Tver Trek - Episode V - The Blitz
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“This ship cannot sink!”
“Oh, I assure you. She can, and she will.”
Titanic
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There was a slight three second pause as I considered my answer. Not so much as what I was going to say, but the best spin I could put on it. If this were a normal situation, I would have gone to Moscow. But, of course, I had prior dates scheduled for the next day. I was not going to cancel them, and I believed she should have known that.
It’s not that I was not flattered. After all, she was a “top 5". But she was popular in the program, was writing to many guys as well. So, in reality, I really did not think that much about it when I gave my answer.
“Sorry, I can't. I have other dates already scheduled for tomorrow. But we could have dinner later in the week.” (Said while smiling, of course).
The air, however, became very chilly......
WWII began in September, 1939, with a lightning fast attack on Poland. The German assault was fast and overpowering, and before Poland had time to breathe, their country was conquered. The change in RW#5 occurred that fast.
Gone was the innocent “Anakin”. In her place was Darth RW, who was very unhappy with my answer. She made statements which my interpreter later described as “rude” or “pushy”, and obviously I could read the body language. At any moment, I expected a lightsaber aimed directly for my head, so drastic was the change in her demeanor.
My lightsaber did not make it through customs. I had to make do with quick wit and charm. It was not working. We ended the conversation about 15 minutes later, and I was still breathing, much to my astonishment. I’m not sure why she got so upset. I don’t believe she had a reason to be upset. She knew the rules of the program as well as I did.
As we were leaving, she made sure to remind me we had scheduled a second date for later in the week. In truth, we had, for I had said so in my response declining the Moscow trip. But I was regretting my answer.
I could have said that I did not want the second date. Maybe I should have. I took the easy road, however, and simply figured I could cancel later if I needed to. She asked me when I was available, and I told her I didn’t know. She said something to the effect of “You don’t know your own schedule?”, in the pushy manner I was now seeing was part of her real personality. I tried to joke with her, telling her thats what my interpreters were for, but the joke apparently never reached her ears, or she ignored it.
After reaching the main office, she transformed once again. Stuffing away the lightsaber, she smiled and wondered aloud that I would not forget her until our next meeting. I answered honestly, that I certianly could not forget her. She left mollified, and I slumped on the couch, wondering how this had all gone wrong. Was this really her, or was she just having a bad day?
Questioning the other office members left me with mixed results. I decided to get some advice elsewhere through some e-mails, as our date was three days off. But my luck had started to change, and not for the better.
Day 4 featured a second date with RW#1. As I already stated earlier, I had a good time with her, every time we met. She had a great personality, but at this point I was not feeling “that feeling” towards her, and I wondered if I ever would. Thinking that the light may turn on later, we scheduled a third date.
I had 5 other first meetings that day. One was the DNP from yesterday, who had called in and rescheduled for today. She was inserted at 6, before my last date scheduled at 7. Two of the other 3 turned out to be nothing, but RW#6 emerged. She was 20, seemed very nice, and had similar interests as I did. However, I must admit that I was thinking RW#2 seemed a better match for me. RW#6 was nice, but reserved, and I could not "read" her. We scheduled a date for the ballet on Friday, as there were special performances going on in Tver during my trip, and she was interested in going.
I then met my 6 (yesterday’s DNP) we were actually having a decent time. She spoke english well enough so there was no interpreter there. Right at 7, my interpreter showed, saying that it was time for me to go meet my 7. I am not sure whether anything would have ultimately resulted from my 6, as we never met again anyways, but at least I was having a good time, and she was not eager to leave just yet. But, my 7 was calling, so I had to go.
We went into the office to meet my 7. She was 28, and thus a more “realistic” choice than my 6, who was 20. We went into the next room, where the meeting lasted all of 90 seconds. That’s right. 90 seconds.
She had a scowl on her face the whole time. She stated she was “quite tired”. I told her a bit about me, and asked her if she would like to see some pictures. She said no. The interpreter, quite shocked, asked her again. A firm, grunted “nyet” was the response. Faced with this, I immediately ended the meeting. She looked relieved, and I watched her go.
