Flashback

I am watching the hockey game tonight and there was an ad for some sort of alcohol with the tagline "purer than your intentions".  It reminded me of a guy I once knew.

Josh was someone I met at a high school conference.  We ran against each other in the mock national election (where we had to choose a famous Canadian to represent).  He ran as Pamela Anderson and I, as Mike Myers.  We kept in touch after the conference, but as most random connections go, we went our own ways and that was that.

Four years later, we ended up another youth leadership conference together, without realizing that we'd see each other.  A definite blast from the past...

A few months later, we learned that we'd be interning at the same company for the summer.  We became good friends that summer, playing on the corporate softball team together, helping with the company's Junior Achievement team together, etc.  It was great and to boot, we both had full time offers for the following year, by the time we finished that summer.

After working (and socializing) together for almost a year, I learned that Josh was dating (rather randomly sleeping with) one of my co-workers.  I always knew him as a bit of a player so wasn't surprised that he was sleeping around; however, what I wasn't expecting is the dialogue that followed.

With quite a few friends, we met up at a fabulous jazz club.  I hadn't seen him in about a week and he came up to me right away:

"Hey Anika, how's it going?"

"All is well, thanks," I said, giving him a hug.

"You know, I've been thinking about us, and I've been meaning to talk to you," he continues.  "I just think that we'd make a really good couple.  What do you think?"

"Well, Josh, it would definitely ruin our friendship and I kind of like our friendship the way it is", I try.

"But, I want more than friendship and I think that we'd be really good together", he persists.

"Well, we just have different ways of viewing things, I think", I insist.

He looked into my eyes, looked down to the floor for a brief moment before looking at me again, with slightly sadder, puppier eyes and said: "No, I don't think that's the case.  I think we have the same morals and values... ... you should just do a better job at living up to them than I do!".

Great pick up line!

He went home with the co-worker that he'd been sleeping with...

Confession

Back in university, I had glow-in-the-dark stars on my ceiling.  It was my absolute favourite things about my bedroom.  I've always been mesmerized by the night sky and although it wasn't real, there was something about having glowing stars above me that made it very peaceful to fall asleep to.  When I moved home, four years later, I took them with me and, again, put them up on the ceiling of my room.

The upside: I still have a ceiling full of glowing stars to fall asleep to.  Bliss!
The downside: Joe had become a big part of those stars - always naming one or the other after me...

In the last few weeks, I've been back in my old room, with the glowing stars.  I stare up at them every night before I go to sleep.  I think of Joe and the memories we had together and I miss him.  More than anything, I miss his friendship - the laughter and sillyness, above all else.

I sometimes feel silly missing him like this - I know I made a decision and it was up to me whether I fight for 'us' or not.  And, it's because of my decision that he moved further away and has moved on.  So, do I really have a right to miss him, all things considered?  Am I allowed to stare up at the stars and wonder if I might ever hear from him again?

Allowed or not, I will fall asleep tonight thinking of him.  Rather than miss him, I will choose to remember the fun times that we shared and be thankful to have loved and lost, than never to have loved at all...because, honestly, what else can I really do?

Reputation vs. Love vs. Culture vs. Values

I could keep going with the title - it's everything vs. everything.  So many conflicting views, most of which are just that, views.  No right, no wrong... just opinions (many of which I disagreed with).

I was torn as to whether or not to fight for Joe.  On one hand, I had this amazing guy that I had gotten to know over the last ten or so years.  Sure, we had our ups and downs and moments of really not liking each other.  Yes, I probably could've found someone who had treated me perfectly without ever making me cry, but, could I have found that someone who also made me laugh as much as Joe did? Or feel as loved and special as Joe did?  It was Joe who was sitting in my car who turned to me and reassured me that "even in your baggy hoodies, sweatpants and toe-socks, you will always be my princess".  I didn't need to be anyone but myself with Joe.  He knew the worst side of me and loved me in spite of it!  Or was it all just about comfort.  We had such a long history together, that we couldn't really imagine ourselves with anyone else.  When we were together, things just worked and we had gotten into a groove...and that level of comfort was always easier than trying something new.  So many thoughts were running through my head and I wasn't sure what to do.  A huge part of me said "FIGHT!", while a much smaller part of me worried about my family (and the parental fallout that would undoubtedly ensue)...

