The Dating Experiment: Banker #2 & the TV Line

Maybe the problem is me. Maybe that "wow" factor doesn't really exist and I'm just looking for something that just won't ever be there. Maybe my standards are too high. Maybe I'm just straight up confused about what I want.

Maybe maybe maybe.

Or, maybe it's that there are a lot of creeps out there who are adept at masking their creepiness through dinner until it seems appropriate to ask: "You wanna go back to my place and watch TV?"

Welcome to last night's date with Banker #2.

Perhaps B#2 thought I was drunk enough to actually fall for such a line, but after 2.5 glasses of cabernet, I was still able to see straight through it. Let's set it up.

The Scene:
7:00pm at Stone Creek Dining Company, a new addition to West Chester and the former home of Mesh. I like what they did with the place...it's a bit brighter, nice wine and martini list, decent menu. I was not, however, impressed with the foul-smelling fish that was served to some unsuspecting customer while I sat at the bar sipping on my wine. Didn't they read Anthony Bourdain's Kitchen Confidential?! Never order the fish on Monday. Ever.

First Impressions:
B#2 said we'd meet at 7:30, so naturally I got to the bar a little early. He arrived at 7:39, in a pair of shorts and flip flops. He was...short. (I know, I know, height doesn't always matter, but for the love of GOD I want to be able to wear heels and not feel like a giant!) B#2's best feature were his pretty blue eyes and the kind of long eyelashes that we women would kill for. But he was short, and he barely moved his lips when he talked, so I couldn't get an accurate gauge on the teeth sitution. (If you know me, you know I have a thing about teeth, and if there's even one straggler out of place, I can't deal.)

Conversation:
A little awkward at first. "How was your day?" "Are you hungry?" "Do you want to sit outside?" We finally did go sit outside and decided to order a couple appetizers and some salads. I don't really remember all that much about the conversation, which tells me that it was probably not that interesting. The brightest part of the date was our adorable server, who was 4 months pregnant with her first baby. She was just so cute and so friendly and soooo excited about the baby.

Final Impressions:
After dinner was over (he paid, but I had picked up the tab at the bar), we sat there for a couple minutes and he says to me, "What do you want to do now?" I checked the time...it was going on 10, my dogs were in their cage, and they hadn't been fed yet. Furthermore, I didn't really think the date needed to continue much later anyway, especially since I wasn't in love and it was a work night. I can hang sometimes, but this just wasn't one of those times. He continued: "You wanna maybe go back to my place and watch TV and drink some more wine?"



WHAT?! I'm sorry, but there's no way he could have mistaken anything over the last 2 hours for the kind of chemistry that would make me fall for a ridiculous line like that.

I think I know why B#2 is on eHarmony--it's because he's a creepster who thinks he's far more charming and suave than could ever be packed into his "just shy of 5'9" frame. (Yeah, just shy by like 2.5 inches, but whatever.)

I politely said that I needed to get home, he walked me to my car, attempted to lay one on me, and instead received my right cheek. I hopped into my car knowing that I probably broke yet another fragile heart and consoled myself with some cherry cordial ice cream before bed.

So far, the dating experiment is failing, and I'm feeling like a bit of a failure too. I can't figure out if I'm just way too hard on men, or if it's okay to stick to my guns and ride the wave until the right one finally drops out of the sky. I don't know.

I do know this...I'm not sticking with eHarmony after next week when my subscription is up. So I'm now open to suggestions...