tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31622333049584207572024-02-07T01:06:27.095-08:00Stop Me If You Think You've Heard This One BeforeSwallowTattoohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12653140511665779556noreply@blogger.comBlogger197125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3162233304958420757.post-79878747176857331902022-07-26T09:34:00.008-07:002022-07-26T09:34:51.679-07:00Date 197<p style="text-align: center;"><b><br /></b></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b>"You made him old."</b></p><p><br /></p><p>I've not updated this blog for over a year, mainly because I started a new really busy job that didn't leave me any time to date let alone write a dating blog. I've changed jobs now though and I've got a bit of time before I start it, so I'll attempt to catch up. Obviously, I'm still single.</p><p>I can't remember much about this date as it was over a year ago and uneventful compared to others. </p><p>From what I can recall, I wasn't that excited about meeting her, but when I did; I was really taken aback by how lovely she was.</p><p>I'm wondering if there were some Covid restrictions imposed at the time as we just went for a walk with a coffee by the seafront at Hove and it only lasted an hour or so. I remember us getting on well and her asking if I wanted to meet again.</p><p>I'd said yes and we texted that evening but then after not hearing from her for a couple of days she messaged me to say something along the lines of she'd decided she didn't want a second date. I can't remember if she gave a reason, but I was surprised and disappointed as she'd appeared keen to meet again. I wish I could remember more but given my age, I'm amazed that I can get five paragraphs out of it.</p>SwallowTattoohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12653140511665779556noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3162233304958420757.post-28154145034989569132021-09-09T10:17:00.001-07:002022-07-25T04:48:57.450-07:00Date 196<p><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b>"Because you're evil and you lie."</b></p><p><br /></p><p>Before I talk about this date, I need to mention that a totally different woman should have been written about here, but unfortunately she did one of the most pathetic things possible and didn't turn up. We had meant to meet a couple of weeks before but I'd messaged her on the day to check that we were still on but she said that a family member of hers had been pinged by the Covid app. Although this was perfectly believable, I only found out as I'd sent her a text so I wonder if she was going to let me know.</p><p>About a week later she got in contact and asked if we could rearrange. I sat on it for a couple of days because I wondered if she was completely reliable and in the end thought what's the harm as she was local to me. We arranged a time and location at a pub in Hove.</p><p>I turned up, bought a pint and after 15 minutes realised that she wasn't coming. I then sent her a message on Whatsapp and she'd blocked me. I don't know how anyone can behave like that. It's the lowest of the low and, even though it says everything about her, I felt a bit humiliated. I reported her to Tinder as she's still on there and they've done nothing and she's got a profile on Bumble too. I can't comprehend in any way that someone can think not turning up for a date is acceptable. Answers on a postcard, please.</p><p>Now to the date that took place. I decided to take out a full subscription on Hinge and give it another go. I matched with quite a few women initially but in the end this was the only person I went on a date with. And she was great.</p><p>She was funny, good looking, intelligent and I genuinely thought that my luck had changed and I felt really comfortable talking to her. She lived in London so I said that I was happy to meet her at the South Bank. It was the first time I'd been there probably since 2019 and only the second time I'd ventured into London this year.</p><p>We met in my old favourite, the BFI bar, had a couple of beers then moved onto cocktails. And we eventually ended up in Wagamamas for some food. We spent a good 6 hours together then she got the tube back with me to Victoria. I thought this was a good sign as if I wasn't into someone then I'd have gone home a different way and she'd actually come to the South Bank via Waterloo. I also wouldn't have stayed out that long.</p><p>I went home feeling confident that there'd be a second date and she asked me to message her when I got back home; which I did.</p><p>However, I woke up the next morning and she'd sent me a message saying that it had been nice to meet me but she hadn't felt any chemistry. I felt so disappointed by this and a bit sad as I thought we'd got on well but I'm always appreciative when people are honest so I responded thanking her for the evening too. Looking at the bigger picture though, I was just impressed that she actually turned up...</p><p><br /></p>SwallowTattoohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12653140511665779556noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3162233304958420757.post-62874059681083180662021-08-02T06:12:00.004-07:002021-08-02T06:12:51.389-07:00Date 195<p><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b>"I know that I'm the most inept that ever stepped."</b></p><p><br /></p><p>I was meant to go on a date with this person about 4 or 5 years ago but she cancelled rather abruptly and I remember her being quite arsey about it. For some reason she'd stuck in my mind and I was surprised that she now had 3 children as when we'd been in contact previously, she only had 2. More of this later.</p><p>Although I remembered her, she definitely had no recollection of me and even contacted me first on Hinge, which I was surprised at.</p><p>We were going to meet near me in Brighton for our first date, as she was nearby due to her job one evening, but she kept changing plans and pubs had just reopened so it was difficult to be spontaneous as a lot of places only took bookings, although I did find a couple that did walk-ins. In the end she asked if I wanted to meet her in Worthing the following week as that's where she lived. I barely know Worthing so she suggested a pub but also made me book it, which I found a bit odd as I was coming to visit her. I did book a table but even after that she queried whether I'd got the right one and whether we'd be able to get food so she was coming across as very bossy.</p><p>During our texts I was definitely having my doubts about meeting her due to her constant nagging and teasing which she clearly found funny but wasn't. We'd spoken on the phone and although I'm originally from Newcastle, my accent has pretty much gone bar the odd word or phrase as I've lived down south for so long. So then she took to constantly referring to me as a fake geordie, would make jokes about my lack of hair on top and my education. Although she came across as very confident, I sensed that she also had a chip on her shoulder and was probably quite insecure. I can take a joke but I found it odd to be like this when you've not even met someone.</p><p>It took me just over an hour door to door to get to the pub (I got there by train) and I was a bit early. Even though she lived 15 minutes walk away she managed to be 20 minutes late. She did ring to tell me but I'd already been sitting on my own for about 10 minutes.</p><p>When she did decide to rock up I was really surprised by how her photos didn't do her justice as she was so attractive. Her choice of pub was excellent too as it was a microbrewery and did the best pizzas. However, they were probably the best bits of the night as I don't think I've met anyone so full of themselves and also so critical of others.</p><p>Everything I said, she seemed to have an opinion on and let me know how my life choices were wrong and how she'd have done them differently. I've mentioned in this blog before how I used to care for my Mum full-time for a decade until she passed away a few years ago. I decided to take some time off and do my own thing and now I have a new job and different life lined up. However, she even saw fit to criticise me for the time it has taken me to stop being a carer and get a new career. I'm very laid back and not in any way confrontational but even I had to tell her that she'd crossed the line.