The Adventures of Online Dating

Currently taking a break from finals to declare: I survived! Not that there was any doubt but you never know (I wasn't asking for their opinion when I gave a description of what I was wearing, along with my height and weight measurements to my friends). I will say, as first dates go it was pretty sweet--literally, we started off at a local cupcakery, walked through a park, got a bunch of truffles, did more walking and then got some real food. Def. different from the traditional awkward first date dinner, but in a good way. I can hear you saying "but girl, that sounds like too much walking!" Nay friends, Atlanta is so cool that way, with its pockets of neighborhoods and parks. I got to explore a whole new area, and even found a new place to go running along the Atlanta Beltway. So many cool sights, I just wish I had my camera with me.

No I did not send this. 

My mom called me right after, and I will tell you what I told her: he was nice. Goofy, in a good way, and nice. There weren't any crazy sparks or fireworks going off for me, but it was cool. At the very least I could see us being friends. Obviously since I'm going away for winter break that puts a pause on things, so I can't definatively say there will be a second date. I don't know, is it fair to go on a second date with someone if you aren't sure about them/didn't have any fire works?

Obviously I'm a little rusty with the formal dating process, so this was good practice (though I think girlfriend here still has it!). I was really nervous going into it, but thinking of it as a social experiment (I've been watching way too many episodes of Bones--very Dr. Brennan way of approaching things) took some of the pressure off of things. I had to double check with a friend about how long you wait to text to say thank you: 24 hours was her answer. He did text me later so I didn't revert to that rule. I am seriously considering starting to stock-pile all the little dating tip gems that I seem to have forgotten. Here's what I have so far:

1. (As mentioned above) Wait 24 hours after date before sending the "thanks I had a great time!" text
2. Don't chug a can of soda prior to said date: you will end up all jittery and run the risk of burping all over the place (totally a rookie move but I seriously just wasn't thinking).

Thoughts? Any other nuggets to add to my arsenal?

Luckily he looked the same as his pictures...