How long is ‘a long time’?

I remember taking someone into my bedroom, for some ‘you know what’, quite a while ago. He made a nice comment about the decor and I said “It’s been a long time since I invited someone into my bedroom.    A long time.”  He gave me a quizzical look, and asked “How long is ‘a long time’?”.

My reply was “ooohhhhh, 8 months?”.  He laughed, apparently that was not “a long time” for him.  Plus, it was 8 months since I had had someone in my bedroom, not since I have been in someone else’s bedroom.  Being a smart girl, I kept that info to myself.

I recall going on a date with someone who confessed that he had not had a girlfriend in 7 years.  Seven YEARS?  OMG!  I think I would die.  And although he was very good looking and quite charming, I only had two dates with him.  He was talking about marriage and what our kids were going to look like, and it freaked me out.  But if I hadn’t had a good prospect in a very long time, perhaps I would be in a rush as well?

So, the question:  How long is ‘a long time’?

Stories!

I am at work, and I have nothing to do.  My inbox is almost empty, except a few things I am waiting on other people for.  My google reader has no unread entries.  My phone has no messages.  My colleagues are all (suspiciously) quiet.  My glass of coke is empty.  Is it the calm before the storm, a perfect time to tell old dating stories!

I had a date a few years ago, with a guy I met at a house party.  He was really cute, with huge eyes.  Let’s call him “The Eyes”.  So, The-Eyes and I send a few emails and decide to meet up at a bar the following weekend.  I am not a big drinker, so whoever my date is, he generally drinks more than I do.  I have one or two drinks, and “he” will have, well, more.  (Side note:  I have learned to make my first dates coffee dates, it works out so much better!)

That said, on our date, between 10:00 pm and 2:00 am, The-Eyes consumed ELEVEN beers.  And we went to 3 different bars, and at each one the door man greeted him by name.  By name!  I’ve worked in bars in the past, and I go out a lot, but even I am not known by the bar staff by name!  And I’m a pretty girl!  He was Very Drunk by the end of the night.  We kissed (of course, he was so cute!), and then I had to tell him the next day that I did not want see him again (<insert excuse here> about not being ready after recent-end-of-last-relationship).

Some devil’s advocates have countered that The-Eyes may have been drinking because he was nervous, but either way, I don’t want to date a drunk…

Opinions, thoughts, comments?  Should I have given him a second date?  Could I have misunderstood? What would you have done?

To kiss or not to kiss? That is the question.

I view kissing the same way I view a Baskin Robin’s ice cream store:  If I was allowed to try every single flavor, I would.  At the end of almost every date, I want to kiss the person; even if I know I don’t want to go out with him again.  Why?  Because kissing is awesome!

I am trying, quite actively, not to kiss people who I know I don’t want to date.  It causes such complication!  If you go on a date with someone, then you kiss them at the end, it makes them think you want to see them again, and I suppose I would think the same thing…  I wish I could explain to them “I just wanted a little taste, I don’t want to buy it”, without offending.

Thoughts?