As JT has been milking this for all its worth in his e-mails, I thought I would toot my own horn and talk about this incredible date I went on with a beautiful actress. In order to protect her identity and public figure, I cannot disclose her name on here, as we ALL need to respect her privacy.
If you haven't read up on how me met, look for
http://www.abcsofattraction.com/community/choose-your-own-adventure-f15/fr-54-how-i-number-closed-a-celebrity-t6359.htmlIn order to make this educational for all, I'm including EVERYTHING that I did to make this date happen, FLAWLESSLY
THE NEXT DAY - Using Gareth's Text to Sex material, I send her the following text around noon
"Hey, it's Ben. Save this number because it's the most important one you'll ever get
"
No response - It's alright. No big deal.
MONDAY - I call her. Goes to voicemail - "Hey! It's Ben, I just saw the most amazing and ridiculous thing and I had to tell you about it. Call me back - #########"
TUESDAY - I call her again, different time - "Hey! It's Ben. Maybe you're super busy, or maybe you're just a total player, but I did have something important to tell you. Call me back ##########"
WEDNESDAY - SHE CALLS ME -
HB: Hey Ben! It's ********
Ben: Helllo my dear, how's the week treating you?
HB: Haha, it's busy as always. I don't really get to go out much
Ben: I bet. Well I'm pretty busy too, what's your schedule look like this week?
HB: I have Sunday off.
Ben: You know, I have that day off too, but I have a sick Salsa gig that night. Why don't you and I grab some frozen yogurt before hand and you can come and Salsa dance with us? I know this awesome place in Little Tokyo where you can design your own yogurt and toppings, it's a lot of fun, and pretty cheap too.
HB: Whoa, that would be awesome.
Ben: Cool. Do you need a ride?
HB: No, I'll meet you there. But just Ben:
I'd love to get to know you more and hang out and see your salsa gigs, but let's keep this just as friends and nothing more. OK?Ben: OK. See you at 4.
She already LJBF'd me over the phone. I know who she is and the numerous films she has starred in, but that doesn't change the fact that she is HUMAN. We change our minds pretty often...
SUNDAY rolls around. I wake up and get myself ready. My heart is already RACING and I can't believe I have a date with someone famous. I'm a little struck by the entire experience. From little Ben J with the shaggy bowl cut hairdo to the Celeb-dating night-club terrorizing guy I am today... All thanks to that one ABCs bootcamp in January with JT and Gareth.
4PM - We meet in the parking lot. She parks her expensive car and we hug and enter the mall. I talk to her like a normal girl, not a celeb. In fact, I was pretending that I didn't know who she was the entire time. We walk into the Fro-Yo place and it's fairly empty. The smell and aroma of Vanilla, Strawberry, Bananas, and all these other fruits fill the air. We build up our Fro-Yo and sit in the corner and merely chat. She goes on a barrage of questions:
Where are you from? Chicago
What do you do? I am a professional musician and I run a business online
You're 23, right? Yep
What gigs do you play? Salsa, Afro-Cuban, Jazz, lots of stuff. I also like to dance. Used to do ballroom dancing with my friend Sarah. Blah blah blah
For each question, I made a tiny little anecdote and had a BIG smile on my face. The frozen yogurt helped keep me calm, since there was that little part of me that wanted to scream," OH MY GOD I'M DATING SOMEONE FAMOUS"
As she was going into interview mode, I RE-FRAMED the conversation.
"OK, now I see you're applying for the title of, 'FRIEND', correct? Let's see now..." (cocky funny humor)
Where are YOU from? Seattle
What do you do? I'm an Actress/Songwriter
You are also 23, correct? Yup
What gigs do you do? Too many. Want me to hand you my resume? "Girl, that napkin over there doesn't count as a resume!"
I learn in this conversation that this girl is a strong independent woman. She is a feminist and is a hardcore advocate for human rights and leadership. She is incredibly driven and has a strong end-goal in mind for her life. This girl, has to be the most high-quality woman I've met since LA.
