My Love Life Is None Of Your Business....Or Is It?

It is my general principle not to get too descriptive about my love life on this weblog, for a variety of sensible reasons.  The principle wavers a little bit right now, when I'm dating someone I met through and because of the weblog.  It feels like the relationship owes a lot to the weblog, and it seems only fair to fill y'all in a little bit.  I will be coy and sidestep and obscure some things, but he's part of this circle of friends who hangs out at Stay of Execution, and he chimes in now and then, so it seems a bit silly not to talk about it.  Plus, of course, I'm smiley and goofy a lot of the time now, and it's because of him.  No sense pretending to be all cool and self-contained. 

So let me tell you about Mr. Next Big Thing.  (To those who would quibble with this name: I run this weblog, and I get to make up the names.  Yes, I am aware that the word "next" makes it sound temporary and like one in a series.  I'm still the boss around here.  He gets to retaliate by saying that I'm the "first of his girlfriends to be a coach" or the "first of his girlfriends to ever make special podcasts for him".)  He's a dozen things I thought I would never date.  He's within a year of my age, and I always date older men.  He's a lawyer, who loves his job.  Worse, a litigator!  I would certainly not date a lawyer.  He's a bad speller.  He's a golfer.  He lives 800 miles away, in a town that's 2 hours from the coast.  He's a southern gentleman.  Worst of all: he's a Duke basketball fan. 

You can see how this could never work.  And yet, and yet.  He's terrific.  I'm delighted by him.  He's smart, and he's kind, and he's quiet and unflappable, and he's funny, and he's a cool glass of water right when I need it.  I won't tell you how often we talk on the phone because it would make you throw up a little bit.  It's a lot.  I look forward to every time, and I linger a little bit, resisting hanging up each time.  Luckily there are text messages and the phone camera and email and chat and mp3 files for the times when we can't talk.  When I'm driving to work I record a daily podcast for him, that I upload to a little password protected website where I put pictures and things I want to share with him.  I'm impatient for him to come here so I can show him my world; I'm eager to go down and see his. 

I don't know how to do this, a long distance relationship.  Every time I've tried it before it hasn't worked.  But I want this one to work.  I really do. 

Comments

[turboglacier]

- He has not gone bald

[a]

Oh no!! Duke?!
Though one thing I CAN say for Duke basketball fans: they're passionate, and that bodes well for relationships.

[Meg]

Duke is great! You'll learn. ;)

So cute! You be happy.

[mr. NBT]

I want to make it clear I am actually a year older than S, lest anyone think she is robbing the cradle. So technically, I am an older man. Everything else is true. Especially Duke being great.

[The Happy Feminist]

Once you've been with a litigator, you never go back.

Mutual masturbation - yuck!

[Patrick]

I've been lurking for weeks now without posting. Let me tell you that as a Southern trial lawyer, you clearly don't realize what kind of catch you have come up with. Boat that bad boy.

Except this whole Duke B-Ball thing. That really does not fit the profile. He is either not a real Southerner or he's not a real roundball fan.

But what the hell do I know - I'm probably South Georgia's only Zags fan.

[girlMD]

i'm glad you are smiley and that it's because of a boy...there's nothing like it in all the world, so enjoy.

[AdriftAtSea]

I'd have to say that you've lucked out. At least in this day and age, you have the option of unlimited long-distance phone service for a flat fee, and Skype over broadband internet connections. For the six months Gee was in Seattle, and I was in NoVA, our combined phone bills averaged almost $600 a month.

[Steve]

That Duke thing is too much, you're SOL from November to May, plus whenever is the recruiting season.

[Hondo]

I remember when I met my wife. My cellphone bill went through the roof. Here's wishing you the best.

[LW]

"I would certainly not date a lawyer."

Why not?

[Richard]

"I'm eager to go down and see his."

(eyebrow raise)