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Hello people

When I first joined this place, long before I care to remember... ok, I joined it properly at the start of 2001, I was still really only at the starting point of recovery from my illness, and while I saw friends the only form of outside social interaction I had with the world was this place. Oddly enough I DID meet the girl of my dreams there, but that's the weirdness of life for you.

And many were the times I heard of my friend's mad social exploits out on the town, like Damian successfully chatting up a girl with the line "Are you 16?", a line which should NOT lead to dating in the real world but seemed to. Oh, and there was the odd fight and occasional arrest of a friend and all I could really do is hear about things afterwards.

Of course, once I started to recover rather more my feeble protests of "but I'm ill!" no longer would shield me from having to go out into the real world some time. A completely disastrous and failed attempt some time back set me back a bit but lately I have been making far more of an effort to get out there, have fun and, of course, meet girls.

Some of you may remember my report of my first night out a couple of months back, the one where I somehow seemed to spend the evening attracting girls without effort, met one nice girl that I talked for a while with, completely failed to get the number of, and then lost track of. Arse.

Well, there have been a few more nights out since then, many of which have invovled my friends trying to use me as some sort of lucky-charm girl attracting talisman, which is somewhat pressuring... and muggings here is trying to get used to just what exactly the social scene of life is actually LIKE. And I thought I would kind of chronicle my struggle here.

The current craze is The Great Nurse Hunt. To explain, my friend Nigel is a recently-qualified Doctor who managed to get a job at the local hospital. He's getting on ok there, and the important bit is that he knows (and fancies) a lot of the nurses there. Every so often these nurses have a social night on town, many of them young and attractive and muchly available, and Nigel would be very happy to take advantage of that. Of course, running into their socials on his own makes him look a bit desperate, so he likes to have friends with him. Trouble is, he often only has a vague idea of where the nurses are; hence the fact that we have to Hunt for them.

The first time was a small affair which was pretty miserable and ended with only a couple of nurses being spotted at the end of the evening- both accompanied by men.

The second time was disaster central. Word of the great nurse hunt spread round our friends, and then our friends friends, and before long there was a pretty large group of us all struggling to find these nurses that Nigel had promised- no quite his plan. Worse in that not one single nurse was spotted at any point in the entire evening, leading to a lot of desperate and unhappy men. There were some VERY attractive girls around who provocatively wiggled their bottoms at us- or maybe they just walked past us; hard to tell- but Nigel's attempt to make contact with them was shot down in flames.

Nigel and myself managed to break away from the group eventually, and later on got in good proximity to some other bice girls, which Nigel attributed to my girl attracting skill, and after about five seconds of quick thinking we decided to move in, five seconds in which someone else moved in first. Three men... more gorillas than men, actually. And they refused to believe that I didn't smoke and got very upset when I wouldn't give them a cigarette.

Actually approaching and speaking to girls myself is still rather beyond me, as is things like dancing and so on and so forth, but I am still willing to give things a go, and tonight was Great Nurse Hunt the third.

This time Nigel could guarantee the location of nurses. We picked up Orpheus and headed off. On the way he revealed that, in fact, the attractive ward of nurses was not out tonight and it was only the older and unattractive and/or married ones out. So, nurses were found, but not much good. Some of the social venues we went to were of little interest to Orph, who dropped out (which did, at least, mean he can still hear things, which is more than I can). However, his Doctor friend Ming (inevitably nicknamed The Merciless) joined us for some hardcore woman searching, and Nigel got agaonosingly close to getting us all happily bunked up with some pretty girls for the night...

...instead of which I am back here alone again with ringing ears. Never mind, plenty more attempts to go! What fun things wait me soon?

Well, next thursday seems good. Some of the girls we were after that night were dancing together in a very... attractive fashion. Next thursday the 'attractive' nurse ward is out socialising and a new interception shall be made. Ming has bet Nigel that he can get those nurses to dance for us in such an interesting fashion; if he fails he has to buy us all drunks for the evening, otherwise we all buy for him.

