Don't OverBoil

Day: 34
Dates Remaining: 13

Hey Calgarians, check the Herald tomorrow (Monday, May 17) as 50 Dates in 50 Days should be featured in the Life section!

Now how is it possible that I can ride my bicycle hundreds of kilometres but can't get my stinking bike out of a truck and into the garage without wiping out? AH! Well, if you haven't guessed, I just took an epic spill in the driveway resulting in a painful knee injury on my already horribly painful knee. I'm now lying on the couch with my leg propped up hoping that this agony will soon subside. And of course, I scraped my knee right across my already hideous scar from last year's knee surgery. What a klutz, eh?

And what might be just as painful as this poor little knee was my date yesterday. I'm not saying that the person was terrible, but the chemistry just wasn't there for me which made it hard for me to spend an hour over brunch listening to him talk.

In fact, before I get into details as to why I wanted to dive under the breakfast table and hide, I want to clarify that by no means am I saying something terrible about this man but just about the experience.

This may sound naive, but I believe that almost everyone has a good heart and good intentions; it's just that we aren't all on the same wavelength. And this is a good thing because if everyone was the same, the world would be a boring place.

Anyway, I met this man, who I will call Boil, because talking to him was as uneventful as watching a pot of water, waiting for it to boil. In fact, he must have caught me glimpsing away as I constantly got distracted by other people at the cafe who were grabbing my attention more than he was.

The interesting part of this date was that before we met, Boil wrote fantastic, witty e-mails that led me to believe he'd be sweet and comical. But it was quite the opposite as we didn't talk about too much and it took him until the date was half over to ask me a question about myself. Since my experience dating Poison (see Poison entry), I always notice right away when someone just goes on about themselves and their job, their activities or whatever else.

And when he started talking about his two teenage kids, I almost fell off my chair. By no means do I have anything against people with kids, but I just don't think I'd be very helpful with two teenagers. At times, it's hard to simply take care of myself.

Before Boil and I decided to meet for brunch, he had made numerous other suggestions that were unique but also very time consuming. I did not have a whole day free yesterday so that's how we decided on the shorter date. I'm glad we did because I was also turned off when he said, "I want to take you on a more exciting date so I can out-do the others on the blog."

Well, for the record, this is not a competition to out-do one another. You know, someone could come up with the most unique, earth shattering adventure but if there is no chemistry, then there is no chemistry. I love Starbucks and if I get along with someone over some hot java, that's better than spending hours on end with a dud, don't you think? It's quality, not quantity that matters.

It's Just That Easy

Day: 33
Dates Remaining: 13

I rode my bike to Canmore today and couldn't be happier except for the fact that the hot sun prompted me to take off my long sleeved jersey and now I'm a scorched lobster. It's terrible! Aside from that, however, the week end got off to a fantastic start with some slack lining.

Have you ever heard of this? Well, if you are like me, then you probably haven't because before last night's date I certainly had no idea what it was. So, I attached a photo above as a visual aid. Essentially, you tie a rope between two trees and try to walk across it. Kind of like tight rope walking!

Now, I obviously did not set this up; it was my date, Easy, who took care of that production. I have to clarify that this charming man is not known as Easy because he is easy in any negative way. In fact, it's quite the opposite; he is easy to talk to, easy to get along with, easy to laugh with and overall, one of the most easy-going people I have met. To top it off, last night was easily one of the best dates yet.

Though we slack-lined for a bit, it was nearly impossible to take more than a couple of steps on the rope before falling into the grass. Apparently, I have absolutely no balance and I must have resembled a three-legged elephant trying to walk across that rope.

However, the highlight of the night was the picnic that Easy made. He is a fantastic chef and concocted a brilliant homemade meal which has become a foreign concept to me these days. It was so nice to chill out on the picnic blanket and talk for hours.

The only strange but comical part of the evening was when Easy received a text message from a friend who happens to know one of my previous dates. According to Easy, his friend said that she was spying on us with this previous date, who will remain unnamed here. I thought this was a little off but rather entertaining as well. We didn't see them roaming around with binoculars so who knows where they were watching us from or if they were even there. I'm not sure what to make of this?

Nonetheless, we ended the evening with a nice walk before going to meet some friends of mine at a bar. Easy went home and I had a great time catching up with my friends and throwing down some moves on the dance floor.

I had a brunch date today before heading to Canmore but I will be writing about that experience tomorrow!

Thank God I Met a Country Boy

Day: 32
Dates Remaining: 15

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Oh, is he ever a Country Boy. If you watched the above video, you would have seen that not only does he have some pretty stellar Country Boy attire, but he can sing too. At least, I think that he can!

Country Boy picked me up last night on his motorcycle which I absolutely loved. It was fantastic. There is something magical and liberating about cruising around the city streets on a warm night, enjoying the fresh air and good views from the back of a bike.