I had emailed a couple of good friends who had known the worst of our relationship.  They knew me through the very rough few years that Joe and I had been through where I honestly should have given him the curb-side checkout.  But I hadn't and for some reason, I couldn't.  Both warned me against the fight, and believed I deserved better.  They loved me dearly and supported me no matter which way I decided to go with it, but strongly believed that I would find someone who I could not only be myself with but would treat me as I deserved to be treated.  As I try to do with most advice, I took it with a grain of salt and understood their points, but really had to figure out what I wanted for myself.  After all, I was the only one who was really privy to all of the intimate details of my relationship with Joe.  These amazing friends had seen me through the worst of it, but I hadn't been talking about Joe to anyone for the last few years when things had been great...

I had spoken to my siblings and all of them were amazingly supportive and believed in fighting for true love.  Admittedly, my sister was already threatening to beat Joe to a pulp if anything went wrong or if he ever hurt me in the slightest.  I was touched... :)

And so, I fought.  I challenged the idea of our family's reputation within the community would be ruined by being with a man of Muslim background.  I challenged the cultural norms of marrying someone within the community.  I challenged the values that my parents had held for their entire lives.  I stood up for my values.  I stood up for what I wanted.  I stood up for what I believed in.  I stood up for love.

Cruisin' like Tom...

Shaadi.com has been a great source of 'interesting' dates.  I had reluctantly put up a profile after several threats of my mom putting one up for me (which I think she eventually did regardless of my own profile), just after graduating from university.

I met Fabio who was tall, handsome and successful.  He was vegetarian, spoke Gujarati and seemed like a nice guy.  We exchanged a couple of messages online, then moved to texts.  He seemed to have a decent sense of humour and I looked forward to our conversations.  Within a few days, he was keen on meeting me in person and I had no objections.  I had plans to be at a house party that night and he was welcome to join me.   I was a bit nervous, and had invited a friend over to be with me when he first arrived at my door.  It was the first time I had given my address to anyone and for all I knew, he could've been a complete psycho!!

I had forewarned him about the house party, that my friends were pretty laid back and that everyone would likely be in jeans and a t-shirt.  Regardless, he decided to wear ultra-nice jeans and an off-white blazer...dressing to impress, I thought! (I later found out he was a total pretty boy).  And, with a box of chocolates and a mini bottle of champagne in hand, he was clearly out to make a good impression.  I was just thankful that he was who he said he was - tall, handsome and definitely didn't seem psychotic!

He wasn't keen on walking to the party (about 15 minutes) and insisted on driving.  I think he just wanted to show off his hot Mercedes.  I wasn't complaining.  It was raining and I had straightened my hair...a ride was the best thing I could ask for and in a classy Mercedes was a pretty good deal!! :)

I was impressed with Fabio's manners - after the party, he insisted on dropping my friend home to her house.  He was chivalrous, kind and funny.  When we arrived back at my place, he held my hand...but then almost tickled my palm while holding it.  It gave me chills and I did my best to hide it.  How do you tell someone that what they think is 'sexy' or 'intimate' is actually giving you chills down your spine...especially on a first date?!

We agreed to meet again the following week.  We went out to dinner and a jazz concert with a few friends and had a great time.  He was kind to my friends and tried to interact with and get to know each one of them.  When we got back to my place, we were talking and somehow the discussion ended up back to me.

"I think you should wear make-up," he said.
"Why?", I asked, curious to know where this was headed considering he knew that I wasn't a girly girl and had never actually owned makeup in my life.
"Just some lipstick," he said.
"Why?  What's wrong with my lips?" I continued?
"Nothing is wrong - it would just help accentuate them a little, or help bring out your cheek bones a little...".
"But, why do I need to do that? I don't believe in makeup," I countered.

I proceeded to reiterate my stance on makeup and that girls shouldn't have to wear makeup to feel beautiful or to be called beautiful by guys.

"Well," he said, "if it were socially acceptable for guys to wear makeup, I would...to you know, look more like Tom Cruise or whoever the girls are crazy over.  It would help me look better just like makeup is for women," he dared to say.

"Oh really?" I asked, choosing to ignore part of his statement for the time being, "You would wear makeup if it were socially acceptable?".

"Yes, and I think lipstick could be good for you,", he replied.  "I mean, let's face it," he continued, "no guy is going to get with a girl if she's not wearing makeup and if he does, then he'll probably just cheat on her with someone who does wear makeup and is prettier than her!"

WHAT?!

Shaadi.com interest DECLINED!

My first official marriage proposal...

I met Bob while teaching in the UK.  He was from Australia and had taken on a supply (substitute) role in our department.  We got along well - he was laid back, great with the kids and had a wonderful sense of humour.

