Navigating Solutions and Darkness

Elon Musk, u ok there, buddy? Watching Elon Musk publicly implode reminded me of an ongoing conversation with one of my best friends. We realized that this is what dudes do in dating/ relationship scenarios: given enough time, they all seem to self-destruct very competently. In fact, you don't really have to do anything - just stay quiet and observe as they carry both sides of a conversation until you don't like them anymore, and they don't like themselves very much either. And it's astounding to me, the kinds of things that are death to the persona of your average dude. Well educated, (seemingly) well spoken, well placed professionally. Confident, comfortable, "argumentative..." Crap, they just lost an argument/ don't know how to respond to a retort/ heard about some other guy you may have had a crush on/ was told that they are not in fact perfection personified. Oh, well, that was a good run. Lasted almost 5 minutes there. **Sigh** The amount...

Why don't you... Disregard what I say when I tell you right off the bat that I don't date exclusively? Disregard what I say when I say I take time to get to know people first? Be pushy and attempt to make things go faster than they are? Promptly forget about the time we made out/ hooked up? Constantly ghost/ disappear when texted/ after making plans? Blame the disappearing act on the fact that I don't date exclusively? Be super desperate and then attempt to twist people that are nothing like you into whatever you want them to be? Sulk when that doesn't work? And finally... Wonder constantly, out loud and ad nauseam  why you're single. 🙄

As evening fell and darkened into a not-unpleasant kind of night, I watched a cute guy talk about how his trainee would probably mess up if he didn't immediately clarify things for him. And all I could think of was Praveen. Cut to a month or so ago, when I was at my CCD with Praveen's boss, who wouldn't stop talking about Praveen. "So I walked into office one day," said Praveen's Boss, "in a fairly good mood. And I hear this guy say 'Kannada Gothilla.' And I didn't know what came over me, but I just said, 'Praveen, return his advance and tell him his car is not available.' And the client protested, since the car was waiting for him outside and he could see that. I ignored him and went inside. So the client asked Praveen what was wrong with his boss. And Praveen is such a funny guy, he just said straight up, 'I've been working for him for several years now, and I still don't understand anything he says. He's just insan...