</p><p>As mentioned earlier, in the last few years she'd had another child with someone she'd met from a dating site at the time we were meant to meet about 4 years ago. In fact, she possibly cancelled our date as she'd met the father of her child. However, this man has nothing to do with their son and never sees him, which I think is largely due to him having alcohol and drug issues. I'd never judge someone else on their life choices as these things just happen and I'm very sympathetic to situations like that, but I found it almost breathtaking on her part that she could be so critical and judgemental about me. </p><p>As it happens, I don't think she liked me anyway as after the pizza she said she had a pounding headache and would it be ok if she could go home. As much as I was attracted to her, her abrasiveness was a turn-off and neither of us contacted the other. I wouldn't have been able to reach her high standards anyway.</p>SwallowTattoohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12653140511665779556noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3162233304958420757.post-78616344966733613722021-07-19T05:07:00.001-07:002021-07-19T05:09:54.350-07:00Date 194<p><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b>"Hello, I am the ghost of Troubled Joe."</b></p><p><br /></p><p>Having used the same apps for ages with the same results, I thought I'd try <i>Hinge</i> properly. It's not quite a swipe app as the premise is that you comment on people's profile photos or like them, then if you're lucky that person will invite you to chat with them.</p><p>I tried the app for a few weeks and in that time not one person acknowledged my 'witty' comments or 'liked' me back. And with the two women who I went on dates with (2nd one in the next post), they just 'liked' one of my photos. In trying to be different by encouraging people to leave comments, I like the fact that it's using a different model but, having spoken to a male friend who left numerous comments without any response too, it's just being used as a swipe app....</p><p>Having not been on a pub date since last year, I was genuinely really nervous about this but that's probably more down to the fact that it was also the first time I'd been inside a pub this year too. I thought that the place I'd booked a table for would be really busy at 4:30pm but we were the only ones in there for a couple of hours on a Sunday afternoon until some people arrived around early evening. As the kitchen was closed also (presumably due to them not expecting many people in) we were given the first round of drinks free. Thanks, Brewdog!</p><p>To the date itself: I really liked her and I <i>thought</i> that we got on. She was 7 years younger than me but despite this we still had the same reference points and very similar things in common. We stayed for about 5 hours until we were kicked out at 9:30pm as presumably that was their designated closing time and not because we'd been behaving badly.</p><p>We then went for a burger and afterwards I walked her to the station and she gave me a hug and we spoke about seeing each other again. </p><p>Unfortunately I never saw or heard from her as she ghosted me. I contacted her about a second date and she ignored me. Having spent a good 7 hours with her I thought she'd enjoyed my company and I had a good feeling about her but maybe she woke up the next day and thought I wasn't for her. Which is fine as I've been in that situation before but to not say anything to someone when they contact you is unforgivable. It's certainly not the first time I've been ghosted after a date and it won't be the last but I'll never understand how someone can lack such basic manners and not just say no thank you.</p><p>On the plus side though, she'd been for afternoon tea with some friends before she met me and brought me along some cakes so I had them for my breakfast the next day and they were ultimately the best thing I could take from my first date on <i>Hinge</i>.</p>SwallowTattoohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12653140511665779556noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3162233304958420757.post-16924529447115752012021-07-04T11:00:00.005-07:002021-07-04T11:00:59.272-07:00Date 193<p><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b>"You say: " 'Ere long done do does did," words which could only be your own."</b></p><p><br /></p><p>This was my first and probably last date using Facebook Dating. It's a really basic part of the FB app and although I seemed to match with people they tended to come and go and disappear a lot.</p><p>It didn't feel like a proper date either as she wanted to just meet for a walk as she said she only did that to weigh people up before committing to a proper date. I thought that was probably a sensible way to do things and judging by the stories she told me of men she'd previously met, I can absolutely understand her strategy. I won't repeat them as I wouldn't be able to do them justice but every one was jaw-dropping. There are some absolute weirdos out there.</p><p>We met along the seafront near me and I could tell after a couple of minutes what she was going to be like as the first thing she shouted out was "look at the nuts on that!" And she proceeded to have a conversation with a couple with a dog about the size of their and her dog's testicles. Her dog was at home.</p><p>We walked for about an hour or so and she mainly talked about herself or shouted out at someone about something or other at regular intervals. She definitely seemed like a character and was sort of entertaining.</p><p>She texted me the next day and I replied then I didn't hear anything. I was basically waiting for her to respond but after 2 days she sent me this:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMQky0RzROD2AQ7XQPyfA1fljO6-43V6rNWwvTeJ6F5vgNLcVn_kHnHtVYKJaZKzsNzOB2dC9jvtKhaz6lYNp3NC12dZzG5v8SEhCIxP5NLYsH4FAiBzafqn1ZMR-f1FsVq07Yf9t9OwLN/s502/8CB7BA26-33AA-4FFA-B38F-BE3F588A6DA0_4_5005_c.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="206" data-original-width="502" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMQky0RzROD2AQ7XQPyfA1fljO6-43V6rNWwvTeJ6F5vgNLcVn_kHnHtVYKJaZKzsNzOB2dC9jvtKhaz6lYNp3NC12dZzG5v8SEhCIxP5NLYsH4FAiBzafqn1ZMR-f1FsVq07Yf9t9OwLN/s320/8CB7BA26-33AA-4FFA-B38F-BE3F588A6DA0_4_5005_c.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p>The spelling of 'heard' was obviously a bit of a worry as was the fact that she was having a go at me when she's the one that hadn't replied. This has happened to me numerous times where you don't hear from someone for a while and you message them and they get annoyed because they feel that you're pressuring them or they haven't got back to you for a reason. It's a no win situation though as I've encountered some women who expect you to text them even when you're waiting for them, like her. I explained myself but she still thought I was in the wrong and I didn't hear from her again.</p>SwallowTattoohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12653140511665779556noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3162233304958420757.post-53562831422049809992021-06-20T05:56:00.003-07:002021-07-04T09:28:24.076-07:00Date 192<p><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b>"As merry as the days were long, I was right and you were wrong."</b></p><p><br /></p><p>These two dates happened 6 months ago in December 2020 so they're not exactly fresh in my memory but I'll do my best.</p><p>The first one came at a time when you could eat and drink outside and thankfully, despite it being December, we met on a lovely mild and sunny day. We went for a walk around a nature reserve and then had lunch outside. First impressions were really good as we got on and I really fancied her.</p><p>At the time we arranged the second date you could still dine al fresco, however, as it was a few days after Christmas, the rules were suddenly changed and all eating and drinking establishments were closed. I'd booked lunch in a really fancy place round the corner from me so then we had a problem.</p><p>I'd suggested that we could postpone the date for a bit as there wasn't much to be done as you couldn't go in people's houses either and not many places were open. She allayed my fears and as she was an amazing cook, she said she'd make a really nice picnic and we'd make the best of the situation. Problem solved.</p><p>On the morning of the date, she texted me and there was no mention of a picnic and she said that as the restaurant I'd booked was closed that I'd better have a plan B worked out. No pressure then.