I met Mr2U at O’Dell’s (it’s a bar) in Palatine.
Dungeons & Dragons. She was the DM’s girlfriend. We’ve been married 16 years now.
In a crowded Gay bar in Berlin called “Dreizehn” (Thirteen).
Love and lust at first sight.
That was 22 years ago and we’re still together.
I met my wife in her living room.
Me and a friend were on a thousand-mile trip–New Orleans was the final destination–and we stopped in a little town on the way where he had some friends, relatives, and other connections. Sitting around in the trailer home of one of these “connections,” my friend said, “I know these two girls who live across town . . . you’d really like them.” So we went over there . . . we ended up waking one of the girls. I started hanging out there quite a bit. Everybody thought one of these girls was just perfect for me. The girl who wasn’t perfect for me and I ended up having an affair that everybody seemed to be oblivious to until we ended up moving in together. Next thing I know, fourteen years have gone by and we’re married with a child and a dog.
I still haven’t gotten to New Orleans.
We met on my first day at university - I was the young freshman and he was the dark and brooding chairman of the philosophy society. For a year and a half we chatted in the student common room until one day, both frantically trying to finish essays in time for our tutorials, we started arguing about Plato.
I took him back to mine after a philosophy society party that happened to be on that night… and here we are almost four years later. Love him to bits. Still disagree about Plato 
At a rebirthing workshop. 14 years ago and we’ve been married 11 years this coming March.
I met my soon-to-be-ex-wife at her apartment - a common friend introduced us.
In a bar. My roomate hated my boyfriend at the time and decided to introduce to me a few Marines she knew hung out regularly. Dragged me to the bar she worked at and I found the love of my life.
I met my current SO at the Jan. 2001 NYC DopeFest, where I also met a whole crew of folk who are now good friends.
High School sweeties.
Who knew?
I met my boyfriend in the hospital, in May of this year. We were both patients.
I was discharged first, and returned to visit him every other day for the next month. Hospital food being what it is, his most urgent request was for decent food, so as he began to feel better, I smuggled in salmon fillets, homemade chicken salad, deli sandwiches… even a spiral ham. (That was a bit of a challenge.)
We started hanging out on a platonic basis when he got out, decided we liked each other a bit more than that, and started dating in earnest in the late summer. He’s met my family and they love him. He is a lovely, kind, handsome man. (Plus, he’s taller than me, has a full head of hair, and is a kickass sailor!) So far, so good.
I have 3 guys I consider to be significant in my life, even though I’m not currently with any of them:
Rashad: He was dating my best friend since the 7th grade. We all went to the movies one night, and we met. I later got his AIM name from her, and IMed him to tell him that if he ever hurt her, I’d be forced to hunt him down and rip his balls off. We became very close friends, and when they broke up, I stayed friends with him. We’ve since dated off and on, much to her annoyance. I barely talk to her these days, but I still have Rashad.
Scott: We worked together at McDonalds, became good friends. After about a year, we started dating. It didnt last long, but we stayed friends. We hooked up occasionally over the years. I love him more than anyone else I’ve ever known, despite the fact that all of my friends think I just use him for the sex.
Sean: In the 10th grade, he was in love with my good friend. She treated him like shit for a good number of years, and the end result was him shutting out most of his friends, and turning to drugs. I had moved to Boston, was hearing stories secondhand of how horrible he was acting, and how he was screwing up his life. I started emailinghim, making sure he was okay. He was. We would stay up until daylight every night talking, and just being there for each other. He’s helped me through breakups, and rape, and fights with friends and family, and just about every problem I’ve gone through in the last 6 years. For a long time, he was my only friend I absolutely refused to sleep with, because I was terrified of messing things up. If we were in the same state even, I’d try to pursue somethimng further…I’m too afraid of losing him to take a chance on a long distance relationship though.
Though a shadchan (a matchmaker).
I met with the lady on a Sunday morning, and after talking with her about an hour, she told me she knew someone for me. Well, she (the shadchan) didn’t really know her; she was a friend of a sister of someone who boarded in her house.
I eventually got in touch with her (a story in itself), we went out for about 3 months, and got engaged. That was 12 years and 3 kids ago.
In order, only the ones post-college:
- In my dorm room in Leningrad (he was my suitemate; by that point, the Soviets were so screwed up that they couldn’t even keep track of who was living where. They normally frowned on mixed-gender dorm arrangements, unless the parties were married to each other.) I have no idea where he is anymore; possibly he’s in Russian military intelligence. Long story.
- At work (although we didn’t get romantically involved for more than a year, after I wasn’t working there anymore). I wish we could still be friends, but it’s apparently too weird for him, plus he moved back to Cleveland.
- At a grad school reception; he was a Fulbright scholar on a one-year teaching gig (and no, I didn’t take his class!) We’re still friends; he’ll be in town next week, and I’m taking him out to dinner for saving my butt on some last-minute thesis issues.
- Fixed up by a grad school buddy; I don’t know whether to thank the buddy or curse him. He’s still around, but due to some behavior of his recently documented on this board, I have no desire ever to speak to him again. 4+ years, down the tubes.
