Chapter 84: Dates & Times

and now the post that i'm sure everyone as been waiting on the edge of their seats for: my dating experience in nyc! while i'm sure that no one was actually anxiously awaiting this, it is a common subject to tackle once any single person has made that move into a major city, especially new york.

so what's my situation, you might be wondering. i am, at the moment, in a situation that can only be described as facebook's groundbreaking relationship status, "it's complicated." i'm not even sure what that means, but to keep things simple, i will say this: consider me single since i can date other people. there are days when i get off the phone with him grinning from ear to ear, and days when i just want to eat a bowl of cheesy pasta mixed with more cheese. (don't tell me you haven't been there.)

anyway, i've only been in two or three outings where i didn't know too many people around me, and all of them happened to be club/bar settings. the one thing i did notice is that people in ny aren't as standoffish as they seem on the street. granted, this might have to do with alcohol, but i'd like to think that is has to do with the uber-social demeanor people put on when they are in that "out" setting. if you go anywhere after 11pm, who isn't laughing, dancing, drinking, talking, and generally having a great time? yes, even the stereotypical crying girl in the corner was laughing at one point that night. and this ebb and flow of energy can't just be attributed to the flow of alcohol, especially when you take into consideration how slow it can be to get a drink around here. and yes yes, there are those who purely want to hook up, but i'm looking on the positive side right now.

i found that people were just nice. i've met some very random people, including a doctor from nj and a jazz music exec from harlem, but all people who shared a full conversation with me. this wasn't just a "hey baby, how are you tonight?" kind of thing, but an actual conversation about what we do, where we are in life, and where we'd like to be. have i gone on a date with any of these people? er, no. i might not be quite ready for that yet. but it's great to know that when the time comes, it won't be too hard to meet someone, if not a date then at least a friend.

there will always be naysayers (there's even one in my head right now) who say that i should be careful and these people only want one thing from me, etc, etc. well, maybe. but i have to say that my experience so far has been rather positive. so, in a nutshell, have i been on a date? nope. am i hopeful? sure. regardless though, this blog will be the first place for me to report on it.