</p><p>As luck would have it, I did pull it out the bag. Just. Most cafes decided to close but luckily a couple hadn't if you looked hard enough. So we had coffee and pastries and we even managed to find somewhere that was selling pizza slices. It was again a beautiful if chilly day and we sat on the beach and watched the sun go down. It was as romantic a thing that could have happened but then she had to go home as it was getting cold and dark!</p><p>However, largely due to Lockdown, I never saw her again. The winter weather became awful and nowhere was open and as we didn't live that close to each other, there was nothing we could do really. She was also very strongly against getting the vaccine. This was in the days before it was on the horizon though so I can guarantee that she's had her two jabs now as it was becoming quite obvious that she was a very contrary person and was an expert on everything. </p><p>We still texted for a for a couple of months and she asked me to film myself playing guitar and singing a song by The Smiths, as she liked them too. I did that and she loved it. A week or so later I did another for her, although it may have been another band, and she went off on a rant asking me how many other women I'd sent it to besides her. This was when I began to cool towards her as it was such a bizarre and insecure reaction. I think it was safe to say that she tended to blow very hot and cold...</p><p>One morning she said she was going to be nearby (even though she wasn't technically allowed to be) and basically wanted to come round mine to have sex. Given that the rules were very strict at this time in terms of not being able to meet someone inside, and I knew she had numerous support bubbles (as was her wont), I would have said no. She didn't give me the opportunity to reply though as she she had found the thing she needed to buy closer to home so wouldn't be in my area.</p><p>If it hadn't been for Lockdown then I'm sure we would have gone on more dates as she did have lots of good qualities that I look for in someone but I'm not sure whether we'd have been quite suited due to her very alpha personality and her firm assertion that my tennis racquet is no bigger than a squash one despite it being the industry standard length. That's not a euphemism by the way, just an example of her always being right. </p>SwallowTattoohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12653140511665779556noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3162233304958420757.post-74195912267936439572021-01-20T07:48:00.000-08:002021-01-20T07:48:49.641-08:00Date 191<p><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b>"It's a hideous trait."</b></p><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><p>I met for a really long walk and coffee with this person a few weeks before Christmas. She lives less than 10 minutes away from me and I think it was the day that Sussex went into Tier 2...I really miss those heady days of freedom and fun.</p><p>I was enchanted by her, although this was probably lust as she was extremely attractive and I was impressed with her dress sense. Although we'd had a lot in common and had quite similar interests, namely horror films and ghost stories, I wasn't sure afterwards if she was that into me as she hadn't asked me anything about myself (more of this later), however, a couple of hours after our date, she texted me asking about meeting up again so she was clearly keen.</p><p>Besides not asking me about myself, I was also a bit concerned by certain behavioural patterns that she was gradually displaying. She'd been recently banned for drink-driving but she bizarrely wouldn't take responsibility for it, claiming that a friend had been buying her doubles or trebles, which she thought were singles. Like most people, I have very strong opinions about drink-drivers and I have no idea why anyone would have one drink let alone how ever much she'd had, then get into her car and crash into another car. In order to keep her job, her dad has been acting as her unpaid chauffeur to drive her to and from work when required.</p><p>We went for dinner a couple of weeks later when you could still go somewhere to eat and drink outside. It was a nice evening even though, again, she didn't ask me anything but I think I was just overwhelmed to eat, drink and interact with someone. She also suggested meeting again after Christmas and doing something similar. However, a couple of days later she texted me to say that she wasn't feeling herself due to Christmas and COVID, so could we just be friends and go for walks as she wasn't feeling herself and didn't want to complicate matters. </p><p>I was fine with that as I was having my doubts and these were further compounded by a rant she began to go on about a friend. She'd been in a support bubble with a friend but had had someone over to her house who wasn't this person. Her support bubble friend found out and unsurprisingly cancelled that arrangement and told her that she didn't want to be friends anymore as she felt let down and was hurt. As per before, she had no idea why her friend was 'overreacting' and didn't see what she had done wrong. She didn't want to take any responsibility and weirdly felt she was the victim here.</p><p>I've not seen her since but she did message me over Christmas and said that she'd stayed at her parents' house along with another household for a few days over the festive period. Which was obviously nothing to do with her either.</p><p><br /></p>SwallowTattoohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12653140511665779556noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3162233304958420757.post-5902423180707179682021-01-18T08:54:00.005-08:002021-01-18T08:54:55.575-08:00Date 190<div style="text-align: center;"><b><br /></b></div><b><div style="text-align: center;"><b>"I'd get such a shock, I'd probably jump in the ocean."</b></div></b><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>This date took place in early November, so when COVID restrictions were considerably less strict, although we only met for a coffee on the beach.<div><br /></div><div>We'd been in quite a bit of contact through texting and had planned to meet a bit later on when the pubs were due to open again but she wanted to see if there was any chemistry first, as we were going to have to wait for a good few weeks yet. And it's just as well we did as there was zero chemistry... She'd been very sexually explicit early on with our texting, although that's not what all our conversations were about. </div><div><br /></div><div>When we met, she wasn't really what I was expecting and didn't have much to say so we only had one coffee. I was also a bit taken aback when she gave me a peck on the cheek when we said goodbye at her car. She's the second date to do that during COVID and I just don't get how that's happening as I've not done that to anyone since the pandemic started.</div><div><br /></div><div>We did keep in touch via text for a while afterwards but they just fizzled out. I would have been happy to see her again but I think she felt the same way about me and I could tell that the texts were different after meeting as she became quite vague. I also think that she'd been on a date inside a pub with someone a few days earlier (even though at the time you weren't allowed to meet someone from a different household inside), and she'd been quite secretive regarding that. We definitely weren't compatible though and it was quite ironic that we met on the beach as she couldn't swim.</div></div>SwallowTattoohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12653140511665779556noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3162233304958420757.post-7849299261086141362020-10-20T07:49:00.003-07:002020-10-20T09:54:43.198-07:00Date 189<div><b><br /></b></div>
<b><div style="text-align: center;"><b>"I need to cling to something."</b> </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div></b><div><br /></div><div>I sort of got the brush-off initially from this person and I wish in retrospect that I hadn't contacted her again, but these thing happen.
I'd been chatting to her on PoF (yes, I know) and she'd asked if I wanted to continue the discussion over a beer. I said yes and made a couple of suggestions of bars, as she lived near me. Then silence for a couple of days. So, I messaged her again to see if she was up for it and she said we could do the Saturday but she'd let me know by lunchtime that day, but didn't. I wish I'd left it there but gave her a few more days and contacted her on the Saturday morning.