We grabbed a quick bite to eat before riding around and then getting ready for his Birthday party. You see, some of Country Boy's friends had encouraged him to write me and we quickly realized that we almost have the same Birthday. As a result, he decided that it was necessary that I join him for his celebration.

Now, this wasn't just any party but a tour of the city in a limo that included stops around the city. The first stop was at his Dad's house where Country Boy had put together a wild concoction of a drink that for some, had the potential to be quite lethal. He had also made Jell-O shooters (little shots of Jell-O with booze in them) which brought back memories of my earlier years of university.

We had a couple of drinks before his Dad joined us in the limo where our next stops included some of the best city views. We then hit up a karaoke bar. Given Country Boy's aspirations to be a country singer, he sang us a little Tim McGraw before we hopped back into the limo.

It was getting late and I had to work today so got dropped off in order to give Country Boy some time with the boys who were keen to hit the town. I'm sure they had a fabulous time and I definitely enjoyed my limo cruising experience. Country Boy also enjoyed his time since I just received a text message from him saying, "I just wanted to say hi and let you know that I haven't been able to get you out of my mind since I walked you to your door last night." Oh it's true, boys can be sweet.

Mini-Golfing Gone Wild

Day: 30
Dates Remaining: 16

What is the most out there thing you have ever done on a first date? Perhaps you went to laser tag? Maybe you went bobsledding? Or sky diving even? According to the above picture, golf is perfect for a date but can you say that you have ever had a first date take you to the strippers? Until tonight, I can't honestly say that that has ever happened to me. But, as we all know, there is a first for everything.

The evening started out nicely as my date picked me up and took me mini-golfing. I was stoked for a little putting around and getting to know my date. I had a fabulous time with this unique and attractive man with whom the non-stop conversation was never boring. We flirted, joked around and teased each other over the course of 18 holes of mini-golf.

Towards the end of the game, my date then pulled out a piece of paper from his pocket on which he had printed a bunch of first date suggestions that he had received from his friends. Among other things, the list included bobsledding, bungee jumping, the Zoo, laser tag and of course, the strippers. When he mentioned that, I was shocked. What a wild suggestion!

My startled and excited reaction was evident and my date, who will now be known as Wild, asked me if I had ever been to the strippers on a date. I told him that not only had I never been to the strippers on a date but I had never even been at all. Wild was then in a state of total disbelief; he couldn't comprehend how one could never have been to the strippers.

I told him that I wasn't at all opposed to it and that in fact, I would be curious to go. He said that it is fun and then asked me if I would consider going on a first date. I thought about it for a split second and said, "Yes, I would definitely go, let's do it." I don't know if he was actually suggesting that we do this tonight because he exclaimed: "Are you SERIOUS?"

"Of course," I responded as I laughed and finished up the golf game so we could get to a more exciting venue. Wild was floored and excited that I was up for this and he told me that he was certain that no one would want to do that on a first date.

There is so much I could say about the strip club, but I also feel that that is pretty self explanatory. However, what I can say is that it was a ton of fun to do something different. I was even more stoked to be spending time with someone as spontaneous and easy-going as Wild. We had great chemistry and it was exciting that we were both eager to do try something new.

Dinner was great and the entertainment was, well, top notch. This was definitely up there in the random and unique departments. Wild was also top notch as he told great stories but also asked me good questions about myself.

So, you must be thinking, "Wow, so far this sounds funny and great." Well, you are right, so far it does. And had Wild just driven me home and continued the good conversation, there would have been nothing horrible about this date. In fact, it would have gone down as one of the best ones yet. However, he finally thought it would be the perfect time to say, "Oh, and by the way, I have a girlfriend."

Zing! Just Wild. Who takes someone on a date if they have a girlfriend? What planet do these people come from? Do you have any idea? If so, please advise!

Check Out This Funny Video!

Day: 29
Dates Remaining: 17

5 Seconds returned last night for a brilliant date. Not only can this young man take photos but he can also cook. I’m telling you, this meal complete with a loaded salad, exquisite salmon, tasty rice and stuffed mushrooms was far from ordinary. We had a great time chatting and eating and then topped the night off with a game of cribbage. Yes, we are both card game dorks. And yes, I won.

Now, as I mentioned last week, I had a date who made a video of our short evening together. So, here you have it, our 50 minutes together that included some Rock Band, self defense lessons and McDonalds drive thru. I thought I had outgrown the drive thru date when I was fifteen, but this creative guy brought it back in style. Enjoy!

Do You Know What a Prairie Oyster Is?

Day: 28
Dates Remaining: 17

Hover a little. Wait for the right moment. Choose your target wisely. Don't go in too soon but don't wait too long. Then go for it. Grab one and tackle it down so you can give it what it needs.