To be honest, I was not a very happy camper. I ended a meeting, which was interesting if nothing else, and with an english speaking, good looking lady, for THAT? My interpreter apologized, but there was nothing to do. My 6 was already gone.
We went out to dinner, just her and I. Although she knew I was upset, I told her it was ok. So what, if I had two bad days. After all, hadn’t I had a great time with RW#2? Wasn’t I going to meet her again tomorrow night? Surely my fortunes would switch around again, right?
I went to bed that night, looking very forward to seeing RW#2 again, and having a much better time than I was having these past 2 days. I was sure things would be different in the morning, and I finally dozed off to sleep.
I slept off and on, but apparently soundly enough. I didn’t hear the planes flying overhead, nor the pilots who were speaking back and forth to each other.
“Tora! Tora! Tora!”
Tver Trek - Episode VI - A day which will live in infamy
Pearl Harbor was about as big a strategic blunder as could possible be made. By attacking America, Japan assured it’s eventual defeat, as, even in the very best of circumstances, Japan could not hope to defeat such a large and militarily powerful nation (as the US becomes during wartime).
As a tactical battle, however, it was perfect. Pearl Harbor was totally unprepared for an assault by Japan that morning. Similarly, I was unaware of the events which had taken place early that morning. I would be suitably shocked, and hurt, when I finally did arrive at the office.
My first job was to clear my Friday evening schedule, so that I could attend the ballet. My 7 on Friday was moved to 6 on Thursday. In fact, the interpreter was told that 6 would be ok, as it was her last exam and she could meet me and then celebrate with her family. I don’t recall whether I had a first meeting or not, but at some point, the interpreter cam over with “my book” (the schedule of my meetings) and said “Have you seen this?” I hadn’t. Apparently, RW#2 had cancelled our second date. With no explanation, and apparently sometime that morning when neither myself nor the interpreter was around. This leads me to believe I was in a morning meeting.
When I heard the news, I was quite upset. Not so much because of the cancellation, although since we seemed to have a great time, both my interpreter and myself wondered why she had cancelled. No, the real upsetting thing was she had cancelled the day of, having had 3 days to do it in the meantime.
During Thomas’ thread, Doc “ripped” him (and rightly so) for failing to schedule evening dates:
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The other mistake was not scheduling and evening date almost every night. You should have either planned in advance with which girls you wanted an evening date or had the office call the girl you liked the best from the days meetings/interviews/dates. Don't miss a chance to spend as much quality time with your "possibilities". This is good advice for most guys only in Tver for 10 days to 2 weeks. Thomas did have the advantage of being there a month so could afford some "complacency" particularly on the first night.
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I was there for a little over two weeks. Yet, for the third day in a row, I was without an evening date. I was, in one word, pissed.
Had RW#2 not scheduled the date, I could have at least attempted to put another in her place. Had she even cancelled earlier, I might have had a chance. As it was, the day of pretty much screwed my plans. And, somewhat later that day, even if a date may had been available, I did not want one by then. I had a “better” idea.... But I will get to that in a moment.
Out of the three remaining dates I had that day came RW#7. She was 19, but incredibly mature for her age. My own personal nickname for her was “Commander Data” from Star Trek. Somewhat innocent, as was Data when he first arrived to the Enterprise, but incredibly intelligent. Around 21-22, this RW will become an incredible person, not to mention a great wife.
In addition to the aforementioned RW#2, I had on e reschedule for tomorrow, and one other DNP. This one apparently also DNP for another client that day. But obviously, I no longer cared. I was angry and disappointed, no doubt about it. I was also hearing the “voices”...
* I told you so* - (voice of roommate) ---- (sigh)
*Beware of the Dark Side. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering* – What the hell do you know! Your just a puppet and the masculine voice of Ms. Piggy!
Yes, folks. I was going insane. Hulk was angry, and wanted to smash. It was then that I heard a real voice...
“What you need is some Vodka.”
Hmmmmmmm
Yes, sitting right in front of me was indeed “Professor Vodka.” And what he was saying was exactly what I needed.