Sounds fun but will inevitably go wrong, I am sure...

And meanwhile in this coming month I also have this plan to meet board members in London, which is supposed to be a rather social occasion, certainly looking at where Corran wishes to go (I would post the link, but young and innocent minds may see...)

So, I have no idea if I am going to find great social success in the near future, or potter around like some idiot forever, but I'm going to keep trying...

Hey, at least you have more of a social life than me, and you had an excuse.

I just don't have enough friends.

its not how many friends you have lance.....unless they're all a$$holes

I have about 3 good friends, but we cant paint the town red cause they are under 16 and are still in school.

they can drop out if they're 16..its legal..i think..are you from the US?

Yes, but I said my friends are under the age of 16.

Meaning no more than 15.

ohh...well, the US laws say that at age 16 you can drop out of school

I know, that's what I did.

thats a pretty stupid choice..sorry..but it is

I already know that.

then why did you do it??

I'm sure you'll find the nurse for you ush

Yes, many preperations are being made for the next nurse hunt; we have nets and traps and everything... we will see what Ming can pull together. Nice guy and a fun bloke, he was, so I have high confidence.

Ming on the search for his next Concubine of the Hour. Where have I heard that before ? Hehehe.

Ush, it seems your Hunt, fruitless as it has been in recent weeks, may yet see success with the amount of effort you chaps are putting into it. And may I also say I am immensely pleased that I no longer have to perform in these primitive dating rituals. My sympathies to the hospital.

Ooh, they need sympathy...

Anyone is always welcome to hang with me...

I don't want to get into it.

If you do a search you'll probably come up with a few threads that has me talking about it.

tell me!

Go search, or ask one of the other regulars.

I just don't want to talk about it right now.

..do you have a messanger ((that i have)) and you can tell me..or PM me..i dont have time to search every thread or ask everybody..

i dont have a social life either. i got lucky with my gf, and i have a few friends, but we usually just hang out at my house and watch tv or play video games or whatever. my life basically consists of coming here, talking with my girl, or working. sometimes being with my chums. and ush, if you dont mind me asking, what was your illness you had? i joined after the fact so i have no way of knowing.

'twas M.E., though not many out your way have heard of it.

yeah. never heard of it. well im glad you're all better now buddy *smacks ush's ass*.

I'm recovering, not actually better!

And OW...

oh. well im sure you'll be just fine buddy. sorry, didnt mean to do it so hard.

Glad you're going out more Ush, even if it has been fruitless up till now. Keep plugging away though, soon enough you'll pull a cracker!

I don't have many friends I would call "good friends", only about 4 really. I have lots of pub acquaintance's who I can join for a drink for the evening but who I wouldn't trust totally to back me up if a fight started or to get me home if I was steamin' drunk. I'm the kind of chap says, "hello", to lots of people when I'm out but there's only 4 lads who I can really rely on as friends and allies.

It would swell for an evening if you were nurse hunting...

What would swell?

Oi! Watch it!

(You can't help watching it...)

NO!!! Now I have caught your foul double entendre disease!

I meant the amount of friends you had.

Oh! Nah I doubt it. It takes me a real long time to get to the point where I trust someone completely.

I can't help myself with the double entendre's, it comes from years of reading "Finbar Saunders" in Viz magazine. Warped my mind it has.

Well, actually, I meant your 'friends' would increase on a nurse hunt. They are very popular. We are keeping them more secret in future.

There used to be a lad I knew a college when I was 17 who was always asking me to come with him to this club, I forget the name of it, but basically he said it was full of single ladies and not too many blokes. It was something he didn't tell many people because he wanted to keep the female/male ratio just as it was.

I finally gave in to his requests and went with him. I have never spoke of it since, but in truth it was what I'd describe as a grab-a-granny night.

there are such places in Hull as well

Grab a granny

Ush my boy:

Keep plugging away at the social life (if you really do want one). I wasn't too outgoing until I got to high school, then I became the life of the party wherever I went. A social life is something you slowly get adapted to over time. You learn how to deal with it better and better each time you go out.

