Reminiscing

I think most people know that Tim and I met through Lavalife, the online dating service. Yes, it actually worked for us!
I must say, I had a few "interesting" dates before we met up. But all in all, it was a fun experience (although 7 years passed might have blurred my memory...)

The first guy from Lavalife that I went out with I took to calling Allergy-Boy (not to his face mind you!) He carried his epipen on a holster on his belt. He was allergic to garlic among many other things. Garlic! And he was crossed-eyed. And in denial about it. He told me he got a little bit lazy-eyed when he was really tired. I guess he must have been reeeeeeeeally tired when I went out with him! He also told me the story of how his eyeball had popped out at birth and this is why he got cross-eyed. Great thing to share on a first date. We went to see The Italian Job and then he suggested we go for sushi. He never even offered to pay for me. Not that I would have accepted but it would have been nice of him to offer. Sushi does not come cheap and he knew I was on my own, making a crappy wage and paying a mortgage. He was not particularly physically active and was more of a nerd than a geek. And I actually went out on a second date with him! This time we went out for brunch and the resto did not take credit cards and I had no cash so he ended up paying for me and saying I could get the next one...ya, that never happened! Oh, and on the first date, he answered his cell phone while we were walking to the restaurant. And it was his mom.
He was also a few years younger than me and didn't drive.
Wow, now that I think back....anyhow, we both got "too busy" to see each other again and eventually, the emails stopped being exchanged. I guess I gave him that second chance because through the emails, he really was a nice and interesting guy.

Guy number 2 was also younger, a part-time student and did not drive. I think I scared this guy away by my physical prowess, if I can put it that way. (I was biking at least an hour a day then, weather-permitting.) We went for a bike ride and I must have pooped him out. He never responded to any of my emails after that date. His loss!

Number 3 was definitely gay but in the closet and had OCD. And I didn't notice in his profile that he was a smoker. Also younger, a student and didn't drive and lived in the West Island with his sister. We ended up on the same metro car on the way to the date although he didn't see me (I gathered it was him as he sorta looked like the guy in the profile picture.) I walked up St-Laurent Blvd on the opposite side of the street, watching him the whole time before meeting him at Café Santropol. But we ended up having to go somewhere else because there was no room there. After we went for a walk on the mountain and got caught in the rain. A few more emails but no other dates.

Number 4 was Country-boy (I believe self-proclaimed.) He was from Nova Scotia and was a student at Concordia. Younger, but he could drive! But he had a cat. (I'm allergic.) In person he turned out to be really quiet and reserved, not a good match for me! He came to play softball with me, the team I was playing with then always needed extra players so I figured it would be a fun thing to do. Well, he might have been quiet with me but he really did not take well to our team captain (a woman) telling him where to place himself on the field according to who was at bat. A few not-so-mild expletives were used on his part. I think I was the one who didn't reply to any emails after that meeting!

And then at the end of July, I browsed for the umpteenth time through all the profiles that seemed to match what I was looking for and sent a bunch of "smiles" (I was too cheap to buy credits so couldn't send them a message, a smile just let the person know you were interested in them) to a few guys whose profiles I'd seen before but hadn't been in contact with. I was away for the weekend (it was the annual friends camping trip at La Minerve) and when I got back, I'd gotten a message from guy number 5. Who turned out to be Tim. I'm not sure we gave him a nickname. We, being Katja and I. We would email each other several times a day back then and she was my sounding board, my go-to girl, my sistah! Possibly we called him Toolman. At least we didn't call him Tool-boy because yes, Tim is younger than me (but only by 2 years.)
So lots of emails and a few phone calls later, Tim and I met in person more than 3 weeks after first contact and the rest as they say, is history.

No need to go into the details about Gatineau-boy who was not from Lavalife. Let's just say, Tim had some short-lived competition which I don't think he aprreciated very much. But Olaf put me on the right path at the last Expos game we ever attended.
Hey Tim, I think you still owe him a beer for that one ;)

Alls well that ends well.
Everything happens for a reason. (You just might not know that reason at the time...)
What other cliché can I come up with?!

Okay, I'll end this now before someone hits me (even if it is only virtually.)