Date Two

Date two went really well. It was a relief, especially after so much serial dating. Amy and I met at the Princeton Record Exchange at 4. She looked beautiful, of course, and we had fun browsing and asking about each other's tastes. She seems to know a little about a lot of groups, while I tend to be more in depth with what I have. I don't follow music as much now, though, so she asked me about a lot that I only knew by name. I was happy to finally have a musical compatriot, though. Not that what I enjoy is particularly rare anymore, but she knew her stuff. She got excited over Mothers of Invention albums, but could talk about Elton John, too.

We walked around after this because I wanted to find a bookstore Lina and I went to when I was there last, which I guess was last summer. I don't think that bookstore is there anymore, which is a shame. It's also hard to believe--it was a nice store. They had some old volumes of Jung's writing which I wanted at some point, though they're probably still available in other editions. We did find one mediocre bookstore, and she picked up a novel for her sister's birthday. We had dinner, after this, at a pizza place she liked. It's funny how often I've fretted some dates, wondering what to expect and what was expected, when Amy is so low key. Charmingly, so (compare this to all the expensive places Jenn wanted me to go to, not that I'm against nicer restaurants). Despite the heat, she wore the same sweater she had on at the museum and had on these old running shoes. But she looked amazing. I love when women dress how they want, instead of trying to look like what they think you want. I preferred her ratty shoes to layers of makeup, easily. I mean that as a huge compliment. I had a good feeling about her from the start, unlike on other dates I've liked where I've hoped for things to click a little more than they did. Amy and I seem to have the right chemistry with enough differences to be interesting. I think we both see ourselves as loners, though we love people while still trying to deal with a need to be ourselves in a world that enjoys conformity. I could tell by the way she talked about art, too, that we'd get along well. She's one of the few people I've met who made me feel like I could be serious. I don't get that from my family, aside from my brother. I don't joke with her as much as I do with most people, which I surprisingly enjoy, because it means we're talking openly and seriously about so much. I can be a human being with her. I never feel like I have to be a performer before I can ever open up.

While we ate, we did discuss religion, which I'd looked forward to (I was curious to see what her beliefs were, specifically). It was a fun conversation, though it took a little while for us to understand each other, but that's how that subject goes. We also talked about the gay high school boy who was murdered recently. This caused some misunderstandings, but in the end we seemed to agree, which was a relief. I was afraid, for a moment, that our compatibility at the museum was a fluke and she had a homophobic streak. But, before long, we were enjoying each other's ideas and walking through Princeton, discussing the houses, our histories, and our likes and dislikes. She's a lot like me, I think. In a way, I feel like I've met myself. With other people I've gone on dates with, I've always thought so much about what could happen, like what we'd be like together. I didn't realize how preoccupied I was with distractions about possibility, instead of focusing on the person. With her, I've felt really relaxed both times we met. I never let fantasy really get in the way, but instead always had her in mind. That's a good thing. I know we'll see each other again, and we'll see where this goes. So far it's been very positive, and I need that, especially after the medical problems.

Amy's in Mexico now, building a house with members of her church for some people in need of one. I admire that greatly. She cares about people. Because of that, she couldn't stay out too late last night, so I walked her back to the train station a little early. We talked about movies. She's always wanted to see Blue Velvet and has a taste for old movies, like Nosferatu and The Thin Man. Again, like meeting myself, right? She understood where I was coming from when I joked that too many kids our age don't know anything from before Star Wars and The Godfather.

I knew we were going to kiss at the end of this date, and I guess we both did. I think we only said goodbye two or three times instead of, like, five. We hugged on this bench, tightly, and when we were done I was going to kiss her. Then she said, "This is awkward," which put me off, but I guess she wasn't sure what reaction she'd get to a kiss. So we walked over to the train and she asked if I wanted a kiss. Of course, I did, and we French kissed by the door for a while. Actually, she was pretty intense, which I liked, and which kind of surprised me (but, if she's really like me, it shouldn't). Did I want to kiss her? I'd wanted to since we were leaning over old German pistols in glass cases. Since we looked at ugly British plates. Since I could see that we both loved the minutia and complexity of all this fun stuff around us. She said she'd get in touch when she gets back from Mexico, so I'm looking forward to hopefully meeting next weekend. On my way back to the Spring St. parking garage I popped back into the record store and got the Black Keys record she wanted, but thought was too expensive. It took me a while to find it, because she put it in the wrong spot.

See you soon, Amy.