The best advice I can give you (even if you don't need it) is to always be yourself. The way you talk, it seems as if you don't have any problems drawing the ladies to you, you just have trouble saying the right thing to them. (I could be completely wrong here, too).

Being social isn't really about saying the right things at the right time, though. It's about being confident with yourself and everything you do.

I've told you this before Ush: You strike me as a very intelegent person (with an obvious passion for writing). Be yourself and follow what you want. Happiness will follow, I promise.

I think I'd have to finish reading my book for school before I read this novel.

My social life is so-so. I was a little demon from kindergarten to 4th grade, so I'm not the most liked person.

my social life isnt good, i dont go to parties unless its just a get together of my own little group. but i got what every guy wants, a hot fun little girlfriend who i love and who i feel loves me. plus some great friends who always make me laugh. and of course all you folks

I need more time to fit my social life in around work.

"Follow your dreams...you can achieve your goals. Just look at me. Beefcake, beeeeefcaaaaaake!"

Must say, I don't really prioritise my social life. It just sort of happens around all the choir rehearsals I go to. Most of my friends now are in my choirs.

I know what you mean Corran, my hangovers are made much worse by having to work in a loud factory environment. Maybe I should look into quiting work and becoming a full time socialite......

I have a certain amount of room in my life to prioritise my social life. It is, after all, just a mix of writing, playing, coming here, and socialising. There is a lot of room there.

Thankyou all for your kind comments, anyway...

BEEFCAKE!

Ush, you were right, this thread gives much more insight. Anyway, now I know what a nursehunt is...

But to add on, my social life is not too much, b/f, theater, volunteer stuff, work, two good friends, coming here, rubbing backs, and chatting really late at night with you.

would you rub my back too Padme?

There is quite a queue forming...

Well, tonight is new Nurse hunt night, yet already fate conspires against me. Nigel and Ming will be late off-shift and drinking all night, which not only means a late start (even though I have been assured that Ming has lined up no less than 6 young, attractive nurses for his bet tonight), but also means I don;t have a lift, so I may have to bail. BAH!

Aww poor Ush, I sadly won't be home till late here, so I may not be able to converse with you this wonderful evening. Tonight is opening night for the play

Well, without any drastic change in the next 90 minutes, I shall be stuck here all evening...

Just get drunk in the house alone, I see no problem at all.

I don't drink, so that would be a particularly saddening experience.

However, staggeringly enough, I DID go in the end, at the last moment, peforming an emergency wash and hair-drying exercise in the five-minute warning I had.

At first, about 12 doctors and no nurses, eating at a nice restaurant. I was tagged on the end, the only one without was years of medical training there. The evening would seem to be pointless. Still the docs were nice guys.

Then, three nurses appear! And to be sure, they were nice. Though I had little opportunity to talk to them. Things soon moved onto the Chicago;s Nightclub, myself arm in arm with a female Doctor on the way there.

Sadly, things go wrong for me there. I find myself unable to enjoy myself in Chicago's, and can't get into the dancing and all that, so shortly afterwards I pull out. Thinking Nigel (my lift) can;t be THAT long in there, I return to outside his car and wait.

Actually I have to wait a little over two hours, in the freezing cold. This ended less than an hour ago as I type this and alreayd I don't want to think about it any more.

Nigel had forgotten I was there, you see. Eventually he came back, at 2:30am, and at first mistook me for a car thief. But in the end he DID take me home. I had begun to fear I was going to die out there.

So, any happiness in thst story at all? A littl.e Nigel had four other passengers- the Doctor friend was in the front. I was in the back. With the three nurses, two tightly pressed together and the third sprawled across my lap. So I did at least have some fun on the journey home (not to mentio eliciting some sympathy from the free of them for having been dumb enough to stand out in the cold for two hours). Nice people, all of the, but somehow I don;t think I made a cutting edge social impression.

However, to be fair on Nigel, the Great Nurse Hunt has now actually revealed nurses so is not a pointless exercise. I don't think it is the sort of thing for me, though.

