28 February 2007 - 6:42 pm

Okay, so the date.

The date took place on Monday, February 19th, otherwise known as President's Day, otherwise known as a work holiday. That worked well for both of us, since we both had the day off, but didn't interfere with our regularly scheduled weekends.

He was driving up from San Diego, and wanted to get an early start. He would show up at 8? I said, no way. On a holiday that I get to sleep in, I wasn't getting up any earlier than I normally would. 8 was when I normally woke up! Okay, 9 then. Fine, on the hope there would be traffic and he would be closer to 9:30 in the am. I was correct. It is the 405, evil bane of Southern California. Unpredictable traffic, or more reality based, predictably bad traffic, no matter the hour. I had a chance to pick up the living room a bit. Still a disaster, but not as much as he wouldn't know.

I felt bad he had driven all that way and my car needed to go to the shop, which meant he would be driving whatever we did that day, so I suggested we go for a walk. And get coffee. He was amenable.

We walked towards the nearest Starbucks, and I asked how he was for walking. He mentioned he went on a hike for 25 miles up a mountain, so walking was fine with him. I finally remembered a local coffee shop, non-chain, and that's where we headed. When I went to pay, because I had purchased a pre-paid keychain card, I discovered I didn't have my keys any longer. They had been lost on the way. Wow, great way to start the day. No problem, I knew how to break into my place, and he having a car he could move would help, I could stand on it to get in the window.

I took him down the street to show him, not the Los Angeles River, but Ballona Creek, which leads to the ocean. Looks the same as the LA River, concrete banks and a mere trickle flowing through it now, and then we went back and sat outside of the coffee shop. We talked, asked each other questions, found out more about each other's marriage, etc.

As we walked the exact route back, I discovered my keys hiding in a corner of my jean's pocket, and so we headed off to Culver City, the Heart of Screenland, don't you know? (It says so on the manhole covers, I pointed out for him, in case he didn't believe me.) He liked Culver City. He liked the trees and suburban atmosphere. He lives out in the desert east of San Diego, where there are few trees, and definitely none of the deciduous type.

We walked back to my place, and passed a restaurant that caught his attention. Lunch? We went and ate at Cafe Versailles, yummy Cuban food. Filling portions. He mentioned he liked antique stores, and we walked by the three that I knew in my neighborhood, but all but one were closed. Something to do with the holiday. Who said they could take the day off?

We made it back to my place, I changed my clothes, and he tinkered with my stereo, trying to determine why my stereo doesn't work.

We took off for downtown LA. I wanted to check out some lofts I had seen advertised for sale. Little Tokyo Lofts, in the toy district. Walking distance to MOCA. 12 foot ceilings, with a swimming pool, jacuzzi and dog run. If it has a dog run, dogs must be allowed. They were open. We saw five different layouts, but I was disappointed that the 12 foot height was fully enclosed. I had expected the area above the kitchen and bathroom to be available for design, where I wanted to put additional storage and a sleeping loft, so all available floor space could be public, and up above not. But the bathroom really ran all 12 feet up, already enclosed. It felt odd to be in a not small but not big bathroom, that just happened to have more space up above than on floorspace. Each unit came with its own washer and dryer. Sort of a downer, since in large buildings, the laundry room tends to be a gathering spot of sorts.

All in all, the units were nice, and in the 300k range, almost affordable, but it was a gated entrance, parking garage, all enclosed and separate from the city space, even the pool and spa safely protected from the bums and interesting folk on the other side of the walls. It didn't feel that much a part of the city, other than a private enclave hidden in its heart.

We got back in the car, and drove randomly, and ended up driving through a part of Boyle Heights I hadn't seen. He agreed with me that the houses looked nice, old fashioned and just in need of a fix up. Quite possibly the next big area to boom in LA, I predict. Front porches, he noted, they just don't build those anymore.

We now drove to our actual destination, LACMA, to see the Magritte and contemporary art exhibit. I was a little dismayed, I had thought it would be mainly his art, but instead, it was someone's interpretation of who his art had influenced, and their art too. Some of it was very directly influenced, but some, well, a lot could be claimed to have been influenced by him without it looking at all similar.

Then we wandered through the rest of LACMA, and all of the Japanese art pavilion, and I showed him the La Brea tarpits, which he had never seen before.

Then back in the car, passing this time Fox Studios, having passed Sony while walking around Culver City, and we drove to dinner at my favorite Mexican restaurant, Paco's. Full and getting tired, we went back to my place, where more tinkering on my stereo determined.....
the amplifier didn't work, despite my having paid more than a hundred dollars to get it fixed a year ago, when it first blew. I just had been convinced it was the speakers that weren't working now, and I hadn't figured out how to get the speaker wire which was configured for one type of plug in, to work on my other set of speakers, which I didn't have any wire for now.

I was very disappointed about the amplifier, why do I pay people money to fix things when they don't end up fixed, and I just have to pay someone else to fix them? Like my car in the shop now, which will probably go to another shop once I get it out of this one, to verify any work was done, or any work done was correct.

We had thought about going to see a movie, Pan's Labyrinth the movie on the top of both of our lists, but it was getting late. So we sat and talked some more. He rubbed my feet, since they were hurting. They often hurt these days, and I don't know why. He did a rub and sort of reiki thing to them, holding them and focusing energy into the spot of pain.

Verdict: He likes me. He really likes me. He talked about coming back up to finish fixing my stereo once I get it back from the shop. And do I want speakers in my kitchen? Well, he can wire that up too, if I want.

But, as much as I enjoy talking with him, and his opinions aren't that different from mine, or don't offend me if they do, I just have no feeling toward him other than as a friend. We didn't kiss, the closest we got was that foot rub, and my socks were on for that, and, nothing. No spark, no interest, nada.

We have an indefinite future date, but I suppose I should tell him that next. I do enjoy his company, and he was very game to do whatever I liked, and it was fun to have someone to do things with, but I think he digs me WAY more than I him. He wants to come visit me for my birthday. Or sometime soon-ish around that. I keep downplaying my birthday, I really just don't care that much about it this year.

And here's this nice guy who wants to spend time with me, and I just don't have any feelings for him. Did I mention he paid for everything? Of course I offered to split everything we did, and finally, at dinner, he took some of my money. What a gentleman, paying for the day! What to do, what to do. Besides tell him that I don't feel a thing. I feel like I am giving him a chance, but it seems like everyone I have ever gotten involved with, I had some sort of attraction to from the start. I didn't use to believe it, but it wasn't until I met a few men that I didn't have any feelings for that had feelings for me, that I could finally determine that mutual feelings of attraction are important to me. As shallow as that may be.