We're laughing and enjoying this conversation a ton, but it's getting dry. I tell her, "Hey, have you ever shot a gun before?"
HB: NO! Sounds dangerous
Ben:It's SOOO MUCH fun, plus a good life skill. There's a range right down the road from here. Let's check it out!
4:30 PM - LA GUN CLUB
We walk in and we look at the guns together. We put in our names and buy about 100 rounds to fire off, plus hilarious zombie targets to shoot at. When I get to the range, I shoot the first clip to see the calibration of the gun. Then I grab another magazine, load it in,pull the action back, and hand it to her. "Have fun dear!" She nervously puts the gun up and I gently guide her hands to show how to hold it, where to aim, how to use the iron sights, etc.
We're already getting into couple's proximity. Sort of like teaching a girl how to play mini-golf. She pulls the trigger, BAM!
HB: AHH! Oh my god! Whoa!
Ben: Relax, deep breaths, pretend like you're playing a pregnant woman on ER.
HB: BAHAHAHAA she sets the gun down LAUGHING. After she regains her composure, she pulls the gun up and fires away. We take turns firing and firing until all the bullets are gone. We went
5:30PM - GYU-KAKU in Pasedena
She says she's hungry. I tell her about this sushi place in Pasedena that isn't too far. She's glowing about the gun range and smiling and giggly like a little school girl. It's weird to think she's JUST A NORMAL HUMAN LIKE THE REST OF US.
We go in for sushi, eat our fill and have romantic marshmallows to roast over a hot coal stove with guilty chocolate and graham crackers. Mmmmm. I notice she starts to kino me back more, and we shove each other around like brother sister.
6:30PM - Salsa Gig
I bring her into the club, packed with people. My conga teacher Bob is there, ready to play. We planned this entire scenario out like an army assault. In the fourth tune, after my conga solo, I would jump off stage as my teacher takes over for me and comps. Then I would dance with my date until the end of the tune, and jump back on for the finale. A plan perfectly executed.
She was standing to the back of the dance floor, watching me. Approached by a couple of guys that don't speak English (how's that for AMOGGING?) Then she would politely dismiss the guys. When the fourth tune came up, I busted out my solo until my hands were red and raw. As through crowd clapped and cheered for my solo, my teacher came on, and I took a HUGE LEAP off the front of the stage on the dance floor, caveman'd my girl talking to some hispanic dude, and Salsa danced with her, and EVERYONE saw me do it. She was starstruck and LAUGHING as I twirled, dipped, and literally lifted her into the air.
HB: Ben! Don't you have a gig to play!?
Ben: Fernandez has me covered till the end! Dip now and follow my lead!
After the tune was over, there was some yelling in Spanish and I hopped back on stage after I kissed my girl on the cheek. The gig was over and I packed up the gear in the truck and grabbed my girl
8:30PM
HB: Oh my god. I haven't had this much fun in so long. It's been work work work for me and It's just so refreshing!
Ben: Haha, welcome to my world
actually, have you ever heard of Lambrusco before? It's a champagne made from red grapes instead of white. Very delicious! Let's head back and have a glass to top off the evening
HB: Oh Ben... I would LOVE to, really, but I have to get up early and work and do all this stuff. Can you take me back to my car?
8:45PM
I walk her to the car. We hold hands as she smiles at me, not saying a single word.
HB: Ben, I had an absolute blast. This was just what I needed. Thank you, for everything.
Ben: No problem. I had a great time too. When are you free next?
HB: Well, I have a leadership convention to teach, and I won't be free until mid-December
Ben: OK, just call or text me when you're free
HB: Bye......
She's giving me that Doggy Dinner Bowl Look. She leans in a little bit, then I just go in for the kill. It starts off as a small peck, but then I pull her closer and we start to make out. I pull away first and she comes back in for more, but I give her just a peck.
HB: Good bye,
I walk back to my car, close the door, wait for her to get out of sight. I light up a cigarette in the car and smile.
LJBF MY ASS!
Stay tuned for a breakdown!
Ben J
