The land where the furniture folds to a much smaller size...

Ikea. Mr. Perfect asked me to accompany him this weekend to Ikea to look for some stuff for his apartment. He's just recently moved into his grandmother's house, and she moved into his parents' place. His place looks like...well, it looks like his grandmother lives there. Floral wallpaper, little chintzy decorative things all over the place, baby pictures of Mr. P and his little brother all over the place (actually really cute) completed by the wood paneling on the walls that are not covered with floral wallpapering and family photos. So, really, it's not what you'd picture a 26 year old single guy's place to look like. It has potential though... A lot of potential. His bedroom is almost there, it's painted, he put up chair rail, it looks really nice. But the rest of the place is a hot mess.

Anyway, so we went to Ikea in search of ideas to make his home a better fit for him, and less for his grandma. Shopping for furniture is something I feel that you do with someone after a few months of dating, not really just 2 weeks. However, it was fun and I was able to put my 2 cents in about what I thought would look nice in his house, which sometimes did feel a little awkward. He ended up buying some laundry hampers (on my suggestion) and 2 photo prints and frames for his room, and some elk shaped pasta which we will eat at a later date, I'm sure. Ikea is exhausting, but he figured since we were already in the city, we might as well make a day out of it. We headed over to North Bowl for some bowling, and good food. We took some cute photobooth pictures, which is something I don't do with just anyone. Bowling at North Bowl during the day is a much different scene than at night. Lots of kids and some middle aged men. Interesting combination. After that, we had plans to just head back to jersey, stop at some stores briefly, then back to Mr. Perfect's place for some movies, and a nice night in. Well, some stores turned into 4 hours of shopping. We went to Michael's (I needed a scrapbook), PetSmart (food for my dog), JC Penny and Macy's (looking at more bedframes for his new room), BJ's (bought travel Scrabble), and Target (just for fun - I managed to spend $30 though). I was exhausted and had a throbbing headache at that point. By the time we got back to his place, I was beat. I took some Excedrin and pretty much collapsed on his couch. He cuddled with me and we rented Ratatouille off of On Demand. At this point we had spent over 12 hours together, and things hadn't gotten any more physical than kissing. Of course that changed when we went to bed...

In the morning, he went out and got breakfast sandwiches and coffee, and air for my tires (yes, I still get flat tires on my new car!) I marked papers and did my students' spelling lists while he put together the things he got from Ikea. Putting together furniture from Ikea is something I've mentioned before as being one of the most irritating things to do with another person. Thankfully his were simple and didn't require a lot of work, and no frustration on either of our parts (I was really just observing from the couch anyway). I can tell that he enjoys doing things for me that he thinks I'll like or appreciate. I absolutely do, but at the same time, I do not ask for help easily nor do I often take it when it's offered. I've been so independent for so long that I don't ever ask for help, even from people I know would be more than willing to give it.

After spending so much time with each other (over 24 hours), we were ready for a break. We get along great, but really we've only known each other for 2 weeks. And I have the tendency to get cranky after too much time. He was really sweet and nice though, even when I was being mean and cranky, and trying to pick arguments. That's my sign to go. He drove out of his way so I wouldn't get lost heading back on 295 (I did last time), and we went our separate ways. Of course, we already have plans to go out on Wednesday night for dinner and a movie. Really, even though there's been no DTR, he's my boyfriend. At one point he referred to me as his girlfriend in passing (he was telling me about a conversation he had with a co-worker), but then later made a comment about me not being "his" technically. Neither times were good segues into the DTR, and at this point it seems unnecessary. I'm not dating anyone else (although the lawyer guy did text me this weekend - I didn't respond, and I did talk to the The Chin tonight as well, but we're definitely just friends.) and he's not dating anyone else, he's told me that much.

So, what becomes of a blog about dating when it's just about one person? I've been here before. Had my hopes up, and let down, over and over. This one seems different... but then again, don't they all?