So I ended up going out tonight, which I think is a triumph in and of itself. And I went to a bar, a socializing venue! And I socialized. Not at the bar, though. But I checked everything off my goals list tonight: Going out and Socializing.
I started by going to the video store around the corner. Maybe I'll meet someone looking at a movie I like. I could comment on it, we could talk, and I'd build from there. Sadly, no. Nobody in the store except for a pair talking to one another in a serious tone that indicated something bad had happened to one of them. Not a great time for hitting-upon.
I headed out, crossed the street, and made my way to Casbah Rouge, a hookah bar. Too smokey. I decided to go to The Heights. I entered, sat down, ordered a beer, and surveyed the area. A lot of couples at tables. A lot of guys. No girls by themselves. Nuts. I decided to wait it out. Worked through my beer surprisingly fast. Nothing. I went up to the roof. Here it was more crowded, but it looked like everyone was in one big party, and they were all middle-aged. No dice. So I left and went back to Casbah Rouge. Went inside this time. A quite survey revealed nothing too interesting, but for a trio of girls at a table. I didn't like the idea of three-on-one odds, so I decided to leave.
Well, I had been to some bars, done some drinking. Maybe it's time to call it an evening. I decided I'd grab some noodles, rent Red Dwarf Series One, which I can't stop thinking about since I mentioned it in my last post, and call it an evening. I went to Ollie's. There was a youngish girl in line in front of me. Ordered pork dumplings, among other things. I placed my order and sat at the counter to wait. She sat next to me. I decided that this was my opportunity to socialize.
"So, you a student around here?"
"Sort of."
"Oh?"
"Yeah, I'm in this program, Columbia/Barnard thing."
"Oh, interesting."
"Yeah, it's a summer school program."
"Oh. So where do you go to school, then?"
"Well, I'm from Chicago. I'm in High School, but next year I'll be a senior."
"Ah. I see."
The conversation continued until I got my food. We discussed, among other things, her courses (she took classes in Architecture and Art History), college applications (she envied the UC schools' joint application), and being in New York (she liked it). They called number four, I grabbed my curried noodles, and left. Picked up Red Dwarf on the way home, and now I'm here, blogging about my evening.
It could have been better. It didn't exceed my wildest expectations. But I did go out, I got a feel for going to bars, I got a tad more comfortable with that environment. And I talked to a total stranger and had a nice, if brief, conversation about the sort of pleasantries that you talk about when making chit-chat. All in all, I feel good about it. At least now I've gotten my foot out the door.
