Let's date, let me introduce you to all my ex's...

Here's the setting: I was hanging out with friends a little over a week ago and we made a rare appearance at the Red Chair. It's an upscale gay bar in Atlanta known for projections, plasma's, and obsenely expensive furniture and decorating. Smokers know it as a place they can't smoke unless they head outside.

I was there with a couple of friends, both of whom I had dated before including my best friend; he's my most recent ex from a little over 6 months ago. Then a friend of mine walks in with a really cute guy. Naturally, being single now, I need to check this out.

Well, long story short on that part of it. I meet the cute boy, he's very nice and very shy ( big turn on for me), and I have a way to contact him. I do and we go out a few times in the last week. It goes well and we determine that we're going to just date each other exclusively after our 3rd date and see where it leads us.

Now, to the topic at hand. I often try to put myself in the shoes of people I date. I wonder what they must be thinking and how things must strike them. He seems to roll with my eccentricities pretty well, but there's one that has struck guys differently. Most of my close friends are ex's of some sort. My best friend by far is my most recent ex; he was my best friend before we even dated. Then there's people I went out with once or twice who constitute the majority of my friends in some way. My friend Brandon pipes up upon meeting the guy that he "only got one date" so I'm relieved that Chris (the new boy's name) didn't appear to hear that.

So now I'm dating this cute guy. He's going to meet some people in my circle of friends and soon realize that they are mostly ex's. What would you think? I only have one ex that I"m not friends with; and frankly he had to work extremely hard to make sure that we couldn't be friends. The others will line up, Chris has already met Rich, one date Brandon, will meet Jonathan, Dave, Chandler, Will and likely a host of others that are friends but failed attempts at something more. How he will respond, I"m not sure.

I have one ex who freaked out about it. He would constantly try to compare himself to the others and feel inadequate. One time I had a party while dating him and 4 out of the first 5 people to rsvp were people I had dated before; I panic'd because I knew the repercussions when he figured that out. My ex, Jonathan, thought it was "cute" and something I should be proud of.

So I ponder. Should I just let it play out? Should I go to the trouble of pointing out ahead of time that so many of my friends are ex's? Is that something that should wig him out? Or is it a positive statement about my character? HMMMMM, I dunno.