- The Reader Matches. He’s around, and we don’t hate each other or anything, but apparently he can’t deal with being friends, either. Too bad.
- Same as above. Realized he wasn’t over his ex; disappeared for a while, but we’re now friends, even if he is being a little boneheaded in the romance department, having recently decided to make a good friend into Rebound Girl. I’m not entirely convinced he’s history in the romance department, but in the meantime, it’s on to Round 7 in the New Year.
- Who knows? Ideas, anyone?
In order, only the ones post-college:
- In my dorm room in Leningrad (he was my suitemate; by that point, the Soviets were so screwed up that they couldn’t even keep track of who was living where. They normally frowned on mixed-gender dorm arrangements, unless the parties were married to each other.) I have no idea where he is anymore; possibly he’s in Russian military intelligence. Long story.
- At work (although we didn’t get romantically involved for more than a year, after I wasn’t working there anymore). I wish we could still be friends, but it’s apparently too weird for him, plus he moved back to Cleveland.
- At a grad school reception; he was a Fulbright scholar on a one-year teaching gig (and no, I didn’t take his class!) We’re still friends; he’ll be in town next week, and I’m taking him out to dinner for saving my butt on some last-minute thesis issues.
- Fixed up by a grad school buddy; I don’t know whether to thank the buddy or curse him. He’s still around, but due to some behavior of his recently documented on this board, I have no desire ever to speak to him again. 4+ years, down the tubes.
- The Reader Matches. He’s around, and we don’t hate each other or anything, but apparently he can’t deal with being friends, either. Too bad.
- Same as above. Realized he wasn’t over his ex; disappeared for a while, but we’re now friends, even if he is being a little boneheaded in the romance department, having recently decided to make a good friend into Rebound Girl. I’m not entirely convinced he’s history in the romance department, but in the meantime, it’s on to Round 7 in the New Year.
- Who knows? Ideas, anyone?
We met in highschool, grade 11 music class where a mutal friend introduced us.
Spent the next 5 years as friends.
Spent the 2 years secretly playing around.
Spend this (last) year as my SO. We’re still a “secret” couple although I don’t know why.
I met my husband when I took a second job as a bartender - he and his friends had practice across the street and used to come in and watch basketball games. We got to chatting, became great friends, and his 170 lb skinny ass stole me away from my six foot five, 280# boyfriend. I married him baseed on the fact I know of nobody braver than he is.
My first husband was a violin teacher at my college (I majored in music when I started school, as a percussionist). It was quite scandalous, yes.
I think everyone I dated between the two I met at work, or somehow connected to working.
[side note]
Eva - move to Portland, Oregon. I swear, I know about 15 or 20 really great, nice, smart, funny, wonderful men who I would LOVE to set up with nice, smart, funny, wonderful women, but I don’t KNOW any. Come visit me. Seriously. I have somehow discovered the motherlode of decent guys. (Of course, this happened shortly after I married.)
**To make a short story long **
I went out with this guy that was driving me nuts coming into the video store that I worked at. Nice guy, but duller than ditch water. I didn’t have the heart to tell this guy to go away, so I figured that if he asked me out (he did) I would say yes, go to a dinner and a movie and that would be *it *.
Except this Dull Guy took me to a men’s softball league game.
Dear God, organized sports are the bane of my existence.
(unless there is a fight involved, then it’s ok.)
And as me and Dull Guy walked up this hill to the Dreaded Game, the first guy I lay eyes on is this cute chubby guy wearing tight uniform pants.
Corny as it sounds, at that moment, I knew *he was the one *.
Cute Chubby Guy saw his friend walk up the hill with Hot Chick With a Tan (i’d just gotten back from CA.) and said to his best friend standing next to him, " What’s she doing with *him *?" meaning, what’s a dish like her doing with a Doufus like his friend.
I ended up having to go out with Dull Guy for a few weeks in order to see Cute Chubby Guy. CCG and I like each other but are off limits under the Rules Of Real Guys: Don’t Steal Your Friends Girl. After the Last Straw over Something Massively Insignificant , somehow I got Dull Guy to go away. And he did.
Dull Guy tells Cute Chubby Guy that night that he thinks that CCG should ask me out. CCG finds out that we are no longer seeing each other and after he parts with his pal, races like the wiley coyote to get to the nearest phone to call me.
He is a fabulous dancer ( there is no way you can lead him, it is like dancing with a brick wall.) a gentleman, diplomatic to the point of nothing gets resolved but no feelings are hurt either and he is well respected and liked by everyone whom he has ever met. And he marries me. A one woman sarcasta-thon with zero culinary skills, whose nose is always buried in a book or on the computer doing my life’s work of Wasting Valuable Time. I’m still flabbergasted over the great joke that the cosmo’s have pulled on us.
Married nine and a half years, together 14. 2 kids, one dog and a whole garage filled with power tools.
( We don’t see Dull Guy that much anymore, and that is fine with me. The only time I think of him is when asked how I met My Reason For Doing Laundry. )