*Hulk not smash. Hulk Get smashed. Vodka friend of Hulk.....*
The decision made, it was only a matter of rounding up the remainder of the “fearless crew”. For my SS Minow was indeed going to set shore on the very charted, and vodka laden, Zebra Club. And my life, along with my american bretheren, and the unlucky interpreters shipwrecked along with us, was about to get far more “interesting”.
Squirecam
If anyone, at any time, is expecting my trip report to go something like this …
I met (first name and last name)___. She was ____, she looked like ___, We did ____ she said ___ I said ____. Then we went and did …
Forget it. Better that you stop reading now.
I have news for all of you. The women of LTP are aware of this site, they are aware of what is said, and they do NOT like their personal business blasted on the net. I tend to agree with their side.
This report’s “finer details” will be limited to those that significantly impacted my trip, or my frame of mind. At least I made the decision to write the report. I wont drag others into it. My report on #5 was a special case. It really impacted my mood and was crucial to the story, so some of it was necessary. Still I left, and will continue to leave, a lot out.
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Tver Trek Episode VII – Professor Vodka
A few new guys had showed up to LTP during the past two days, so we had a pretty big group to head to the Zebra. Some of us were hungry (I really wasn’t, despite the fact I had not eaten all day) and the Zebra was reputed to have great sushi, so we all decided to get their earlier, so those who were hungry could eat. I do not really like sushi, and I have only eaten it twice. So, I can’t say whether it was good or not. But the other guys seemed to like it.
The Zebra club has the biggest dance floor out of any of the “big” clubs in Tver. The dance floor sits encircled with the sofa seats one would find at your typical nightclub/strip joint, with a few “cage dancers” thrown in. Not a bad club, but being from Vegas, it’s pretty tame compared to what’s available at home.
Instead of the main area, we went to the quiet side area for the sushi. I never drink straight vodka at home, so I attempted to order a screwdriver. But despite the large number of foreigners who had to have paved the drink ordering system ahead of me, the bartended seemed unable to recognize the simple mix of vodka + OJ. I eventually made due, for I got a glass of OJ and poured a vodka shot (which, due to some minor miracle, always seemed to appear out of thin air in front of me, courtesy of the professor).
I’m not quite sure just how many I had. I just poured the shots into the glass as I drank, and since I had no more OJ coming, obviously before long the ratio was significantly more vodka than OJ.
I was pretty buzzed by the time we left the side area and headed into the main dance floor area. The smarter side of me wanted me to lay off of the vodka, so I ordered a piva instead. However, before long, I got the idea that I needed more vodka. It was then that I drank back to back straight vodka shots. I’m quite sure that’s what did it.
Pretty much everyone can guess what happened to me after that. I’m not sure just how long I was in the men’s room before the professor came to get me (“I was resting” as I told him), but I sure was not feeling all that well.
The vodka failing to kill me, I was sure that RW#5 would finish the job. In fact, she was probably next door in the ladies room. All I had to do was go over there, and ….
It was then that Greg grabbed me and helpfully carried/dragged me back upstairs. Spawn of some foul demon that he was, he also poured me another vodka shot. "TYPE=PICT;ALT=[Smile]"Due to another minor miracle, I did not drink this one, probably much to his regret, but much better for my own well being.
Though I did not initially remember what else happened, I did finally leave, and manage to get home safely (due mostly to the interpreter, not me). I was able to get upstairs and lock my door by myself, which was a significant improvement from the club.
I had a solid night of sleep that night. The only such night I would have.
I woke up the next morning in a much different frame of mind. Some of it was probably due to the hangover, but also to the fact that I was no longer really angry. I was still upset, and of course disappointed, but at least I could focus more on other things (such as the hangover) as opposed to the past three days. The Zebra did what it was supposed to do, which was help me put the past three days behind me, and focus on the future.
I can’t say I had much hope for the future. In fact, with the hangover, and my second date with RW#5 looming tonight, my immediate future did not promise to be much better. I did, however, have a plan. My immediate goal was to somehow survive this day without things getting any worse. I had also found the motivation to restart my search, from scratch if need be, until I found the right RW.