I knew that he had a crush on me, but that was the extent of it.  I had never dated a white guy and nor had I ever thought about it.  So, we both knew that there was no hope for a romance budding from our friendship.  That wasn't going to stop Bob, though!

He had crazy curly locks, just like Bart's nemesis, Bob, on the Simpsons.  It was hilarious.  We were at a department social having dinner, when he looked up at me and asked what he could eat.  He was new to the world of dietary restrictions and we had recently determined that we had the same food allergies and he wasn't sure what he could have.  Instinctively, he shouted across our large table: "Anika, what is there on this menu that I can eat?"

"That's easy, Bob", I replied, listing off five or six dishes that he could choose from.

"Amazing, you should be my wife - will you marry me?!"

He's just not that into you...but his mom is!

Another random email appeared in my inbox.  It was an introductory email from Kunal, which provided his basic details and standard information.  He had received my email from his mom and I could only assume that it was my mom who had given it to her.

A couple of emails were exchanged, after which, it was clear that he wasn't interested in taking any further steps.  So, that was the end of that.

Not so.  I started to receive emails from his mom.  At first, they were just asking how I was.  Then, they started to ask if Kunal and I were still talking and how nice it would be if I would write to him.  I tried to be as kind as I could, thanking her for her emails and briefly mentioning that I hadn't heard from Kunal in awhile (trying to hint that it was in fact her son who was not interested, nor writing, not me).  Her emails continued.  But instead of just 'how are you' emails, they came before special occasions.

"Kunal's birthday is in two days and we are exciting that he'll be home to visit at that time - it would be so nice if he heard from you on his birthday", she wrote.  Not wanting to be rude, I ended up dropping Kunal a one-line email, indicating that his mom had let me know it was his birthday (or else how stocker-ish would that have been for me to 'figure out' his birthday?) and politely wishing him the best for the year ahead.  I never heard back.

In fact, in all the times that I had written Kunal, at his mom's request, I never heard back once.  I'm not surprised, though; he'd made it clear that he wasn't interested in chatting.  After subtly mentioning it a few times, he must have spoken to his mom....finally!  No more emails from Kunal's mom, time to move on... until I received an email from his sister!!

(thankfully Kunal's sister got the hint more quickly!)

Glorious Paris!

Joe was moving to Asia and following his heart to live abroad and conquer the world.  I was proud of him. He had proved himself in so many ways and never settled for anything but his absolute best.

We had both been through quite a bit during the nine months we didn't speak and after we spoke the first time, the floodgates opened and we were talking daily.  We were back to being each other's pillars, providing support, laughter and companionship over the phone and online.

He was planning a one-week trip between his two jobs and I suggested he come to London so that we could spend some time together before he left.  He wasn't keen on London as an option as he had spent time there in the past and preferred we meet elsewhere.  Paris!  I was able to take a 3-day weekend and took a train to Paris for the weekend.

He met me at the train station with a single rose in-hand.  He had already checked us into our hotel, which was unfortunately not too close to downtown.  We dropped off my things and found a quiet restaurant for dinner.  It has been almost a year since we had seen each other, and there wasn't much to say.  We were just happy to be in each other's company.  We had a quiet evening to ourselves before taking in all the fantastic sights of Paris the next day.

We had a lot to see.  We were headed to Versailles the next day and wanted to get as much of Paris in as possible.  We climbed up the Eiffel Tower, walked down the Champs Elysees, took in the Louvre, and strolled through Montmartre.  As we approached the the Sacree Coeur, one of the street people who ties 'good luck' bracelets on people and asks for money approached us.  We tried to dodge him, but he was good.  He asked all sorts of questions, which Joe took the lead in answering - where were we from? (Canada) Why were we in Paris? (for a visit) How long were we staying? (3 days) Were we married? (Not yet).  NOT YET?!   Did Joe have something in mind that I wasn't aware of?  I mean, I knew that we loved each other unconditionally and wanted to be together, but we both knew that we couldn't be together.  It was just one of those cruel hands that the world had dealt us - kind of like Romeo and Juliet. We were so thankful for what we had, but we knew that being together was likely never going to be an option.  So.... not yet?  Not Yet?!  Why would he even venture into the land of 'Not Yet'?

I chose not to bring it up because I feared the answer.  What I didn't want was for him to actually ask the question.  Because, I likely would've just said 'yes' in the moment and then wound up deeper into something that had no happy ending.