At this point she inexplicably said that she hadn't replied because she thought that all bars and restaurants were closed in Brighton...this hasn't been the case for months and complete bullshit on her part. She then said that she was going to play bingo on the Saturday evening with a friend but we could meet in a pub at 9:30pm. I informed her that all pubs shut at 10pm, which she seemed not to know and tried to convince me that there'd be some around open until 11pm. So, she'd changed her tune from thinking that none were open to there being ones open until 11pm.</div><div><br /></div><div>I was getting the impression that I was dealing with someone who wasn't the sharpest tool in the box as I'm aware that the Covid rules are confusing but they haven't changed in Brighton significantly for a while. Her grammar was appalling too e.g. not knowing the difference between your and you're, constantly saying things like 'where was you going' instead of 'where were you going.' I'm prepared to give people some slack but these are basic things.</div><div><br /></div><div>The next day she changed her mind and didn't want to meet for drinks but instead wanted to go for a walk along the seafront. This was fine with me as I've not been going to many pubs either or inside places. This wasn't going to be for a few days and in the intervening period I was getting a bit worried about her. She constantly questioned me about my job, not believing me when I told her what I do. She belittled me as on my profile it states that I've not been in a relationship for longer than a year, rather than finding out why. And at night-time she'd send me suggestive pictures of her, saying she was hot and bothered, then go to sleep. </div><div><br /></div><div>The day came to meet and she was going to be 30 minutes late, although she gave me an hour or so's notice but she had a dentist's appointment so it decreased the date time. We met along the seafront and sat on the beach talking while she again questioned me about my job and relationship history. She also told me that her last couple of dates had involved going out with two 'chauvinists', with one buying her chips and taking her on the amusements on Brighton Pier and the other involving sunbathing on the beach for hours in a skimpy bikini. I thought these were odd things to do on first dates, but each to their own.
</div><div><br /></div><div>Despite all this, I was quite intrigued by her but I was getting the impression that she had very low self-esteem as she kept asking what I thought of her. I said at the end of the date that we should go out for a drink next time and I genuinely meant it.
The following day I was out in the evening and then she was out the next evening but she kept sending me texts asking if she thought we'd just be mates and whether I fancied her. I did fancy her and told her but thought it was odd that she kept asking. Then on the Sunday she said she'd been asked out on another date but didn't know whether to go on it or not as she didn't know if I was into her; bear in mind we'd met for the first time about 3 days earlier.
I don't know if she went on the date but she started getting really passive aggressive. I'd texted her the previous evening with a question that she never answered, so I waited for her to message me and she got really angry, demanding to know why I hadn't texted her. If I didn't reply to her texts within a short amount of time she'd just send me question marks hurrying me up. During this time I'd mentioned about going for drinks and reminding her that I'd said that at the end of our first date but she kept changing the subject. </div><div><br /></div><div>On the final day of us texting, I was getting a bit scared of her and she reminded me of a couple of women I'd been out with before who'd behaved like this. So after some jokey texts she said; "arnt (sic) we going out again?" I said yes, so let's meet for drinks then. She replied by saying that I was only saying that because she'd brought it up. I said no, that wasn't the case and she said "oh, well that's a big coincidence." So, I blocked her. </div><div><br /></div><div>I've never had to do that before with women I've been out on a date with but I couldn't stand the passive aggression anymore. We'd only met 4 days earlier and she was so intense when these things are meant to be fun. I wanted to meet her again, even though there were loads of red flags but it just seemed that if I then said that we shouldn't then she'd go ballistic. I definitely fancied her but I thought that if she was making me feel uncomfortable after one date then what was the point in getting into an argument? It had also got to the stage that whatever I said was the wrong thing so I felt that I was treading on eggshells. I think that she may have had issues...
</div>SwallowTattoohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12653140511665779556noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3162233304958420757.post-65921141955269159092020-10-02T10:36:00.000-07:002020-10-20T05:45:28.484-07:00Date 188<div style="text-align: center;"><b><br /></b></div><b><div style="text-align: center;"><b>"The Hand that Rocks the Cradle." </b></div></b><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Given that this person lived in Kent, I didn't think that there was much chance of us meeting up and I'd not left Brighton since pre-lockdown either. We'd been chatting for a week or so and she suggested that we meet in London the following evening. <div><br /></div><div>She then cancelled the next morning as her child's nanny possibly had Covid and to be honest I was actually relieved as the thought of getting on the train to London made me nervous. It turned out that the nanny just had some 24 hour bug so we arranged to meet the following week.</div><div><br /></div><div>This gave me a bit of time to get used to the idea of venturing out of Sussex, although I was slightly suspicious of her being vehemently against meeting at my old favourite the BFI bar.</div><div><br /></div><div>We were due to meet at 6:30pm on a Thursday but I got a text from her on the day saying we could meet earlier as she didn't have much on work-wise. So, I got ready early and worked out my trains and told her the one I'd get and that train came and went and I didn't hear from her. So, I texted her and she just said: "oh, sorry, got distracted." This pissed me off as we then just met at the original time...</div><div><br /></div><div>We met at Gordon's Wine Bar and I realised why she was so adamant about this being our meeting place, as she only had to get a quick train to Charing Cross, whereas I had to get the tube as well. As it turned out there was a massive queue to get in so we went elsewhere. She admitted later on that she'd been completely "self-serving" in why we went there initially as it was much more convenient for her, whereas the place I suggested would have meant that neither of us would have had to have got on the tube. Anyway, I digress and to rewind things back a bit, when I caught sight of her; I just knew that I didn't fancy her.</div><div><br /></div><div>We made our way along the Strand and went to a Tapas restaurant (which we'd both been to before), initially for drinks but we ended up eating there too. I actually had a really pleasant evening and the food and wine was excellent. I also killed 4 birds with one stone as it was the first time since March that I'd been to London, got on a train, used the tube and been to a restaurant. </div><div><br /></div><div>I think she really liked me and on the way back to the station she kept asking me if I'd had a good time. I genuinely had enjoyed myself, which I said to her as we were both about to part ways, but I also told her that I didn't see anything romantic between us but I'd be happy to stay in touch if she wanted. She looked disappointed but I said to her that I was just being honest. I didn't hear from her again, which was absolutely fair enough, and that's a situation I've been in many times so I understand that although any sort of rejection hurts, honesty really is the best policy and that if there isn't a spark then what's the point? It did feel good to get out and about again though and because places have to shut at 10pm now, I was home before midnight!!! Woohoo.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div></div>SwallowTattoohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12653140511665779556noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3162233304958420757.post-82723275179825657472020-09-07T08:58:00.008-07:002020-09-07T08:58:46.727-07:00Date 187<p><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b>"The sun shines out of our behinds."</b></p><p><br /></p><p>After getting nowhere on other dating apps, I made the decision to go back to the dark side and join Plenty of Fish. It's a strange site and not one I've had much luck on in the past. The last couple of times I've ventured back, I've ended up deleting my profile after a couple of hours and vowing to never return.</p><p>This time around it's been the same as nobody replies to my messages but I think that's possibly because I'm not the man that women are looking for if the live feeds are anything to judge by; but more of that later.</p><p>This date was very quick. We met for coffee and she looked nothing like her pictures. I knew she was a few years older than me but the photos on her profile were quite possibly ten years out of date. When she approached me at our meeting place, I half thought that she was a stranger about to ask me for directions, such was the difference in likeness. Also, her profile said that she liked the occasional cigarette, however, her hacking smoker's cough told me otherwise. So, unusually for me, I made my excuses and left after a solitary mocha.