I signed up for a month-long, email-based writing course from Cole Schafer of Sticky Notes, Honey Copy, and Chasing Hemingway fame.
He sends a lesson and prompt every day. I have 10 minutes to read and consider the prompt, 40 minutes to write, and 10 minutes to edit before posting publicly.
I’m posting here to not drown my Casey's Notes content. On to day 11...
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If Tony Bennett left his heart in San Francisco, I somehow found mine in Huntington, West by-god Virginia.
Today's prompt is to talk about a time I took drastic measures to get someone's attention. Here's the story about why I drove seven hours for a first date.
I was (very) single when one of my best friends decided to get married in Huntington, West Virginia. While he and I have a lot in common, there are also a lot of places where we differ. Knowing his bride-to-be and his friends in Huntington, I didn't expect much on the dating front. I planned to have a good time and let things shake out in their own way.
All my assumptions were shattered when I walked in to the church reception hall. I was more than a little hungover from the bachelor party the night before, but was aware enough to notice the pretty girl.
It was a long weekend with lots of shenanigans not worth detailing here, but I left unable to shake the bridesmaid I just met. Not only did she make running shorts and a t-shirt look good while wedding prepping in a church kitchen, but she was smart, funny, and willing to put up with me for the hours we talked.
One slight problem: she and I lived 400 miles apart. On Sunday after the wedding, I drove the 2.5 hours home, wondering how I'd find a way to see this girl again. Not wanting to seem desperate, I didn't want to outright ask to come see her for a date.
Since I worked for a big bank with offices in her city, I thought I'd make up a work trip as a reason to visit. If the date went well, I figured I could come clean and hope she would forgive me (and maybe even appreciate my chivalry).
If the date went poorly, I'd never have to admit a thing. I'd leave and never talk to her again. No harm, no foul.
I called (yes, called -- this was the Stone Ages) to tell her I'd be in town a few weeks later and asked her to go to dinner on Friday. She accepted.
So, I drove 400 miles for a first date.
After dinner, drinks, and probably too much merriment, I came clean that I didn't actually have any work in the city, but was there to see her.
To keep a long story short, she was pissed but eventually forgave me. After three years of dating long-distance, she moved to my city.
And after 12+ years together, two kids, and countless memories, I can say driving 400 miles and lying about why was the most drastic action I've taken to get someone's attention. And man, did it pay off handsomely.
He sends a lesson and prompt every day. I have 10 minutes to read and consider the prompt, 40 minutes to write, and 10 minutes to edit before posting publicly.
I’m posting here to not drown my Casey's Notes content. On to day 11...
--------------------
If Tony Bennett left his heart in San Francisco, I somehow found mine in Huntington, West by-god Virginia.
Today's prompt is to talk about a time I took drastic measures to get someone's attention. Here's the story about why I drove seven hours for a first date.
I was (very) single when one of my best friends decided to get married in Huntington, West Virginia. While he and I have a lot in common, there are also a lot of places where we differ. Knowing his bride-to-be and his friends in Huntington, I didn't expect much on the dating front. I planned to have a good time and let things shake out in their own way.
All my assumptions were shattered when I walked in to the church reception hall. I was more than a little hungover from the bachelor party the night before, but was aware enough to notice the pretty girl.
It was a long weekend with lots of shenanigans not worth detailing here, but I left unable to shake the bridesmaid I just met. Not only did she make running shorts and a t-shirt look good while wedding prepping in a church kitchen, but she was smart, funny, and willing to put up with me for the hours we talked.
One slight problem: she and I lived 400 miles apart. On Sunday after the wedding, I drove the 2.5 hours home, wondering how I'd find a way to see this girl again. Not wanting to seem desperate, I didn't want to outright ask to come see her for a date.
Since I worked for a big bank with offices in her city, I thought I'd make up a work trip as a reason to visit. If the date went well, I figured I could come clean and hope she would forgive me (and maybe even appreciate my chivalry).
If the date went poorly, I'd never have to admit a thing. I'd leave and never talk to her again. No harm, no foul.
I called (yes, called -- this was the Stone Ages) to tell her I'd be in town a few weeks later and asked her to go to dinner on Friday. She accepted.
So, I drove 400 miles for a first date.
After dinner, drinks, and probably too much merriment, I came clean that I didn't actually have any work in the city, but was there to see her.
To keep a long story short, she was pissed but eventually forgave me. After three years of dating long-distance, she moved to my city.
And after 12+ years together, two kids, and countless memories, I can say driving 400 miles and lying about why was the most drastic action I've taken to get someone's attention. And man, did it pay off handsomely.