Speed dating and other matters

I had an extremely shitty day at the office yesterday, which I don't wish to talk about. Negativity is insidious and contagious, it's difficult to be around such people without being pulled down to their level - or rather without willingly diving down to join them in the ooze. Pah. Enough.

The day (yesterday) was rescued at the last moment by a speed dating event in a local theatre club cum bar (quite a nice place, actually, I should go there more often i.e. at all). I don't know (obviously!) whether you have ever tried speed dating, dear reader, but it is quite amusing and interesting, and also very revealing about oneself. The idea is simple: two strangers, a table, a question set by the organizer, talk amongst yourselves, eight minutes later "ding!" goes the bell, one of the strangers moves on to another table and another stranger sits down at this table, rinse and repeat. At the end of the evening, one ticks "yes" or "no" beside the names of the datees, and in case of a match (yes meets yes) e-mail addresses are forwarded.

There were eighteen of us, nine dates, and I was surprised to note how different the sessions were. It is quite well possible to get an idea of the basic shape of somebody's personality in only eight minutes of guided conversation. Some flowed without effort from the get-go, others needed a push to get them moving, and in one case it was obvious before the question was set that we wouldn't get on. I wonder about that, what exactly made it so clear that the date wasn't going to work. We might as well have just said "goodbye" the instant I sat down - and yes, it was very clearly mutual!

After the dates, most of the group convened in the bar for more chat and a few beers. I sat with the organizer, the woman who ran a seminar that I attended last year. We talked about their winter programme, and I signed up for a four-day seminar and party over the New Year.

I walked home after midnight, very late for me, preceded by my shadow cast by the moon. Such a nice thing to see, there can't be all that much wrong in the world if there is still a moon and it still casts shadows.

G and U were in deepest Bavaria today at a site meeting, so I had the day to myself - and spent it quite pleasantly reading Terry Pratchett's Going Postal, drinking coffee and generally not being harrassed and hounded.

Eight down, twenty-two to go.