Week 3: Red, White, and Phew!!!!......

So, I went out with Bachelor #4 tonight, had TWO cocktails, engaging conversation, AND he didn't need a bus card to get home!! Ding..Ding..Ding!! Phew!....after that train wreck of a date on Monday its so sad that a few mixed drinks and a hunk of steel (the car not the guy) can get a girl a little excited. Ok..so let's get back on track to the Guy, the Scene, and tips from my Buru Giuliani Rancic's dating tome, "Think Like a Guy...How to Get a Guy by Thinking Like One".

The Guy
I met Date #4 on Match.com and we actually exchanged a few emails and a phone call before our date. His emails were short and sweet and to the point but the key thing I learned about #4 before meeting him was his LOVE of travelling...and I'm not just talking about a three hour drive to Vegas or the Grand Canyon but serious world traveler....we like this. So I think the perfect moniker for him is The Roaming Gnome! I mean what says travel more than that cute little Gnome with the pointy red hat from all those Expedia.com commercials and NO he wasn't that little!

The Scene
I took a suggestion from a friend for the spot where we met. Now, I must tell you that one of my dating pet peeves is for the guy to throw the planning of the place/date in the girls lap on the first date....HATE it! I cut him a little slack as he wasn't at all familiar with the part of town where we met and he did the chivalrous gesture of agreeing to meet in my hood, but that's what Citysearch, Yelp, Shecky's, and all those damn iPhone apps are for right? We end up at a place called the "Good Luck Bar" and good luck on stomaching the dimly lit red lights and overabundance of Asian themed decorations...also ALL in red.

Overall I must say that I had a good evening with The Roaming Gnome. I learned a lot of interesting things about him - he is a high school teacher, has travelled the world extensively, compassionate, smart, athletic, and is close to his family. While I can't say that it was like 4th of July with sparks flying during our date (more like Chinese New Year in this bar...) I could honestly see a potential friendship forming with him. I know..I know..I have said this myself oh so many times..."I'm not looking for friends here!" but he was a decent guy and we had a few things in common. I also gathered from conversation that the Roaming Gnome was not seeking something serious at this point (hmm...maybe I need to start reading "He's Just Not That Into You" next...). Perhaps I need to add another column to my 100 Dates spreadsheet...JF = Just Friends?? A followup will be in order for this one......stay tuned.

The Book
And finally the advice. So I read "TLAGHTGAGBTLO" from cover to cover. I highly recommend this book especially to my single ladies. Not only did this book make me laugh out loud (I felt like I was reading a David Sedaris book I was laughing so much!) but the advice was straight up, relevant, and oh so dead on! In fact..the actual prologue of the book was a warning that read: "No bullshit was used in the making of this book. It is honest, sometimes harsh, and can be unpleasant to read. Most important, it's straightforward and to the point." The book highlights a total of #66 tips to follow in order to get the guy, keep the guy, keep the guy excited, and run off into the sunset riding a unicorn....but I will breakdown a choice few for you:

#1- Give Him Your Digits, But Don't Take His
Ok..so I followed this very basic but often broken rule to a tee. During our email exchanges he offered me his phone number and I flipped it right back and gave him mine and patiently waited for his call. It's ALL about letting him make the first move ladies!

#4- It's Your Dirty Laundry Not His
"He's a guy, not your best gal pal. So save your deepest, darkest secrets for the flight back from the honeymoon". Usually a rule like this would be more appropriate for a few more dates but in this case I listed it because of rule #32 (See last rule). The basic premise of this rule is to keep the first date conversation nice and light and to not reveal too much about yourself too early as no one wants to carry around emotional baggage early into a relationship. Save the confessionals for designated GNO's. And once again I get an A for this rule...my date..not so lucky (see Rule #32).

#15-Have a Sense of Humor
"In the land of bar conversation the dirty joke reigns supreme". Sorry to disappoint but no dirty jokes from The Roaming Gnome BUT he had a pretty good sense of humor and told a few stories that if given a score card I would have passed with an A for rolling with the punches and passing the "cool" chick test.

#18-Words Never to Mention on the First Three Dates
According to our Buru there are a 13 words that if uttered on a date could be considered dating suicide and here they are (try to control your laughter please):

Soulmate
Destiny
Rehab
Baby
Disease
Wedding
My Sister's Wedding
Astrology
Therapist
Prozac
Ex-Husband
Restraining Order
Biological Clock

I passed this one with flying colors tonight but sometimes that astrology one gets me. Although, The Roaming Gnome did make mention a few times of his Ex but it wasn't in a "I'm still crazy in love with this woman" sort of way...but take note on who is breaking the rules here..not I!

#32-Never Admit You've Had Plastic Surgery
"Unless he was in the operating room with you, he can't ever really prove it"...preach Giuliana preach!! Ok..so at this point I've probably got all of you sitting on the edge of your seats asking yourself..OMG?!?! Did Diona have plastic surgery?? Yeah...well a girl can dream right? I would have lipo in a hot second if I had the extra cash to blow but let's get back to why I actually posted this rule. I posted the rule because someone else admitted to going under the knife for ahem..a "deviated septum" yes...you guessed it The Roaming Gnome told me he got a nose job two months ago to help his breathing. Well I would like to get some of the fat sucked from between my thighs one of these days to help my "walking"!

So recess is over....stay tuned for more dates and upDates!