Meanwhile, coming up in the next month in my ferocious social calender is the Big London meeting- which, I fear, will PERPETUALLY remain a month away, and also a girl I know near Norwich has offered to come drive down and see me. The other day I finally worked up the courage to call her, and with my impeccable timing she had just had some major dental work done and so could not talk. Never mind, I may still yet be able to arrange for her to come.

Well, that's my life for tonight, ladies and gents!

Awww, Ush...I wish I lived near you, I'd come visit you.

Appreciated...

and then again, you could relieve this urge I have to give backrubs late at night.

so next week another chapter in this tale ush?

Tune in next week, same Ush-Time, same Ush-Channel !

Well, I will see what I can keep up with... Nigel is on nights for a while which makes things difficult nurse-wise.

Unfortunatly I have missed the Great Nurse Hunt for the last two weeks. I also have a major dislike for nightclubs and similar venues. I like my hearing to be 100% effective, but that said they do seem to be the places to go to be seen.

I can't wait to read next week's tale, if there will be one.

We will see. Right now I am having difficulty phoning said Norwich girl (who did actually post here briefly, a while back), the London meeting is just fizzling, and I don't feel confident about more nurse hunting. Still, no fun if it was all smooth going, eh, folks?

Sounds like an OK night out Ush. Yesterday I went out with my mate Martin on the afternoon and ended up stopping out all day until Mrs.MM had to come get me cus we were going out with another couple for a curry last night. Of course when I got there I was the only one drunk and spent the entire evening playing the clown for everyone.

All I remember was ending the night asking total strangers if they too remembered the "3 Bears" from the "Beano" comic!

Ouch my head...........

Well Ush, I will have to post about my adventures.

It wasn't really an ok night, Mech. The two hours in the cold feeling like Mr Idiot 2002 really put me off it.

Look forward to it, Padme...

Do you remember the 3 bears from the Beano Ush?

Errr... no...

Is that your best come on line?

Scary...

Well, I guess tonight is another possible for Nurse Hunting. But I think I will instead have a quiet night in...

Why is that?

Tired, and I am not sure if I am up for it- I can't back out into the car park two weeks running; I'd look a right idiot.

It wasn't a chat-up line it was a serious question!

We were talking about "Hank Marvin" (the rhyming slang, not the guitarist) and I said that he was a character from the 3 bears strip of the Beano. Nobody else remembered it so I started asking anyone who dared near our table, the Indian waiter was especially baffled by the question.

BTW, I'm going into B'ham again tonight with some lads from work. Its when of thier birthdays so were meeting up for a big session later, time to iron my big gay shirt for the evening methinks.....

Also gotta try and finish a 4000 word essay today cus I have a funny feeling I won't be up for it tomorrow!

Oooh! Big gay shirt!

Ah geez, I am SO tired. I have completely killed myself; utterly dodoed. Went out all night rather spontaneously after a cancelled role-playing session. I think I have walked up and down the length and breadth of Chelmsford some 15 times. And NO action at all! Couldn't even get started with the girls tonight; too many people in our group. Aside from watching some rather pretty dancing girls in a club at the end of the evening (and I still cannot hear properly) it was a total wash-out.

Oh well, back to working out meetings with people I have met on-line... always harder than it should be... sigh...

lol just wondering but is the only reason you go out to meet girls????
well if so I think thats the case for a lot of young guys, I just dont seem to be one of them I never saw the need for hunting/searching/looking out for the girl of my dreams. I know this will probably come out the wrong way but I'm really not interested in that, dont get me wrong if it happens YIPPY for me, but to activily do something for it nhaa thats too much work. If I got my friends with me I'm more than happy

Yup you're right........that did come out the wrong way.

If I'm serious though (take note people, this doesn't happen very often) I have to say that whenever you're out looking for a new girl it'll never happen, the moment you stop looking one will drop in your lap. Sods law I'm afraid.

shit :P

hmm girls have always been looking for me so.........

Oh yeah, because all those years of not looking were SO fruitful for me, Mech...

