Going hiking around Seattle

Yes, finally I did go hiking! Got all my pseudo-gear (I don't have any hiking-specific things, like my friend had, such as a water bottle with a hose from which you could drink without having to stop and get your water bottle and then put it back inside your bag, and really water-proof hiking boots - and that's what I missed most, it was very muddy there) and there we went, to the Tiger Mountain!

It is a very closeby place, only about 10 (13 km) from my apartment. The hike started with lots of mud and a very steep climb of something like 700 meters! My legs were dying when we reached a plateau, but then it became easier. We were following a map trying to go around this mountain. But then we had a Twilight Zone experience: imagine this, we start a hike facing nortwest, only take right turns and when you realize we end up a mile west of where we started. It just didn't make any sense at all! But after walking for about 3 hours, we decided that we should go home. We went for lunch and then he dropped me at home (he was driving).

In the evening I decided to go out with another friend for dinner. My plan was just go enjoy the evening with a nice talk, but then I found out that I was suddenly on a date! We had good conversation, but this "date" thing just made the evening weird.

But it didn't end this way! Sunday I spent most of the day working on my research until around 5 pm when she called me again and asked if I didn't want to go out again. Me, the "yes guy", fell for that again. And there I went for a second meeting that was treated as a second date. I felt like everything was getting more and more complicated. We had just a great time talking, but the idea that it was supposed to be a "date" was still akward.

Well, but this wasn't everything either! Just 30 minutes ago I came online and she was here. We started talking and then suddenly she mentioned how much she was starting to miss me and it just went down from there. Crying here and there, and I was just thinking: "oh, my research... Oh, my hunger... oh, my work!"

But I had to finish this post before going and doing all this. I think I'm retiring my MSN messenger. It is not that I don't like her (I have to make this clear, because this is not an anonymous blog), it is just that I need to finish my Ph.D. soon! And there are just too many things that I need to focus on right now... I'm just in the wrong mindset! And, hey, I just met her!