The Friend Zone

This might be hard to believe, but I don't date much.  And my not much I pretty much mean not at all.  I know you're reading this in utter disbelief, but its true!  As my friends have paired off, I've become the one who's easily identified as the odd-numbered wheel - never part of a pair but constantly surrounded by couples.  My problem is that I always wind up in "the friend zone."


For anyone who lives under a rock, "the friend zone" is what happens when you meet a guy, develop feelings for him, and then become his pal who is a gal instead of his gal pal.  The "friend zone" is my bread and butter.


I have a few reasons for my perpetual singledom.  Like I don't think I ever really learned how to talk to guys like that.  I've always had guy friends and we've always talked about guy things.  I like sports.  I like to drink beer.  I don't really like eating out at fancy restaurants.  A baseball game is my idea of a great night out.  I like to laugh.  I'm loud.  I'm stubborn.  I'm opinionated.  I don't apologize for these things.


While I blame my perpetual singledom on a lot of things I know that its really rooted in my own insecurities.  I know that I'm fun and smart and funny (at least every once in a while, but hey, even a blind squirrel finds a nut every once in a while), but I've never felt like I'm a particularly pretty girl.  I know I'm not un-attractive, but I never look at myself in the mirror and say, "Damn!  What a smoking babe!"


I had the very great pleasure of having dinner with a dear college friend last night.  I was regaling him with my lack of dating woes and he gave me some really great advice.  He told me that if I really wanted those things, that I was going to have to make it happen.  If I like a guy, I should actually DO something about it, but that I need to be prepared to deal with the consequences.


So here I am, still single, but maybe ready to take a chance.