Chronicles of the Single Man, Episode 6: The Payback

You thought I said “We’re going to the bathroom?” No, I said, “We’re leaving, thank you for your time.”

A little while ago, I found myself at a bar in Hoboken (where I live) with two of my friends. This isn’t unusual.

We were drinking fairly heavily, it was a weekday and one of those two friends, en route to the bathroom, was chatting with someone (a girl, in this instance) he seemed to recognize from somewhere. This, also, isn’t unusual.

As I sat at our table with my other friend, we laughed how our buddy always seemed to know someone (male, or female) everywhere and was remarkable at striking up conversation with people in public. Time carrying on as it normally does, I realized that for some reason, this girl my friend was talking to actually looked familiar to me as well.

I should note, this girl was pretty, but in a very unremarkable sort of way. The sort of way that caught your attention, but not that made you lose track of the conversation you were in, if you catch my drift.

I asked the friend sitting with me if he recognized her, if there was anything about her that caught his eye. He said no, but I knew I knew her. With nothing other than my conviction, I told my friend (and the other one once he returned to the table) that I planned on getting her attention once she passed us on her way out.

Sure enough, that moment came shortly.

“Hey!” I shouted in her direction.

She stopped, but mainly because there were a total of (maybe) six other people in the bar.

“Hey,” I repeated. “Did you go to Villanova?”

Confused, she admitted that she had.

“Do you have a somewhat attractive, blonde-haired friend that lives in Jersey City?”

The confusion still sat heavily on her face, but it had begun to lift. She admitted in the affirmative, once more.

“Do you remember who I am?” I asked, with what I’m sure was a shit-eating grin plastered on my face. Before she could answer, I continued, “You walked out on me and my friend at a bar, at Pourhouse, about a month ago. Remember? You two said you were going to the bathroom, but you never came back. I was one of those guys.”

She laughed, unsure of what to do next. Or, better yet, unsure of what was going to do next. But, I knew for certain she recognized me now.

“It’s OK,” I laughed, truly at ease. “I’d have left me too. I’m not going to bust your chops about it, I just knew I recognized you and wanted to make sure this was how.”

Again, more giggling and confused conversation. She stumbled around for a few minutes, saying how it was really all her friend’s plan and how sensitive she is and how she wouldn’t have left us like that if it wasn’t for her friend and how she was actually having a great time that night.

“No, you weren’t,” I said. “But that’s OK.”

She continued to try to convince me that any and of all that bullshit she had spewed was true. For the record, I honestly couldn’t have cared if it was (or wasn’t) true. I just wanted her to know that I recognized her. And have her deal with that awkwardness.

Not that it’s eye for an eye, but I doubt I’d ever walk out on two (admittedly, semi-hot) girls at a bar, so this was the best I’d get.

Score one for us.

Chronicles of the Single Man, Episode 5: Where The Players Dwell

You don’t want to meet all of my guy friends on our third date?

This story is about… let’s see… three years old at this point. I was single then and I’m single now. Frankly, as I thought it over to write this post, I realized it’s probably a good illustrator of why that’s the case.

I’ve never claimed to be an expert on women or male/female interaction, but I have, in fact, sustained healthy relationships with women (and even had sex with a few of them), so I can’t be getting lucky each time.

That said, how would you interpret the following situation?

I’m at the bar with a friend, waiting for a girl I had gone out on a few dates with (more on those in a moment) to arrive. She does and in short order this friend of mine pretends to come down with malaria and lets us be*. After having a drink or two at that bar, she asks** me if I want to go to another bar because a bunch of her friends are there.

Would you assume that these friends were a bunch of A) similarly-aged girls, B) a mix of guys and girls or C) a group of only men, at least 6 of them, all dressed like rejects from Boiler Room?

I’d have put the house on A or B. If you’re reading at above a 6th grade level, you can probably guess that it was, regrettably, C.

Continue reading Chronicles of the Single Man, Episode 5: Where The Players Dwell

Chronicles of the Single Man, Episode 4: Going Too Fast

So, we’re back with another episode. I wasn’t quite sure how to tell this story because it first happened live, then I told some of my friends about it, then several months (about 8 of them, to be more specific) went by, then I got in contact with her again, and finally she and I discussed it.

Just because we had a great time it does not mean I want to see you again.

I think the more interesting way to share this story is simply to relay facts of what occurred (with any comments placed parenthetically). Then we can move forward.

Actually, before we get going… a few things. This is the first “sort-of” reader inspired Chronicle. This gal, in recent correspondence, actually e-mailed to ask if she had ever made an appearance in any of the previous episodes. I admitted that she hadn’t but that I had her name scribbled somewhere in my room for a future episode. I explained that the way (SPOILER ALERT) it ended was humorous and I felt the need to detail it in this space. What was particularly interesting is that (as she felt when this first happened) she was seemingly confused as to what could’ve been the issue.