So, instead, we just had an amazingly romantic weekend, staying at the Chateau Hotel of the Palais Versailles and having cart-wheel competitions in their gardens.  We lay in the grass admiring the amazing weather, the blue skies and life in general.  We were so happy and nothing could (or ever will) take that away from us.

I went back to work and Joe continued onto Belgium.

Two weeks later, after he moved to Asia, he called.  We had a long talk at the end of which, he asked me to move to Asia to be with him.

I had two conflicting reactions:
1. That's incredibly sweet...how I would love to move to Asia to be with him and start a life together at last.
2. SON OF A GUN.  Really?  You waited until you got to Asia to ask me? What about when we were finally together in Paris? Why are you asking me when you know what a ridiculous position that will put me in?

I had to say no.  I didn't see an option.  Until I could figure out a way to bring my two worlds together without them being on a total collision course, I had to say no...

:(

A new beginning...a new boy story!

I left Canada so that I could get a fresh start.

I had dated Joe (on and off) for six years.  No matter how much we tried and regardless of the pain we had caused each other along the way, we couldn't let go of the immense happiness we brought to one another.  There was an unsaid understanding between us - a bond that neither of us had experienced before, one full of passion, love, laughter and happiness.  But, we both knew that it would never work out and so, we had to let go and move on.

I thought that moving to a different country would help.  Moreover, I was moving to start a new career and to prove to myself that I was more than capable of standing on my own two feet and be successful.  And, I was incredibly excited to pursue my passion and childhood dream of being a teacher.

It was December of 2006 and my parents had been setting me up non-stop with boys from Britain.  A new country meant a new pool of boys to choose from!  I was looking forward to the change of scenery and who knew, maybe I would've met 'the one'!

An auntie had emailed me to see how I was settling into British life, and referenced how she and my mom had met.  She was keen for me to meet her son and I agreed to meet him, in London, just before the Christmas holidays.  What I didn't know is that this auntie and my mom had also been exchanging emails.  My mom had told this auntie that my dad would be in London, on business, and so we could all meet together.  Was my dad really going to be in town on business?  Nope!  Was he flying in just for this meet and greet?  Yes.  Apparently, the parents of this boy were really keen on us meeting, as they didn't like who he was dating at the time (something that my mom was aware of, but not me).

While I thought the setup of the entire event was a bit ridiculous (with my dad faking a business trip and all), I wasn't entire opposed to meeting the guy.  After all, I had to keep an open mind if I had any hope of finding someone.

So, after eight consecutive weeks of rain in Scotland, I ventured to London and soaked in as much sun as possible with the rare appearance of the sun.  My dad and I had quickly chatted about the setup, agreeing that it would be awkward but that we'd make the best of the situation.  Getting stuck in traffic on the way into town, we parked the car and took the tube to Knightsbridge.  We found the fancy apres-work club that we were meeting, found his parents and had a drink.  They had good news to share but wanted to wait until their son arrived to share.  Eight long minutes went by and their son arrived.  And, when he did, he was beaming with excitement, as well.  The good news?  Well, apparently, the night before, the son asked his girlfriend to marry him and she said yes!

The assumption would be that the night ended there.  Instead, we went off to dinner and as we were about to order, the boy left to be with his new fiancee.  So, my dad and I sat there having dinner with his parents, as they raved about how much gold they had.

Does everything happen for a reason....?

When mutual feelings just aren't mutual.

I had been set up with a guy by one of my colleagues at work.  She is an amazing person and I am lucky to consider her a friend.  She had another friend that she went to university with, whom she felt would be a great match for me!  Excellent!  Friend setups are usually far more exciting than parental setups.

We exchanged emails and instantly felt that we had a lot in common.  We had a lot in common, which meant that we had some great email and phone conversations about almost everything - politics, family life, friends, religion and nothing.  It was great!  I was excited that he was coming up for a visit - I think he had tagged on a weekend to a conference he was attending.

My friends and I were having an evening out, and he was going to join us.  But, when we met, I felt a distinct lack of chemistry.  I couldn't pinpoint what it was.  Was it the orange-scented cologne that threw me off?  Was it because he hadn't held my hand when we went for a walk?  I had no clue.

I asked him about the chemistry after the weekend, because I thought that maybe it was just me and the awkwardness of the first time two people meet in person.  He had tried to stay relatively neutral and his reason for not holding hands was because he didn't want to seem eager and he knew that if he had held my hand, he would've wanted much more.  Interesting...so maybe it was just me.