No, I'm not talking about dating here; this is far wilder and possibly more out of control. You see, out on a ranch, this is referred to as cow branding. Until recently, I had no idea what this was and what it entailed. I knew that it was something ranchers did to mark their cows but I didn't realize that it was a full on production requiring many people, lots of beer and some tough skin.

I'm still not sure that I totally understand why some calves went through some sort of chute while the others were tackled in the field but what I do know is that my second date with Bronc Rider on his ranch was far from ordinary. In fact, it was a fantastic Saturday afternoon where I was able to fully experience what it's like to tackle a baby bull.

The tackling part required at least two people; one to grab the front leg and the other to grab the back leg. The calf would then fall down on its side and the tacklers would ensure that the animal remained still while it received a tag in its ear, two shots to the neck and finally, Bronc Rider's duty of castration.

Once all of that was complete, one tackler would grab the calf by its ears while the other would lead it by the back leg or tail out of the gated area. And then, it was onto the next calf. By the end of the afternoon, over a hundred calves had been tackled, given shots, ear tagged and castrated.

However, when I arrived to the farm earlier in the afternoon, a different batch of cows was being herded through a chute where they were having the ranch brand burned onto them while receiving shots and whatever else. I take it that one batch of calves was female and the other was male. You see, I got a bit confused because there was so much to learn!

Nonetheless, it was a very unique experience. It was especially different that, on my second date with Bronc Rider, I was privileged to watch him remove each calf's testicles and carry them over to the testicle bucket. Now, you may think that these parts just get disposed of, but that is definitely not the case. Instead, they are kept safe in order to make prairie oysters. Unfortunately (or fortunately), we did not get to experience this delicacy yesterday which is where the testicles are shucked and somehow cooked up for eating. Yes, this is a true fact. Maybe next time, if I'm lucky, I'll get a taste since they are apparently delicious.

Following the afternoon of branding, we had a fantastic dinner with Bronc Rider's friends and family. I couldn't think of anything more enjoyable than good food and great wine after a day with the cows. Even better was when a few of my close friends showed up to join myself, Bronc Rider and his friends for a hot tub and a bonfire. I couldn't have asked for a more exciting, educational and enjoyable second date.

This lovely Saturday night was followed by a relaxing Sunday morning where I was finally able sleep in and pick up a book again. But, that was short lived since I had a million errands to run and then a date with 5 Seconds tonight. And in the interest of keeping this post short and sweet, I'm going to write about my date with 5 Seconds tomorrow night since I will be out of town and dateless on a work conference. Good night!

What a Mystery

Day: 26
Dates Remaining: 19

Have you ever had a plan with someone but had no idea exactly what was going to happen? For example, you know you are supposed to see them on a certain night but you don't know where, what time or what's happening. This seems to be the story of modern-day plan making thanks to the likes of cell phones, text messaging and Facebook. But I have to say, it drives me nuts.

So when I had a date planned for last night but hadn't heard from this mysterious character in a while, I began to doubt that we were actually going to go out especially since I have been stood up a few times in the past month.

I decided to write him an e-mail to confirm our plan and when I still didn't hear from him the day before our date, I figured that he had for sure pulled the plug. In fact, I didn't hear from him until the morning of our date to find out what time I had to be ready.

Given this last minute arrangement, I was unsure about the situation. However, I was stoked on the element of surprise that Mystery had created and his date outing definitely made up for my initial skepticism.

Mystery arrived to pick me up and was the first guy of 50 Dates in 50 Days to show up with a flower. In fact, it has been years since someone has given me flowers of any sort on a date. To top it off, this wasn't just any flower, but a brilliant stuffed toy flower. This way, he said, it will never die. How corny but sweet! He won some huge points before we even got into the car.

He emphasized the fact that we were in a hurry but I had no idea why because I did not know where we were going. We had a quick tasty dinner before heading out to the main event of the night. The only clues I had regarding this outing were, "You will have to be professional and there is no healthy food."

Can you guess? Probably not. Well, we went to the hockey game!

Now, you are likely wondering why we had to be professional. This was because Mystery pulled some strings with some of his connections and got us VIP status. It was brilliant.

With this special privilege, we were able to cruise around the back hallways of the arena where we saw the players walk off the ice and into their change room right in front of us. If I had reached my arm out, I could have touched them. But I held back; I was on a date after all! We enjoyed the final game of the series where our team pulled of a fantastic win.

The traffic jam leaving the arena can be a hassle but we ended up enjoying being stuck in the bumper to bumper crawl as we joked around and got to know one another. During this time, Mystery admitted that he did almost pull the plug on the date because he doubted that it could really be an authentic date. However, in the end he said that he was glad that we went out and I'm also happy that we both had a good time.

I'm even happier that it's finally sunny today and I'm going to head out on my bike and pedal the 80km to my second date with Bronc Rider out at the ranch!