I suggest you check it out if you're looking for some women to objectify.

**Sidenote: Really, I'm 100% feminst, I swear. But I plead guilty on all counts of objectifying women. It's weird, my female friends and I are all the same. And we know, and we make it very clear to our male friends, that guys could never ever get away with saying the things we do without being called on it. But that's the way it is I guess... I'll keep fighting for a more equal society. And objectify in secret. Or in the open. Whatever.**

Here are some examples of hotness, some of which I didn't even think of when I was voting for the list:

Coming in at number 2: Angelina Jolie

No big surprise there... We all know lesbian and bi chicks dig her. And I am no exception. Go Angie go.

Coming in at number 4: Lena Headey

I didn't really get the big fuzz about her when I finally got around to seeing "Imagine Me and You"... but then I saw this picture. And now I totally get it. And her tattoo rocks. My goddess I love me some tattooed lady.

Number 10 on the list: Natalie Portman

Yes, I love her. She looks crazy intense in this specific picture though... just a little bit scary. But I love her head bald. Made me wanna shave all my hair off.

Coming in at number 30: Carly Pope

I remember really liking her in "Popular". And seeing pictures of her from "Dirt", a show I have yet to see, and thinking "she's pretty hot". But I would have never thought of her for this list, to be honest. And then there she was... and wow.

Go check out the other pretty ladies at AfterEllen.com! Lots of cast members from "The L Word", "Grey's Anatomy", "Buffy the Vampire Slayer", and plenty more!

Hangovers and Buffy

Yesterday was my housewarming party. I'd invited quite a few ladies of interest to said housewarming party, but none of them could make it in the end, so it was just me and friends. Which was fine, we had a lovely time. But not much sexiness. And people were definitely in more of a "getting-drunk-and-sitting-around-talking-and-lounging" mode than in a "let's-go-out-dancing" mode, so there wasn't any going out to find potential romances either. At the end of the night there was one male friend crashed out on my couch, another male friend (let's call him Good Guy) and I dancing samba in my living room withThe Ex watching us in amusement. I also have vague memories of flashings of boobs taking place and weird internet chats. In the end the drunken crashed out guy picked up his things and left and the rest of us went to bed. Well, The Ex and I went to bed (in a completely platonic way, I assure you) while Good Guy slept on the couch.

Good Guy, The Ex and myself have a club of sorts. It's a club for bitter singles (not necessarily bitter about being single, but bitter about something none the less) and my apartment is our headquarters. We gather, watch Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and trash talk the couples in our surroundings or just coupledom in general. There's plenty of snark, lots of bitterness and also lots of laughter. So today when we woke up completely hungover (some more than others... ahem) we had breakfast in front of the tv and started to watch random episodes of Buffy. And we did this from about 10:30 am to 8:00 pm with only a brief pause to go out and buy pizza. This may seem unhealthy, but Buffy is so fabulous to watch we didn't feel we wasted a minute of this gloriously beautiful Sunday. We were too hungover to do much of anything anyway, so sitting on our asses alla day was quite ideal.

So what is so brilliant about Buffy then? Well, I could go on and on about this, but I'll save that for some other day. But just to mention some of the things that makes the Buffyverse so fabulous: Snarky dialog, an episode for every mood/situation, and can we just mention the goodness that is Willow and Tara? Oh, it's a beautiful work of art. And it's just the right amount of fluffiness for my brain to process on a hungover Sunday.

Internet love

I recently got back in touch with a woman with whom I used to have an eerie sort of connection. We've never met, but we've been in contact with each other online for years, and a few years back we somehow fell in love with one another. We would send each other letters, packages, and call each other to revel in hearing the other one's voice. It was sweet and while we were realistic and knew that we would probably never get around to meeting (living on different parts of the globe and all) we cherished the connection we had and called it on what it was: We were in love, as strange as it might seem.

Then we drifted apart, as these things go. We felt the need to move on with our lives, and I know I struggled with the feeling that I was using my Internet Love as an excuse to hide from finding love in my real, non-cyber world. We've still been in touch, from time to time. An email here, a quick phone call there. A while back we started emailing back and forth for a bit. Internet Love was going through a rough phase and I could identify with a lot of what she was writing. I told her to call me if things got rough and she needed to talk, which she did the very next evening! Turns out she's planning a trip to come and see me and figured she'd throw out the idea there for me to say yay or nay. It was, of course, a big ol' YAY on my part. So hopefully she'll make it here this summer and we'll get a couple of quality days together. She made it clear there were no expectations what so ever on her part, other than having a nice, chill time. I'm definitely not expecting anything to happen, but it will be very interesting to see if that spark we've experienced over the phone and the internet will translate in a face to face meeting...

In other news: My dog is sick and I'm worried sick about her. I'm not so stressed about work anymore: In fact, I'm rather enjoying it. And I've been watching Twin Peaks today and sometimes I really think the only thing that separates me from the Log Lady is a couple of years of sexless existense and a minor nervous breakdown.

"Come then! My log does not judge!"

From thought to action

It's a long way from thinking that you're going to venture into the world of dating and actually going on dates. I've been doing my part though which has involved a lot of internetting. I'm chatting to a lovely fellow dog owner on a LGBT community-site and The Acquaintence and I are working hard on finding a moment when we can meet up for coffee. So far it's all about sitting in front of the computer though, none of that actual IRL stuff. Also I've been out of town for a few days, with work and now I'm exhausted, so maybe sitting in front of the computer is about as much as I can handle at the moment.

At the conference I was attending there was a girl I recognized from a previous conference and we got to chatting. Mid-talk she asked me how old I was, quickly explaining that that's not something she normally asks. It's just that at the big conference we attended in April she was surrounded by a bunch of male colleagues in the 20-30 age bracket. These young guys had apparently referred to me as "the finest girl at the conference" (yup, that's a quote) and fought about who should "get me", as in "she's mine", "no, she's mine!". Flattering, of course, but I couldn't help but laugh and mention the irony of the whole situation. My colleague was of course laughing her ass off as I told this girl that the ironic thing is that I'm a big lesbo, so they could fight all they wanted but they had nothing to collect with me. First her jaw dropped and then she lit up in a smile and did a little victory gesture, making it known that she couldn't wait to tell her colleagues that the chick they were checking out was a dyke and that she had a bigger chance of scoring with me than they did.

There was no scoring what so ever at the conference though. Sadly.