Gay dating

[TrueFaith77]

I remember being in a bar like two or three years ago. I saw some cute, young guy and decided to try to flirt. As I began some of my signature lines, he lashed out at me: GROW SOME HAIR! -- and he sauntered away. That was the first time anything like that had ever happened to me. It was such a blow to my self-esteem that I went into hiding for a year. It was all I could think about. And believe me, I explored options. I spoke with my hair stylist. I went to Bosley to get find out I could get that generic merkin for $10,000!!!! *not gonna happen. So I decided to start working out (mildly)--now my body oscillates between its usual skinny-minny and toned hotness . And a year ago, I decided to just get my head shaved once a week (clippers, 0). And that seems to be about as good as I can get. It emphasizes the fact that I'm bald up front, but it restored some of my confidence--and I remain with some of that confidence intact--and yet I continue to find new things I don't like about my body (before going bald, it was chest hair... but I got over that and I'll continue to get over everything else, I suppose). It's life. So that's my wisdom and it brings us up to date.

My point is. I share David's quandary. I, too, am getting older (32 years old now). I, too, find it difficult to make lasting connections. I spent too long getting over a broken heart. But I'm not trying to regret anything.

But now, how is it done? I know I can work on physical improvement and I know I can work on being more patient and understanding with people (I'm so self-centered). Those are things I CAN fix.

But what I don't know, which I think might be David's point, is how do I meet people? NYC is hard. The clubs are a good way to get laid, but not a good way to make lasting connections. Fleetwood Mac hasn't proven to be a way to meet people to date, for me. My activities generally tend to be rather solitary. Listening to music, writing, and, especially, going to movies which is a rather intimate experience for me. Club-going, again, serves other purposes. And I've never been much for social events, networking, and the such. I've thought about going to church. Everyone says: take a class. Although maybe that's the best advice for David and me: STEP OUTSIDE YOUR COMFORT ZONE!

Anyway, maybe suggestions/advice in that dept would be helpful. Either for me--or for others similarly mystified by dating and mingling and getting to know people.