Conference Hookups

I go to a good amount of conferences. I almost never hook up at one. If there was an ERA for this like there is for pitchers in baseball, I would be kicked off the team.

Not sure if this is a badge of honor, or a prime example of how I'm just not pretty.

I've been to ones in Vegas, Orlando, New York, Denver, Portland....it really doesn't matter the place.

Conferences are breeding grounds for meaningless hookups, one night stands and instant connections. Maybe I put out a vibe that says, 'I know you're married with a daughter my age and it's because of people you that I don't want to get married?'

I don't know.

Don't get me wrong, I have a good time at these things usually, but it's never like the stories I hear from others.

Actually, I guess I lied. There was one time, where it was pretty close to those other stories you hear.
From the moment I saw Luke during a VIP foodie event in Vegas I thought he was hot. Wayyy out of my league. He kept looking at me, too, but made no attempt to talk with me. Toward the end of the night I heard him say something about a girlfriend.

Oh well. That was that.

The next day, after finishing an educational session, I stopped at this live cooking event and sat next to my friend. Luke was hosting. I looked up at the stage and he was staring at me while he was talking. And, he kept looking at me.

I smiled and kinda laughed to myself, because of course he likely wasn't looking at me, I'm sure it was my friend or the person behind me that caught his attention.

That night we went to another invite-only party and I knew there would be a good chance he would be there. I had such a great day catching up with my friend, drinking champagne and shopping for new shoes that my confidence level was through the roof.

We were the first to arrive at the bar because there was a delay at the place everyone else had gone earlier, but we skipped.

Luke walks into the lounge, plops himself right next to me completely interrupting my previous conversation and begins engaging me in a conversation -- telling me how's wanted to get a chance to talk with me.
That led to him getting very cozy on the bar's couch with me, his arm gently placed around my waist and shoulders, photos taken together and at one point showing me a photo of his room number.

(That was how when he got drunk, he remembered where he was staying-actually very clever move I now use even when I'm not drinking because I usually can't remember ...even before I've taken a sip of alcohol)

Luke was a producer/manager/musician/humanitarian wanna-be who loved his family, especially his grandmother who has recently passed away. I heard all about her during our conversation. It was actually kind of sweet.

It was time for us to go to another party. He gave me his card and his number. I gave him mine.

About an hour later my friend, who couldn't stop telling me how 'into you' he is, talked me into texting him.
That led to hours of flirting over our Blackberries and eventually put him inches away from my room. All I had to do was give him the actual room number. He already knew the floor.

I chickened out & never gave him it.

But this scenario leads to several questions.

- Did I just 'look easy' so he figured it would be an easy hookup?
- Did my soaring confidence level play a part in coming across attractive to him? Because trust me there were plenty of hot girls looking for his attention.
- He was surprisingly smart. Were the things I was talking about impress him/peek his interest?

I'm writing this now, because I'm going to a conference later this week. Granted, the majority of the people will be women, but there will be male PR reps, vendors and others there.

Oh, and remember that girlfriend I overheard him talking about to a mom-type who was hitting on him after a few drinks that first night? Apparently, they were together for 7 years and things weren't going well anymore. She moved out a few months after that conference.

(For those wondering, we still follow each other on Twitter, and run in some of the same social networking circles)

Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

No, Nope, Nada

I wen to go get my hair highlighted and cut today. The woman who owns the place is a feisty, amazingly funny person, who I've come to know pretty well.

Today, however, I felt like a looser.

Her: 'So, any guys in your life?'
Me: 'No.'
Her: 'No? Not at all.'
Me: 'Nope, I'm always working'
Her: 'Well, you go out for drinks after work and stuff, right?'
Me: 'No, not really. I leave work and go home because I have more work to do.'
Her: 'Hmmm.'

A little while later.

Her: 'Been to any concerts?'
Me: 'Nope. I never have time, or the money these days.'

Later on.

Her: 'What are you doing the rest of the day?'
Me: 'Maybe kayak. I don't know. Nothing really planned.'

It's 643pm on a Saturday night and I'm going to WalMart with my Dad to pick up stuff for dinner.

Not really sure when I went from spending more time out in bars and concerts to my phone not making a peep on a Saturday night... Or any night for that matter.
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

'You're Not Sad, You're Depressed'

I guess if I'm going to truly write this, I need to add in one small detail. OK, maybe big detail - I am depressed.

Not depressed because no body hits on my when I go out or because I'm having a bad day. I am 'clinically depressed' -- whatever that means.

I've gone through counselor after doctor after psychologist who always put my 'depression' off to other thing: a bad job, a bad breakup, anxiety... You get the picture. This was until last year, when I once again tried another new doctor's office.

While I ended up hating the office and the doctors there (maybe it's part of the depression) after the second visit and numerous questions about my life, 'death wishes,' job issues, not being able to get out of bed, personal feelings about thing, she told me I was clinically depressed.

Great.

So what does that mean?

It meant for the first time in my life trying an antidepressant. I already take a pill as needed for anxiety that my general doctor gave me. I've always been totally against this option, even though it has been brought up many times before.

I was on it (I can't even remember the name) for about 3 months, felt great, blew up like a balloon, then felt even more miserable and then decided to take myself off it. Needless to say, I didn't go back to that doctor.


Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

'You Know Who You Have to Meet...'

The other day I was at lunch with several new co-workers and they were asking if anyone had a 'significant other.' Surprisingly, only one of us did, and she's been married for a number of years.

Five minutes later one of the girls at the table had the other three people with us already hooked up with friends who she wanted set them up with on a date.
Other than the married girl, I was the only one she didn't mention fixing up.

I've really only been fixed up one in my life. It was the summer after high school and before college. It actually last two years before we broke up.

I guess I'm not blind date material. I always thing if some guy saw me as his blind date, he'd either be disappointed or just not walk in.

How do you arrange a blind date? What qualities do you look for in both people?
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry