Side Bar - Dating at Work

In my chosen field of education, the gender split is not 50/50. Men are few and far between in general, nevermind, any attractive, & available ones. I understand why people say that one should not date people at work, possible awkward moments afterward, etc...but I also know that people still do it... all the time. In fact just this year, my workplace actually celebrated the first couple created by the workplace's new setting. We had a staff meeting, cheered & clapped, and then admired the engagement ring, and shook the guy's hand... workplace romances... to be avoided or celebrated? I guess that depends how it ends, or where it goes.

When I first got into the field of education, (we're talking 2002) I did find myself interested in a young man, who was in turn interested in me... and we had, shall we say, a very good spring into summer. For me, it was a great foray into the previously unexplored adult dating world, post my college boyfriend. I had never really "dated" anyone before (see: serial monogamist posting), and this was fun, convenient, and did I mention fun?

Ah, but then we had to go back to work... and there was a new girl on the scene... he fancied her, and I was forgotten. Well, maybe not forgotten, but - at the ripe old age of 24, I had been tossed aside for a newer, bustier, model. He thought I'd be upset and heartbroken, frankly, I was even a little surprised that I wasn't... but hey, wow.... I wasn't. He is now engaged. Of course. (fyi - to someone completely not related to work)

Flash forward to last spring. There was a new guy on the scene. Technically, we work in the same larger institution, but not together-together. (This semi-distance allowed me to justify the work-relationship turned personal in my older, clearly, more rational head.) We first got to know each other a little better "off-campus", and started to date, or see each other, or whatever, it didn't really last long enough to get an official label. I should have known something was up when we always went to his place, he never came to mine... but he did call me practically every day... it was odd, at least to me. Anyway, he broke things off, after I returned from a trip to Europe... after the trip, as in, the day after. I really could have used my time better in Europe had I known I had nothing to be concerned about at home... bad timing on his part. At least he spoke to me about it, said he wasn't feeling that "spark"... I couldn't argue. I wasn't feeling it either, not really, but I usually give my self more than a month and a half to get there, he, apparently does not.

Flash forward again... to this week. I was at an all day training, where I found myself, at one point in time, standing directly in between work guy A and work guy B. I was in a virtual work whore sandwich. Luckily, my indiscretions are not widely known, and neither situation is the expected awkward one that is typical after such relations (or so I hear). But I did chuckle to myself, that although there were only 12 people present out of possible hundreds in our workplaces, that we three were part of the self-selected trainees... and we were standing directly in line with one another... I giggled on the inside... and vowed to not make it possible to ever be surrounded on three sides by my personal belt-notches.

But there is this one guy at work...