OK, here we go, for real.

Facts:

  1. Date two, dinner uptown.
  2. Drinks. We discuss where we’re going to go, I mention I had a party to go to downtown, but we ultimately land on going to a place nearer the restaurant.
  3. A few drinks at that bar.
  4. I walk her home.
  5. En route while walking home, she mentions she’s going to go home and go somewhere else once we separate and that some place else was downtown somewhere. (OK, commentary here… I’m surprised I lasted this long… This part was, frankly, beyond belief that she’d A) say that so plainly to me and B) not mention it earlier when I had actually told her I had something downtown I could’ve gone to.)
  6. Admittedly, I gave her some shit about that.
  7. I use her bathroom (More commentary… very nice apartment, as a side bar.)
  8. She ultimately relents and is the one who sort of convinces me to go to my friends party because I didn’t really want to go. That’s true. I had to work in the morning. (It was a lot of, “No, I mean… if you want to go, I dont want you to think you have to go”-type conversation at that point.)
  9. We go to my friends party, about 5 or 6 people there. Continue reading Chronicles of the Single Man, Episode 4: Going Too Fast

Chronicles of the Single Man: Episode 3, The Confused Female

You didn’t want to just buy me a round of drinks for no reason? You don’t buy drinks for all your other friends?

For the life of me, I just don’t understand certain things women do.

I can’t figure out how you put so much time into what you wear, how you purposely wear shit you know not many people will notice and yet is still incredibly uncomfortable, what you do on weekends when I’m playing sports, or how you don’t feel slovenly walking around all day in YPs (that’s yoga pants, or as I like to call them, Why Pants?).

But above all, one of the things that confuses me most about women is how little understanding they seem to have of the male intent. Let’s try to make this as simple as we can: if a man you don’t know is talking to you for any serious length of time (outside of work or forced interaction, i.e. the DMV), there’s a high likelihood he’s interested in (having sex with) you. And if that guy asks you out for drinks after not having spoken since high school? Well, then we have Episode 3.

Continue reading Chronicles of the Single Man: Episode 3, The Confused Female

Chronicles of the Single Man: Episode 2, The Jewish Singles Event

This story is from a while back, maybe two or three years ago at this point. But, seeing as how I was single then and single now, Jewish with an Italian last name then and now, and attracted to women then and now, I’m pretty sure it still applies.

For me, the hardest part about picking up a girl has always been the approach and the close. The middle, I’m great at. I can keep a conversation going (even if it’s to entertain myself) for a while. But the conversation starter and the number-ask portion of the night I struggle with. I’m not sure why, but the following is an example of this.

It was early December, maybe even late November. I remember that because a former professor of mine (who also happens to be Jewish) had asked me to go to a singles event hosted by a temple he belonged to in New York City.

Not so keen on the idea of attending a Jewish singles event with a professor I used to have (Granted, he and I are/were friends so it wasn’t anything specific about him or the event even, just a general feeling I had), I told him that he should let me know when the next one was, figuring that since they were usually on or around Jewish holidays and I couldn’t think of any that were going on, I was pretty much in the clear.

Proof I’m not a very good Jew: Hanukah was actually in a week. How I forgot about the only actually fun holiday on the Jewish calendar is beyond my comprehension. As you’d imagine, I couldn’t say no and in a week’s time I found myself ducking into the downstairs, reserved section of a bar on the Upper West side.

Continue reading Chronicles of the Single Man: Episode 2, The Jewish Singles Event

Chronicles of the Single Man: Episode I, Narcolepsy

I am, as Jerry Seinfeld once said, a single guy. There are no other men attached to me.

As such, I often find myself leaving the comforts of my home when it is dark out to meet strangers in even stranger places and buy both of us drinks and food in the hopes of establishing a connection and/or having sex with them eventually.

Yes, I date. My father has often said that I’m the king of first dates, to which I’ve replied… well, there isn’t much to say to argue that. I have been on a number of first dates, but who hasn’t? The real truth is, the stories about good first dates where chemistry is there or a fun time is had just aren’t as fun to tell.

Hey guys, guess what? I went out with a lovely young lady last night to a wonderful bar. We enjoyed a few beers, had some laughs, then went on our separate ways promising we’ll see one another next week!

I haven’t even started the story I’m about to tell here, but trust me, there’s no way the one above beats this (or any like it). Ever.

Success isn’t that funny. Ask Dane Cook about it.

Continue reading Chronicles of the Single Man: Episode I, Narcolepsy