How can I tell if he likes me?

The signs indicating whether a guy likes you depend on how old you are. If you’re under 10, he likes you if he pretends he doesn’t. No, wait, that also applies to some egotists of any age. Avoid them.

The bottom line is that usually, unless you’re still in grade school, you can tell whether a guy likes you if you’re honest with yourself. He pays you compliments or keeps calling you or emailing or texting you. In short, he follows up with you. He pursues you. Sometimes he’ll give you a hint by saying something like I really like you.

Who says size doesn’t matter?

So Friday I had a last-minute lunch date with a guy I “met” online. He was funny and smart, like his page said. But I already knew that from chatting on the phone with him for a bit. We seemed to be comfortable together right off the bat, which I think happens with people of a certain age who don’t see a first date as a life-or-death situation. The lunch hour flew by.

This Guy described himself online as “cute.” I wouldn’t exactly describe him that way but I’m not so worried about looks. Funny and smart are more important to me. Although I do wonder at someone mentioning their looks when there are pictures to go with the words.

Dating Blog Carnival #7

Thrive! is tickled to be hosting this week’s dating blog carnival.

In Writing a Profile He Can’t Resist, Alex provides suggestions for creating an irresistible online dating profile. A good beginning is choosing the right picture. And from what I’ve seen of online dating profiles, Alex’s advice to use a picture in which you’re happy and smiling is not stating the obvious!

So you’ve been dating the same person for a while? Heather Johnson discusses things to do when you hit a rough patch in 5 Ways to Improve Your Relationship.

Funny how things turn out sometimes

At the beginning of May, I wrote about This Guy I’d been dating and whether he still liked me. He’d stopped calling me and I wondered why. I thought we were having fun getting to know each other. We weren’t exactly a match made in heaven but still, I was enjoying the time we spent together. It seems I’ve gotten less demanding about who I date as I’ve gotten older. I wouldn’t say I’ve lowered my standards but rather have become more open-minded about who I’ll jump into the dating pool with. If the guy is well-mannered, has a healthy sense of humor and is reasonably intelligent, that’s a good start. I have a lot more qualities I imagine I’d like in a mate but the above three should at least make for a pleasant dinner companion.

Who’s paying for all this?

I developed blogstipation every time I tried to blog about gender and paying the way on dates. Today I told Martin I was afraid of sounding old (I kept wanting to start a sentence with “Well, back in my day . . .” Use a phrase like that and you’re only a blog away from “These crazy kids today . . .”). So when I told Martin I was trying to write about who pays on a date, he said it was simple — the person with the most money pays. Now why didn’t I think of that?

An Enchanted Evening

I’ve already described my visit to Wakulla Springs in the fall but left out the juicy bits. The best part of the trip to Wakulla Springs wasn’t the charming lodgings, natural beauty or exotic wildlife although Mother Nature did play her part.

We arrived the day before Mom’s 91st and my 50th birthday. It had been a rough year for me, actually my roughest. My husband moved out of the house in January. Although he’d been expressing some restlessness, I didn’t think it was possible our marriage could actually end. I got married for the first time on my 47th birthday. Who knew by the time my 50th rolled around, I’d be divorced?

I Wonder If He Likes Me

At my age, why do I still get terrible bouts of adolescent-like angst regarding the opposite sex? It drives me crazy and blows my whole image as a confident, independent, smart woman. About five weeks ago, I started seeing a very nice man I met at a party. The meeting was prearranged as he is the brother of a friend’s friend. I was eager to meet someone nice who didn’t require a background check. After a few months of fruitless online dating, I expected a known quantity to be a refreshing change of pace.

Be Careful What You Wish For

As a single woman, I’ve been rather eager the past few months to meet a man to go out with. I’m not interested in getting serious with anyone, whatever that means. I really just want to have some fun and companionship. At a party a couple of weeks ago, I was set to meet This Guy, the brother of a friend’s friend. It turned out to be a night of good food, good music, plenty of beer and a designated driver at a starry location out in the country. I pretty much threw myself at This Guy, making a tasteful pass at him so he’d have no doubts about whether I was interested. The Friday following the party, we went to a bar on the beach and had a couple of glasses of wine and flirted a lot. Maybe this is my middle age talking, but I liked how comfortable I was with him. Then, on Sunday night, we went to dinner and had an equally nice time. When he took me home, he said he’d call me.I heard from him again on Friday afternoon. We ended up going to dinner, then took the long way back to my house. Saturday I had a great day with friends that included yoga, a gyro sandwich and a local arts fest. On the way home, I persuaded myself to go clothes shopping — a necessary evil for me. By the time I was carrying the bags in the door, I was pooped. When This Guy called me Saturday late in the afternoon to ask what I was up to, I told him I was doing laundry and reading. I declined his dinner invitation because, well, because I wanted to do my laundry and read my book. After chatting a few more minutes, we hung up. An hour or so later, he called again. He was headed home from a work errand and was nearby. He asked me about dinner again and I think I was a bit short in reiterating my intent to stay in that night. I think I hurt his feelings, which made me feel bad. He’s a nice guy who wanted to take me to dinner. We ended up going out and having a very nice time. By the time I hung up the phone with him Sunday evening, I realized things had escalated. One sign of escalation is when he calls and doesn’t identify himself but you know who it is. And when you hang up, he doesn’t say I’ll call you soon; he says I’ll call you tomorrow. And then he does.