#FirstDate #FirstDates #FirstDatesIRL #Dating #Cork #RebelCounty #Waterstones #Ireland #LEGO

We covered a lot of ground on that first date – music, sports and a whole lot of politics. We saw eye-to-eye on almost everything, though her desire to “Feel the Bern” made her even more of a crazy left-wing nut than I was! Still, that’s not necessarily a bad thing, so I asked if she would like a tour of Kilkenny’s Medieval City. It took a few weeks for her to find the time as she was settling into school, but she eventually took the bus to see me. Oh yeah, she didn’t have a car either. That’s probably not a big deal for somebody who grew up in New York, so I didn’t feel judged by my lack of vehicle. She spent the night, but it wasn’t a sleepover. Nothing romantic so far, but she did bring me signed copies of her book of poetry! 🤩

A month later, she invited me to see Swan Lake at the Gaiety in Dublin. I can’t say I’m a ballet connoisseur, but I jumped at the chance to spend more time with her. She was staying at boutique hotel just off of O’Connell Street. We went out for some takeaway from Leo Burdocks. They might be famous for their fish & chips, but we were left  disappointed. 🤷‍♂️ We then went to the Gaiety for the show. We had front row seats, so I could see the dancer’s sweat and their bulging muscles too. 😮 A fun time for sure, we walked back to her hotel. I hadn’t planned on staying as Brownie and Linc were back in Kilkenny, but it wasn’t offered anyhow.

Yesterday, I mentioned I felt an immediate attraction to FirstDate32. One reason I left out was the fact that I thought she resembled my late wife. I have never felt the need to replace Jean with a substitute, but I did want to fill the hole that she left. I have a lot of love left in my heart, and I want to share that love with somebody who loves me in return. And because Jean was mixed race (Black and German ancestry), I never thought I’d find somebody that resembled her physically. Then along came FirstDate32. She calls herself a Black Nuyorican (Puerto Rican who lives/lived in New York). But it wasn’t just her outer beauty, she was sassy (like most New Yorkers) and that was also familiar to me. Unfortunately, I’m fairly certain the attraction was one-sided. I don’t think FirstDate32 was ever interested in me in that way. Looking back, I think she was interested in connecting with another American who was living in Ireland. But I was definitely looking for more, and being “just friends” with somebody who was all the way in Cork was not worth a lot of time and energy. So, we eventually just stopped chatting.

(Last Dated – November 2019)