As a 20-something U.S. citizen playing pro tennis in Europe during the late 1980s, a tech career was not what Principal Program Manager for Microsoft Peter Cohen envisioned for his future.

Married and father of two, Cohen said he has been in the "convincing business" side of the Internet industry for more than two decades. However, a passion for travel and culture has steered his non-linear career.

I sat at my stepsister’s kitchen sink as she excitedly dunked a comb in water and took out her scissors.

Is my stepsister a hair stylist? No. Has she had any formal training? No.

But at the time, none of this mattered. To add insult to the general injury of 2020, I was fresh off a breakup and in a stage of not giving a damn.

I decided to give this energy an outlet and unfortunately that “energy” landed on the front of my forehead.

So, I had a plan B.

When a Seattelite Accidentally Matches with a New Yorker During a Pandemic

As you all know the last month has been a roller-coaster of emotion on a global level. So, I did what any single woman fighting a pandemic would do — downloaded a dating app.

The timeline was right after the first initial cases were identified in the U.S and in my neighborhood and additionally before social distancing was even in my vocabulary and/or bans in public were being made. We were still new-born babies to the era of the Coronavirus.

POULSBO IS A SMALL TOWN in Washington known for it's viking heart and world famous bread. It is also home to some pretty interesting characters…

I had just settled into the neighborhood coffee shop, Hot Shots Café, when one of these curious characters came into view. A disheveled man, who looked to be homeless and in his early sixties stood before me. A beard long and grey hung heavy over his collar. His hair was smashed beneath a dirty old hat and on his shoulder sat an equally mysterious cat.

Nonno (no-no) is what Italians call their grandpa and I have perhaps met the best Nonno in Italy there ever was. This Nonno also happens to be my roommate and--also happens to not speak English. Did I mention I started learning Italian 3 weeks ago?

Nonno reminds me of the grandpa character in the movie, The Parent Trap with the exception of some added Italian spice. He is the epitome of what every Disney grandpa should be, with some additional flavor that comes with having a mischievous, expressive, bold and Italian soul. 

 “I get it. It wasn’t my coolest moment of life. What “Giggles” didn’t know was that my ability to be cool had left me in middle school and thus the need had vanished entirely after high school. I didn’t care enough to give it any more thought than that.

I sat down at the empty table at the same time that the owner of the curious belongings wouldreturn to his table. He was in his mid 20s and scruffy. Scruffy, not in an intentional way. He appeared to be clean shaven, and put together, even what some may call attractive. Still he seemed scruffy to me, in a way that only life could give. Maybe it was the premature lines on his face or a certain chip on his shoulder, but it seemed whatever life he had been living,  he had been living it hard.ver life he had been living,  he had been living it hard.

He made brief eye contact with me as he sat down and began telling me a story about his day. He spoke as if we were old friends, as if he had already introduced himself and knew that I would be interested in the story he came in with. He was not flirty nor suggestive, just matter of fact-ly and sincere.

My what?" You ask, playing dumb.

You already know what the phrase means.

Still you inquire further to gain a better understanding of a concept that you have not only accepted, but are currently applying to your dating life.