When I was getting off at the West Fourth Street stop, there was a man making the most beautiful noises come out of his steel guitar. He wasn't on the platform where people could listen while waiting, but instead was playing on the opposite side of turnstiles, in the stairway leading out. So it was just for a brief moment, a transitory listening that people experienced this. I, the same. It was a gorgeous noise that for whatever reasons reminded me of places other than the one I am living in right now, perhaps all those Southern associations with steel guitars. But it was a fleeting moment that I could not linger and enjoy too long, even though I wanted nothing more than to sit there all night, because I was already running late for this date with Chris, Friendster boy.

I was running late because I had to go to the post office on 32nd Street and mail my taxes in that circus atmosphere, packed with other late filers, with protestors, Billionaires for Bush, an insane amount of police, and people passing out Rolaids. So yeah, running from there to meeting up with Chris. Hectic hectic hectic, and then that one moment of beauty that made me pause for the slighest of moments before I am rushing up those subway stairs, calling Chris and finding out that he is over at Astor Place. We agree to meet at the Cube, and I speedwalk across town. I am bit of mess, hyped up on way too many cups of coffee and a little stressed with just having to deal with taxes and when we meet at the Cube, I am more than a little wired and all over the place. He keeps on giving me those "Are you all right?" glances because I am pretty manic at this point, pretty damn hungry too because I have not eaten since I can't even remember and I say, Pizza, I need it now. We go get some, making stilted small talk along the way. I am so hyper/nervous, I can't even really eat even though I am so hungry.

And then, Strike #1 for Chris. Probably a short five minutes after I met him, he asked me about Matt. He had just come from a talk that Kevin was at also, told Kevin he was going on a date with me, and asked for any gossip. Kevin replied that I used to date his roommate, and I made out with a talk for forty-five minutes and then we broke up. Chris asked me if this was true.

Forty-five minutes?! I said something like that, because it was more like one minute, and now I wanted to know if Matt really thought that it was forty-five minutes. And the reason I went out on this stupid Friendster date is because I wanted to move on, forget about other boys with a new boy, and yet I am prevented from that because this nitwit decides to ask me about my ex-boyfriend and the circumstances that led to that ex prefix a short five minutes after meeting his tactless ass. I start the dog story to explain what really happened and right at that moment, Josh Sparber - the boy whose bedroom window I puked out of many moons ago - comes up because he was walking by. I talk to him for a bit, so excited that someone is here that I can easily banter with, someone that can put me more at ease, and Josh asks if he's interuppting anything, I say no, no, no. And he sits down with us and gets a slice of pizza. Josh right away says he heard I made out with a dog from David. So, I laugh because this is really funny that two people ask me this within minutes of each other, and so then I start the story again and tell both of them. Josh thinks that it is really cool. I like Josh so much at this moment. He is insanely funny, does not make bad jokes (er, like a certain Chris), and during this moment I am wondering why I am on a date with this nitwit when there is Josh, who I am not really that attracted to, but think is an amazing person to hang out with.

Josh was telling funny story after funny story while Chris sat for the most part quietly. At some point it came out that Chris and I had just met, and were on a little Friendster meet-up. Josh then left and I was back alone with Chris. We then went to Nowhere where it is normally country night but last night was the first night that it was not country night. Country night is now officially over. We drank beers and talked. First about Kevin, and Chris told me intimate details about him hooking up with Kevin that I did not ask for, nor did I really want to hear. I sort of really hate it when people talk about sex specifics, and even more so, when they are complaining about how the other person kisses or whatnot. It just seems incredibly tactless and unmagical. So that was #2 for Chris. #3 would be shortly thereafter when he was asking me about theater and I confessed that I hated it more than anything. This led into a discussion about the merits of theater. He really likes it. Some people just like these things, I guess. #4 is in this discussion when he complements himself, after going on about Brecht's ideas, and then complementing himself on how eloquent he was being. I like people that are able to hold their own in a conversation without having to pat themselves on the back like it is something out the ordinary.

We eventually rode the L back to Brooklyn together, and he was already making references to some second date. I did not say anything. He got off at Bedford, I waved bye, and he seemed sort of disgusted by my waving hand like I should kiss him good-bye or something. So there was an awkward good-bye hug and then I was free, free to think about that forty-five minutes comment and about Matt and Kevin, about the things that I was hoping this date would help me to totally forget, but which in fact, made me realize how many people I do not like, how few boys I actually am attracted to and think are cool human beings, and made me long all the more for an imagined happy past to represent itself.