</p><p>Getting back to PoF then. The site now has a live streaming section where potential dates get on cam and in theory communicate to potential dates, but it's not private and anyone can observe and even interact. Except, that doesn't appear to happen. In reality, it's mostly used for potential suitors to get high with other people whilst listening to grime music at full blast. I've never streamed on it myself, but I dip in and out for the novelty value, and I don't even think that people are on there to date. I've witnessed people taking drugs, film themselves driving, at work, at the pub, having arguments, have their family members join in. It's endless and I've even shown a couple of friends and they're shocked at the way people are willing to broadcast their car crash lives for all to see without being embarrassed. Has anyone else witnessed this? Is this just another medium to be attention-seeking with reality tv shows on hiatus? Are narcissists born or made?</p><p><br /></p>SwallowTattoohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12653140511665779556noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3162233304958420757.post-82169421792528000982020-09-07T08:05:00.004-07:002020-09-28T04:51:03.067-07:00Date 186<p><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b>"It's so lonely on a limb."</b></p><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><p>This was my second date since the lockdown restrictions had been relaxed and we met after a short exchange of messages on <i>Bumble</i>. I think pubs had just opened again but we chose to meet at an outside bar area along the seafront in which some beach huts had been turned into serving areas. However, we took our own drinks and sat on some outside tables until she'd run out of beer and, with initial trepidation, bought a can from one of the serving huts.</p><p>It was a really nice evening and it was the first time I'd been out at night since March, so it felt completely alien walking home when it was dark. We laughed a lot and it was also good to have some company after months of solitude.</p><p>She messaged me a few days later and said that she'd had a good time with me but that she felt there wasn't a spark, however, she asked whether I was free the following week to go out for drinks as friends. And since then I've actually met up with her virtually every week. Weird, huh?</p><p>We've been to a few beer gardens and even attended an outdoor comedy event at Brighton Open Air Theatre, which, despite getting drenched, was the most wonderful experience after months of not being able to go anywhere.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoJNzs8BnwP0qBgAERG8W1AkcoMWtOYgYP9RWef2_unBlb5sj0r8NiRE7cuhS7I0gCjCWwv8iHFXOj5ChaXRxX3LKoiVpJEYkpgv2ih6-vfMqkqbnYneURWwMANo2AyBlta6u20jCj3Wcq/s2048/D8FE9A45-C010-43BE-9212-AF9EA80AF3B4.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoJNzs8BnwP0qBgAERG8W1AkcoMWtOYgYP9RWef2_unBlb5sj0r8NiRE7cuhS7I0gCjCWwv8iHFXOj5ChaXRxX3LKoiVpJEYkpgv2ih6-vfMqkqbnYneURWwMANo2AyBlta6u20jCj3Wcq/s320/D8FE9A45-C010-43BE-9212-AF9EA80AF3B4.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">We're actually sat together in this picture, but I'm obviously not going to say which ones are us. As an aside to this, she was running very late so only turned up just before it had started. She'd been so stressed that when we got to her car she couldn't find her keys anywhere and even tipped the contents of her handbag onto the ground. After searching everywhere, we were just about to retrace her steps when she tried her door and it opened...and her keys were still in the ignition!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">So, although I didn't find romance, I have made a good friend and meeting her has definitely made my lockdown less lonely. She has acquired a boyfriend now though, so I imagine I'll be seeing less of her; if only I could find someone now...</div><br /><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>SwallowTattoohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12653140511665779556noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3162233304958420757.post-49634217215908327732020-07-06T09:09:00.000-07:002020-07-06T09:09:14.191-07:00Date 185<br />
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<b>"They cannot touch you now."</b></div>
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My very first Lockdown date and it was pretty much business as usual.<br />
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I was genuinely really looking forward to this date, as we'd texted quite a lot beforehand, and she'd said that she was too. I was also a bit nervous about what happens on a date during a pandemic when you want to snog?<br />
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She drove from Eastbourne to meet me via seeing a friend nearby and parked down my street as I'm near the seafront and it was a ridiculously hot day and was close to 30 degrees. And what did she do upon greeting me? She ran up to me and said "I know we're meant to be social-distancing but it's rude not saying hello properly." Then she flung her arms around me and gave me a hug....<br />
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What the hell did she do that for? I'd only recently been allowed to hug my niece and sister days earlier as we'd formed a bubble. I was utterly shocked. Who else had she been doing that to? From our texts, I'd built up a clear understanding that she'd been obeying the guidelines. I'd witnessed people doing this as Brighton had largely ceased social-distancing when the first restrictions had been lifted after 6 weeks or so, but it really knocked me for 6 as I've not even been in a shop for 3 months. At least she didn't snog me though, I guess.<br />
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We'd pre-arranged to have a picnic of sorts and I provided the drinks and ordered an Indian takeaway from Deliveroo. As I was using my app, I paid for it and she said she'd go to a cashpoint and pay me back. She also had more food than me, so it wasn't cheap.<br />
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Besides the unsolicited hugging, she wasn't really quite what I expected either. Although we only had one alcoholic drink, as she was driving, I got the impression that she was a huge drinker. When we'd first messaged on Bumble, she'd asked if she could reply the next day as she was drunk and all her stories were about alcohol-related escapades. We've all got stories like that but she seemed to have more than most. It had also been her birthday a couple of days earlier and she sent me a photo of her presents, which were mainly all different varieties of bottles of Jack Daniels. There must have been about 25.<br />
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She did seem fun but I was still reeling from cuddlegate, so really wasn't sure about her.<br />
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After a few hours she had to get back and before she left she said instead of going to the cashpoint, she'd buy me a meal on our second date, which although presumptuous, was fair enough.<br />
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Over the next couple of days we texted as normal and on the Saturday night, she was having another birthday party at her house with friends from work. It started at 6pm and she was still drinking at 4am. This backed up my 'alcoholic' theory plus to pre-empt a recent statement by the Police Federation, I pondered the notion that "drunk people cannot socially-distance."<br />
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I know she was still drinking at that time as that was the last text that I received from her. I never heard from her again, which I thought might have been her suffering from Jack Daniels poisoning, but as she deleted me from Bumble, I believe she thought it was ok to ghost me. I did send another text which she didn't reply to either just to confirm my suspicions.<br />
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It's probably the case that I dodged a bullet due to various reasons but ghosting people after you've had food, drinks and even your parking paid for is just not acceptable. With unwanted physical human contact all I got in return.SwallowTattoohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12653140511665779556noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3162233304958420757.post-27302707094183911312020-03-12T09:54:00.000-07:002020-03-12T09:54:13.136-07:00Date 184<br />
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<b>"And so I drank one, it became four."</b></div>
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This date had taken ages to sort out as she only seemed to reply once a week on Tinder. She complained that it was because she wasn't receiving notifications when she got a message, but when I suggested that we could communicate via Whatsapp, she said the last person she gave her number to ghosted her so she refused.<br />
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Although I didn't notice until she mentioned it, she was a bit drunk when she turned up as she'd been to a friend's beforehand and had already downed a couple of vodkas. So, unfortunately after two gin and tonics she said she had to go home as she was feeling drunk...<br />
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I liked her as she was funny but I was put off a little bit when she said that she'd lived in Manchester and Liverpool for quite a while in her 'youth' but couldn't remember much about either city as she used to smoke a LOT of weed. I smoked a lot of weed in my 20's but I have no losses of memory during those times.<br />
