Okay, so, “meet real live men,” right? Sounds simple enough, but where do you even start? I decided to ditch the apps for a bit and try, you know, actually going places.
Phase 1: The “Forced Socializing” Attempt
First, I signed up for a pottery class. Figured it’d be chill, maybe meet some artsy guys. Turns out, it was mostly retirees and couples. Lots of adorable elderly women, bless their hearts, but not exactly what I was going for. I did make a pretty wonky-looking bowl, though, so that’s something.
- Pottery Class: Strike one.
Phase 2: The “Embrace My Inner Nerd” Approach
Next up, I hit a board game meetup. I love board games, so even if I didn’t meet anyone, at least I’d have fun. This was… better. More people my age, and everyone was super into the games. I played a few rounds of this ridiculously complicated strategy game, and even won one! I chatted with a few guys, but mostly about, well, the game. Still, it felt like progress. I got a couple of friendly waves as I left, but no numbers exchanged.
- Board Game Meetup: Promising, but inconclusive.
Phase 3: “Operation: Volunteer”
Okay, time to try something different. I volunteered at a local animal shelter. I figured, guys who love animals? Gotta be some good ones there, right? Plus, puppies! Win-win. I spent a Saturday morning walking dogs and cleaning cages. It was surprisingly… fun. And sweaty. I met a couple of other volunteers, including one guy who was really cute and seemed genuinely passionate about the animals. We teamed up to wrangle a particularly energetic Labrador, and we actually laughed a lot. I maybe kinda-sorta flirted a bit while we were hosing down a muddy dog run.
- Animal Shelter Volunteering. Kinda work.
Phase 4: The”It is What it is”
The cute animal guy! We exchanged numbers!It turns out that he is really a nice guy, and after several times’ talking, We decided to hang out together. So, yeah, “meet real live men”? It’s a process. Sometimes it’s awkward, sometimes it’s fun, and sometimes, just sometimes, you end up covered in dog slobber with a date. I’ll take it.
