Another Day in Dating Paradise

and this time, it wasn't so bad. I normally don't date cops, just because my flaming liberal ways tend to make them shudder and we usually have a different mind set. I took a chance though and went out with a cop tonight. Actually, I really stepped outside of my normal box. I'm just used to tall men so normally don't date anyone who isn't 5'10" or so. It's just a familiarity thing. My father is 6'6" my brother and both brother-in-laws are over 6'2". I've just been surrounded by tall men all my life. This new guy is exactly my height when I wear boots, 5'8". He's sorta a rollie polie guy A short, rollie polie cop is not someone I'm normally attracted to. Yes, I realize how shallow I can be. HEY! I'm not proud of it. Anyway.... I had a GREAT time. This guy is fascinating. He's been in law enforcement for 31 years and carries a gold shield so you can imagine how many stories he has. He's a retired Navy Reserve Commander, has a Phd in Criminal Justice, Vice-President of the local cop union, teaches poligraph something or other and investigative interviewing. I'll let you know how it goes. Connie

Oh boy Connie! You got one of my guys! You know, opposites DO attract. This will be really fun to follow!!! (PS: I'm liberal too but I still can get along with most of the folks I work with. Some are jerks about it, but usually they can be spotted by their Rush Limbaugh ties! Well, at least the civillians in law enforcment and plain clothes....)

Connie, the guy I ended up with is TOTALLY not anything I'd ever picture myself with. And he was married when I met him, which made him even more against my nature (he has since left his wife). Once I got to know him, I realized that he's everything I could ever want in a partner/friend/lover. He is the uncle of one of my best friends. You just never know. This guy you're dating sounds great....I hope it works for you. Keep us posted! Joanie

Just one of many cop groupies! I'm glad you had a great time. Given my exposure to the military and law enforcement, it isn't quite the fountain of conservatism that many think. Being that I'm in law enforcement I would say while we have some true died in the wool conservatives, the vast majority are people who tend to be more of the Bill O'Reilly types then the Limbaughs and Hannitys. That being said, I think I want to date this guy. Anybody who has been in LE that long has some great stories and probably a great sense of humor. The one thing that I have noted about most cops, and similar to a lot of people whom have had WLS is the will to celebrate life. In a sense, many of us faced our own mortality and were able to move away from the light which gives us a sense of wanting to live life to the fullest. Any cop that has been out there long has been in a hairy situation or two and often gives them the desire to make the most of their times away from the "Job". An example is last week I returned to the familar haunts of my universtiy town for four days. I had to work and then I had to attend a meeting for a board I'm on for the university. We have a couple whom basically relocated over there and we called them to get together. Well, we ended going out to a local water hole. And while I really didn't drink that much, I drank enough. We went to their house with three other couples and started playing some great tunes. The have a huge hardwood floor that makes a great dancing surface. Lets just say I worked out whatever I drank as I was Gene, Gene the Dancing Machine. And I also duplicated the "Risky Business" slide when Old Time Rock and Roll hit the speakers. ( I didn't strip to my undies) Long winded, but the point was I was living life and loving the freedome of movement that I have back. I recently heard there is a movie coming out about a man and a women that both find out they have terminal illness. the movie is about how they choose to live out there final days. I'm doing all I can to make sure I'm around for awhile, but in the same token I'm making the most of my time here because when I'm pushing up flowers I want to have crashed into my casket saying, "That was a helluva ride!" Somehow I jumped up on a soapbox and made this post about me. I didn't mean to hijack your post, but couldn't help myself. Connie, I hope if you want you can see this gentleman again and can have a great time. Sometimes you need to break the mold of what you thought was right for you in order to find the true Mr. Right.

Always gotta gravitate toward the law enforcement posts....which means I'm always piggy backing off of Ken here! Ken, I think I get why you got off on your tangent here. The thing is that those involved in law enforcement see the negative crap all the time. There are those who can't cope and end up self-medicating and self-destructing, but there are many who are jewels as well. Being involved in law enforcement, in my opinion, will test your mettle as a human being in so many different ways. I see cops who are alcoholics who have lousy relationships, and I see cops who, like you said, love life and celebrate it. One of my favorite cops is Bill. He was a Sgt for years and years and self-demoted down to trooper. He says he wouldn't go back to that for anything. Anyway, this person is just a genuinely sweet person. He and his wife are Christians but not the kind who thump their Bibles and preach morals. They are the kind who take trips to poor communities like in S. America and work in orphanages and help build and repair facilities for their vacation. He uses his job as an opportunity to show people respect and that even though they might not seem to deserve it, they will get it from him. We have a lot of heavy discussions over coffee in the wee hours of the morning when he's coming on duty and I'm going off. Anyway, all this to say that there are so many cops out there who have gained a truly wonderful and well rounded perspective of life throughout their careers. Rather than let the negative sour them, they use the negative to learn from it and try to change it. I work with so many cops like this and because I can respect them so much, they are like family to me. So much so that when my supervisor called from work the other morning at 5:30am I was almost thrown into panic mode thinking I was getting news someone had been shot. Most people would think like that about their family first....and I guess they are my family. Oh - and as for liberal and conservative....it doesn't matter. The ones who want to wear that on their sleeve will alienate the other. My friend Bill and I sat there on opposing sides of the political spectrum one morning talking about how we seem to agree on just about everything...but we just come to the same conclusions from different perspectives. If you can respect the person, I've found that generally you can respect their opinions and why they've formed them. Dina

Dancing Ken, You made me laugh with your "Just one of many cop groupies!" comment. When one of my staff found out I was dating a cop, he said, "Wait a minute! Isn't one of your rules, NO COPS?" Yep, normally it is. No Smokers, No Co-workers, No Married Men and No Cops. Like I said, the biggest reason I don't date cops is my viewpoints and antics tend to make them crazy. This is a kid who surrendered Milwaukee to Red China when I was 14 on the UWM campus. My father, a professor at the University was none too thrilled when he walked across the campus with his department head and found his daughter waving a pair of underwear on a stick. I used to interpret for the Police Department and dated my share of law enforcement officers. They would get upset when I went into the men's bathroom when the women's line was too long or drove my car backwards through town or organized huge food fights. I've calmed down (a little) and this guy is pretty tolerant so there may be a chance. You're right about the zest for life thing. He's got a huge enthusiasm for life and he's a riot. Let's hope he can keep up with me and I don't make him crazy. lol Connie

If you found a cop that is not "self-centered" then I say you have found a good one. My brother is a cop and over the years there has been a big change in him. He is definitely not the brother that was raised in the same household as me. How did we turn out so different? Good look. I would say more, but will do it on a new post.............

Hey Connie...... The old line about judging a book by its cover applies here! For example, neither my wife nor I considered each other "the right type" at first. We did enjoy each other's company and found ourselves spending lots of time together while our friends giggled behind our backs wondering how long it would take before we found that elusive "clue"!! We definitely fell in LIKE before any thoughts of love showed up!! Yup.....we were not each others type..... and haven't been for the last 24 years! Mike

Does this guy have any idea the gem he's found in you??? Can't wait to hear more and soon...Love, Maureen

Connie, I can attest to the fact that love finds you when you are least looking for it, and it is usually in a completely different package than what you ordered. I have been married to my opposite for the last 9 years and we love each other now more than we did when we first started out. This may or may not turn out to be love for you but it should at least prove to be the vehicle for some very interesting conversation, and at the very least a friend for life. Let us know how you fare, Leslie