Date #1: Alma Ducksinarow
6:45 PM Inner monologue: Ok, I’ll get there early, set things up with the bartender, get comfortable. (Note: Date was set for 7:15.)
7:07 PM Arrive at Cibar. Walk in, breathe a sigh of relief that I dressed up a little because this is a classy place, and do that awkward, “are you, I think you’re” thing with the girl who happens to be sitting at the first table I see. Luckily it was the lady I came to meet, Alma Ducksinarow.
Me: Have you been here long?
Alma: Oh, only about 10 minutes.
Me (internal): I better show up 25 minutes early tomorrow.
7:10 PM Waitress comes over to take my drink order, I tell her that Alma and I are with 7d7d and we know Gina. She laughs and immediately escorts us to the nicest table in the bar. It’s good to know people in high places at nice spaces.
7:15 PM We toast our glasses in celebration of the first date of the week. I spill what feels like half, but is actually very little, of my Bellini Martini on the table. The waitress comes over and I ask for a refill. (Note: I actually apologized profusely). Smooth start.
7:30 PM Alma and I have been talking for awhile and the conversation is engaging and wide-ranging (as usual I manage to mention both The Wire and my 2007 trip to China), as are the drinks. She’s drinking a glass of Pinot Grigio and my Bellini Martini is just peachy. One of my rules is that when you go to a place that specializes in cocktails, you get a cocktail. I convinced Alma of this by the end of the night and I think she enjoyed her Key Lime Martini very much indeed.
8:00 PM Like me, Alma is born and raised in New York City. Unlike me, Alma is a devoted student of Capoeira. My inner monologue says, “Don’t get in a fight with this date. Fight a non-martial artist instead…I hope not every girl specializes in a martial art.” Alma has a variety of interests, including writing. I tell her that she should try to get her short stories published somewhere. At the very least she should write up a recap of our date. She considers it.
9:00 PM I’ve sampled both sangrias. I preferred the white one, but enjoyed the pieces of fruit in each. Alma asks me if I looked her up on Facebook before the date. I didn’t, but I might have if I had known her last name. I excuse myself to the bathroom.
9:02 PM Inner monologue: This bathroom sink is pretty cool, should I be taking notes on this date? It’s pretty hard to be drinking AND remembering everything. This date has been a pretty successful round one. I take a couple of notes on my phone. They aren’t very helpful when writing this post.
9:15 PM We’ve shared some drinks, shared some laughs, and kicked off a week’s worth of meeting new people (at least for me). Will we meet again? Let’s check back in at the end of the week.
