Bad Dates.

So, as the 'Carrie Bradshaw', if you will, I go out on a lot of dates.  Some good.  Some really, really not.  A lot of my friends hear the noteworthy stories.  Like the guy who told me there was a woman who kept contacting him, offering to pay him to have sex with her.  I'm guessing he must have thought this made him look more appealing.

I know the single men probably have a list of grievances about things women do 'wrong' on dates.

I can tell you, confidently, that I was (at least) once 'the bad date'.

Long story short.  It was a first date.  He offered to take me out for tapas downtown, around 7:30ish (after work for him).  Well, I got off work at 5, so instead of going home, then coming all the way back downtown, I decided to grab a drink with some coworkers.  Well, my coworkers chose this Mexican restaurant with margaritas as big as one's head.  Well, $12 later, I'm sure going to get my money's worth.  Anyhow.  Then I move along to meet my date for dinner.

Well, at the restaurant, they're running a little behind, so my date suggests we grab some sangria at the bar.   At this point, I officially blame my mother for not warning me the risks of mixing alcohol on an empty stomach.

Well, then we sat down at our table and he ordered a pitcher of sangria (maybe I can blame him - he wanted a second drink?  for shame).  At this point, I thought I was doing ok, but then my words started to get away from me.  Or run together.  Or something.  I was glad it was a seated dinner because standing was challenging.  And the room began spinning.  Well, I kind of leaned back in my chair and let him lead the conversation.  I thought I'd be ok, quickly thereafter, I found myself dashing for the restroom, for the alcohol was doing what alcohol sometimes does.  I got back and played it off casually, however, I then did the exact same thing twice more in the next hour, so I think he was on to me.

Anyhow.  Is it bad form to get falling down drunk on a first date?  Do guys typically get offended by this?  Anyhow, my date and I ended up going out again, so he clearly wasn't too perturbed.   I always wondered if he noticed that I was drunk and was just too polite to call me out on it, or if it somehow possibly escaped him.

Has anyone else ever been the bad date?  Am I the bad date more often than I realize?  Your thoughts?

So This is Chicago

On the way to work (walking toward the el), I passed a house with a snowman holding a bottle of vodka. I think this summarizes the city of Chicago's feelings right now quite well. It's too bad the bottle was empty.

Black Wednesday

Today is apparently the biggest DUI night of the year.  I suppose that the thought of spending the entire next day with one's extended family sparks calls for desperate measures.  That, and people probably don't plan ahead for today like they do for New Year's Eve, etc., it's more a 'stop for one (or 12) on the way home from work', kind of day.

I am reminded of a time when I was working the lunch shift at Chili's on this day - I believe it was either sophomore or junior year of college and I was working the lunch shift in my hometown, right across the street from my former high school, on a break from college.  

Around 12, a large group of teachers from my high school (some of them my very own former teachers) meandered in (I remembered there was usually a half day of school on this day).  They started as a table of 12 (but kept expanding as the afternoon went on).   

Their server was slightly less than thrilled with them.  They sat for something around four hours (as of when I left, they may have stayed even longer), and they had ordered something over $120 of alcohol (mind you, this was at Chili's - home of the $5 as-big-as-your-head margarita), yet the only food they had was one order of boneless buffalo wings (amongst the however many at that point).  

A group of 12 first graders would have been quieter and better behaved.  The manager went over and asked them to keep it down a couple times.  I remember two of the female teachers standing up and kissing each other on the lips and all the men applauding rowdily.  As I was leaving, the management was contemplating asking them to leave because they were disrupting virtually everyone on their side of the restaurant.  

For some unknown reason, thinking of my former teachers in this disjointed, disruptive, inappropriate state always makes me smile to this day.  Happy Thanksgiving everyone!