I realized that it was going to be more difficult now. At least before, I wrote at least intro letters to most of the women on my initial list. Some had developed into deeper correspondence. Now, however, it was more of a blind date, based solely on the office book profiles.
As for tonight’s date with RW #5, there was probably two main reasons why I had not cancelled the date, although most of the people I asked told me to cancel. First, I hated it when people cancelled on me, so I was reluctant to do that to another, even one which I wanted to cancel. Second, considering the past three days, there was really no one to put into her place on short notice, so it was a potential bad date, or no date. Though I did expect a “bad” date, considering her last meeting, I decided to go forward.
Considering my hung over state, the idea of a bad date did not bother me too much. I knew I needed more potential prospects, which would take a few days. Since I was off the “continent”, I might as well fool around a bit in North Africa, and wait to see if any of my new choices would provide me the opportunity to meet that special person. Until then, I would wait out the hangover… and, of course, survive the expected battle of Britain that was waiting for me tonight.
Tver Trek - Episode VIII - PSY 101
I was scheduled to have five new meetings today, with one of them a reschedule from yesterday. I also had two second dates as well. As it turns out, I did meet with four of the new ladies, and one rescheduled for Saturday.
One of the four, RW#8 seemed to be a good match for me. We spend over an hour and a half together, pretty long for me for a first meeting. She was 23 and seemed very interested in what I had to say and in learning about me. She indicated that she would like to see me again, however she was very busy during this time. When we ended the meeting, she indicated she would know more about her schedule in the next few days, and we could set up a second meeting after that.
Following almost every meeting, I asked my interpreters what they thought. For the most part, it was the same answer, something to the effect of “She is nice.” There were a few exceptions (such as RW#5), but this was a standard pat answer that I heard a lot during my stay. (Note however that during the latter end of my trip I seemed to get “more” out of my interpreters, such as “She is nice, but you are two different people”. This was exactly what I wanted - more feedback).
Anyways, after inquiring about RW#8, I got “She is nice. I could see a future with her.”
Now, to put the comments in perspective, I thought I saw possibilities with RW#8 as well. But, this was the first time I had “additional” interpreter feedback. Though I had liked RW#2, and so did the interpreter, there was never any “future” comment made about RW#2.
The point here is that your interpreters will give you feedback. Maybe not always in the manner you expect, but you will hear it. You just have to listen and wait. If they really like someone, they will let you know.
I had an afternoon second date with RW#3. We continued our discussion of children and the difficulties facing RW/AM couples. At the end of the date, I told her that I needed more time, and that I would like to write her to get to know her better, and to further discuss this important issue. Like Thomas, I had discovered I was not ready yet for a “RW family”, even though I have dated AW with children, and I was ready in the past. I just felt that I was unprepared for it at that moment. I wanted to see if I could find someone without children first, before making such a decision/commitment.
My evening date with RW#5 had arrived. By this time, I think my hangover had mostly subsided, but I was still a little bit ill, and just hoping to get through the evening. I had decided that there was just no way to match with RW#5, and instead I would use the date as a learning experience. I like psychology, so I thought I’d attempt to understand RW#5.
I forget the name of the restaurant we went to, but it was the one with the (loud) piano and cello. At times, we had to really speak up to carry on the conversation. To my surprise, RW#5 was somewhat of a different person (again) this evening. She had lost the aggressive attitude that she had during our first meeting, but she was somewhat moody and depressed. We discussed a number of subjects, and actually, considering I expected a total disaster, the evening worked out ok.
I was somewhat shocked to discover that she had not considered the language difficulty. She expected to be fluent in English in 6-9 months. I tried to explain to her that she would need a lot longer time to really learn english than just 6 months, and that not knowing the language beforehand would increase the difficulty in her leaving Russia. She was also concerned about the culture, and her lack of family and friends in America. I did tell her that I thought that I could not make her happy in Russia, which certainly meant, to me, that I could not make her happy in America. I have had AW like her before, and though she was once in my top 5, I had to do as Doc and other suggest, which is recognize it wont work, and move on.
