The Devil is in the Details

"Don't walk with the Devil if you can't run with him too."

Chemistry.

It seems to be what all of us that are out there in the dating world is looking for… the chemical reaction that will set our hearts and pants afire.

Is it real?  Can science explain it?  Is it imagined? 

I am one of those lonely singles out there hoping on every first date that I will feel a spark.  Then on top of that is the anticipation that someone will, in return, feel a twinkle for me.

There are brain chemicals that we all know of, serotonin, norepinepherine and dopamine that bathe our brains influencing all our actions, reactions, emotions and whatever nuttiness we may possess.  Throw in a handful of estrogen or testosterone and you could have the Manhattan Project going on right there in your own body! I’m not even going to mention endorphins, holy hell!

So, to avoid having a “Little Boy” dropped on my personal Hiroshima, I try to recognize the little arcs of attraction.

And it goes beyond something physical.

Of course, the person has to “attract” me… but that’s not a certain look or physical quality.  I can be attracted to all different sorts of men.  For me it’s definitely the personality + their physicality.  And I’m sure that’s true for most people.  Maybe some people put a little more weight on one over the other, but that’s got to be the basic equation.

But what remains a mystery to me about chemistry is…

I can be getting to know someone via, emails, text, phone calls and it can be fun, flirty and flow really well.

Then we actually meet.

I feel NOTHING.  Not that meeting someone can’t be pleasant, we can laugh, exchange stories and get on quite well.

Yet, you know this is the only time you will ever see one another.

It’s not that he’s unattractive, that he has weird tics, that he has a bizarre highly pitched voice… he’s a normal guy… that makes me feel nothing.

It’s disappointing.

And I think that the thing that bothers me the most, when I’m over-analyzing, is the fact that all of my experimental results are based on flawed chemistry.

TrippyBeth’s brain has a little abnormal chemistry.  So, it doesn’t react as expected to certain stimuli. 

That makes it impossible to even theorize what the results could be!

Flawed chemical make up + known stimulus = unpredictable outcome.

But, isn’t that what love is? Unpredictable…

Here’s a look at the brain and love if you have some time to kill: http://people.howstuffworks.com/love6.htm

Let me say, before moving on, I do not expect love-at-first-sight.  I’m not 15.  The idea of it does sound nice… If it was mutual, of course.

But does it even, really, ever happen??  Or is it just lust with a side of rushing brain chemicals?  Yea, that’s probably it… but it would feel good I think.

Anyway.

I had some yummy pad thai last night at Amerasia in Covington.  I’m embarrassed to say that I’ve never been there before and I only live like a mile away!

Pre-dinner me (with no filters Cire Bron!! HA!)

Their beer selection was BANGIN!  They have their entire 100+ bottled beer selection listed in a spiral notebook with in-depth descriptions of each beer.

I had this Belgian Ale that has cherries and cherry juice added, Kasteel Rouge.

I love trying new beers and Belgian ales are usually a pretty good bet.  The beer was dark with a tint of red from the cherries.  Almost the color of a dark pool of blood.  It looked quite lovely with its small head in the snifter glass.

The first thing I did, as with most anything I eat or drink, was to breathe in its aroma.

I could smell its sweetness and the faint aroma of cherries that was pleasant and not overwhelming.

The first sip I wasn’t quite sure about, it reminded me of something that I couldn’t put my finger (or tongue) on.  But, after the second and third sips, I became a fan.

This beer is sweet and a little tart, if you don’t like sweet, you will not be a fan.  But, I have to say that it’s not TOO sweet at all.

It isn’t a beer that I’d likely drink more than one or possibly two of, but it was tasty and a departure from the beers I usually drink.

So, if you’re out and about and you’re adventurous, give it a try… let me know what you think!

I leave you with a photo of Lucy... wearing my panties.  I'm convinced she's trying to assume my identity.  If my posts start to become rants about squirrels and cheap canned catfood, you'll know that it's happened!