Not much to say. Went to “The Owl” with plans to meet an acquaintance, who didn’t show. Sat down at the bar next to a guy in his mid-fifties, half-Irish and quite cosmopolitan, and it was eye-opening to hear how much cheaper health insurance can be outside the U.S. It also makes me wonder about whether I could travel around the globe like he does, as a guy born in the middle of nowhere whose aspirations for dating and living an awesome life are just now budding.
The bar itself is only about 8 stools long and part of a restaurant, so not really one of the places to go for getting to know lots of people quickly but a decent place for taking it slow.
The guy (“Joe”) gave me a few tips, which I’ll record here lest I forget them:
+ Get a Japanese tutor and join the Japanese program if there is one at my school, and become the guy to go to for Japanese stuff.
+ Try tutoring for math. I don’t have to be perfect at it, but my studies have me solid enough (and I’m decent enough at teaching) that, according to him, I should put an ad out in the newspaper or something and teach high schoolers for something like $100/hr.
When thinking about the second advice, I’m curious to try it but wonder if I’d feel like an imposter because I’m “not good enough.”
When considering the first, I think it’s a good idea to develop something that I’m better at than anyone I know (I’m more or less on the right track for that in Japanese anyway), and I should really give some seriousness to developing my skills and network along those lines.
A third thing occurred to me: + Look up how to travel the world for cheap. It takes uncommon (in my generation) social skills to do, but when have I ever settled for being common (my past of playing video games in all of my free time notwithstanding)?
On another note: I tried a social dancing club. It’s pretty good. I’m terrible at coordination, but I’ve got the confidence and aptitude and a sense for the beat such that I think it won’t be a problem for long.
NightRoller Game 