As we parted for the final time, she gave me a smile and thanked me for the evening. It was the only time during the date that I ever got a “signal” that she was happy she had spent time with me, and that she liked the conversation. It struck me as odd, that this was happening only when we would never see each other again, and I silently wondered why I was only seeing this “side” of her now, at the end. She left, and for a brief instant, and for a few minutes later on in bed, I pondered “what might have been”. But, I never did contact her again. However, I do think that she is somewhat misunderstood. I think that she has some things to work through, but if she does that, and she can find the right guy for her, she may ultimately find happiness. I hope that she does. It just won’t be with me.
Tver Trek - Episode IX - The couch potato
As you all know by now by reading this report, the past few days had not been the best for me. Today was going to be one of those days that “tests the spirit”. I had been worried about the number of DNP’s that I had been having, so in the two days before today, I had taken additional steps to “protect” myself.
First, I had the interpreter call my Friday ballet date to confirm her interest. Though we could not gage her interest “in me” we at least got confirmation that the ballet was a go on Friday. For the moment, this was good enough for me. I could figure out the rest later. We had also started to call other dates to “confirm” but many were not home at the time we called, so I had little additional help there.
The second measure was to schedule a 9:00 after my scheduled 7:00. My scheduled 7 was the last of my top 5's, and she had agreed to move the date from Friday to Thursday, so I did have some hope that she would show. But, considering my luck, I decided to schedule the 9:00 (a second) anyway.
My first scheduled date today was for the museums with RW#4. We had left open a three hour to four hour block of time to see them, plus have lunch. Prior to the date, he mother called, indicating that she would be “a little late” (exams) but she would certainly be there. As the minutes, and ultimately hours, ticked by, it became clear she was not going to make it. We tried calling to get an update as to her arrival, with no success. My interpreter and I discussed leaving the office to get some lunch, but we decided that it was better to wait, as “she was going to come.” She didn’t.
SIDENOTE - When we did get a hold of her, she was quite sad and upset. She thought that I would not want to see her after she failed to make it. We scheduled a date for Saturday (she called Friday to change it to Monday) and though I had no afternoon date, at least the counch was comfy.
Unfortunately, the bad news had only begun. My other two dates DNP. Those of you who read Greg’s report may have noticed that he said that one day one guy sat in the office for three hours (moi) and that the other guy had 4 out of 5 no-show. (One of my DNP’s was shared by him) Well, today’s that day. lol
RW#7, however, arrived at 9pm, and we headed out to the restaurant with the castle and the forest. Yes, I know, I should know these names, but I don’t, so sue me. The food at this place was always good when I ate there, and we had a nice time and conversation. Her exam schedule was heating up, (so she could not stay longer- it was closing on midnight), and this was our last date (although she later said that she would have liked to see me again before I left, so at least by the time I left, I thought that at least I could continue to write her). My interpreter later said she acted “25" rather than 19, which was rather high praise I thought. As I stated earlier, this RW will be an incredible catch at 22-23.
Thus ended day 7 of my Tver trip. After day 7, I had met almost all of my initial list. And the results, were, well, not very promising. Had I only had a week, or even a 10 trip, I would have to have come back a complete failure in the program. But I did have another week to go. I was continuing to schedule new meetings, and I hoped that something would develop with one of them, or with one of the second/third dates I had already scheduled. For I felt that if I was going to “match” this trip (and I did not believe that I would), it would have to be with one of the few left over from the first week, as the new meetings, filled with DNP’s or reschedules - (a justified belief considering my first week), would probably not give me enough time to find the right “match”.
Thomas came into town this evening. I met him for a few minutes, just to put a face with the voice, and then headed on home, hoping things would be better tomorrow.
Tver Trek - Episode X - Tehran and Enigma
For today, I had three scheduled first meetings, one third date, and one second date at the ballet. One of the first meetings rescheduled for tomorrow, which left me with two new meetings, neither of which resulted in second dates.
