magicbeans. nothing if not awkward.

Bret called this afternoon. 'I'm headed into the city. What are you up to tonight?'

'I was possibly going to go see a movie with people from work. But nothing set in stone.'

I played pool in the back room after work until he called back. We met up for Thai food. 'It turns out my girlfriend doesn't like Indian,' he said. In his defense, I don't think they've been dating for all that long, this visit was the first that I had heard of her, 'My girlfriend Mandy has a plane to catch tomorrow,' although he and I haven't talked (or maybe once) since the last time he was in the city.

Amanda, who met us for dinner, set them up, and was boasting about her matchmaking prowess; Mandy is switching coasts this fall to move in with Bret. 'Are you still single?' she asked me. 'What kind of girl do you like?'

'It's not quite that simple. Pretty much the only common thread that I've found, is that all of my more successful relationships (and have of the not so successful ones too) have been with bisexual girls. Not that I search them out, but it probably says something.' Although most likely it's about what kind of boy girls who like girls are attracted to.

'How about artsy?'

'I like girls with artistic leanings, but not so much the crazy artist types. Oh, and smart of course.'

'I can just picture Bean with a dumb girl,' Bret says.

'Not nerdy book-smart, although that's not necessarily bad, but inquisitive, thoughtful. And I have noticed that I find people with glasses more attractive.'

Amanda listed a few girls she knows, and why they probably wouldn't be a good match. 'Well, other than Tay..'

'And I kind of have a thing against dating anyone that's ever been involved with a good friend of mine. It just seems sort of incestuous.' (Bret and Tay dated years ago. It's how Bret, and consequently how I, met Amanda.)

'..Other than Tay, I'm really the only person I know who fits that description.' She's not single, by the way. 'It's too bad my ex-girlfriend is a lesbian, because I think she'd be perfect for you.' And, 'I guess I really don't know that many single girls.'

Bret told me at some point that Amanda had made him sign up for an online dating service, and all his matches were middle-aged women from the Midwest. 'All my matches,' I told him, 'were 18-21 year old Scandinavian girls.'

After dinner we walked downtown for drinks. Two beers at dinner and five godfathers at the bar, and I was just starting to get a buzz on as things wound down. But, it being a worknight I suppose that's all well enough.

---

On the train on the way home, and this happened Sunday night as well, there was a girl putting on makeup. I know that people keep all sorts of unconventional hours, and girls have all sorts of notions about not being beautiful without their makeup, but I found myself wondering both times, why exactly one would be putting makeup on on the train at 1AM on a weeknight.