Elementary.

MfW poked his head in through the door from the kitchen. He's been back less than 24 hours and he's already used up all the bowls and the dishwasher hasn't been emptied by FNG despite him spending all night in the kitchen last night doing who knows what.

Anyway, MfW asks me if I've been putting dirty dishes into the dishwasher. I know what he means - with FNG not pulling his weight, someone's been putting dirty dishes into an un-emptied dishwasher.

I trundle down to investigate and he's shows me. It looks like a bowl with caked-on Weetabix. However, the only person that I know who eats Weetabix and doesn't have the gumption to rinse a bowl (after leaving it for a day) before putting it in the dishwasher is MfW himself.

I look at the bowl and then I look at him.

"I don't eat Weetabix" and I leave it at that.

I shouldn't have to say to two professional males that they need to be more pro-active around the house, but it is getting to that stage. FNG might be OK, but MfW can be problematic.

Women! *rolls eyes*

QC2 was in touch a few weeks ago. I think I posted about it here. We arranged to meet up at some point after the World Cup had ended. This was her call, not mine. I'd gladly have spent a night in the pub with her instead of sitting on my ass watching TV. She sent me a text last Wednesday, out of the blue, just small talk and finishes it off with "we must met up soon". So, on Sunday, I sent her a text.

"Let's meet up soon. When's good for you?"

Nothing since.

QC2 has done this before. It's already been over a year since we last met up. I hope she isn't going to go AWOL again.

It's a numbers game

I don't know why I've taken to reading the 30 First Dates blog - I find it frustrating due to my own online dating experiences, sometimes it's poorly written (the sheer amount of exclamation marks is astounding), it's not a particularly fast website to load and, perhaps the most important part - that it's London-based. But reading through 30 First Dates and the bloggers have written about quite a few different types of dating events beyond the obvious, bog-standard singles nights or speed dating and these are interesting in themselves. None of these are available in my area, probably because the numbers don't support it.

A lot of the more popular dating/lifestyle blogs are based in large cities which often skews the scene (whichever scene is being blogged about).

My age goes against me somewhat, but my geography is worse. A quick litmus test on Guardian Soulmates: I am a man looking for a woman. I enter my age range and geographical range (20 miles). I do two searches - my home town where I'm currently based and London.

My home town turns up three results. London turns up 1500.

OK, so I realise that the result seems extreme, and I guess they are in that Guardian Soulmates is not one of the mainstream dating websites, but the results are easy to come by and they are indicative of the problem I face.

Dating is a numbers game. I live in an area that has, perhaps, 600,000 people. London has 15 million. So, when reading blogs about dating in London and how some people are "complaining" about not being able to find a date, the blood does boil a little. Especially when the complainers are attractive women. I'm not saying I wouldn't still be single if I were in London (or had access to the sheer numbers of a London-based online dater), but I also wouldn't be sitting here, somewhat depressed because I never got any replies from any of my favoured matches on four separate dating websites and Tinder. I believe wholeheartedly that I'd be an active dater.

Going back to the online dating thing... I'm almost tempted to take Miss29's reviewing format and apply it to my own experiences. Yes, I'm THAT bored.

*hic*

The big planned night out turned out to be a huge success. Pretty much everyone turned up who said they would and anyone who didn't had already said that they wouldn't, with the exception of JB, but she was an outside bet.

While I really enjoyed the night and had a great time, part of me was expecting something more. Something more than simply sitting round a table and chatting with a dozen or so friends... I did want to sit down with GM and S and talk about getting out to meet people - the pub, dating nights or whatever - but that never happened. I had a gut feeling that something unexpected was going to happen, that my stars were going to align and I'd meet someone, a potential girlfriend, a one night stand, a fuck buddy, a new friend, just someone, but that never panned out either.

I ended up being very drunk, in a good way, and managed to leave the pub and stagger home (stagger being the operative word).

I'm glad I got everyone out. I really needed it, I think. The ongoing funk that I talk about in this post is still an issue (hence wanting to talk to GM) and especially the meeting someone angle. Reading other blogs, especially some dating blogs just makes me angry - my experiences with online dating, while comparable to KfW2's husband and GM as well, are not those of the bloggers I've been reading. Even Tinder is not showing me ANY matches

CH asked recently if I had given up on online dating, or specifically, had I closed my accounts. I did confirm and say to CH that I was disappointed that no-one seems to realise how my online dating experiences at the start of the year had effected me, how down I was about it.

It's the same old story... I do need to sit down and chat to someone - preferably GM or KfW2, but CH would work too.

Grrr...(Not part two - a different one).

A month ago I sent out an email arranging a night out. All the usual suspects were invited and they all agreed quite quickly. Probably something to do with the fact it wasn't just a night out - it was more of a celebration/special occasion.

Unsurprisingly, GB cried off yesterday. This isn't an issue - she was originally invited more because of habit than anything else, and she been invited out to less and less since the CB fiasco last year and certainly since she got offside at Xmas, even after I'd opened up a little and said that I kinda needed the company.

The one that got me was CH. After I'd sent out the final arrangements today, she was straight on to IM.

"But I'm only coming out for one drink!" she exclaimed.

I told her that this was news to me - that her previous plans had certainly involved not drinking, but had indicated that she would be out for a good few hours before getting the bus home.

"I'll be driving. It's my turn!"

I asked why she couldn't swap with her friend.

"My husband is working extra hours this week and I need to look after the kids."

It's plausible, but the upshot is that she's had a month so sort all this out. Certainly the driving thing could easily have been sorted. The drinking thing isn't an issue - I want the company, not necessarily for people to be drunk. KfW2 won't be drinking, for example. The only other issue is her husband working. If this had been a bog standard night out, I would have been disappointed, but accepted it. However, because it's a special occasion, I am angry that something that's not insurmountable gets in the way - she could have gotten her parents to look after the kids for a couple of hours (again, I wouldn't ask her to be out all night... but a few hours would be nice).