During the afternoon, prior to my scheduled third date with RW#1, I had a “conference” with my interpreter regarding what had been going on the past few days. We discussed a lot of subjects, although not all these subjects were actually discussed today, and not necessarily with the same interpreter.
During my entire stay, I had discussed various aspects of the business, and sometimes of me in particular. Although the views discussed below will be stated as from “the interpreters”, it is meant only generically, as it could be the view of only one interpreter or many, and maybe just my interpreter or maybe another client’s. Just as I protect the names of the ladies, so will I with the interpreters. Nearly all of them are great to work with, and they deserve it.
The interpreters seemed to feel I had changed over the past few days, that I was too quite and/or not having any fun anymore. In some respects they were right. They wondered why I had pretty much stayed in the office yesterday, and I kinda got the impression that somehow yesterday’s events were “my fault”. During the time I was there, this was the only real disagreement I had with the views of the interpreters, so I decided to say my peace on the subject.
First of all, as I saw it, yesterday was in no way my fault. My other interpreter and I had discussed leaving the office, but as we felt the RW in question would finally show, I really had no choice but to sit around. And being that I was just sitting around, if I was unhappy, I was certainly justified in feeling that way.
I explained that no matter how nice the office staff was, I did not come to Tver to see them. I came to meet RW, and anything that interfered with that ultimate goal was going to make me unhappy. Yes, I admitted, I was not having a good time, and I “had changed”, in the sense that I became more realistic and serious (even more than I had been). But this was “a job” to me, and it was just as difficult as any other job. And though I may “play to the jury” (act more upbeat during the dates), I saw no need to hide my feelings around the office. And furthermore, just because I was quiet at times did not mean that I was upset. Sometimes, I just like to be quiet and introspective.
We discussed the “publishing” on the net of trip reports, which as I stated earlier, is why my reports are the way they are.
We discussed “Enigma”. There was a feeling among AM that the interpreters should “say more” about the RW the men met. The AM felt that many RW were hard to read, that we could not gage the interest level, and we needed the RW to tell us more of what they thought than just a general “she is nice”. (NOTE - I think this is an important general issue, as my experience, plus other AM’s I talked with, showed that the majority of RW will not come out and address those “personal” questions during a first meeting).
“The interpreters” had some points as well, though, and some good ones:
1- They are just human. This may be the first time that they met the RW, and so they are trying to learn about her too. It’s hard to judge interest as an outsider. (I generally agree, although if RW cannot understand each other, what hope does any AM have? 
)
2- They “did say more”. This is, in fact, true, although not directly. You do need “enigma”. You need to break the code. Once you do, you understand their language. For instance:
A- If an interpreter says a RW is “a little strange” or “different” (and this is usually all they will say) this is usually code for “Run Forrest Run”. Don’t expect the full story. Just be prepared to run if need be.
B- If an interpreter likes a RW, they will say she is great or super or she “may see a future”. This was nice confirmation, but for the most part, if a RW was “super”, I saw that already myself. This was more confirming my feelings than telling me something I did not know (as with the strange or different comments).
3- Even if they want to “say more”, who is to say AM will believe them. You meet a client, and he asks you for advice on a potential RW. If you say that you don’t like her, maybe the AM will think you have an agenda or motive. Maybe you are trying to steer him to someone else, rather than letting him make up his own mind. The AM don’t know you, and don’t know your trying to help.
I understand the arguments for #3, although to me, if I have paid (a lot) of money, I should be man enough to accept your advice even if it negative or “steers” me away from a RW. After all, she is the “home team”. The only people who I can turn to for advice is the interpreters (or other AM, who may be clueless or helpful - it’s luck of the draw).
I don’t believe forcing interpreters to “say more” is the right answer. I am not sure what is, although some have suggested that an experienced “american presence” in the office might help guys out with such problems. This may be an answer. I don’t know.
We discussed “me”. I asked if I was doing anything wrong. I was told - “If you were, I would tell you”. This, at least, made me feel better.
