I am completely out of touch with my family, but I don't think that has to be a bad thing. I just don't have anything to say to my aunts and uncles. I can't connect with them. I didn't think I could connect with my cousins either, but I found out I was wrong about that. My brother and one cousin arranged a little get-together with some of my cousins last week and it was nice.

Even though most of my cousins are younger than me I found I could connect with them. That got me thinking. Maybe I'll be able to connect with some of my aunts and uncles too. I think that'd be good. I think a lot of them could offer a great deal of advice on life, the universe and everything. Not right now, but maybe in time when the new chapter in my life starts. When I have a job and a more structured life. Scary stuff.

I've been on my second and third date with C. For the second date I went to visit her at her place. Although it wasn't horrible, it could've gone better. I lost my concentration and didn't pick up on a couple of things. Small things, but it are the smalls that matter. For instance, I didn't explicitly thank her for the meal she cooked, although I said it was very good. And I think I babbled way too much when we took a walk to explore her city.

Since we didn't get to see Rumor has it on our first date I asked if she'd like to go see it this weekend. She said she'd call if she wanted to see it. I didn't hear from her on Saturday, but later that day we talked on MSN and she asked me if I wanted to go shopping. I suggested we could see the movie afterwards and after some debate she agreed we could.

The shopping was nice, although I didn’t find the new pair of comfy black shoes I was looking for. She helped me pick out two new long sleeve t-shirts and get this ... they're colored. I uh ... usually wear mostly dark earth tones. That was the me trying to dress to be invisible. I'm slowly starting to feel a little more secure. Wearing bright colors, as silly as that sounds, is a small step in the right direction. I also picked out a jacket (all by myself), which was a bit expensive, but well worth the money.

There was one awkward moment when I was trying on the jacket. A girl from the store said something like "See, your girlfriend is smiling at you, she likes it too." That was rather amusing.

I'm still a novice when it comes to shopping, but I think I'm getting the hang of it. I guess now the trick is to pick out nice clothes I can actually afford. I think I might have a pretty expensive taste. Not good.

I'm not sure how I feel about her and how she feels about me. I'm definitely getting a very positive vibe off her though. The age difference is bothering me a little bit, although it's apparently perfectly acceptable to be dating a 19yr old when you're 24. I think it's partly the reason we don't have a lot in common. The only things we have in common so far are a couple of TV shows we both like and sweet popcorn. Well that and a dislike of salty popcorn, but I'm not sure that one counts.

Then again, maybe it's a very positive thing. I'm over thinking it again, aren't I? It's too early; I should be more patient and just spend some more time with her. I already have a couple of good ideas I think she'll like and Valentines Day nears and I already have a great idea for that :-D