FEBRUARY DATES: WHAT HAPPENED NEXT ...

Here goes ...

Dates Fourteen/Seventeen/Nineteen/Twenty - Dates with Backpack: this guy has become a real standout. We've been out for dinner, drinks, and he's met several of my friends. He has maintained constant contact with me via text and phone calls. This one is not afraid of the phone and loves to talk on it. Miracle!! During the time that we've known each other he's gone out of town twice for work and has even maintained contact while traveling. Everything is promising and I'm hoping to continue seeing this one into the spring ... perhaps for some fun bike rides or golf, which he said he'd like to learn to play with me. How fun!!

Date Fifteen - Um, was this a date?: he emailed a couple times then as per his adventurous spirit, went out of the country to surf for a couple weeks. Maybe he'll pop back up in March or beyond, who knows?

Date Sixteen - Brunch: this guy is a head scratcher. He emailed the night we met and said he'd "love" to hang out again. I responded same. A week later he emailed, apologizing for it taking so long, and asking to hang out that weekend. I already had three dates so suggested the following week (just this past week). Haven't heard back. Weird. I did however spot him walking away from my gym last night on my way to a friend's house ... should I have said something? No.

Date Eighteen - :(: no further contact other than the two exit interview emails. This guy is desperately seeking a partner and he's really, really nice. So, if anybody out there has a single lady friend who would not mind a long distance relationship with someone totally agreeable and sensitive, who has a wonderful artistic side, let me know and I can set it up!! I'm sort of kidding. Only sort of. I feel guilty about this one for some reason ...

Date Twenty One - Lunch: this guy emailed that night saying that he really enjoyed lunch and in the email included a video he made about velociraptors ... I finally watched it. He's there making a weird, scary face and then there's a lightning flash and a velociraptor toy is bopping along on the screen. Ok. I emailed him back and he responded but I haven't ... I just don't have anything to say.

Date Twenty Two - Oh God, the Horror: this one has dropped off the face and not made contact. Thank God.

Date Twenty Three - Confirmed Bachelor: he emailed me a couple days later, told me that he had a great time and that he had some heinous work days coming up. This could be code for "Hey, not gonna contact you again" or could be legit, who knows? We have exchanged subsequent emails but haven't made other plans. I have the feeling that we might see each other again but if not, that's cool, too.

Date Twenty Four - "That" Guy: this date was a mere 48 hours ago so it may be a bit premature to update at this point but haven't heard form him and don't really expect to. I think that neither one of us was feeling it, but I've been shocked before so who knows. I could easily get an email in the next couple days that says "Dude, we should totally hang again!" Ah, no.

Bottom line: February was the month of Backpack. I went out with him four times. I can't wait to go out with him again. He is nice, polite, patient, smart, funny, a great conversationalist, and has beautiful lips. Yeah, I think about that last one ... and want to kiss him again. He was a sleeper but he's emerged from the pack fully in the lead at this point. But who knows what the month of March will have in store for me??