We discussed RW#!, and why “it” was not there. The interpreter felt it may be because of my situation with RW#2. I had thought a lot about this (see earlier chapters), and my view was that I had “it” for other RW before and since RW#2. Therefore, although there may have been some influence, I just felt that “it” just was not there between the two of us. And, rather than drag it along, and hurt people’s feelings, I should take a break from seeing her.
Thus ended the “Tehran conference”. In the next chapter, I will return to the regularly scheduled trip report, with the dates from today, including my first “cultural date”, the ballet performance.
Tver Trek - Episode XI - Swan Lake
During the early afternoon, I had my third date with RW#1. I had been wanting a burger for the past two days (I had faint hopes of trying to call and convince Thomas to bring me one on his way in last night) but I waited until today, when we decided to visit “Bon”, a french named restaurant, in Russia, serving pizza and burgers. Strange but true.
The burger was actually quite good (although not quite what I was used to). It was served with thousand Island dressing (which I like). My date had a pizza, and said she enjoyed it.
I had a good time with her, as usual, but as I stated earlier, for some reason “it” just was not there. We did some shopping, and we took a walk along the Volga, before making a circle back to the office. She entered the office to check her messages, and left rather quickly afterwards. I had usually asked her out for another date towards the end of the prior dates, so, as she was pretty smart, she probably guessed my intentions and wanted to leave quickly before a “you are nice, but... speech”.. My interpreter was not around when she left, so I could not say anything to her at that time. (I didn’t attempt to grab another interpreter either, I must admit.)
NOTE - This was a mistake I later regretted, and when I saw her a few days later, I did tell her that she was a wonderful person and that I truly had a good time seeing her. I should have “nutted up” and told her this then, but no one’s perfect.
RW#6 showed up for the ballet, which was an hour away, so we went out for a drink before walking over there. RW#6 seemed very intelligent as well attractive, and we had a nice talk both during drinks and on the way to the theatre.
If you are going to see a cultural russian event, ballet is a good choice. There is no language difficulty (as with an opera or play) so you can easily figure out what is going on without an interpreter’s help. It was also interesting to see how Russians react during the performance.
The ballet was “Swan Lake”. The “plot” was pretty simple. The prince is introduced to some potential brides, and picks one (Shades of LTP perhaps? , only to subsequently fall for another woman, who is turned into a swan by the bride’s evil father. Good triumphs in the end, and the prince gets married to the swan. We had good seats (2nd row) so the action was up close, which added to the performance.
During intermission, we went out in the hallway to vie some of the promotional pictures of other events held at the theatre. On the way up, I saw one of the other RW who I had met earlier, but who had not called back to the office. She was watching me and smiled. On the way back to the seats, I looked at her and gave her the “this could have been you” smile. Oh well.
Also during the intermission RW#6 mentiond that there was a famous opera singer performing this coming Monday (I already knew about her), and asked if I would like to go, or, if we could not get tickets, whether we could see another ballet or something. The interpreter and I took this as a good sign, and I told RW#6 that I would inquire about the opera.
Following the ballet, I was hungry, but she wanted to leave to go home, so we got a taxi and took her home. I told her we would call her, and that was the end of tonight’s date. The interpreter and I had dinner, and discussed the evenings activities. I had seen some positive signs, but RW#6 seemed somewhat reserved still, and she was hard to read. (In the final analysis, one interpreter said she was interested, one was unsure. To be fair the “no” voter only had one opportunity to see us together, but that was our 3rd meeting, so in essence, I was still confused.)
I had no evening date for tomorrow. (We did buy opera tickets, and I scheduled a date with RW#6 for Sunday, so I had Sunday/Monday evening dates with her.) But at this point, there was no other pertinent competition. Tomorrow, I would try to contact RW#8 for that spot, but got the “busy” response. So tomorrow, barring unforseen circunstances, would end without an evening date. This was ok with me, as I wanted an evening date with someone I was interested in or none at all (we had already scheduled by this point the remaining first dates, so that was out too), unless I was going “back to the books”. But, I was somewhat “burned out” by first dates anyways, so I could live without an evening date. Today had been much better than the recent days, so given the circumstances, I was mollified by that.
Squirecam
