30 Days to Meet a Guy…Part 1

Written by: Lisa

Edited by: Julia Wolfe

Joboja Staff Writers

Cosmopolitan, one of my favorite magazines (besides this one), had a section on their website entitled, “How to Meet a Guy in 30 Days”. Hmm…. Sounds like a challenge. I accepted, and enlisted friends to help me stick to the plan.

After they were done laughing, the 30 Days to Meet a Guy experiment began. For those of you who don’t read Cosmo—with a mag as fabulous as this one in front of you, why would you need to? —let me explain. When you log into the Cosmo website, it will give you a different assignment each day.

The assignments range from the obvious (like networking) to the “Seriously? I have to do what?” Join me on my 30-day journey – I hope it will provide some amusement.

Day 1 - Send out feelers to all of your friends letting them know that you are looking. This gets the ball rolling.

I’ve always done that. Are there really single women out there that don’t? Your friends know your likes, dislikes, hobbies and passions. They may know you better than your family does. I bet that your bffs see things in you that you don’t. Mine do.

Day 2 - Adopt a “nothing to loose” mantra. This not only puts out an easy going vibe which will make you a man magnet but will also help keep the dating game in perspective.

Again...what single women don’t? A date is only a few hours out of your life. Chances are good it will end at some point. It’s dinner or a movie, not a lifelong commitment.

If I go on a date and I find myself laughing, smiling and generally enjoying being around the guy, I’ll see him again. If I don’t have a nice time, then I won’t. Either way, it’s only one night.

Day 3 - Perfect your come hither look. This pose shows guys it’s ok to approach.

This one ought to be fun. I tried this. Well, sort of.

Ever stood in front of a mirror and actually looked at yourself doing different “looks”? Give it a try. It’s not as easy as it sounds.

Plan B: work on this with a friend. I told my friend Julie about this experiment, explaining that I had no idea how to do a “come hither” look. It turns out neither does she.

We sat at the bar and tried to do something resembling it, but had no luck. We laughed so hard we ended up attracting a Patrick Swayze look-a-like, though, so I guess it wasn’t a total waste.

Day 4 - Men tend to be intimidated by a pack of chicks so hit up the bar with just one or two and if you see someone you like, separate yourself from the pack and shoot him “the look”. This will let him know that he’s free and clear to approach.

I tried all of this. I did my best to separate myself from the herd when I went out with friends to celebrate my birthday. I even started conversations with some cuties at the bar. It got me nowhere.

They did buy me drinks and chat for a bit. They also didn’t hesitate to say goodbye without asking for a phone number. I must be doing something wrong here.

Day 5 - You've mastered seductive body lingo; now cast a wider net and make eyes at every cute guy you see.

Really? I’ve mastered it? How do you figure—because I don’t think it’s gotten me very far. I’ll keep making eye contact because that’s fun. It’s a nice day out, so maybe I’ll go to the beach. That should be a good place to cast a net.

Day 6 - Take a kickboxing or weight lifting class at the gym. Arrive a little early so you can secure a spot next to a hottie and ask how he likes the class.

I live at the gym and take classes almost daily. If there’s a man in one of those classes, he’s not interested in me, or anyone similar to me…or women at all.

Day 7 - You know those emails your college sends out about alumni networking events? Actually RSVP to one.

Hmm…this could be an option. I graduated from Florida Atlantic University and our football team is on the rise. Maybe the next time I get an email about an event, I’ll go.

Day 8 - Instead of eating lunch indoors (um, you're not going to find a man at your desk), stroll around a busy part of town. When you spot a cute guy in a cafe or on a park bench, sit near him and try to catch his eye.

I was at work on Day 8. I only have a 30-minute lunch break, so strolling around a busy part of town was out. I did wander through the atrium in my building, however, and noticed a few cuties who work in the same building.

Note to self—ask around and see if anyone knows any dirt.

Day 9 - Join a group with a large guy-to-girl ratio, like a runners' club or softball team. Not the sporty type? Volunteer with Habitat for Humanity.

This sounds good in theory, but who has the time? Today, on Day 9, I went to work, went to Target, then home, then to Toys R Us (gifts for niece and nephew), then to the mall. Ok, that last part was a bit self-indulgent.

Hey, my birthday’s tomorrow. I’m not spending it in a so-so outfit. It wasn’t a total loss. I practiced my eye contact and smiling skills as random cuties walked by.

Day 10 - Using Websites like MySpace.com or Facebook.com, search for guys you had crushes on in high school. Send two of them a message explaining that you were looking up people from school, noticed their pages and thought you'd see what they were up to.

This one sounds like fun. I’m going to do that right now.

So ends my first 10 days. Stay tuned for days 11-20. Do you think I’m going to meet a new guy by day 30? You’ll have to check back to find out.