The Tally

So I had two dates on Saturday. Both guys are very different, but I had fun. The first one was dinner - we went to Heritage India at Dupont Circle. I think we are of similar mind on many levels. Both of us have similar attitudes (if not beliefs) about the role of politics. He summarized it well: some people take politics to the level of religious fanaticism. Which is not for either of us, and that's cool. He's also in the military, which I didn't know. Air Force computer guy. He doesn't like reality TV, claiming that it "brings out the worst in people" and that he couldn't win. That was an interesting debate, because I love Survivor and The Apprentice, the two top reality shows on TV. He doesn't like the deception that people use to win. Eventually, I cornered him:

• Me: Do you play poker?
• Him: Yes.
• Me: Do you ever play for money?
• Him: Yes.
• Me: Poker is a single player game, right?
• Him: Yes.
• Me: Do you ever bluff?
• Him: Yes.
• Me: So isn't that using deception to win money?

Gotcha. He didn't change his mind, but at least I made him think about that position a little more. :) I don't understand why people can't separate themselves and realize that it's just a game. It's not life! There are no rules, and there is no reason to not be able to go out with these people afterward. Oh well, I knew I wouldn't change his mind, but it was a fun debate anyway. We exchanged gifts. I figured that he liked food. I was originally going to get him some spices, but ended up finding a cute fondue kit that I thought was charming. Upon further conversation, the spices would have been better, but he seemed happy with the fondue kit as he loves chocolate. He gave me one of his favorite books, In the Palm of Darkness, by Mayra Montero. It should be a good read. This date was constrained by time because he had to be in Germantown to watch a fight with his friends. No prob, I had a Christmas party to go to as well. Besides, it was fun and it had been WAY too long since I'd had Indian food. The grilled meat platter rocked, by the way. I'd highly recommend it to anyone going to Heritage India. The second date was far less constrained. It didn't end up starting until well after midnight because I went out to Sterling, Virginia for a Christmas party. We made arrangements to go out on my way back. I picked him up in Arlington. We first did our gift exchange. He bought me a magnet for my fridge with a to-do notepad and an ornament for my Christmas tree (which I haven't put up yet) from the National Shrine. The ornament is made from the wood of olive trees growing on the hills of Bethlehem and Jerusalem. I had spoken with him previously and found out that he loves candles and probably burns through them at a rate of 1/day, so I bought him an angel-shaped candle with its own tray. He liked it. This is a pretty good experiment so far, at least giftwise. So we try to find someplace to go in Arlington that would be low-key but still allow us to play pool. The place in Arlington was packed. So I took us up to my favorite, Buffalo Billiards. They have 40 or so tables, and at that time in the morning there was no waiting. We played a couple of games, and I won best of 3. It's amazing to get a legitimate win in pool! I can barely shoot straight, so that was way cool! This guy is very religious, and sometimes so much so I feel that he isn't enjoying everything that God provides for us to enjoy. He probably goes out even less than I do; but then, he's also a cop. But he has a genuine and clean spirit, and I really feel that we could be good friends. Another date should be on tap for early this coming week, maybe two or three by the time the week is out. It's a good experiment so far. I'll keep you posted.