I’m thinking about trying dating again.
:: screams and panic as all women in Ontario and Quebec run for the exits ::
Well, this is not at all convenient for me, because I am married and live a long way off. :mad:
So anyway, best of luck!
Good on you for getting back into the saddle again!
What are you going to do differently this time?
All of Ontario and Quebec? You’re ambitious!
So is this just a general declaration, or do you have someone in mind? Curious minds want to know!
Good luck!
Congratulations on giving it another whirl and good luck finding that special someone! We’re rooting for you.
American woman looking to be adopted by a Canadian checking in hyur!
heyooooo~
Good luck! You deserve to find someone to make each other happy. Have you tried non-mainstream dating sites, like the ones for single parents?
Thanks! 
Actually, it was that thread about how do I not insult my wife that triggered me. Plus the one about do you consider yourself lucky to be in a great marriage.
And I think I found my old high-school crush on Facebook, based on name and town. I’m not going to try to contact her, because she never really knew me, and there’d be no connection. Also, she’s married (but I knew that; I found it out at the last high-school reunion 20 (!) years ago).
All of these things got me thinking.
Why haven’t I been able to connect with many women? Why haven’t I had any relationships over 4 months long and only two of those in my life? There are the usual reasons, I think… lack of social skills early on, leading to lack of confidence, etc. I spent a lot of time later, learning to be social, and learning to punch through the fear that basically controlled my life. And then I was very surprised when I did date a year and a half ago; after 14 years of nothing, I figured my chances were over, and there I was, going out with a beautiful woman! It didn’t last; she said that I could not give her what she needed, and we parted amicably.
I spent a lot of time thinking about that. I do find it difficult to keep awareness of the needs of other people present in my mind. It takes a deliberate act of will. That ‘great marriage’ thread kind of focused the thought. Was this why my parents broke up? Dad was ‘absent’ in many ways even before he was gone from the house.
A few years ago, I started to meet my friends’ kids, and found I really enjoyed being with them. I liked looking out for them and helping them. In my family, I was the youngest of three by a considerable margin, and never had much exposure to helping with kids when I was growing up.
The day a year or so ago when I was with my friends and one of the kids, and I took him to the food court while the others were busy (an optometrist appointment or something like that) and everything went smoothly and we enjoyed our time together–that was a major milestone for me. It was the first time in my life I’d been in some sort of parent-like authority, and it worked! I’m definitely open to the idea of dating someone with young children.
Plus, I now know about things like ‘face blindness’ and their social effects, and can compensate for them.
And, I’m meeting people who do art, and doing more art myself. This is helping me find my way back to centre, after almost two years of chaos and upheaval (layoff, move, etc). Feeling centred, I can start to look outwards again.
Or, it might be just because my mind just snapped because of the midwinter confinement…
It’s a general declaration. That I’m feeling better aboit things doesn’t stop most women from having a distressing habit of being married. Plus, there’s not much potential in this small town; I may have to go farther afield. But I have a car now, so that’s okay.
Thanks!
Hi! How’s it goin’, eh?
Can you speak… metric? 
(It’s okay if you can’t, because I’m bilingual…)
Thanks! I’ll have a look. If there’s any one word that defines me, it’s ‘non-mainstream’…
Too bad Canada is so darn big or I’d say let’s meet for coffee!
What small town? I thought you were in TO? Where are you living now?
You’re on the west coast, aren’t you? I am thinking about a road trip to Alberta this summer. We could meet in the middle.
Bancroft, in the middle of the Beautiful Land. I am now closer to Ottawa than Toronto. Best of both worlds. And I could get fibre to the home here before I could get it at my old place in Toronto…
Ottawa, huh?
Which photo currently resembles you more? Your SDMB photo, or the picture thread one?
I know a nurse in Ottawa… I’m so tempted to hook you up!
Actually I have moved to Alberta. I’m living in Edmonton now.
Photograph… photograph… picture thread? Which picture thread? The last one I remember posting in was the ‘what did you look like in high school?’ thread, and I don’t think that counts. There are my pictures in Arnold’s gallery, but the newest one of those isn’t particularly closeup.
Tell you what. I’ll update the pic in my profile.
:: There. Done. ::
Hey, cool! There are enough people I want to see in Alberta that we could have a Dopefest! Gotta see how the work situation, er, works out first though.
Doesn’t Edmonton have really late sunset times during the summer? I seem to remember that from when I visited before.
I’m not sure, I just moved here a few months ago. I’d be up for a summertime dopefest.
Alberta Dopefest! Sounds good to me.
Based on your OP and the remarks about women in Ontario and Quebec, I was going to suggest that western Canada might be worth a try. 
Seriously, good luck and have fun!
Well, we’ll see whether I can get out west. I was hoping to take a French immersion course this summer, but I’m not sure that that’s going to happen either. I may end up working.
Steady on though, before you hit on rachellelogram you might want to know it could entail never getting laid…