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I never heard back from her though and I didn't want to make contact as her saying she was a bit drunk may have just been an exit strategy, which in hindsight it probably was as surely she couldn't have been that pissed after a couple of vodkas and G&T's?! I sort of did want to hear from her again but I've learnt my lesson from messaging people when they clearly weren't into me and Id rather not know than being rejected again.SwallowTattoohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12653140511665779556noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3162233304958420757.post-34920612320673793302020-02-27T09:50:00.000-08:002020-02-27T09:50:25.882-08:00Date 183<br />
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<b>"I wish I could laugh."</b></div>
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<br />
To describe the 6 weeks that we dated as intense would be an understatement but it also unfortunately ended as quickly as it had began. Maybe I should have expected this from someone who'd been divorced twice but was still in their mid-30's, however, I'm not one to be judgemental.<br />
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Things moved fast almost immediately as our first date involved meeting for drinks, a meal and a passionate snog on a train platform followed by the cinema and sleeping together the next night.<br />
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I was the first person she'd spoken to and met on a dating app so she must have thought that all the bad things she'd heard had been exaggerated. We then got into a routine of going to each other's homes for dinner, sex and incessant chat and laughter. We really did laugh a lot. I don't think I've done so before with anyone.<br />
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I sort of had my doubts about her though. Just small things initially such as her constant use of annoying phrases/words/expressions like 'smashed it,' everyone was a 'legend' and everything was 'awesome.' And her spelling was woeful. Despite having only been going out a few weeks she wanted to go on holiday together and she'd regularly text me saying she was concerned that I'd lose interest in her as she couldn't have more children (she had 3). Her children and 2 ex-husbands were constant sources of topics she'd talk to me about and I'm amazed that she actually married 2 of the biggest bell-ends I've ever heard been told about. Utter useless, immature bastards. One of them even let himself into her house one morning when we were still in bed, even though they'd been separated for a year and it wasn't his house.<br />
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She came from a family of high achievers and after hearing her talk on the phone to some of her staff, I got the impression that she could be brutal and normally got what she wanted. However, this was coupled with clear self-esteem issues as she had booked in for a boudoir photo shoot and had made up her mind to have a boob job this year.<br />
<br />
I liked being with her though as she was funny, kind and an amazing cook. However, I still had my guard up until Valentine's day. I'm not one for celebrating this ridiculous day but I bought some chocolates for her and we went out for dinner, though this was more due to having a night out than getting lovey-dovey due to a commercial pr event. We spent the night together and I even started rebuilding one of her son's Lego Hogwarts models as she'd dropped it and he was upset.<br />
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We had the most incredible homemade roast the next day at hers and I finally felt that I could let my guard down. I always like to take things slowly and she was really growing on me.<br />
<br />
We made plans for her to come to mine a few days later to spend the night. In the days that followed, for some reason, I had a funny feeling about her. I'm not one for paranoia or jealousy but by some of the things she'd said to me, I felt that she'd met someone else. Then she cancelled coming over to mine saying that she was ill and I received a text from her a day later dumping me:<br />
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I was surprised and I felt sad. And that was that...I think that we could have at least talked about things first and I feel that ending things by text isn't really the done thing by a <i>straight down the line kinda girl.</i> I've also got some expensive looking shampoo and conditioner that she left at mine if anyone wants them. First come, first served though. </div>
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SwallowTattoohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12653140511665779556noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3162233304958420757.post-75678373086501648552020-01-29T09:34:00.006-08:002020-10-14T03:11:16.539-07:00Date 182<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>"Pass the pub that wrecks your body."</b></div>
<br />
<br />
I had an early warning that this person was going to be flakey after she cancelled our first date 12 hours after we'd arranged it. We hadn't been chatting very long at all on Tinder (about 20 minutes) when she asked if I wanted to meet up the next day. I had a suspicion that she was a bit tipsy but said yes, not really expecting it to happen, and I was proved right.<br />
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She lives in Croydon and had initially suggested I meet her there but I said it was just as easy that we meet somewhere more fun in London. The next day I contacted her to confirm whether we were still meeting and she bottled it by asking if we could postpone as she said that the festive period had caught up on her and she wasn't feeling very good; so I was probably right that she'd been a bit drunk the night before.<br />
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We'd pencilled in to meet at the SouthBank the following weekend and I was surprised when I texted her the day before to check if the date was still on and she said it was. So I made my way into the capital again and when she rocked up she didn't look like her pictures. I sort of knew it was her as a blonde woman was heading towards me smiling, but I'm not sure I would have known otherwise. There was definitely a resemblance but I suspect that her profile pics were a few years out of date.<br />
<br />
We had drinks and a meal and, although I'd enjoyed her company, I was ready to go home but she insisted on going to another pub. I think she just wanted to continue drinking but it was getting close to 11pm and I was more interested in not missing my train back to Brighton.<br />
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We said our goodbyes at Waterloo and I suggested that she could come to Brighton if she wanted another date. She seemed very keen and we discussed it again briefly by text but then the messages stopped very abruptly and I never heard from her again...This was probably for the best though and I can only assume that January caught up on her.SwallowTattoohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12653140511665779556noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3162233304958420757.post-66250181553394549352020-01-29T08:24:00.001-08:002020-05-30T09:14:29.851-07:00Date 181<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>"So, goodbye."</b></div>
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<br />
I assume that this will turn out to be the last date that I meet from Guardian Soulmates considering it will be ceasing to exist from June onwards, and I deleted my profile about 2 days before they made it free for everyone.<br />
<br />
It was a great site to be on in London and when I used to live there I met lots of interesting people through it. However, my experiences haven't been great on it the last few years with barely anyone replying to messages and a month's subscription coming in at a whopping £32!!!! I never understood where the money went for that as every time I contacted them about something like glitches on the app, it never got sorted and the format it used hadn't really been updated in the 15 or so years that it was active. I assume a lot of the non-swiping apps will become equally as obsolete soon as why spend a month messaging people and getting nothing back when at least with swipe sites the matching capability means you're halfway there to exchanging messages with someone.<br />
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I digress though. I met my last GSM date for coffee and cake that lasted probably under an hour and it was ok. She was quite insistent about a second one so we met for drinks but that was quite quick too and was probably only 2 drinks worth.<br />
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The pub date was definitely more fun but I'm not really a fan of cafe dates. Plus she'd made more of an effort to dress up. Our third date was meant to be the pub again but she postponed it due to there being a bad weather forecast, which turned out not to be true. So, it didn't take place but not for a very good reason. When we did rearrange it was for coffee again and I genuinely can't remember anything about it.<br />
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These took place in January and February, so before Lockdown, and I've obviously not seen her since but she's still in fairly regular contact, usually sending me links to news stories that are a couple of days out of date. So, she's either bored or just trying to keep a dialogue going. She's a nice person but I'm not sure if we'd meet up again as I just don't know what we'd do as she's usually only ever out for a short period of time before she has to get back.<br />
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Farewell Guardian Soulmates.....SwallowTattoohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12653140511665779556noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3162233304958420757.post-18135799449142486992019-12-30T08:15:00.000-08:002019-12-30T08:15:26.414-08:00Date 180<div>
