socializing in the modern world

I do things by myself. Always have, so I am kinda used to it. I go where I go independent of others. It makes scheduling pretty frickin' easy. But being alone in the city can be rather lonely. There are strangers all around, but there are all preoccupied with their daily lives (much like myself). How does one go about finding people worthy of socializing with? Walk a pie over to the neighbors? Yah, that ain't happening....


Those who know me know that I don't often reach out to people. I just keep to myself. I can tell you right now this particular practice doesn't work all that well. It is odd then to write my thoughts on the internet for the world to see? Maybe not as much as you would think....

I am not an expert in making friends, and I have a hard time truly connecting to most people. I have gotten social invitations from some of my coworkers periodically for the past few months, but they are always invitations to hang out in a bar. It is nice to know they actually want to see me outside of work, but I am not one for the bar scene. I don't like loud music or loud noises, and I would rather be able to hear the person next to me if I am going to have a conversation with them.  Secondly, I often find it hard to find familiar ground with people, not only in general, but in bars especially (where everyone is driven by base instincts).  No offence to them really. What they choose to do is not inherently wrong (unlike littering), and I am not about to say my way is better. The bar scene just isn't my thing. 

In an effort to get out there and socialize I searched the interwebs for things to do with peoples in my city. After a few different searches a website called Meetup appeared. A rather great idea, it allows people to plan events and get together in a way that pretty much ensuring that they will have at least one interest in common. It is also a way to meet complete strangers that might make halfway decent friends down the line. 





 I am  fully capable and comfortable with simply showing up to  scheduled events . Thus far Meetup has far surpassed my expectations. I will continue to use it in the future.

A surprisingly functional social website designed to get people meeting each other in the physical world.