We continued to exchange emails and texts and supplemented that with long phone conversations...a bit more than 'just friends', but not really.  I was enjoying his long-distance company, but otherwise, I didn't think that we were dating on any level.

Eventually, things fizzled out between us, but we stayed in touch thanks to the wonders of facebook.  I wasn't interested in pursuing anything more than a friendship.  When I moved to the UK, I would sometimes receive one-line emails from him indicating that he thought we'd be great together - it was clear that he was still keen on dating, while I wasn't.

Almost two years later, after having barely spoken to him in the 24 months prior, I received a facebook message from him.  He was about to delete me from facebook as he couldn't bare to see my profile show up in his newsfeed - his friends had repeatedly told him to let go and move on with his life and not hang onto the hope that I would want to be with him, but he hadn't taken their advice (so he wrote).

I felt bad.  Here was a guy who really wanted to be with me and I had no feelings for him!  There were a few conversations in the past that had indicated, to me, that we would not have been great together, so, as most people would, I moved on.  I never realized that he hadn't.

Would he have treated me well? Yes.  Would he have done everything he could to make me happy? Yes. Would I have made him happy?  Apparently so.  So what was the issue?  I don't know!  I just didn't   have feelings for him...I didn't see a future for us while he did.  How do I explain that?  How do I continue to tell him this without hurting him?

People always tell me "when you know, you know"...well, with him, I knew that I knew that it just wasn't him... :(

It all comes back to Joe...

Joe and I had kept in touch.  He was my first love and hard to forget.

When he learned that I was moving out of the city, I think he quickly realized what he was about to lose.  He sent me a very cute email invite for dinner and I obliged.  Conversation flowed and laughter consumed the evening.  It was fantastic.  But, at the end of the day, I was still leaving.  I was sadly mistaken to think that distance would help us get over each other and move on.  After all, we knew we couldn't get married and really, in the year or two before that move, he hadn't really been the man I knew he could be...so distance was going to be a good thing for us.  Ha!

I moved to the other side of the country and he made more of an effort than ever to keep in touch with me.  We were pretty much dating again, long distance.  I knew that we had had our ups and downs and I did my best not to forget about all the times that he had made me cry, but there was something about the connection we shared that could not be described.

I had applied to and had been accepted to grad school abroad and so reality was sinking in that not only would we be in different cities, we would be in different countries and that we couldn't possibly carry on a transcontinental relationship.  We (again) needed to make a clean break and move on.

Before I moved, he came for a visit and, together, we went for a 3-day hike in the mountains.  He had never been in the mountains and I had grown up there, so I was incredibly excited to show him my childhood backyard.  It was an incredibly challenging yet gratifying climb.  I loved it, he loved it and we discovered yet another level of love for each other over those three days.  It was...sigh...amazing.

But the reality was that I was leaving a few days later and it was time to (again) go our separate ways...

No drinkey, no dancey, no wifey!

I have had my fair share of first dates, whether they stem from parental setups, friends or online.  As much as I hate awkward, I have come to expect that the first interaction will be just that.  But, it's all about keeping an open mind and seeing if there's any chemistry past the second date.

Indians usually pride themselves on their stature and reputation within their society.  It matters to most Indians what the rest of the community thinks of them.  At least that is mostly true with my parents' generation.  Less true of my generation, I think.  Personally, I think there are parts of my life that I think my parents would rather not know about.  They don't need to know, nor do they want to know, that I like to enjoy a drink every now and then.  Nothing crazy, but strict Indian parents never like to know about any of their kids indiscretions (no matter how small).  And, let's face it, nobody wants to disappoint their parents...

This meant that in all of the information ever shared about me (in the form of bio-datas, online profiles, etc), and in front of family and family friends, I didn't drink.  If someone who was interested in me were ever to ask me about it, I wouldn't lie, but it wasn't something that was advertised.

Why is it, then, that with 90% of my first dates wanted to know within the first 20 minutes of ever talking to me, they wanted to know if I "liked to drink or party"?  Honestly, is that really a make or break deal for boys?  Is it really that important for them to know whether or not I drink that it has to be asked within the first conversation?

At least only two of them only ever used drinking as an excuse for anything.
The first 'called in sick' at work on a Tuesday morning because he had been out late 'getting smashed' the night before.  The second decided that meeting me for the first time at 11am on a Saturday morning was 'too early because [he was] going to be partying on Friday night'.  Awesome.  Great first impressions, people!
Well, I have to commend them on their honesty...

