Okay, so I’ve been goofing around with random guys at the library, with some funny exchanges on the elevator …. you know, sorta easy stuff. It’s all part of my six-month homework project as I work with the fabulous dating coach Annie Gleason.

Annie helps me feel less stress when going out and about (she gives me short goals, like, talk to three men and then I can go home ).

But you know what? I kinda miss the straight-ahead-I’m-here-for-romance conversations. Yet, I still want to practice my short flirty conversations.

What to do?

Aha! Speed dating to the rescue.

Now, for those of you who have never tried it, it CAN be intimidating. I mean, you sit there at your table, your little number propped up (last night I was #2), and wait for the random gentlemen who signed up for this event to come talk to you. You get five minutes together.

The only thing you know about them at the beginning is that they are in your age range. And that they are here.

Oh, hey … umm.. YOU!

This is the second speed dating event I’ve been to in as many years. So I’m not exactly a regular. Turns out some people are.

I’m signing in, getting my name tag, and looking around for the bartender. As is usually the case, I am early.

I feel someone staring at me just to my left. I turn, he smiles, and I kind of recognize his smile.

Yep. This is someone I met here last time, about a year ago. We’d gone out for coffee the following week, and then another time I think, lunch. Which was where I told him I felt we weren’t a match.

… And now here he is.

“Well hey there .. Dave!” (Short note: at this thing we are all given a ‘scorecard’ of sorts where we see all the people’s names, table numbers, and there’s a yes and a no box and a place to jot notes about the conversation you’d had. With scorecard in hand, I had glanced at the men’s names moments before. I took an educated  guess this guy in front of me was named ‘Dave.’ Alas, I was wrong)

“What’d you say?” he says as we hug a quick hello. I look down at the nametag on his shirt. It mocks me, saying “Toby.”

“I said, ‘Hey, nice to see you Toby!'” I lie.

He gets it. After all, he is a very sweet person, as I’m starting to remember now.

The place is slowly filling up with men and women of all shapes and sizes.

As is usually the case, there are more women than men at tonight’s event.

Toby seems interested in continuing our pre-speed conversation. He says I must be available, since I am here.

This is going to be a very, very long evening.