Dear Diary, I want to tell you about the last day I dated men.
October, 2019
I had only been in New York for 3 months. And I was on a date that was the end of a string of several dates with men that were all incredibly underwhelming. This particular one was exceptionally bad: he was boring. An hour and a half in, I found an excuse to get out of it and left. But I looked cute, it was only 8pm on a Thursday, which is still so early in New York City, and I was not ready to end my night. Plus, I was disheartened with the NYC dating scene, and I needed a drink.
None of my friends were around, so I went to this bar around the corner from my apartment in Bushwick. It was perfectly divey enough, and they were playing Dodgeball on the tiny TV. I ordered an Old Fashioned and I sat. Just watching Vince Vaughn, and laughing to myself, not really paying attention to anyone around me. Then the bartender comes over, asks if I wanted another one, and that someone on the other side of the bar wanted to buy it for me.
...excuse me?
This has never happened to me before. I asked him if he could tell me who it was, and he said he couldn’t - apparently you’re not supposed to ask! I’m new to this admirer stuff. I looked at the other end of the bar and no one was looking at me. The only person I could see that was alone was an older, rough looking man who seemed like he had already been there for far too long. I took a chance, prayed it wasn’t that man, and said, “Sure.”
I’m sipping on my new drink, Vince Vaughn and co. are all donning the kinky leather suits near the end of the movie, again I’m chuckling to myself, when I feel someone approach me to my right. “Hi,” he says. I turn. He’s tall, pretty skinny, and has shoulder length unkempt hair, and a beard. Not my usual type, but I don’t hate it. “Hi,” I say back. Original. I don’t know what to do. I lift my glass a little. “Thanks for the drink?” He laughs and says, “yeah, that was me. You’re welcome.”
I forget his name now. We chat a little. It’s nice, and I love getting to know people. He buys me another drink, and asks if I want to play pool with him - he put his name in before even seeing me earlier. I agree, but warn him that I hadn’t played in a long time so I’m not sure how much help I’ll be. Surprisingly I’m not horrible, and he’s impressed, but we still lose, because the couple we played against are regulars. The game’s over and we go back to the bar, talk a lot more. I offer to buy him a drink too. It starts to get busier and people are dancing, and we’re just people watching. He doesn’t seem like a dancing kind of person.
There are two older women next to me, who look out of place in this Bushwick dive. I absolutely love it. One of them accidentally spills her entire beer next to me, and I help them. We ended up talking for a while. The drink spiller divorced her husband a couple years before, and her friend was trying to convince her to hook up with this younger friend of theirs who seemed very interested. I’m now invested and also encouraged her to do it. My Admirer is still behind me, watching the dancing crowd.
After a few minutes I turn back around and we pick up conversation again. We talk about New York, and how it’s painful to live here, but this is the only. place. to. be.
Then he tells me something that will stick with me forever:
“You know, I never would have guessed you’ve only lived here for a few months. You look very comfortable. You look like a New York girl.”
If we had been more flirty, I would have kissed him. I probably should have anyway. For the sake of the story, let’s pretend I did. Ever since that moment I realized I belong here. Even after a slew of horribly bad dates, unemployment with no interviews…this scary, fucking brutally amazing city is where I’m meant to be. Because somehow, despite getting disappointment after disappointment for months in a row, somehow I still looked comfortable with myself.
It was late, and we were drunk. We decided it was time to leave, so we walked down the block and realized we were going in separate directions. I hugged him goodbye, and I never saw him again.
I went home. I opened up my dating apps. And, with the intention of action, I officially switched my searches to women.
🖊️ A.
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Diary of Some Girl
Relatable stories about my experiences around life, family, money, friendships, love, and anything in between.
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Dear Diary, I want to tell you about the other guys I dated in New York.
Since Pride is over now, I thought it might be entertaining to reminisce on my final attempts at dating men. These took place over the course of the month, in late 2019, leading up to my last date ever with a man, a story I shared earlier this year.
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Economists argue that hesitation in announcing a nominee could signal indecision or caution, which may affect investor sentiment. “Markets value predictability,” says Julia Ramirez, a senior economist at Global Insights. “A prolonged period without a clear candidate can create temporary instability, particularly in sectors sensitive to interest rate changes, such as banking and real estate.” Hassett’s Profile Kevin Hassett is widely recognized for his academic and policy expertise. He co-authored several influential works on economic growth, tax policy, and productivity. During his tenure as Chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers, Hassett emphasized tax reform, deregulation, and measures aimed at stimulating investment. Supporters argue that Hassett’s experience equips him to manage complex economic challenges, including inflationary pressures, labor market fluctuations, and post-pandemic recovery strategies. 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By Muhammad Hassan5 days ago in Humans
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Too freaking good. Can't wait to read more!