project: city date

most of you know that my current job requires an intense amount of traveling. the unfortunate side effect of being on the road all of the time is that i don't have much of a life anymore. while i'm grateful to HAVE a job and for the chance to be a constant tourist, i have sorely missed the usual opportunities to socialize and meet new people. i'm fortunate in that i enjoy my co-workers immensely, however, none of them are lds, and as a result the 'social activities' at work functions usually involve watching people get drunk in bars. though this can be quite entertaining at times, it is obviously not my ideal situation.

hence the birth of project: city date!

in an effort to try and make the best of this situation, i've begun a little project. the goal of the project is to find a date in each city i'll be traveling over the course of the next year. it's my hope that project: city date will provide an opportunity to meet some new an interesting guys, sans the normal dating pressures and expectations, while also providing me a superior alternative to either solitude in my hotel room or the lobby bar!

still with me? 'cause this is where you come in. who do you know in these cities? who do you know that might know someone? does your husband/wife know someone? do you have single or married friends who might know an interesting single guy in their city?

i only have three criteria for potential dates:

1. i will rarely have access to a vehicle, so they should be as close to the city as they are willing to drive
2. ideally, as i've now hit the 33 mark, they should be between 29 - 45 years old
3. they should be able to hold a conversation (in english) and interested in meeting someone new just for the heck of it!

none of these are hard and fast rules (except for the english thing), but hopeful 'suggestions.' beyond those three requests, everything else wide open. i would prefer an lds guy, but won't mandate it. they can be short, tall, blond, brunette, bald, of any ethnicity or profession - it simply does not matter, i am completely open, no preconceived notions or expectations, no limits.

while it is natural for people to ask 'what does she look like?' or 'what is SHE like?' i hope that you will set expectations accordingly as you begin to have conversations with your friends and friends of friends. all of you have access to literally thousands of pictures of me and if you want to share my blog address with people you trust, that is fine. however, just keep in mind that this is meant to be a fun and casual experience, something new, something different.

my friend jami has the honor of having launched this project, contacting her married friends in austin, tx to see if they might know someone i could meet while in san antonio this week. they immediately responded that they had someone in mind and would see if they could work it out. follow jami's example people. follow jami's example because you are now officially a part of project: city date.

the following are a list of known travel dates and cities for the next year. i'll be sending out reminder emails 1 - 2 weeks prior to each trip which you can either delete or start (or follow up) making phone calls and shooting off emails. obviously, i'd prefer the latter ;)

* san antonio, tx
o 9/22/09 - 9/28/09
* new york city, ny
o 10/22/09 - 10/26/09
* frankfurt, bamberg, munich, germany & venice, italy
o 11/18/09 - 11/25/09
* orlando, fl
o 01/14/10 - 01/22/10
* las vegas, nv
o 02/12/10 - 02/20/10
* madison, wi
o 03/10/10 - 03/12/10
* long beach, ca
o 03/16/10 - 03/22/10
* baltimore, md
o 04/07/10 - 04/13/10
* phoenix, az
o 04/15/10 - 04/19/10
* los angeles, ca
o 06/11/10 - 06/14/10
* san francisco, ca
o 06/24/10 - 06/28/10
* san diego, ca
o 06/16/10 - 06/19/10
* atlanta, ga
o 07/29/10 - 08/04/10
* kansas city, mo
o 08/24/10 - 08/31/10
* san antonio, tx
o 09/08/10 - 09/16/10

for those of you who need a little guidance in asking your friends for assistance, here is a sample message that you can tweak appropriately:

Hi (Insert Name Here)

I have a co-worker/friend/relative/etc. who travels frequently around the country for work, and rarely gets to be home. In an effort to make this a more positive situation, she's begun a little project to try maximizing her network of friends and family to find a date in each city she visits for the next year. Her only requests are that the gentleman be within the 29-45 age range (she's 33), can hold a conversation, and would enjoy meeting someone new for a meal or fun activity! For ease of both parties, he should also be as close to the city in question as he is willing to drive, as she does not typically have a car available. Can you help?

any questions? thank you in advance for your assistance - the success of this project is dependent on you! ;)