First Dates

Ok all you imaginary readers out there with imaginary partners or spouses or whatever. Quick question for you. Do you remember your first date with your partner/spouse/whatever? You do? Good! Now, did you know it was a first date at the time? I didn't.

When I talk about my first date with my wife I talk about going to see that Kevin Costner flick Perfect World and then grabbing a bite of dinner at Wendy's (yes, I was a Cassanova even then!). When she talks about our first date it's going to study at the University library. We studied statistics and design, and I walked her back to her dorm cause it was dark out. Unbeknownst to me, this was a date, she swears it. And I had no idea! I mean, I was there to study statistics and design, and to help her out with ANOVA. That's what she said she wanted. And I taught it to her, and I was happy she was getting it. And all along it was, well, an elaborate diabolical plot! There's me, in my stat-headed geekish innocence and she's just playing me like a fool, stalking me like a, uh, stat-interest-faking stalking thing! So what I've thought was our first date was our second. I was calculating within cell variance during our first.

I'm still not sure if I should be offended or flattered by this aspect of our history. We're married now so I figure flattered is the way to go with it.

But there's an interesting footnote to this whole thing. The only time I've ever had to use the "gosh, thanks, but I'm married" line in my life has been when my wife and I had been married a few years and I was tutoring someone in graduate school and they called me up afterwards to ask me out. Yes I was wearing my ring, and yes, she was embarrassed when she realized she had asked out a married guy. But do you know what I was tutoring her in? Statistics. Single imaginary readers take note: Stats are sexy!