Definition of fate...

It's a simple question with a multitude of possible answers.  Everyone defines and believes in fate in their own way, with each person's unique belief likely being shaped by their personal journeys through life.

Arjun was a family set up.  Someone in my (massively extended, including people who are not even related to me) family knew someone in his.  And so, the email exchanges began.

We had exchanged a few heated emails that were already starting to bother me.  After asking me where I had worked, I explained that I had just quit my job at one of the top consumer goods companies and that I was in transition.  He quickly jumped on the "I hate corporations, especially the one you worked for" bandwagon.  Arjun had a few friends who had worked for the same corporation, who he (apparently) had observed them getting brainwashed.  All the company cared about was profits, his friends complained.  'The company thinks they are God', his friends continued.

Wait a minute.  How many companies don't end up brainwashing their employees?  How many companies don't insist on making money?  Seriously, Arjun?  That is your argument for hating where I used to work?

It may seem like a small thing, but ten (10!!) emails were exchanged on the subject.  I tried to explain that most corporations were similar, that it wasn't so bad in my office (his friends were at a global office, so maybe it was worse there), and I even tried to back down and 'agree to disagree'.  He wouldn't have any of it.

What does this have to do with fate?  Well, in about the 9th email, I managed to expand the conversation beyond nasty corporations and ask him if he believed in fate.

"Do I believe in fate.  Yes I do.  Every action affects the next.  Behind each door could be an axe waiting to split your skull or a suitcase full of $1000 bills."

What he didn't see is that behind the next door, (after his 10th email insisting that I worked for the most arrogant and ridiculous company in the world), there I stood, at my computer, pressing the delete key and ridding my inbox of his emails, and my life of him (and his skull-splitting-axes).

Sigh...next!

gr8 d8s

If there is one thing I dislike more than anything, it is the use of text-language.  I really don't like its use in actual text messages so you can imagine my disdain towards text-speak in emails!  I mean, come on, does it really take much time to type out the entire word?  In fact, for those of us who are touch-type-literate, it's almost counter intuitive to figure out the text-speak shortcuts on a keyboard!

2005 seemed to be a great year for me to be setup with all sorts of boys who not only liked, but loved to use text-speak in their emails.  Some were more subtle than others.  The king of text speak was a lad named  JT (he had even shortened his name).  His email read something like this:

"Hey Anika,
How r u?
I hope ur mom told you abt this email. lol.

So what do u do? What do u like?

Maybe u can send me ur photo tho? Mine's attchd. lol

cya l8tr,
JT

I know, I know.  Some of you must be thinking "well, maybe he was on a smartphone of some sort and this was easier".  Geepers!!! Is this what written communication has come down to?  Really?  Really?!?  Whatever excuse anyone wants to come up with, this is not how you email a girl for the very first time!!  I think we deserve better...don't you?

Next!!

Hypocrites...gotta love 'em!

It was sometime in 2004 when my mom approached me with yet another 'bio-data'.  'Here we go again', I thought.

Sharky was from LA and worked in something fashion-related.  We decided to meet at Tim Horton's for coffee and when I showed up, he was definitely much better dressed than I was.  I suppose that wasn't really hard to do considering I was wearing jeans and a (fitted) fleece top...it was Tim's!!  But, he had no idea what Timmy's was all about, so I didn't blame the guy.  We exchanged the usuals over a hot chocolate - where are you from, where did you grow up, what do you do, what do you like to do for fun, etc, after which he suggested that we could go for a drive.

Now, there isn't much to see in my town, so a drive was probably not a great idea and I should have realized that.  But, what the heck.  A drive is what he wanted, and drive is what he got.

As we drove down one of the quieter streets that is lined with mansions, we were talking about our interests and beliefs.  He told me about how he loved being fashionable and it was the industry that he worked in.  He explained, for example, that his pants were of a particular high-end brand and were really expensive, as were his shoes that were made out of genuine shark skin.  He liked classy things and it showed.  He explained that he followed a particular yoga master, who was his yogi.  He loved yoga and strongly believed in auras.

"Are you a vegetarian?", I asked.
"Yes".
"But, do you eat eggs?", I continued.
"Oh, no...it messes with my aura.  I like to keep things in balance", he replied.

Confused by his answer and sure that I didn't want to go on a second date with him, I asked, "Well, if eating eggs mess with your aura, how does your aura cope with you wearing shoes made from the skin of a dead shark?"

Next!