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<b>"Your youth may be gone but you're still a good man."</b></div>
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Before we met, and at her suggestion, we had a Facetime chat. I normally don't like doing that but it was great. We spoke for about 2 hours and it felt like we'd had our first date. I decree that it should be the way forward.<div>
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After our chat, she was very keen to meet and although she lived about an hour away from me near the Surrey/Sussex border, she was happy to drive over to me on a Sunday. I was surprised that she was so enthusiastic with her being 10 years younger than me and an absolute stunner, but we'd got on really well on Facetime, so what could go wrong?</div>
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Well...nothing really, but sadly she just wasn't into me when we met in the flesh. It was a beautiful sunny winter's day and we walked into Brighton along the seafront, seemingly continuing where we'd left off from our previous chat.</div>
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I bought her coffee and cake and we had a mooch around the shops, even managing to bump into some friends of mine along the way. I felt very comfortable with her and it was a really lovely afternoon. </div>
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We made our way back to mine after an hour or so and she popped into my flat briefly for a nose around. I also gave her a small Christmas present (chocolate coffee thing from Waitrose), which she seemed really happy with and said she'd open it on the 25th. </div>
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I got a text from her the next day thanking me for the afternoon but saying that she hadn't felt that old elusive, possibly mythical, spark. And that was the last I heard from her. I wasn't surprised as I'd sensed a possible disappointment emanating from her during the date. I thought she might have got in touch with me on Christmas Day regarding her present as I knew she loved coffee and chocolate but perhaps she just doesn't like Waitrose. </div>
SwallowTattoohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12653140511665779556noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3162233304958420757.post-48502365971186739832019-12-30T07:24:00.001-08:002020-01-09T09:42:06.076-08:00Date 179<b><br /></b>
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<b>"If you must write prose and poems, the words you use should be your own."</b></div>
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I didn't know this before I met this woman for coffee, but she's a tv presenter, radio presenter and journalist. She also writes articles about online dating in national newspapers.<br />
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Although the date only lasted an hour or so, I got a good vibe from her and she was funny, good looking, friendly and ten years older than me. I came away feeling happy and I felt she wanted to see me again. She filled me in all her media work and she's got a very big internet presence so it wasn't difficult to find her articles.<br />
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The next day I texted her to enquire about another date and she suggested another coffee one...I found this totally unimaginative and uninspiring but I said yes anyway, thinking she'd choose somewhere to go but then I never heard back from her.<br />
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I wasn't that bothered really as I found the offer of another possible coffee date a bit boring so a few weeks later I suggested going out for drinks over Christmas. I'd not heard anything for a while so deleted her number on my phone. Then a few days after Christmas, I got a text from her out of the blue saying she still had family staying but when they were gone she'd contact me about meeting up for drinks. I never did hear from her again.<br />
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As someone who claims to be a 'dating expert' I can only assume that she's never read any of her own articles.SwallowTattoohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12653140511665779556noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3162233304958420757.post-65974675981458759762019-11-30T09:42:00.000-08:002019-11-30T16:12:43.826-08:00Date 178<br />
<b style="text-align: center;"> "A double bed and a stalwart lover for sure."</b><br />
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After chatting quite a lot on <i>Bumble</i>, our first date was arranged only a few hours before we ended up meeting. We both had a free Friday evening so met in a pub near me.<br />
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If I can be allowed to be shallow for a moment, I was pleasantly surprised when she walked in the pub as her profile pictures didn't do her justice and she looked a lot younger than she actually was. We got on really well and got pretty drunk and we ended up going back to my flat and sleeping together.<br />
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The sex was great. The best I've had in a long time. Although she'd lived in Brighton for years and years, she'd grown up in Croydon and at one point during the night, her previously hidden strong South London accent came to the fore when she said "can I suck your dick?" You had to be there...<br />
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We really paid for our drunkenness and lack of sleep in the morning though. She went home in a taxi and straight to bed but I had to make my way to East London to see Newcastle thankfully beat West Ham 3-2. I'm not sure how I got there on only one hour's sleep but the adrenalin and jubilation got me home. This might have been different had we lost.</div>
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The next day she texted me and wanted me to go to an event with her in which loads of her friends were going. I felt this was a bit fast to be meeting her friends but she was very insistent and kept going on about it all day, even though I kept saying no. It sounded like a really good show but the thought of meeting her friends felt daunting but she wouldn't let it go. I thought that was that but then she invited herself round after it had finished and drove over.<br />
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It was about 8pm on a Sunday night and so we went for a walk along the seafront and went back to my flat for a cup of tea. I liked her but she was becoming really intense and talking about future things and it felt like she thought we were a couple. She was fairly recently divorced so I think she was looking to go straight from that to another serious relationship.<br />
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I couldn't see her that week as I was having building work done at my flat so stayed elsewhere for a few days. Her texts were becoming really incessant though, to the extent that if I didn't reply instantly then she would send another one not long after.<br />
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I was getting really put off by this and if I didn't reply straight away I'd feel guilty!!! This went on for another week and I just wasn't enjoying being in contact with her. She was a really nice person but every time I thought about having another date it just didn't make me excited.<br />
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In the end I thought that I just had to put an end to things. I was worried that she'd react in an adverse way so I got a friend to help me compose a text to her. I know how I feel when I like someone and it's not reciprocated so it's best to let the other person know what's happening. I told her that we'd had a lovely time together but it's not the right thing for me and that I hope she understood. She took a day to respond but she was really nice about it so I got an unusually mature response from someone for a change.<br />
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Although I <i>am </i>looking for a meaningful relationship, she just wasn't the woman I want one with. In spite of the fact that she sounds like Adele (her description of her accent) in the bedroom. And I don't mean her singing voice.SwallowTattoohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12653140511665779556noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3162233304958420757.post-75981283638690741762019-11-30T08:02:00.000-08:002019-12-11T04:17:13.627-08:00Date 177<br />
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<b>"Shyness can stop you from doing all the things in life you'd like to."</b></div>
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Just before our first date, while I was walking across Charing Cross/Hungerford Bridge over to the South Bank, I received a text from 177. It partially showed up on my watch as "I think that the elastic has gone in my..."<br />
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Obviously, when I read the full text on my phone it turned out to be her tights! I'm not quite sure why she was telling me this though, and she didn't know either. It sort of summed her up though as she was a funny one in all meanings of the word.<br />
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After a few drinks, I suggested dinner and she was overjoyed and said that no-one had ever taken her to dinner on a date before. I wasn't sure if she was taking the piss at first with her reactions but she just tended to get very excitable about things.<br />
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The evening was fun and in the days afterwards she basically invited herself to my place in Brighton a couple of weeks later for a horror movie night. So, she came over one Friday evening. We had a lounge picnic, watched a horror film, drank wine and swapped dating stories (unsurprisingly I had a lot more than her).<br />
