Pa-pa-pa-pa-pa-pa-gena!

So... a friend of mine and I went out to see an opera... it was SO much fun. In the first place, I LOVE opera. In the second place, he's an awesome guy, and in the third place, I think he liked it. (Yay! Another convert!)

Oh, wow. So the TV is on in front of me, and my roommates and I are watching this special on lions, and we all just got to witness graphic lion sex. Apparently they bite one another's necks while mating. So do humans. Let the Hallelujah Chorus raise its glorious strains as we all have a transcendant moment experiencing the oneness-of-all-life.

Yeah, anyway. So we had an awesome time... I'm so grateful for friends. Especially guy friends... you just get this relaxed vibe from being around them. And he's awesome. Not pursuing the romance thing 'cause if I do it'll make me the rebound girl bigtime, but it's really nice to have someone I can hang out with who's pretty much on the same wavelength.

All other romance is on hold for now... I'm laid up with sinus headaches and a cough. Let's hear it for spring, huh? However, once I get back on... any ideas for missions or goals?

OH! Almost forgot to give a field report on my foray into the world of online dating. I found a local dating site --- specific to my school --- and found a guy on there whose profile I really meshed with. We shared the love of foreign films, one in particular. So, we got to chatting, set a date, and got together to do dinner and an Italian film. It was tons of fun, we really meshed... but the chemistry just wasn't there. I decided to try it again and invited him to a concert. Again, we had an amazing time, tons of fun, there was lots of laughing, and it was very comfortable... but still no chemistry. It was like hanging out with a brother or a friend from when I was a kid... I'm just not attracted to him.

He seemed to be really interested in me, and suggested that we get together for another movie. I agreed, but I think my message was kind of brisk --- not really brisk, just a little bit --- and I haven't heard tons from him since. We send each other stuff from apps on Facebook and run into each other on campus and stuff, and it's friendly, but I don't think he's interested.

So, moral of the story: maintain enthusiasm on high if you want to maintain a relationship. If you want to cool it down, cool down the enthusiasm.

Any tips on how to stay friends while expressing that you're not interested romantically? It'd be a shame to lose friends just 'cause the chemistry's not there. Or can that even be done when one side is interested and the other isn't?

Long time no post...

Wow, it's been a while, huh?

Just a quick progress update: I've gotten MUCH better at striking up conversations with people, have developed comfortable acquaintances with lots of people, guys and girls, and am beginning to not exactly mak the first move, but let guys know that it's okay to make the first move. It's worked --- four guys have asked me out within the past month. For me, this is MAJOR progress.

And I'm totally flirting. It's just teasing... that's all there is to it... teasing with the occasional I-like-you comment thrown in.

And it's FUN.

Red lipstick

WOW, are there a lot of cute guys at this school.

So, my roommates and I have been bemoaning our lack of boyfriends --- along with being gorgeous, the guys here are very much outnumbered --- and I've been working on my flirting and conversational skills whenever I get a chance. Making eye contact, all that.

A couple of mini-reports:

1) I went to this assembly thing, and my roommate and I came in a little bit late. There were two seats next to these guys, so I asked if they were open and the guy on the end said they were. So we sat down... and he started to preen. And preen. And adjust his socks. And his hair. And cross his leg over his knee so it was pointing my way. And he'd glance at me. And he sort of lacked social graces --- was texting all throught the meeting and was wearing sweat socks with moccasins (I try to be an accepting person, but some things are just wrong) --- but it was still totally empowering to be able to affect him that much.

2) A guy who lives nearby who knows my roommates went out of his way to talk to me today. He saw me come in the building, and then twenty minutes later he was at my elbow, making small talk. I don't think I made him fall in love, but I did make him laugh.

3) Went to an arts council meeting, and there was a cute guy there. I glanced his way a couple of times, did the on-again off-again eye contact thing, offered a couple small smiles, and eventually he was looking at me every time I glanced that way and was doing everything he could to get attention. I think this is just his personality, but still... gives me hope!

And, today I discovered the great secret of catching male attention:

RED LIPSTICK.

That's all it takes. Red lipstick and every eye turns your direction.

Anyway... yup, life's good.

Recap. Kinda.

So, New Year's was pretty un-groundbreaking on the flirting front, simply because I spent most of the time with family. That was okay... I hadn't seen many of them in ages and it was nice to get back in touch. I had someone try a pickup line on me on New Year's Eve when we went downtown to the concerts and shows and things, but we were quickly seperated by the crowd. (Next time...)

HOWEVER... I've started school. And wow, talk about Mecca. Had orientation and have been flirting nonstop with guys in all shapes and sizes... ended up getting quite up close and personal with a very cute guy from South America... and prospects are pretty cheery on the whole. I'll report more when there's more to report. Until then, just keeping very, very busy!

New Year's Objectives...

All right... I'm headed out of town for New Year's. I will be going to --- yay! --- a city. That means people. That means men. That means ample flirting opportunity.

Since I'm not even good at basic flirting, let alone PUA or seduction, these be my goals:

1) Flirt with everything that moves. Male, female, animal, whatever.

2) Ooze charm. I'm going to try the "Mama Gena's School of Womanly Arts" method here, that being to simply think yummy thoughts about the person I'm looking at/talking to. We'll see how it works...

3) Use flirting to make my life easier on at least one occasion, assuming an occasion presents itself.

4) Make eye contact! Make them look away first.

Any other suggestions are welcome... until I get back, by all means comment on the previous post --- I'm curious to hear what people have to say --- and I'll give a report as soon as I get home.

Happy New Year!!

Judging the book by its cover?

How much do looks matter?

They definitely help get a foot in the door with some guys... but beyond that? Male PUAs refer to women using a numerical system (brunette 9.5, blonde 10), which is based pretty much on appearance as far as I can tell. So it's obviously important... but is a friendly smile going to go further than a sexy dress?

To take it further, what kinds of clothes attract what kinds of guys? Does the aforementioned friendly smile work on the same guy whether you're in a slinky red dress, or a t-shirt and jeans, or a suit? What about a sporty look versus something goth? Can you get the same guys with different looks, or are certain men going to go only for a certain style? And is it better to just "be yourself" or to explore and try out different looks, even if they're not totally natural?

Hm. Things to ponder...

Mission Ideas?

So... I want to come up with actual missions. Fox suggested on Womenslair that we do things like approach a certain number of guys, and then work on getting a hug close or number close... It's a great idea, and I want to come up with more.

Any ideas for non-intimidating missions? I'd rather start at the shallow end of the pool and work my way in.

For reference: I live in a fairly rural area where everyone knows everyone else and anything I do could potentially start a rumor; major people-filled spots consist of the mall, the mall, and, uh, the mall; and I'm going to be at a large university with a fairly religious/conservative student population in a couple of weeks. So, with that in mind... Any suggestions?