Dates Two and Three

Much to my surprise (okay, I'm very cynical) my dinner date at that tasty, tasty Thai restaurant led to a second date. Since all of my dating knowledge was formed in the 1980s (because I'm old) my idea was to go see a movie. Not very original, I know, but still, it's something to do.

We went to a theater in Vancouver, WA called Cinetopia. This place is awesome. Movies are projected in high-def on huge screens, and the seats are nicely spaced so that there's plenty of room. The downside is that it's expensive.

We went to see How to Train Your Dragon in 3D and had a good time. Like Roger Ebert, I'm not a big fan of the whole initiative to make every single movie in 3D. But HTTYD was done well, and the 3D was effective. And now I've officially gotten off target.

Now, the one unusual aspect of this experience (aside from it being unusual in the sense that I'm actually spending time with a woman) is that my lady friend is a bit younger than me. Okay, she's a lot younger than me. As in I'm a walking middle-aged cliche at the moment. I'm not always the most conventional person you'll meet.

I've never actually dated someone who was significantly younger than me. The most has been a two-year age difference. And dating someone who is a lot younger than you requires a change in thinking, in the sense that I can't really expect her to think and behave the same way I would; I have to look at things from her perspective.

After the movie date I didn't hear from her for a while, and of course I started to get a bit paranoid as to why. Was this a case like so many women experience, where after a date the man doesn't get in touch with you? No, just turns out she was busy. We did finally reconnect and made plans for date number three. Which would be another movie. I know, I know. I'm working on coming up with better dating ideas.

We returned to Cinetopia, this time to see Iron Man 2. We had a good time, despite not liking this movie as much as the first one. Our time together was short but we made plans to see each other again. Our next outing will probably be to the Portland Zoo. She's expressed an interest in horseback riding, something I probably will not do, in large part due to my fear of being flung off of the back of the horse and breaking my brittle bones (I'm old, remember?)

Whatever happens, we're enjoying each other's company and slowly getting to know each other. We're not rushing into anything either, which is a smart thing to do.