The deed has been done.

I have spoken to my first bachelor, even before I give up meat.  

What an odd sentence.

His name, R., is the same as my best friend.  Not an unusual name, and I actually have a rather painful-to-think-of ex with the same name (just conjured up a painful memory...ow).    Anywho, I went to put his name in my phone today and, realizing that I didn't know his last name, had to do it in all caps to differentiate it from that of my own dear R.  

We spoke on the phone this morning--I was commuting to a seminar/talk-back session about 35 minutes away, and his only free time today was before 11.  Perfect.  I called him, we talked. He seems like a sensible guy with very little to like or dislike--just a normal person.

He does have a southern accent.  Yee-haw!

R. works as an editor for one of the local papers--a great job, really, and it guarantees that he knows how to spell.  A positive trait in any man.

However, before I could do my usual "You seem really nice, let's meet for coffee" bit, he leaped in and asked me to have dinner with him.  DINNER?!  What if I don't like him?  I'm in it for the long haul!  Coffee's half an hour, 45 minutes tops.  DINNER is an event!

(You know you're reading the blog of a commitmentphobe when DINNER raises red flags.)

So we're on.  For DINNER.  Tomorrow night.  I'm not really nervous, because let's be honest.  I paid good money for eHarmony.  And I started a freaking blog, with plans for a summer-log project of vegetarianism and online dating.  Unless he is the culmination of all of my wildest dreams come true, I'm going to continue to get my money's worth and eHarm it up until September!

(And before you get up in my grill, folks, I promise to give him a fair and true evaluation, and not avoid making a love connection simply based on a small financial investment.)

(probably.)

I also received an email from a guy named P. (who shares a name with another of my dearest pals)--on paper, he's much more my type.  Very witty, very smart.  I giggled at least 3 times when I read the email.  So I'd anticipate a date at some point this week.  Stay tuned for updates.

T-minus 4 days until the Veggies hit the streets.

(by "the streets", I mean "my tummy")