I don;t even bother....I have too much to do to get wrapped up in a social scene

You should come with us next time, Julie.

I understand the actual sods law situation in this situation, Mech, is that girls tend to flock to you as soon as you actually HAVE a girlfriend. Typically they will be more attractive and better suited than the girl you 'settled' for...

Don't most girls do that? They suddenly realize how great this guy is when he's no longer available...I've never done that...but I've seen girls do it. It's distasteful IMO.

Not, I suspect, a problem I will ever have to deal with, seeing as I rate my chances of being scene socially in female company as zero...

Now if I lived in Chelmsford...I would be determined to change that.

That's very kind... Padme says the same thing. I wish this world were smaller!

Aw, do you feel loved now? Two people would gladly be yours...if only the world were smaller.

And Lara is not uninterested... why can't I meet nice people like you in town???

Can't complain, already got a wonderful year out of someone here.

No, sod it, I CAN complain! Right, flights to and from Ireland are cheap...

Nice people like me? Oh, you make me blush!

Round trip to Ireland? No problem! I'll provide room and board and transportation.

Including the plane? That would be clever...

On the other hand, I don't travel very well. You could come here... but then I am afraid I can offer you no conveniences save my hospitality, which I would endeavour to try hard at. Oh, I guess that would include room and board...

Alright, I'll be there shortly. You're hospitality and efforts would be more than enough. Well worth the trip I would think.

Damn right!

Ok... what is the catch here?

Lol, no catch! I've been meaning to take a vacation anyway...

Ok...

Look, there HAS to be a catch. My first board meeting went great. Since then, no-one has been able to organise ANYTHING! Look at the London meeting thread! A shambles! I can't even arrange to meet Lara properly and she lives only the other side of London from me!

Well that sounds silly. If you live so close I mean! Meet up for something somday! I mean, if I came to London...after getting to know you all a smidgen better...I would like to arrange some sort of meeting.

Well, I am free ANY time, it is only my general agrophobia I have to combat. But Lara is a very busy girl and it can be hard to organise these things for real.

Getting to know people as best as possible is the real trick now, isn't it? You don't want to run into an on-line axe murderer in real life. I am as dangerous as your average turtle, of course, but such trust has to be earned (though I can point you towards others to give me a reference!)

I don;t suppose you use any instant messengers, do you?

AIM- Metallicagirl58

Well, my own instincts after talking with you have earned you some credibility already...so you better not be an axe murderer. Otherwise I may never be able to trust my instincts again!

I'll promise not to bring the axe. But bugger! AIM always crahses my computer. I am on ICQ or MSN.

Hmm... I see you have PMs blocked... will it stay that way?

Um, lol, how do I change that?

Profile (top right)

Edit options

Enable Private Messaging to 'yes'

It says yes...hmm...

Errr... well it was certainly blocked a moment ago! But it isn't now! Just sending you one...

Private messages...I feel special.

I'd love to say you were the only one... but this place is 90% of my social output (the results of what this thread describes not withstanding). I like to communicate with others as much as possible!

Oh well, I don't take it personally. I just feel special to be apart of your social output now. That's good enough for me.

Lovely. Now you are one of us! And you can watch my social fumblings in this thread with the rest of them...

"one of us" I don't know whether to be excited...or horrified...lol. Just kidding. I already said I loved you guys.

Yeah, but you should still be horrified...

Lol, are you guys that bad? You can't be! Otherwise I wouldn't feel so comfy here all of a sudden...

That is part of the horror.

Does that mean...I'm just as scary and intimidating as you guys are? That is horrifying! *runs screaming around in circles like a madman*

See? You have just proved it!

Oh bollox...I did didn't I? Now I can be submissive to the truth and enter your world without fear...*sigh*

Yup... wow, quick conversion tonight!

And you never know, you might even turn up as something this thread is about at one point!

It didn't take long did it!

That thought entices me and excites me!

Blimey! I cannot imagine why someone would be so keen to meet me, but that is very gratifying!

