Sunday, January 3, 2010

Sucking face with frogs

I hear it's a numbers game. I even know some people that swear it is. And I have to admit, that caveats aside, they might have a point. What's that expression something about having to kiss a lot of frogs? (For the records, I have an aversion to amphibians and reptiles and don’t recommend anyone actually suck face with a frog, but hey – your lips, your call.)

But it makes sense. Logically, the more you date, the broader the pool and somewhere along the way, you might meet “him”! Either that or you decide to make good on that persistent threat to join a convent but either way there's action involved isn't there.

I think the challenge becomes the meeting of potential candidates. Certainly one or two bad dates are enough for me to rationalize getting cozy with my sofa on a Saturday night in a natural state of Fugly. Let's be honest - dating takes effort! If my own sense of self preservation permits me to open a packet of tuna (cans were too much trouble), fish it out with mismatched chopsticks and call it dinner, how am I supposed to motivated to pluck, paint, powder, and polish (we won’t even get into waxing) only to find myself sitting across from a penis attached to an yet to be identified species masquerading as a male human?

But the reality is that as much as I enjoy being single, nights like tonight when it’s something like 17 degrees outside, that I wouldn’t mind someone to curl up with on the sofa. And while I’m not the girl to look a man in the eye while swooning and claiming “you complete me” I would be remiss if I didn’t admit it would be nice to have someone around who can reach higher shelves than I can. Someone I could elbow in the ribs on a Sunday morning to go get dim sum in Chinatown and then help me carry the inevitable groceries that seem to follow us home because we decided to walk it off.

Anyhow here’s my idea. I want to see if I can get a bunch of my single girlfriends to try something. Unite in solidarity, and date. That’s right – welcome to the new knitting circle/ book club/fight club, we’re in it to win it! Date. On.

My goal here is to get somewhere around 100 women to go on something like 100 dates in 2010. I’m going to ask my single friends and their single friends to join the gang – there are already takers in NY, Philly and SF! We’ll share stories, invite feedback (good and bad) and provide support to each other as we slog thru the year. I promise to be candid and sincere (if snarky) and include my own adventures, and will gladly omit names and identifying details when asked. I’ll also take video and image submissions (keep it clean folks, if I wanted penis, I’d peruse Craigslist) where we have permission to share.

Why 100? Why not? The number is arbitrary – 100 just gives us something to aim for. 100 dates is also an arbitrary goal – cause lets me honest, that’s a lot of dates. I know myself well enough to know there is NO way I’m going to be going on 2 dates every single week - hell I could show up naked, with a six pack at a Raiders game and still not manage to drum up that kind of interest, but 100 is high enough to motivate, and reasonable enough that some people might actually make it.

In the next couple of posts, I’ll come up with some guidelines and suggestions. The first of which is, while anyone is welcome to follow along, comment and read, only friends and friends of friends will be invited to contribute stories. The rules are going to be more like general guidelines, intended to ensure some measure of filter on the B.S. For example Friends and Friends of friends ensures we can verify stories and hopefully helps us ensure the stories we tell are in fact ours to tell.

So leave me a comment, and click the follow button over there on the right. Share the link to this blog with your friends if you think they’d be interested in joining us. Once I start getting stories I’ll start posting them, until then I’ll just prattle on! I welcome your input and feedback!

If you want to ask me anything send me an email; whatchisaid@gmail.com.

XO

C