Finally...a good one!

...and that is actually a false statement...because it was a pretty great date.Now I've commented on the feelings behind a bad date...a good one on the other hand?  You feel great.  You feel energized and hopeful.  I was standing on the bus stop waiting for the bus, and singing, and smiling.  I felt good.  Much better feeling than the kick in the grapes.So, first, allow me to offer some notes in hopes of maintaining journalistic integrity.  The young lady that I will be talking about in this blog is actually a reader.  Strange yes, but I shall explain in a bit.  She's actually one of my most avid readers.  She also told me that a friend of hers reads my blog as well.  However, this will not affect my ability to be honest and forthcoming.  One thing I can say is that I have no shame, so this will not change anything...and so...Today, i went out with "The Nurse". She's 34-years-old, Caucasian, with brown hair, a beautiful figure, and a pretty smile.  Her name comes from her occupation...self explanatory.  So, "The Nurse" and I have been talking for...wow...not exactly sure how long, but we started talking sometime before Christmas. We met on POF.com.  Having spoken for an extended period of time, we've become pretty familiar and comfortable with each other.  We text a few times a day, and often have extended conversations.  That's how she became a reader of my blog, as I mentioned it a few times in conversation, and she asked if she could see it.  And so, I was actually really excited to finally meet and see if there was a real connection, or if we wouldn't click, and I would be banished to the dreaded friend zone.So, true to form, the date started off on a less than fabulous note, as I was late meeting up.  Fortunately, she was a total sport about the whole thing.  And so, also true to form, I started off the date with a bit of tomfoolery.  Once I got to our meeting spot, which was a food court, I spotted her, reading a magazine at a table. She seemed pretty focused, so I sat the next table over, and pulled out my book, Animal Farm.  I then texted:

"What you doing while you wait?  No one's casing you to pickpocket you are they?"

"Reading a trashy magazine, and how would I know?""Gotta be observant of your surroundings in the big bad city.""I ain't scared lol""You should be.  Look to your left."

She looked up, and gave me a huge smile and laughed.  She walked over, and greeted me with a huge hug...a real hug, not one of those "pat pat on the back with your butt hanging out" hugs.  In our conversations, we've both come to realize we're both huge huggers, and so whenever she'd say something nice or such, I'd say "I owe you another hug".  So, starting off with a big hug was very refreshing, and a wonderful ice breaker.Now, one thing I hadn't anticipated was the crappy weather we got today.  Freezing rain, sleet, hail, and wind.  It was pretty miserable out there.  As she didn't have a hat, I gave her mine, donned my hoodie, and we ventured out into the maelstrom.  I had a very loose itinerary planned, that started with something she mentioned in previous conversation she'd wanted to do, which was see "The Bean", or by it's proper name, The Cloud Gate in Millenium Park. So, the walk to Millennium Park was pretty brutal, even for me, who isn't often bothered by weather, whatever the case may be.  However, "The Nurse" took it like a champ.  We joked around, and it actually offered a terrific excuse to hold hands and/or for me to offer my arm to her.  I mentioned to her

"If you fall down, I am so going to laugh at you."

She then said if she fell, she totally planned on taking me down with her.

"Oh no...if you grab me, I will go out of my way to push you down to the ground.  Jiu Jitsu has given me amazing balance!"

She totally gave me a little punch in the shoulder and laughed.  She got my humor.So, en route to the bean, we stopped at Argo Tea and got some warm drinks.  Once we got to the bean, we chatted for a bit, and took pictures.  I was amazed to see ice skaters out on the skating rink skating their hearts out.  It was very cool.So, my next destination was to show her the art exhibits at the Chicago Cultural Center, which was a great call considering it was right across the street and indoors.All of the exhibits right now are excellent, including the featured exhibit, Industry of the Ordinary.  The museum was great, and it was a pleasant way to talk and interact. The inside of the CCC is absolutely beautiful and picturesque, and no matter how many people are in there (weren't many today) it always has an aura of calm and serenity."The Nurse" seemed very at ease with me, and I didn't feel the "first date jitters" at all.  As we went about, we actually held hands frequently, and shared many hugs.  There was definitely a romantic vibe between us, and a definite mutual attraction.So after the CCC, we decided it was time for food.  Bennigan's was nearby, so we headed that way.  We ate, laughed, talked about our love lives, and the joy of internet dating.  As we were preparing to leave, she stood up before me, and placed her hand on my head, and then leaned down and kissed me.  It was so sweet, and romantic...and she is an awesome kisser.  In the midst of dinner, we did miss her train as well, and had 2 hours to wait for the next one.  So, we decided to go and pass the time at Argo Tea.  So, we headed to a second Argo Tea, and got drinks, and just had a great time, laughing, sharing, flirting, and.......well, I'm not one for locker room talk.  However, the flirting got a little on the heavy side.  As the conversation naturally turned towards sex, we were playfully playing the innuendo game.  She then mentioned that in conversation with her friends, it had been mentioned that I was a great writer (I am officially not agreeing with that statement), and that I would probably be great at writing erotica.  So, I began writing flirtatious pseudo-erotica passages on a scrap sheet of paper, which she found both hilarious and intriguing at the same time.  Even better, she says "Let's just leave it here, for someone else to find."  Get out of my head lady!If I were to make a comparison of "The Nurse" and this date to one of my favorite fictional characters, and a hopeless romantic in every sense of the word, Ted Mosby, she would be the equivalent of "Victoria," and his first date with her.For those of you who watch "How I Met Your Mother", you'll happily recall Victoria.  Charm and personality galore, with a carefree attitude.  For those of you who don't watch HIMYM, catch up.  You'll meet Victoria in Episode 14 of Season 1.So, finally we walked to the train station, and I walked her to the train, at  which point we parted with a very sweet kiss and a huge hug.  All in all, it was a great date, and I really hope that it leads to a second date.  I think that "The Nurse" and I got along famously, and she is definitely a personality that I would love to spend more time with.  She even was totally ok with the idea of me doing the Naked Bike Ride.Now, briefly...let's talk on the negative side.  It would be great if I could say this young lady lived 5 minutes away.  Or 10 minutes.  Perhaps 30 minutes?  No, no, and no.  This young lady lives 67 miles away, or about an hour away.  Now, for me, having no car at this point, and not really wanting the one that I do actually own (which is still in Alaska), that's quite a detriment.  As I think about the pretty eyes, beautiful smile, and great personality that I spent time with today, I'm totally willing to simply see what the future brings.So, great date, very refreshing, and I look forward to a number 2.  That's about it for now.  Now, I'm going to lie down and read some Animal Farm, before heading to bed.  Got a long day ahead of me tomorrow.