cliff jumping

This one's mostly for the singles out there

A few months ago I had a very frustrating night, where I saw an incredible show at an incredible venue, but failed to really enjoy it because I was constantly chastising myself for not currently hitting on a certain girl. I fall in love at first sight about half the time I’m somewhere public, and whenever this happens I spend the event hating myself for not at least attempting a conversation with her.

Option 1 is go talk to her, perhaps slightly planned
Option 2 is put it out of mind and enjoy the show
Option 3 is to think about talking to her, find excuses not to talk to her, then get pissed when you realized you miss the chance. Repeat.

That night was all option 3. It ruined a great night. I vowed the end of option 3.

Saturday I went to a show at the same venue (Cervantes). Lyrics Born and Saul Williams. Great music, great messages, great scene. So before I had even found my spot to watch the music unfold, I see this gorgeous brunette. Completely my type. We end up standing near her, probably not by coincidence, and Lyrics Born takes the stage. Live band, several of my favorite songs, even some inspiring messages. It was option2 with scattered bits of option3. The set ends and there’s a wait until the next musician takes the stage. I tell myself this is the time to talk to her. I wait until she’s not in a conversation with her friends. That happens, I wait longer. Finally her friends go somewhere and she’s standing alone. I somehow wait longer, and she walks away just as I’m telling myself I have to go do it NOW. Fuck. Good ol’ option3. She comes back quickly, and I move in.

Not that I ever really deliver it, but my pick-up line for a few years has been basically radical honesty. So I go up to her, introduce myself, tell her she’s beautiful and that I had to come over and talk to her. I don’t usually approach random girls and offer to buy them drinks, but something about you... I’d like to get to know you, maybe dinner sometime. She agrees. We talk a little about the night’s line-up. Where you from, what’s your major, all the usual bullshit, and the next musician starts. After it ends I talk to her a little more and get her phone number with plans for mid-week coffee. It was my second ever successful cold-call. My first since Amsterdam 2 years ago, after I was enlightened by an extremely potent variety of mushrooms called “philosopher’s stones.”

Anyway, a pretty boring story unless you’re familiar with my decade-long battle of meeting women. It was a big victory for me, and I’m proud. During the second set, after I talked to her, I was comparing it in my head to a skiing cliff-jump. It had the same feeling progression, from the mildly nervous excitement from deciding you’re going to do it, the doubting you should while standing there, up til the point when you actually do it and its an incredibly intense and alive feeling. We love this feeling. We hurl ourselves off dangerous cliffs to get it. Approaching the hotty that might be out of your league has the same feeling, less risk, and higher potential gain.