How We Met - Beauty And The Geek

Today I have a guest blogger Mike from The Blog of Thog. I haven't know Mike long, one day he commented on being a good blogger I went to check out his blog. While I was blogging stalking him, he mentioned he wanted to challenge himself as a writer and I immediately invited him to do a guest post. Beyond having an awesome name, Mike has a dry wit that I really enjoy. 

Please help me welcome Mike to A Girl Named Michael.

Hi! Big thanks to Michael who has kindly allowed me to tell you a story.

But not just any story!

The greatest story ever told!

Okay... maybe not. But it's the story of how me and my fiancee met, which is pretty cool for me.

To give a bit of background, I had recently moved out of my parents and got myself my first house. I was 25, single, and basically enjoying life, being a massive geek and on a weekend going to a local goth club where I would drink cocktails and then dance near to females, which invariably did not work. It had taken me a long time to figure out that it was okay to be single, that I didn't need to be with someone to be happy, but I had finally got there. I am somewhat plainspoken and it makes me shudder to write this but, yes, I had "learned to love myself". In short, I was happy.

Oh - and having moved from a village to a city. I was enjoying takeaways.

Lots of takeaways.

Anyhow, I work in construction management. Without going into too much detail, I try to make the construction process as efficient as possible, keeping costs down while safeguarding the quality of the work.

I was told by my boss that I needed to study for a qualification to back up my experience to help progress. So, I applied to do a diploma at one university, and was accepted, but the course was full so I would have to wait a year. As a result, it was suggested that I check out a local college to see if they'd let me do the diploma there.

When I went to the college, I was told that I couldn't do the diploma, but what I could do is a lower level qualification for a year, to give me some grounding in the topic before I started at the university the following year. I checked with work that they would be happy for me to do it, and then signed up.

I remember looking at the list of people already signed up for the course, and thinking that one of them had a really unusual name. She also apparently also worked for my employer (albeit in a different department)

We'll now fast forward to the first week of the college course. There was one girl that I really liked the look of, but she was way out of my league. Coolness oozed from every pore (that doesn't sound that complimentary actually), she was ace. Chatty, intelligent, very pretty, everything.

Anyway, it gets to about 4 or 5 in the afternoon, and we've got a break before an evening class. I head outside, where the cool girl is. We start chatting, and she asks if I want to go for a drink.

Remember - I'm a geek, and if I haven't made it clear, not overly used to women.

Alarm bells ring in my head, and some kind of subconscious computer program kicks in.

I'VE BEEN ASKED IF I WANT A DRINK. BY A WOMAN.

OH MY GOD

ATTENTION MIKE - DO NOT BE AN IDIOT. I REPEAT, DO NOT BE AN IDIOT.

I manage to accept, and we go for a drink. I do my best to be entertaining, despite the fact that I'm limping all the way there and back due to falling when playing football the week before.

We have a nice drink, all goes well. We continue to chat to each other at college.

A couple of weeks later she texts me to ask if I could look over her assignment for her. I say yes, and suggest that we meet for a drink so I can look it over.

Five years later, me and Cherise (told you it was an unusual name) have a house together, a three year old son, and our lives have changed totally. I'm happier than I've ever been before, despite the fact that I seemingly have to empty the kitchen bin about three times as often as I used to do when I was single. But on the other hand she's taught me to cook so I save a fortune in takeaways! Speaking to Cherise it turns out that the "do I want a drink" question that she asked me at college was simply her being friendly and wasn't meant in a romantic way at all, but she is pleased that I'm not limping any more as the way I was having to lurch over the pavement was a little disconcerting.

Mike is a part-time blogger and extreme amateur video editor. Why not check out his blog at http://thoggy.blogspot.com and his video channel at www.youtube.com/ravenswingthog - and if you really want to stalk him, his Twitter is @ravenswingthog

Boys Named Mike

Throughout the course of my life it has come to my attention a time or two that Michael is some times used as a boys name.

The first time this was really clear to me I was in Jr.High, one day we had a substitute teacher who during roll call (where it was obvious all the kids were switching names) got to my name when I answered with a clear and polite yes. She stopped looked at me and said if you are going to change names you should at least change names with someone not a boy. I told her that my name is Michael but she insisted that I was lying. I was almost in tears when in a moment of unity against the evil tyrant all the kids in my class keeping saying her name is Michael. Still not believing me she wrote a note to our teacher saying I was the ring leader in a revolt against her.

While in college every year when filling out the paperwork I would have to fill out additional paperwork explaining why I don’t have to register for the draft. Not just the 1st year but every year, at some point don’t you think someone would remember hey she’s a girl but no!!!! In fact one year I received some mail from the draft board with my draft card I guess someone didn’t realize that the F in the Sex column meant female...I am not even going to imagine what they thought it meant. They requested I look over the information and return it with any corrections. I quickly changed the M in sex to F send it back and thankful never heard form them again.

And in more recent months both my sisters are dating boys named Mike. Okay so maybe the Health Nut sister is not dating a Mike more like went out on a date with a Mike but my Baby sister has had an on again off again romance with Mike (they are two different Mikes...apparently its a very popular name for boys). She claims she tried to call him Michael but it wasn't working for her.

I am not sure what’s wrong with these people because everyone knows Michael is a girl's name just ask my parents.