/etc/init.d/seattled restart

this is who I am
escapist
paradise seeker
farewell, time to fly
out of sight
out of time
away from all lies

Stage 1

So I've just arrived in Seattle. I brought this boardgame with me called Settlers, and I'd like to check out the Salsa scene, and I mysteriously have a black sports car, a pilots license, and a lot of debt from both of those things. Ah, and too few vacation days to go anywhere. No one said this move would be easy.

I should start meeting some people. Sitting at home playing Unreal Tournament is starting to get boring because I've played all those maps over and over again, and all the maps on the internet suck, and I can't make new ones because the editor doesn't run on linux. If I want to meet new people through playing video games, I'm probably going to need a windows gaming computer, because I have waited ...approximately 7 years and 9 months for there to be enough games on linux, and that hasn't happened. Yeah, I'm not joking. Maybe this is related to why my personal life is so miserable. Lets not dwell on it.

In fact, lets assume that not only computer games, but everything else I do alone in my apartment is not going to help. I've spent some time trying to teach myself Texas Holdem, or practicing my guitar, okcupid, getting rejected by eHarmony, watching House, writing in my lame-ass blog, or pacing around trying to think of ways to meet people using craigslist. All of those ideas, including the ones I've tried, suck. However, thinking of things to do that won't meet people is not going to help me meet people. Settlers was somewhat successful--thats how I got interested in my latest rejection (as well as all of her other friends that didnt want to date me) so I should try that again. I have a feeling that there is a real correlation between people that like playing settlers and people that don't enjoy the wild (and the almost wild, and the slightly less wild) drinking parties I miss from Philly. Also, I can't really concentrate on anything because I keep thinking of Firefly Girl and watching Castle with her. Last night I watched the second half of the first book of The Lord of the Rings. If I make it through the entire saga...I don't know what will happen, but picture a health bar depleting.

The only thing I haven't fully tried is simply not being home ever. It is the one constant I haven't thought to attack directly. This is a little scary to me. Home is always where I go to retreat. Annoying people can't follow you home--except for the census guy I've been ignoring. He can't get in the door though, yet. Anyway, so being away from home a lot will probably be scary. I'm sure there is some kind of gay sounding phsychological explanation for that, but fortunately I don't interact with any phsych majors on a regular basis, so I am safe from their crap. But I digress.

I was going to label the following as goals 1 and 2, but continuing this nerdy boot analogy was too tempting.

Stage 1.5

We're focusing on the weeknight now. Weeknights are, in fact, the bane of my existence. Weekends are easy--there is enough time to go flying or drive all the way out to my distant friends. Weeknights are the problem; no one ever wants to do anything, except for scheduled crap like salsa dancing and league volleyball. And the last salsa class I took suck--I mean, gee I wonder if there are any good salsa classes here other than the place across the street from me. Also, I need to make myself sufficiently tired to fall asleep. Something about being lonely has a compounding effect: I don't want to go to bed unless I have a) someone to cuddle with b) something to look forward to (like possibly making out in the future) or 3) I can convince myself I've done something productive in the area of ever making out with anyone again. Most nights I stay up with strategy #3 that mostly consists of futile attempts to find Real Girls on the Internet. I don't know why I haven't given up entirely; I'm like a dog that comes back to its own vomit. Yeah you like that? That analogy comes from the Bible. I hope you were eating dinner while reading this.

So here's the deal: Don't sit around in the apartment at night. All that crap I always think I have to do can be done on the nights I'm effectively forced into house arrest by my stupid on call responsibilities. And I get a pass on the first of every month: that is when I check on my money situation. I hate dealing with money.

I have long before tried to figure out a way to never be home; in fact that is a long story for another time. I could never do it. I never had enough friends that wanted to hang out, and I was always trying to keep various nights open for possibly hanging out with whichever girl was currently avoiding me at the time. However, I just stumbled onto a formula that I think will work. That's actually the reason I'm writing this post. I don't know what I wrote as an introduction, but I see the scroll bar on this editor is pretty far down and I can tell you for certain that you just wasted a lot of your time. Here's the formula:

1. pick something, anything, you can do other than go home. Worst case scenario this will involve walking in a circle around your apartment, so you better think of something better.
2. think of something better. You don't have the option to stay home just because you don't feel like rock climbing; you can only switch activities.
3. Repeat #2 until its time to leave work.

I'm thinking this strategy will be easier if I keep like some rock climbing gear, and salsa shoes and whatnot in the trunk of my car. If none of my friends are free, I know of at least three things--no four, wait--five, that I can do alone. First, I can go to a bar and drink alone. Yeah, that sucks. So does my life. Second, go to Davenbusters/Gameworks/Julian's on a weeknight. Third--ok I need to put this in list form so I can read it later:
-ride sportbike for 2 hours (might as well add a fantasy one)
-go to a bar and drink alone
-go to a videogame bar and play games with probably-broken light guns
-salsa dancing, depending on the night. check for places near greenlake and bellevue
-rock climbing (bouldering)
-pick up volleyball
-swing dancing (bleh)
-reading books in coffee shops that dont close before 11pm

Stuff that I can do with people includes meeting Luke in Bellevue for food and/or movies, and occasionally hanging out with Gwen and Nick. Maybe someday I'll go to a sounders game. Whatever.

Obsviously there is still the scheduled stuff that required being at the same place every week, like salsa class and league volleybal. I hate those, but they do help meeting people, so they count for "not going home." And I do need to find a salsa class. That's how I met Krystal. Imagine if I could meet someone like Krystal a hundred or a thousand times. Statistically, one of those instances would have to work out. Oh, also swing dancing. Crap thats going up there on the list. I'm not so into swing anymore, but when I lived met two girls (that I didn't already know) at swing dancing venues, and only zero at salsa venues. Salsa is like facebook--its seems best for re-meeting people you already know.

I will continue with the other ideas, like posting on cragislist and asking if anyone wants to play Settlers. Who knows, maybe I'll make some friends that way.

Hmm...I also need to find a way to get comfortable with dancing to hip hop, because that could go on the list. Currently I require 5 drinks to have a good time when hip hop is involved, and that is dangerously close to the amount my stomach can handle if I drink them over a short period of time. We need to get that number down near 3 or 4.



Stage 2

Meet people that go to fun parties. I'm probably not extroverted enough to really enjoy parties where I don't know anyone, but if I want to not hate my life in this barren wasteland of mostly men then I'm going to have to get less shy real quick. I don't understand exactly why it is so much easier to meet people at parties, but it must have something to do with the fact that you are talking to friends of friends.

In theory, I will either find someone, or I will reach some critical mass of friends where I will be able to stay home occasionally and actually make progress on things like playing my guitar or some coding project to keep my skills sharp. Ah! Or a Lego webcomic!

After the boot loader

This is the part where I go do fun things, like overrated minigolf courses, brew pubs, going to concerts for bands no one has heard of, starting a metal band that does not involve screaming male vocals, visiting west coast cities that are more interesting than Seattle, powder skiing, flying myself to Las Vegas, going to rally races, taking Jessica onto the track, and going to those haunted railroad tracks I heard about, and more fun plays at Market Theatre, and something involving boats. These are the things I meant to write about, and they are probably what a fine East Coast Reader such as yourself are interested in. Check back in a year.