SaturDATE

Sometimes people ask me on dates.  They see me on the internet and they think that I’m the answer to their life problems, or loneliness.  Or maybe they think I am cute.  Invariably, I prove them wrong…

Him:  Hi.  Thank you for meeting with me.

Me:  Hi.  You’re really attractive.  So cute in your pics online, and in person.

Him:  Haha.  Nice compliment. But you are comedy.  Your job is to be charming.

Me: That’s right. I’m a comic.   My job’s a little more complicated, but yes, it helps to be charming.

Him: I prefer behind the camera instead.

Me:  Yes.  You said you were a photographer.  How do you like that?

(silence – as if I hadn’t asked a direct question that required a response)

Me: In any case.  You’re really cute.  I mean it.  You have great eyes.  Hazel.  I’ve never seen an Asian guy with such vibrant Hazel eyes.

Him:  You such a charmer!  They are just contacts, silly.

Me:  Well, you have great eyes.

Him: You have good eyes.  I didn’t know they were blue from online.

Me:  They’re grey.  They change color depending on what I wear.  I’m wearing a blue sweater, is why they’re so blue.

Him:  Haha.  I’m not fooled so easily.

Me:  What?

Him:  Your eyes are clearly blue, not grey.

(pause)

Me:  Well that’s the point.  They change…  Yeah.  You’re right.  They’re blue…   Do you want some coffee?

Him: No.  I don’t drink coffee.

Me: Tea?

Him:  No.  No tea.

Me: You asked me to coffee.

Him:  You like coffee don’t you?  Order coffee.

Me:  You want anything?  Water?

Him:  I don’t need your money.

Me:  I wish the reverse were true.

Him:  What?

Me: It’s just a joke.  I was making fun of myself for being poor.

Him:  I’m sure you can afford a cup of coffee.

Me:  You’re right.  I can.

(surprise ending:  this date did not end in a makeout session)

Enjoy the SaturDATE, Jerks!

Chocolate Banana Cream ETC.

I think it’s getting there.  I made another banana cream pie the other day.  It was delicious.  I’m getting better at this one.

I made it for my friend Chris – who is not really a good friend, considering that he never came over to get it.  He offered to help me with the HTML code for PIEFOLK.  I made the pie for him, as a thank you.  He stood me up.  And as of yet, he hasn’t explained why.  Weird guy.

I’m tired of friends acting weird.

Maybe it’s February talking.  Then very dead of winter.  People start acting…  strange.  Affection starved, but in a sluggish, lethargic way.

It’s not so much that the late winter brings out ugly behavior, but that layer of New York-y inconsiderateness might be a little denser this time of year.

Keep in mind – I’m just complaining – and  I don’t really even have too too much to complain about.  There are people around me that really care for me, and I’m grateful.  I also have the respect of some very talented, very brilliant colleagues in the comedy world.  I’m lucky.  But I’m tired of people acting weird, in that February sort of way.

Yes.  I get the irony.

I’m a grown-ass man who hangs out with  neighborhood gays, baking, scantily clad, at all hours of the night.  So where do I get off calling anything weird?  I get off right here.  It’s my damn blog, after all.

Here’s a list of weird stuff that bugs me:

*Social awkwardness (of the non-charming variety)

*Not returning (or at least acknowledging) compliments

*Farmville

*Trying to impress me by being mean to a retail employee

*Trying to use backhanded compliments confuse me when you flirt ( that only works on people with low self esteem, dummy).

*Those gauge ear-rings that stretch your ears out, Africa style.

*Unkindness

*Information hoarding

*Deep eye-contact that feels nice until you break it and say ‘WHAT?’ in a tone of voice that sounds like an indictment.

*People that get a macho kick out of being a ‘top only.’

*Olde Timey handlebar mustaches.

*People that put up walls with their sense of humor (except for me and my hilarous friends)

*A&E’s Intervention

Anyway.  Knock it off, Winter.  Stop making everyone (myself included)  act so weird.  I mean, except for the weirdness we exhibit normally, on a summer’s day, after a nice picnic in the park, where me and my weird date wear gay looking speedos, and sing songs with our ukuleles.  After eating blueberry pie, and catcalling a nearby soccer practice.  I want that kind of weird back.

I want to feel warm, and languid and odd.  Like a Rufus Wainwright song recorded in a sauna.

I guess that feeling’s not so far off.

I’ll power through.

Please do the same.

Oh.

And.

Enjoy the pie, Jerks.

TuesDATE

Sometimes people ask me on dates.  They see me on the internet and they think that I’m the answer to their life problems, or loneliness.  Or maybe they think I am cute.  Invariably, I prove them wrong.

Him: Wanna get some food?

Me:  Sure.  There’s lots of restaurants around here.  What are you in the mood for?

Him:  I don’t care.  You pick.

Me:  Hm…  there’s high end Mexican up the street at Mesa Coyoacan .

Him:  You should know better than to ask someone for Mexican food on a gay date.

Me:  Why?  Oh.  EW.

Him:  But yeah, I don’t care…

Me:  There’s a seafood restaurant called Sel De Mer….

Him: Ew.  NO.  I never trust them to have fresh ingredients.  Gross.

Me:  That’s kind of their thing.  The menu is mostly specials that they bought at the fish market that day.

Him:  I’m not sure if I trust that.  Try again.

Me:  There’s a French place called Fanny.  It’s cash only.

Him:  I never carry cash. (gives me a knowing glance, as if I’m supposed to know what that means)

Me:  Well, I would buy dinner, but I am poor.

Him:  All that pie.

Me: Huh?

Him:  You’re spending too much money on pie.  Not enough on your living expenses.

Me:  Hold up… Financial advice??  That’s SECOND date material, Mister.

Him: HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA.  I don’t get it.

Me:  There’s an Asian fusion place up the street called Sakura.

Him:  Yeah.  I’ve read  your blog.  We get it.  You like ‘Asian food‘.  (long pause where I don’t laugh)

Me:  I’m not that hungry, actually.

Him:  Wanna make out?

Me:  No.

Enjoy the TuesDATE, Jerks!

photo by Erwin Caluya

SaturDATE!!!

Sometimes I meet people online.

Sometimes they like me enough to ask me out on dates.  They think I’m the answer to their problems and lonliness, a lot of the time.  I have a tendency, inadvertently, to prove them wrong:

Him:  You are dressed really sharply!  I can tell you’re successful just from how your dressed.

Me:  Ha.  Actually, I’m very poor.  I just take good care of my clothes and have a credit card.

Him: Oh, man. It must really suck to be poor, emotionally.

Me:  You don’t have time to worry about that, when you’re poor.

Him:  What do you mean?

Me: You’re too busy doing laundry and dishes all the time to pity yourself.  Plus you lose weight from being hungry.  It’s great for your self esteem, actually.

Him:  It’s getting late…

Enjoy the SATUR-DATE, Jerks!