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When it came to sleeping arrangements, I offered her my bed and said I'd sleep on the sofa but she was insistent that we sleep together. This led to partial sex until she got shy halfway through and the rest of the night was spent with us writing song titles by The Smiths on each other's backs with our fingers and having to guess them. Her idea.<br />
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The next morning I made us breakfast then had a shower. After her shower she announced that she'd left the bathroom door open and was disappointed that I hadn't joined her. So, she was certainly giving off mixed messages. She then proceeded to run around my flat like a child who's had too many Smarties, and began jumping on my bed. At this point, I didn't really know what to make of her, so I was quite relieved when she eventually decided to go home.<br />
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We kept in touch, but the texts fizzled out and I wasn't too bothered about seeing her again, particularly as it would have been only a matter of time before she found my secret stash of Sunny Delight.<br />
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<br />SwallowTattoohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12653140511665779556noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3162233304958420757.post-12859720878016771992019-11-21T10:45:00.004-08:002019-11-21T10:45:53.443-08:00Date 176<br />
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<b>"And you must be looking very old tonight."</b></div>
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I initially had thought about cancelling this as, although I was yet again travelling to London to meet her, she'd said that on first dates she only met for a drink or two and not for long. In reality, that's sensible and probably how first dates should be, but I wondered if it was worth my while going all that way.<br />
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I got there a bit early and nabbed an impressive diner style table in a bar then got a text from her saying that she was also there. I knew she was a few years older than me but the only other person in there was sitting over the opposite side in a pink jumper, but she looked in her late 50's at best. I got another text from her saying that she was wearing a pink jumper...<br />
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I saw her go to the bar out of the corner of my eye, order a drink and make her way over to me. For a split second I thought that there was maybe more than one person wearing a pink jumper in the bar that evening, but she said my name inquisitively and told me that she was normally good at recognising men from their profiles. The irony wasn't lost on me as, I'm not saying that she lied about her age, but she was meant to be about 5 years older then me and not 15. Meeow.<br />
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As it turned out, she was a really nice person and we had a few drinks, as opposed to a couple. It was quite clear that a second date wouldn't be happening but she sent me a really lovely message the next day saying that I'd restored her faith in humanity. I'm not exactly sure how I did that, so I can only assume that I was polite and normal in comparison to the nutters she normally meets.SwallowTattoohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12653140511665779556noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3162233304958420757.post-49914270199815984652019-11-19T05:26:00.001-08:002019-11-19T05:27:59.023-08:00Date 175<div style="text-align: center;">
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<b>"This town has dragged you down."</b></div>
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Geordies (me) historically don't mix well with mackems (people from Sunderland). However, as I'd never been out with a mackem before, I decided to put it to the test and go against my gut feeling and Newcastle upbringing.<br />
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I, again, travelled to London to meet her and she told me that she sounded like infamous mackem Lauren Laverne. I had my doubts though as Ms Laverne in reality, has a very obvious Geordie accent, and my date sounded neither Tyne nor Wear. I couldn't quite pick it, but she sounded more Yorkshire.</div>
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I have to confess that she beared an uncanny resemblance to someone I dated for a few months last year, which was unrequited and...is it a bit weird that that was a contributing factor in me wanting to meet her?!</div>
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As it turned out, in person, I found her a bit obnoxious and cold. She didn't really have any interest in finding out about me and it was difficult to get a word in due to her telling me about all the famous people she knew. </div>
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I should have listened to Ant 'n' Dec.</div>
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SwallowTattoohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12653140511665779556noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3162233304958420757.post-83858326488880021472019-10-31T11:09:00.001-07:002019-10-31T11:46:31.177-07:00Date 174<br />
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<b>"Work is a four letter word."</b></div>
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I sensed that there would be problems here as she didn't seem to ever take a day off work. Being a nurse and also running her own business in London and Cornwall meant that she never stopped.<br />
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We met along the Southbank one evening, as she uncharacteristically was taking a couple of days off. There was an incredibly powerful downpour as she was on her way to meet me so had to walk around the bar in her bare feet as her socks and shoes were absolutely drenched.<br />
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We went for dinner too and got on really well, although her taste in music is rather questionable. After eating, we went to the bar at the Royal Festival Hall and witnessed a rather bizarre event. A woman was happily tapping away at her MacBook, surrounded by empty plastic cups, and every so often would lean over and vomit all over the floor, but was making no effort to get to the toilet or clean it up. In the end my companion talked to the bar staff and they intervened to help her out, as she was absolutely shitfaced and in a really bad way.<br />
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That obviously didn't hinder the night though and we had a bit of a snog (me and my date, not the drunk vomity girl). We also discussed having a second date where she'd come and visit me in Brighton.<br />
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I didn't really hear much from her as she apparently wasn't taking another day off for another month or so. I did get a text from her a few weeks later saying she was going to be in Brighton for work on a Sunday so she could see me for a little bit. As it happened, I was meant to be having friends round and she was actually going to be in Crawley, which is about 20 miles from me. I couldn't cancel my friends coming round as it was such short notice so suggested she could come over afterwards. She said that she didn't fancy waiting in her car for a few hours (which isn't what I had meant, plus she hadn't given me any indication of when or if she'd actually make it over to Brighton) and she had to be up early for work the next day. I did enquire when her next day off would be and she thought she had a solitary Friday off soon. I asked if we should pencil it into our diaries but she didn't respond and that day came and went, and I've not heard from her since.<br />
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We did get on really well but when someone likes Elbow, I see that as a big red flag. Along with being mostly unavailable due to work commitments.SwallowTattoohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12653140511665779556noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3162233304958420757.post-90182965004185613472019-10-29T06:35:00.003-07:002019-10-29T06:35:44.275-07:00Date 173<br />
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<b>"Do you think you've made the right decision this time?"</b></div>
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We'd initially agreed to meet just for drinks in London but nearer the time she asked if there were any exhibitions that I wanted to go to. I suggested the Stanley Kubrick exhibition at the Design Museum in Kensington, as it was about to finish and I'd been wanting to go for ages.<br />
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We went for a Friday afternoon so I got the tickets and met her up there. I knew straight away that she wasn't my type but she seemed nice anyway. It was a really fascinating collection of memorabilia from all his films and being a particularly big fan of The Shining: I loved it.<br />
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We were only in there for just over an hour though, as it wasn't that big so went to a pub afterwards nearby. We had a couple of drinks, which she saw as recompense for the £20 tickets, and she then toddled off to a work colleague's leaving drinks. I then headed back to Victoria Station and spent the train journey home wondering why I hadn't just gone to the exhibit on my own.</div>
<br />SwallowTattoohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12653140511665779556noreply@blogger.com0