{ DATE #9: Mike Petersen }

Who is this guy and where did he come from? And don't tell me San Diego.  I can honestly say, without a doubt, that there is no one in this world quite like Mike Petersen! How many people do you know that would show up for a first date in nothing but a speedo?  Oh, but wait, it gets better!

My first impression of Mike (thankfully he showed up to the door fully clothed) was that this is one funny guy!  Little did I know how "funny" he would end up being.  As we drove up to LA for dinner and a concert, I learned some wild and crazy things about this 28 year old Sacramento native.

No joke, within the first 20 minutes of the car ride Mike had told me all about his escapades as a homeless man for several month (of his own free will and choice), the balance of his bank account ($25...apparently he sold his bed, dresser, and other personal items to take me out on our date), lives in San Diego with his 67 year old senior citizen roommate he found on craigslist, and is good friends with Date #3, Jon Pinney, who inspired him to apply for his own date on The Mormon Bachelorette.  Talk about being shamelessly honest!  Fortunately for Mike I want an honest man.  However, a little censoring next time might be the better option!  Just FYI.

After scalping some tickets on the side of the road (yes, that really happened), we walked til we found this great little dive called Boongho, an amazing Japanese sushi restaurant in downtown Hollywood.  The food was great, the management was great, and it was conveniently located just several blocks from the concert venue.  If you're ever in the area I highly recommend it!

After feeding each other a few specialty rolls and polishing off our desserts we made our way over to the Wiltern (aptly named for it's location on the corner of Wilshire and Western...just something I learned tonight) to see a new band I'd never heard of called Dirty Projectors. Mike had actually never heard of them either, but after reading through my interests on this blog, he noticed I was really into artists like Ingrid Michaelson and Regina Spektor and thought Dirty Projectors might be someone I'd enjoy. And he was right! The show was awesome and Mike was awesome company to enjoy it with.

The drive home was much quieter than the drive there.  Mostly because it was getting late and we were both exhausted.  But it turned out to be a great date afterall.  Mike is someone who can definitely keep you laughing all night long.   But is his sense of humor enough to score him a second date?  I can't really guarantee anything at this point...