Dateless on New Year’s Eve

I was hoping that 4 dates on New Year’s Day (and a pretty action packed December) would carry over into January.  But I knew that could be wishful thinking.  December is easy.  There’s a mess of parties to attend and those who are single for the holiday season are lonely and eager for affection.  January is just boring and cold.Out on the town this Saturday night, I pined for my confident December self.  Instead, I found myself in my shiest of states.  Pretty girls abounded in all the bars I was at.  But at the sports bar, I couldn’t open my mouth to ask the girl in the Jaguars jersey how much she hated Tom Brady.  At a fratastic bar, I couldn’t imagine what I’d say to any number of girls I could have talked to before calling it a night.

It’s just because the people on that scene are not my scene, my friend tells me over lunch.  Maybe so, but at the fratastic bar, I’m not looking for a special someone.  It’s just a matter of being able to be able to talk, to relax, and have a good hookup, or at least some fun dancing to Justin Timberlake.  And for all I talk about it or think about it (and now try to write about it) I should be able to roll into a dive bar and approach people.  For me, sometimes I feel like I’ve all the confidence in the world and sometimes that I can’t talk to anyone.

I’ve got the wherewithal for bar banter-some of the time.  I think the answer for my occasional bouts of timidity is to drill myself with some default game for when I feel like my mouth is sewn shut.  Not “is that a mirror in your pocket” lines, but a routine to throw some cold water on my face and get the bar conversation going.