Talking to Strangers: Seattle, WA

Nerve asks deeply personal questions to people we just met.

by Shanell Robertson

Justin, 27

What's your occupation?
Right now I'm a landscaper. I wouldn't say that I'm a specialist — I pull weeds! But I'm also a student.

Have you ever been hit on by someone you're landscaping for?
No, not that I'm aware of. Unless it was really subtle and I didn't catch it. I'm looking forward to it, though. I have gotten catcalls.

With the aid of that Crosby, Stills and Nash moustache, I'm sure.
A lot of guys have commented on it. "What's with the 'stache, man?" or "I like the 'stache — now you need to get yourself a van."

How long have you been in Seattle?
Almost two and a half years.

How has dating here been for you?
Dating went up a lot for me once I moved. I think I've done pretty well. I just got out of a relationship, actually. It ended just about two, three weeks ago. We were together for about a year and a half but it just didn't work out.

Do you have any crazy exes?
I was in one relationship with an alcoholic. She would go on binges for a couple of weeks at a time. I really doubt that she knows what she did during those periods of time. She'd just get really vocal and physically violent. She wasn't herself for up to two weeks at a time. When she was sober, she was the exact opposite. It was a love/hate kind of thing. It was like, you know, when you're sober you're the best person ever, but when you're drunk I don't want to be around you. She was unpredictable, really. Why you don't leave those types of relationships, I don't know. There's something holding you to it.

On a lighter note, where's the strangest place you've ever had sex?
In a tree. That was pretty crazy.

In a treehouse?
No, on a limb. It just looked like a good spot. We were walking and were like, "You know what? That'd be the perfect spot." It was a perfect limb. It was in the back of her property. In the river, too. That was interesting. Never in a public place, though. That'd just be too risky.

So what would you say your type is?
I seem to go for more intellectual, self-driven types. Really strong-willed as well. Sometimes it's a plus, sometimes it's a bad thing.

So what do you think you're looking for right now?
I really don't know what I want right now. I don't know if I just want to be single again for awhile or if I want to jump into a relationship again. Sometimes I just think relationships are doomed to fail. I'd rather have an agreement with someone that, you can be together and if things go sour, you're not going to hate each other. You're not going to be like, "It's the end of the world."