Day Ten
Jessica Walsh
Did you see Timothy today?
Yes.
What did y’all do together?
Tim suggested forced me to go to a Knicks game at Madison Square Garden. I would never go to a basketball game on my own. Considering I haven’t slept in days due to the Adobe shoot, I can’t really say I was super excited about going. At least Tim was!
Perhaps it helped that I had very low expectations, but it turned out to be a really fun evening! I loved the food vendors and all the people-watching. We ended up talking through most of the game, which was fun. I also couldn’t help but smile seeing how giddy Tim was about being at the game. It was really quite cute.
Did anything interesting happen?
I ate sushi at a Knicks game. Yes, I went there, and it was pretty awesome. After the sushi, I was craving something sweet. I suggested that we split bread pudding from Magnolia Bakery, which is one of my favorites.
Did you learn anything new about Timothy?
He is not very good at sharing. As we were paying for the bread pudding, he decided he wanted it all to himself, and told me I should get my own! I didn’t think I could finish a whole bread pudding, so I bought a cupcake instead.
Did you learn anything new about yourself?
I used to love sports, and I had an extremely active childhood. I played varsity soccer and lacrosse. I spent summers hopping from one fitness bootcamp to the next. I trained privately for eight years in Tae Kwon Do. I did 100-mile cycling trips, ran track, played tennis, golf, and even basketball.
Then I went to art school. Sports were a joke at my school. Our basketball team was called “The Balls.” The swimming team was “The Wet Dreams.” The hockey team was called “The Nads.” (You’d cheer “Go Nads!”) Needless to say, I phased out of my sporty past, and in the past few years I’ve had no exercise. Lately I’ve been dealing with terrible headaches, back pain, and feeling sluggish all the time. Tim keeps nagging me to try exercising, and I do wonder if setting aside time for physical activity might be helpful.
How do you feel about this relationship/project right now?
I could sense Tim being a little flirtatious during the cab ride home, but something was holding him back. I suppose it goes back to what we discussed in our therapy session. He’s interested, but he’s afraid to take the risk since he doesn’t know what he wants. I think he’s over-thinking things.
Is there anything that you want to do differently?
It was nice to get out of my comfort zone and try something new. I want to diversify my interests, as there are so many interesting things to do in NYC! Salsa dancing classes, anyone? Rock climbing? Mixology classes? Kickboxing?
Additional comments?
The game tonight reminded me of my parents relationship. They always said you need a “give and take” attitude in a long lasting relationship. They are both business people, and early on in their marriage they developed a credits and debits “point system” to keep things in balance. Heres an example:
Going to the Knicks game tonight would have totally earned me at least 20 points. I’ve already started plotting my revenge date. Gotta keep the T&J score in balance.
Timothy Goodman
Did you see Jessica today?
Word.
What did y’all do together?
I took Jessie to her FIRST Knicks game. I mean, she’s never been to the “The World’s Most Famous Arena?!” Needless to say, I was excited. I love going to NBA games (this is my third game this season). Nothing is further away from the design community, nothing relaxes me and let’s me escape more.
Did anything interesting happen?
We talked a lot during the game. Luckily, the Knicks were destroying the Bobcats, so all this talking was totally fine.
Did you learn anything new about Jessica?
She bought sushi at a Knicks game. Really? I, on the other hand, ate a huge hotdog and a pile of bread pudding. I was proud that she ate a cupcake in the third quarter, though! Also, I noticed that Jessie and I rarely talk about design, which is refreshing.
Did you learn anything new about yourself?
I have an affinity for NBA basketball because it reminds me of watching the Cleveland Cavs with my grandfather when I was a young boy. I think there’s a bond that two people form together while watching a game among 20,000 people.
How do you feel about this relationship/project right now?
We’re one quarter of the way through this project, and I thought that seeing each other every day would be more difficult. I’m fine right now, but I can still feel that she is uncertain.
Is there anything that you want to do differently?
I wanted to invite her back to my place, but I was unsure of my intentions. So I didn’t. I don’t want to lead her on. This is getting overly-complicated.
Additional comments?
It was still early in the night when the game ended, so I went down to Whole Foods to take care of some food shopping. I was thinking about the times I’ve actually met women in Whole Foods. (I’ve met a couple in the past couple years.)
Now, you’d think a grocery store is a horrible place to meet someone, right? My theory: The experience there is one that’s designed for consumers to feel completely comfortable and friendly: the dark mahogany woods, the cool choice of music, the scents, the utilization of several floors, having a place to eat, and of course the organic food. It slows you down, almost to the point where you want to be there. And aren’t we all much more open to meeting someone if we’re comfortable? The more comfortable someone is, the less of a rush they’re in, the more friendly they become (sometimes!). Whole Foods maximizes this collective effort of comfortability better than any of their competitors. No one is friendly in a Safeway!
Meeting someone in a public place can be difficult, and the guys who merely hit on women in public places are usually creepers and/or trying super hard. That said, I think all of us are impressed with a confident and spontaneous person who has the courage to spark up a conversation in an atypical place like Whole Foods. I personally think it’s much more exciting to meet someone when it’s spontaneous. That’s not to say it’s going to work, or that you should expect anything — I’m just saying sometimes you gotta create some serendipity.
