So, got a nickname for the man I went out with tonight — this one was SO easy. He’s a drill sergeant in the army (rrrrawr).
I was actually a little nervous for this date. I generally don’t get all that nervous until RIGHT before the date, then my stomach seems to plummet deep into my ankles or something. This was different. We never talked on the phone! I’m not sure how it happened. It might have been one of those gloriously accidental things that occurs once every 432 days when Jupiter is all up on Mercury’s shit or something. I don’t know. I’ll ask my best friend, Devon.
Anyway — this man… You know the whole “tall drink of water” thing? I’ve always thought it was a stupid phrase. Come to find out, I’ve never actually HADÂ this kind of water. It was… refreshing.
We’ll start with one more bit of information that is also different — he doesn’t know about the blog. Well, he knows about it. I changed my OkCupid profile to say something along the lines of, “I write a humorous dating blog. If you’re a douche, chances are you’ve already been featured.” But he hasn’t asked about it and I haven’t mentioned it, not intentionally you know… It’s just usually something that comes up and, for whatever reason, it hasn’t. I’m not sure yet if it was an oversight on his part or if he just doesn’t care.
I think he doesn’t care. He is just super self-assured and confident.
So, with this Date Report, I guess I have a bit more license to reallllly dig deep and tell you lots about him without fear of him reading and then calling to ask about it! (Yes, this happens. *sigh* Job hazard?)
ANYWAY. (Get on with it, JAMI!)
Prior to the date, he asks me specifics on what I’m wearing because he is concerned about being over/under-dressed. I told him to come in whatever made him comfy. He said “Banana hammock and bow tie is it, then!” I knew right then, we were going to have fun. 
I met him at La Fonda in Atlanta — this is one of my most favorite restaurants. It’s a bitty place and the food is pretty cheap and DELICIOUS. I think I eat here at least twice a month. Go, have the chicken tacos. The paella is also pretty fucking awesome. I was running a touch late (it takes a lot of time and effort to be effortlessly beautiful, y’all! ha!) and, when I arrived, he had already gotten us a table. He stood to greet me and gave me a great big hug. You guys, this man made me feel BITTY. Like some teeny tiny lovely little petite thing all up in his big arms. SUPER friendly guy. He had already ordered me a water. We exchanged some chitchat and decided on our food.
As an aside, this man looked EXACTLY like his pictures. You know how you have a date with someone and it’s not that they look bad, per se… Or even really different. But they probably just photograph really well? This was not the case with him. He was just as sexy and rugged and handsome in person as he was in his pictures. And TALL! And BROAD. Even his fingernail beds were ginormous. He has this really awesome strong, wide-ish chin that was just like… Manliness was just radiating out of it down onto my face. Ahhh, nice. A sexy chin? Yes you guys. Even his chin was sexy.
Of course, this manly man ordered a big freakin’ slab of meat (I think it was pork?). Seriously, everything about him was just… masculine and manly and, woah. But not AT ALL in a cocky way. He was just sweetest and most genuine guy. He was patient with me while telling me about all this army stuff that doesn’t make sense (exactly how many acronymns is one organization allowed to have??) and listened intently while I geeked out while telling him about typography and design stuff. Tons of eye contact. Things were just really comfortable. I felt like I had known him for a long time.
We talked for a while. We must’ve been there for about two and a half hours and shared some flan. The waiter brought the check and he took it, put it on the table, face down, and didn’t once take his eyes off of me while I continued to talk. Eventually, we decided to go grab a cup of coffee.
At La Fonda, you pay at the counter after your meal. We made our way up there and, based on his body language, I was pretty sure he wanted to pay the tab and I’m all, “But of course!” Haha! Remember, folks. I’m a poor single mom here! I guess, at some point while we were standing there, I inadvertedly tried to look at the check. He playfully snatched it out of my eyesight and sort of cut his eyes in a very playful don’t-you-dare-even-think-about-trying-to-pay kind of way. Ahhh shilvery 
It’s a nice thing.
We opted to take one car to the coffee shop and, since he had a spot at the restaurant and I had one on the street, we decided to take my car. You guys – this big hunk of a man got into my bitty Civic, lol, riding shotgun! So cute! The first coffee shop I took us to, Java Monkey, was my top choice for Friday night lattes, but parking was a bitch. I detoured to another one up the street, which was closed at 10:30! (On a Friday?? C’mon dude!) and eventually, we ended up at a Starbucks about 10 minutes before they closed. We sat on the patio there and talked some more.
Conversation is just really easy with this guy. It’s a really nice balance between him talking, me talking, and the both of us sort of interrupting each other with little anecdotes and smart ass comments. After a bit, Starbucks kicked us off the patio and we got back into my car to take him back to his car at La Fonda. I took the scenic route to show him more of the city that I love and eventually pulled into La Fonda next to his car. We sat and talked in the car for another forty five minutes before he eventually said goodnight. He told me at least three or four times that he had a really great time. He reached across the car and gave me a great-big-man-hug and said g’nite. Asked me to text him when I got home (I LOVE THAT KIND OF SHIT!)
No kissing. I was kind of hoping he’d kiss me, but I think he’s just THAT much of a gentleman. But I could tell he wanted to, lol! It was all very sweet and cute and wonderful.
He’s got some army-something-or-another stuff to do next week and will be gone to a not-too-local army base elsewhere in Georgia all next week, but will be back next Friday. When I got home, I texted him as such and told him that I had a really great time. We have made some loose plans for another date next weekend sometime.
But ooh lawd. Tall drink of water? Why, yes. Yes, Mr. Manly Drill Sergeant Sir. That sounds mighty fine.
The only bad news? He’s set to go to New Jersey in October for his new assignment. I was a little hesitant about this because of that, but really. C’mon. We only live once. It’s about damn time I stopped worrying so much about the future and just live in this moment, right here, and enjoy today for what it is. Summer fling? Short term thing? Who knows.
What I do know: pretty bomb-ass little date there, man. Pretty bomb-ass, indeed.