Well, your conversation has made you very appealing to me. As did your warm welcome. And then I saw your picture...and boy! Did my urge to want to meet you grow!

Ay-yi-yiiiiiii! You sure know how to build someone's confidence!

Oh, well, I try! Is it working?

Damn straight it is!!!

*gives herself a pat on the back* My day is now fulfilled. But wait! I'm far from done!

Careful, I may just explode if I build up any more!

An explosion? Boy, if I caused an explosion...I'd be number one! And so would you!

Oooh!

Ok, I am not entirely sure what you meant there...

I am worried that you migbr be spoiling my "sad bastard unable to fund any fun" image I had going here, though!

Oh I am here to ruin all blasphemous images! I am here to bring out the best in everyone! And the fun loving spirit everyone has hidden somewhere!

Egad, we are very, VERY happy to have your sort around here!

But never mind, people who are watching my life... I feel I have plenty more sad and failed attempts to impart to you here!

I am here to repair all those failed attempts.

That is actually your purpose in life? You should read the thread; you can see what sort of a duffer I have been over time.

Read...nine pages? You must be on drugs! Lol...I know a smidge about you now...and as I've said, I'm here to help!

My purpose in life? No...only a side job.

That's quite a side job... I hope you found it entertaining!

BTW, it's either another nurse hunt on thursday or off to see the new Bond movie... dilemma!

Of course I find it entertaining...otherwise I wouldn't do it!

Bond wins in my book!

You may well be right... but then, talking about going to see Bond makes worse reading than talking about another one of my comical nurse hunts!

What are these nurse hunts you speak of?

Oh, I thought you had read the thread after all... well, it is all there if you have the time!

I told you I didn't...I rarely do if they're more than a page...lol. But for this information, I guess I will. *sigh*

Yerssot says: Oooh god, boost yourself will you
well you sir are PA-THE-TIC

lol btw this is directed to Ush (he already knows)
and it was just yerss not ME

Well, I see absolutely no reason for you to have printed it; let him wallow in his childish comments. I am not the slightest bit interested; please don't bother repeating comments like that in future.

what is wrong with our top poster, why dont he post it himself.
Kind of chickenshit way to do it through another poster.
Get a grip dude

yeah, what the heck was that?!

glad to see you're becoming part of the crazyness here, obsessed, there's no turning back now, muahahaha.

It aint my fault that he used my account to type this crap
second of all finti yerss claims he has been banned from this forum, I say it aint so he claims it to be like that.

well as far as I know he aint banned, he must stop being over dramatic.
You know the sun doesnt orbit arround him

lol I know else it would shine in my eyes
try to telling him that

he needs to act his age once in a while

I can only say: Try telling him that
anyways Mah he send me an email of what you said to him on msn or mailed him dunno exactly and you are right a 100% all I can say is that Ill make sure yerss doesnt use my account ever again (in school to post his rubbish)

tell him to play some ping pong and chill out a bit

lol I ll do that

Nonetheless, I don't want him ruining this thread... still stuck between Thursday Nurse or Thursday Bond.

Thursday Nurse combined with Thursday Bond
just ask a nurse to go see bond with ya

That doesn't work; without the hunt I don't have the nurse to ask.

Just ignore yerssot, Fire. Thats what we're all doing.

well its hard to do so when I go to school with him and he sits next to me in every class
dont mind cause well ,I know most will be amazed if they hear this, yerss gets good grades and is a good study partner
I wont get on the forum in school again
then stuff like this cant happen again

hello every body!

Ush, I can see your Dilemma! thats a toughie!

Fire, do you want me to have a word with Yerssot? coz to me he is beign really out of character and really obnoxious and rude and cruel and..........

Hi Lara! (Waves)

Yerssot has been a bit funny lately; I wouldn't worry about it.

I have gone with Bond. Maybe I will be up for more nurse hunting another week.

Isn't this like.... going off topic big time?

Err... no... if you actually read it... the only recent off-topic bit was yerssot's weidness and you can't close it for that.

Again.... two pages of that.