Ok, so I was using all aspects to meet people, and I started to try to use my superb google skills to find things to do for young people in the area. I hadn't even moved to my current city yet, but had it all lined up, and I had the idea to look for a young professionals organization in the area. I actually found one after quite a lot of surfing, but it worked out well and they were having the first meeting of the year about a week after I moved in to my new place and two days after I started my job.
The first meeting was pretty good, the speaker had backed out- but there was good wine so I was happy. The meeting was held at this great Tapas restaurant with a nice size meeting room and a huge back patio with heaters. Ok, I know it is Florida- but the heaters were necessary. As it was the first meeting of the year it appeared that they had a great turnout. The dynamic of the meeting was interesting...I guess with the average age in town being around 70, the way you interpret "young" begins to change. I would say that a significant number of people at the meeting were in their forties. Also people knew right away that I wasn't from around here because I hadn't dated "your brother's sisters's cousin's hairdresser who was in your first grade class." Although Florida is the land of transplants, in this area it seems that the people were all transplanted from "up-north" before the age of ten and therefore all went to high school together. It's so bad here that you don't even have to ask "The St. Louis Question" because people already know where you went.....creepy...and they didn't even have to facebook stalk you.
So, I stuck out like a sore thumb, which was good in some ways because people felt obligated to try to include me, however, I use the word obligated, because the majority of the people there were very fake about it. They would take my phone number and say they'd call, or "we'll go out on the boat next weekend" but they never do....I understand that they don't need new friends and that I am the one who needs the new friends, but come on people...DON'T TEASE ME LIKE THAT! I did end up drinking a lot of wine and having stimulating conversation and I was out of my house so I wasn't complaining, just wished I could have gotten more out of it. As the new girl that people hadn't seen before I did leave with my tab being paid twice and neither time by me, so I can't complain at all :)
I guess I look back on the experience now worse than it was mostly because it didn't materialize into anything more. The clubs communication and reaching out to new members was not good at all. I only attended another meeting afterwards, (and ended up paying dues and joining- but I haven't been to another meeting since forking out the cash), and it was only because I had been bored that day at work and was looking on facebook and saw that the meeting was that night. At the first meeting I went to they talked about their next events like a monthly luncheon that they have- the problem for me with that is that I get 1 hour for lunch, but I work 30 minutes away from the county that they do the lunch meetings in...soooo yeah. Then the next meeting after the initial one I went to was when I had to go out of town for work, etc. etc. I think that I could make friends and make a better run at this life here, but I need communication to know when things are going on etc.
I guess, I'll leave this tactic as...."I guess it looks good on a resume."
Showing posts with label old people. Show all posts
Showing posts with label old people. Show all posts
Monday, June 6, 2011
Thursday, June 2, 2011
Tactic #1 - Through Others (2)
So I also knew my Aunt and Uncle....my Aunt is a super fit stud and my Uncle is a Firefighter, they have been married for about 2 or 3 years and previously had been dating for 10 years (maybe more). The are both known as partiers, she makes a killer Cosmo and he cocktails from the Keys- mostly Captain.
So these things are all great right? Fun? Fit? Firefighters? Cocktails? Yeah you would think. There are two problems to this equation. One is their age- she is 55ish and he is 46ish (they are aunts and uncles- who really knows their exact ages). They have fun, but as far as meeting people through them- the majority of their friends are in the same age range. People in that age range can be cool, but they have things like 2 ex husbands, fake boobs because they forgot where theirs used to be, Botox, mortgages, kids, and one really bad thing is KIDS YOUR AGE. You think that that last one might be a good thing, but its not. Have you ever seen the kids of your parents friends....you guys never became friends for a reason. Ok, maybe I might get set up on a date out of it, but a friend date- when I'm looking for friends?? SUPER AWKWARD. My aunt an uncle also hang out with a lot of younger people or people who waited late in life to have kids, so their kids are high school and freshman in college age- so that knocks a lot of them out from trying to "hook me up" with their kids.
The second problem is my Uncle is not a family man. He does his own thing and treats my Aunt great, but he isn't the most social with the family- me included. He feels that families should keep separate...whatever- What this means for me: No boating trips/fishing trips :( and the main downfall NO HOT FIREFIGHTERS for me :( He says that the guys at his work are all older and have families and stuff, but I'm thinking he is just not looking on the right shift for me. He does work for a small city and station.....but come on I know prince charming is waiting to rescue me from a burning building on his big ladder right??? Another complication of my Uncle being a firefighter is that he works their crazy schedule- 24 hours on 48 hours off. So my Aunt and Uncle have to plan their time together accordingly and my M-F 8-5 doesn't really mesh well with their schedules.
