Six months ago today, I met up with a guy for coffee. He was a blogger who ran an LGBT blog directory that I’d visited occasionally over the previous couple of years. I was well aware of his site, although I didn’t know anything about the guy who ran it. He’d long lived in another part of the country, but over the summer he’d moved to New York. I knew this because my friend Mike was a friend of his and had blogged about him.
One day, the guy left a comment on my blog. I’d been meaning to write him and welcome him to New York, and this seemed like a good opportunity to say hi. So I wrote him an e-mail, thanking him for the comment and welcoming him to the city, and he wrote back to tell me that he’d been enjoying my blog and suggested we meet up for coffee some time.
That guy was, of course, Matt.
That Saturday, in the afternoon, we met at the Starbucks at Astor Place, near the K-Mart. He was a little late because of subway delays, but that was okay. He was cute, as I’d expected from the photo on his site. We got some beverages and grabbed a table. We talked for a long time, and he showed me his Palm Pilot, which he seemed pretty enthusiastic about, and which made him even cuter. His shirtsleeves were rolled up and I liked the hair on his forearms. I wanted to touch his arms, but I didn’t.
After a long while, the coffee got to me and I had to go to the bathroom, but the line at Starbucks was too long, so we went over to Barnes & Noble and I used the one there. Then we walked over to and up Third Avenue, because we wanted a snack and I’d suggested bagels. We searched without success. We doubled back to Union Square and went into another Starbucks, but they were out of bagels as well and there were no snack items that looked appealing. I used the bathroom again. He did too, I think. Then we walked some more and wound up at Java & Jazz, a coffee shop on Broadway at 17th Street. There were bagels! Success. So we got some bagels and a table and continued chatting for quite a while.
Eventually it was time to go our separate ways, so we left Java & Jazz and walked along the northern end of Union Square. I liked this guy and hoped to hang out with him again, but I wanted to be casual about it. One of us, I can’t remember who, suggested we in fact hang out again, and the other one of us said that would be great. Yay! I gave him a spontaneous little goodbye hug, which seemed to take him aback, but he smiled and we parted.
Then I went into Barnes & Noble and worried that I’d been too forward by hugging him.
Tne next day, I got an e-mail from him telling me that he’d really enjoyed hanging out with me. He repeated that it would be great to meet up again soon. I felt good.
During the following week, I IM’d Mike and told him that I’d met Matt. I mentioned that I’d had a great time. Mike responded that Matt had told him he’d had a great time, too and had liked me a lot. I told Mike I was kind of interested in the guy.
Matt and I e-mailed a few times during the week. We decided to get together again that following weekend, and we were trying to figure out what to do.
And then he ended one his e-mails by suggesting that we go on a date sometime, because “a little bird” had whispered in his ear.
(Thanks, Mike!)
I wrote back and said that it would be my pleasure.
So that Friday evening, we went out to dinner, and then saw a movie, and…
So (ahem) anyway, it was six months ago today that Matt and I met each other. We’ve retroactively decided to use that first meeting as our anniversary date, because, well, it gets us there sooner. While our first meeting wasn’t officially a date, we did meet up for coffee for the purpose of getting to know each other, and we spent several hours together, during which I developed — er — romantic curiosities about him. So at the very least it was date-related program activities.
And so:
Happy six months, sweetie.
(He’s in Philadelphia this weekend, but I’m sure we’ll celebrate in some fashion soon.)
I’m curious: what do other couples use as their anniversary date?
A long long time ago, when I wasn’t yet allowed to drink, and me and the (then current) mister were dating long-distance, we used the “are we going steady?” day as our anniversary, even though there were lots of other mini-anniversaries: first meeting, first sex, first date, first… Yeah.
Then there was that other boyfriend, who always got engaged within a week of his first date with anyone. He totally ignored any anniversary, always wanting to rush into marriage instead.
But anyway… Happy anniversary, and hopefully you’ll have more to come.
My wife and I have a bunch of anniversaries – the date we met online via IM, the date we first talked on the phone, the date we met in person, the date we first said I love you to each other, the date we moved in together, and of course the date we got married. Of course we don’t celebrate all of them per se, but we do mention them to each other when they come around.
BTW, I’ve been reading your journal for about a year now and enjoy it a great deal. Congrats on the 6 months and good luck to both of you.
Rob
I blogged about this same topic back in January, wondering what date Jeff and I should use for our anniversary, and musing on how other non-married couples came to this decision. We still haven’t decided, but after Jeff read your post today he brought it up again. I’m thinking we’ll probably go for our first meeting, too. That date also has the distinction of being almost exactly (off by two days) the mid-point between our respective birthdays.
I blogged about this too and we use Valentine’s Day because that was the day he went out of his way (oh so out of his way) to surprise me by attending a class I was teaching.
That was so sweet. I’m so happy for the 2 of you. In April it’s going to be my six month anniversary with my BF too. Life is good .STay well !
( a wanderer from Homer’s site )
That is so great. I loved reading that. Tres romantique. Well done you guys and I hope you’re together for ages.
Happy Anniversary.
I love stories like these! It always fascinates me to hear how people met and what date they count as their anniversary. My boyfriend and I were hanging out as “friends” for about a week before I screwed up enough courage to kiss him. We use that night as our anniversary (April 26). We’re coming up on two years soon!
Congratulations to the two of you.
Ohhhh, my tummy feels all warm & fuzzy now; hurray for you two!
Patrick & I use the date we decided to be “exclusive” – that is, the day I said, “So, like, will you totally be my boyfriend?” and he dumped all those other bitches.
Granted, it was only about a month after we first met in person, but it also turned out to be the night we first . . . *ahem*, so it works on a couple levels. :)
Congrats to you and Matt, I read his blog before his move and continued on through you begining to date :) How wonderful!
My Husband and my 6 month Wedding Anniversary is coming up on April 18th, but our dating Anniversary is August 17th the day after we met, as he spent the night and asked me out in the early morning hours we where 16 and 17 :o and have been together since it is wonderful
Being terminally single, I don’t have the slightest clue… but congrats to you two anyhow.
I’m off to find some prozac…
Congratulations, you two! :-)
Anniversary-wise, so far we’ve been using the day of our first official date, May 21. (I was nervous and babbled like an idiot that night, but fortunately for me he thought it was cute and endearing. Whew.)
Then there was the day we got our domestic partnership certificate, which is another possibility, and then we were getting ready to go to San Francisco to get hitched until the Court put the kibosh on that, and a couple of months ago while we were on vacation in Ireland I finally got up off my procrastinatory ass and asked him if he’d stand with me at a ceremony at his church (which performs union ceremonies and which, I knew, would mean the most to him … he said yes. Whew.)
If we used them all that’d give us at least three, if not one day four, potential anniversary dates. I think we should use ’em all. If nothing else, it’s an excuse for us to take each other out for fancy celebratory dinners!