I did try meeting some people through my Aunt at the gym that she works at. The age issue comes into play there also, as where she works most people are significantly older- 35-60 range (35 might be pushing the lower limit). But let's be honest people don't go to the gym to make friends, we wear iPods and zone out and the last thing we want to do is meet someone new, I mean we ARE looking our best -frizzed out hair and sweaty crotches-why wouldn't this be the ideal meeting ground?
I did take a lot of exercise classes at the gym, and people are more friendly and receptive to chatting before and after classes and sometimes in class if it is that type of class, but its fake and it goes away. It would be really nice to meet a friend at the gym though because then I would know that they were interested in being fit and all the other fun walks, jogs etc I would like to do outside of the gym. I know you will get sick of hearing it, but the AGE factors in again in these classes. Aerobics and fitness classes became popular in the '80s so the majority of the participants are people who were in their 20s and 30s in the '80s aka people my parents ages :(.
My Aunt also works at an all female gym- so its not like I was gonna find any romance there. What would the equivalent of a "Bromance" for women be....a "Womance?" Let's just be honest, women are hard to meet. I think I would have more luck if I was looking for a little lesbo carpet munching action than I am just looking for a friend. People at this gym don't worry, I've gone south.....and not like that....I won't be trying to meet you today.
So these things are all great right? Fun? Fit? Firefighters? Cocktails? Yeah you would think. There are two problems to this equation. One is their age- she is 55ish and he is 46ish (they are aunts and uncles- who really knows their exact ages). They have fun, but as far as meeting people through them- the majority of their friends are in the same age range. People in that age range can be cool, but they have things like 2 ex husbands, fake boobs because they forgot where theirs used to be, Botox, mortgages, kids, and one really bad thing is KIDS YOUR AGE. You think that that last one might be a good thing, but its not. Have you ever seen the kids of your parents friends....you guys never became friends for a reason. Ok, maybe I might get set up on a date out of it, but a friend date- when I'm looking for friends?? SUPER AWKWARD. My aunt an uncle also hang out with a lot of younger people or people who waited late in life to have kids, so their kids are high school and freshman in college age- so that knocks a lot of them out from trying to "hook me up" with their kids.
The second problem is my Uncle is not a family man. He does his own thing and treats my Aunt great, but he isn't the most social with the family- me included. He feels that families should keep separate...whatever- What this means for me: No boating trips/fishing trips :( and the main downfall NO HOT FIREFIGHTERS for me :( He says that the guys at his work are all older and have families and stuff, but I'm thinking he is just not looking on the right shift for me. He does work for a small city and station.....but come on I know prince charming is waiting to rescue me from a burning building on his big ladder right??? Another complication of my Uncle being a firefighter is that he works their crazy schedule- 24 hours on 48 hours off. So my Aunt and Uncle have to plan their time together accordingly and my M-F 8-5 doesn't really mesh well with their schedules.
I did try meeting some people through my Aunt at the gym that she works at. The age issue comes into play there also, as where she works most people are significantly older- 35-60 range (35 might be pushing the lower limit). But let's be honest people don't go to the gym to make friends, we wear iPods and zone out and the last thing we want to do is meet someone new, I mean we ARE looking our best -frizzed out hair and sweaty crotches-why wouldn't this be the ideal meeting ground?
I did take a lot of exercise classes at the gym, and people are more friendly and receptive to chatting before and after classes and sometimes in class if it is that type of class, but its fake and it goes away. It would be really nice to meet a friend at the gym though because then I would know that they were interested in being fit and all the other fun walks, jogs etc I would like to do outside of the gym. I know you will get sick of hearing it, but the AGE factors in again in these classes. Aerobics and fitness classes became popular in the '80s so the majority of the participants are people who were in their 20s and 30s in the '80s aka people my parents ages :(.
My Aunt also works at an all female gym- so its not like I was gonna find any romance there. What would the equivalent of a "Bromance" for women be....a "Womance?" Let's just be honest, women are hard to meet. I think I would have more luck if I was looking for a little lesbo carpet munching action than I am just looking for a friend. People at this gym don't worry, I've gone south.....and not like that....I won't be trying to meet you today.
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