Sigh.

I did rant to KfW2, who was sympathetic, but what can you do? Some people are simply unreliable and that saddens me. Reliability should be the cornerstone of any friendship.

[EDIT]
CH sent me a message and asked if I would meet her for a lunchtime drink instead. Two things happened: firstly she went off on a massive rant about her friend who let her down at the last minute for a girly night out supposedly through illness but recovered enough to go out drinking the night after. I was about to tell her that her reaction wasn't OTT, but surely she realised that my own reaction to her last-minute news was similar, and if not then she was being hypocritical. I sighed, took another sip of beer and said nothing. OIt would have accomplished nothing.

Secondly, we were out for about 20 minutes. I had one pint, she had a bottle of beer and that was it. She made a move to get up and leave, but I made it clear that I was sitting on. I'd far rather she wanted to come out and have drink with me, not make it a box ticking exercise.

Grrr...

It's funny. 6:29 on a digital clock (or, rather, my bedside clock) reads the same upside down as it does the right way up.

That was the first thought that went through my head this morning when I opened my eyes.

Awake at half-past six when I only got to bed around 2AM. This lack of sleep thing is really starting to get to me. As I've already explained/admitted to KfW2, I've been really irritable over the past month or so and this was evident again last night.

S invited me out to watch the World Cup with a friend of his. This friend, a guy  I know and like, invited some of his co-workers. I knew instantly, when we were introduced, that I probably wouldn't like him (which is quite unlike me) and this proved to be the case.

I hunted out somewhere with a good view of one of the many TVs in the bar, only for him to walk past us and try and blag seats at a table because he insisted on sitting. We had been sitting there less than ten minutes when he decided again to move to the adjacent, and now vacant table. I refused to move - the seats that S and I had were excellent and moving would have meant a poorer view of the TV. All the while he was, in my opinion, showing off, about the fact he was a known regular in the bar and with each passing arbitrary decision he made, I got more annoyed.

Afterwards, we went to get something to eat and play some pool. Only S and myself were eating, so I ordered food while the others played. A few minutes before the food was due to arrive, he made another arbitrary decision to move to a different pool table. He spared no thought to S or myself needing somewhere to eat food... he just wanted to move to a table where the sun wasn't shining.

That was the final straw. I told S when our food had arrived that I would finish it and go home. I was fed up with this man's constant arbitrary decision making without canvassing the rest of us and his showing off (when I was ordering food, he described everything on the menu, not by taste which might have been useful, but how it was presented).

I was home by 9PM with a couple of beers and chilled out by myself, watching the World Cup.

That type of thing annoys me at the best of times - personally speaking, I try to get everyone involved in decision making, so when other people spare no thought for the group, then that grinds my gears. However, my recent lack of sleep and short temper meant I was unable to look past that and have a good night, so rather than stay and get angry (or angrier), I simply left.

Well, well, well!

Just before I went on holiday with KfW2 last year, I asked DSC to do me a favour and help me go clothes shopping, only for her to throw a tantrum simply because I asked her to come an hour later than she had originally suggested.

I wouldn't say that I ended our friendship on the basis of this one incident, but I did make a conscious decision not to make first contact once I came back from my holiday.

So, unsurprisingly, I never heard from her again.

Until last night. 54 weeks after our last contact.

It simply said "I miss you".

It's a text message I'd love to get from a romantic partner, but I don't know whether to even bother with DSC any more. It's not anger or anything, just apathy and a desire not to get involved with any of her drama/mood swings.

I've not replied as yet. I don't know if I even will.

*yaaaawn*

I finally fell asleep this morning at around 5AM. I do have these occasional insomniac nights. Sometimes there's a reason for it and I have things on my mind and others are inexplicable. Last night was one of those, though it probably wasn't helped by the neighbours watching some action film until after 1AM, then FNG being unable to close doors quietly at 3AM when he went for a piss.

I was due to be taking tomorrow and Friday off work, but as I had a stupendous headache, sore eyes and obviously needed some sleep, I took this afternoon as well. I haven't managed to get any sleep, but I have gone to Tesco and back and am now chilling out. Sleep will elude me until bedtime tonight.

I've also, again somewhat inexplicably, been thinking about CAB for some reason. Dunno why though.

*yawn*

It's safe to say that I haven't been myself recently - probably over the past month. It's hard to put my finger on the cause, but it's probably a combination of quite a few factors including, but maybe not restricted to: lack of sleep due to my neighbours not being aware of their surroundings and heat-induced insomnia, boredom at work (I've had nothing to do for quite a while now), "the funk" (it's been hanging around in various stages since I started (and finished) online dating a while back.

The tiredness is probably the biggest factor though. I've been mentally exhausted for what seems like ages, my fitness thing has kinda semi-fallen by the wayside for a few weeks and I find myself being very short-tempered (a sure sign of tiredness).

I need to get back into the fitness thing again and I have plans to do so next week, but that alone isn't going to solve my issues, but it might help a little, at least raise my spirits a little.

I've a few social things coming up to look forward to - a big night out in a few weeks, seeing QC2, out with D and FBS etc.

Last minute things.

A few days ago CC text me and asked me to go out tonight with her to a local-ish pub that serves food. As much as I like CC, I can't sit with someone whose only topic of conversation is themselves, so I declined citing "possible plans". That's not a complete lie - at the time, I had thought that I might get out to the same pub as CH and see how things went, but that's was ruled out last night.

Instead, KfW2 sent a text late last night and asked if she could tag along if I was going to the pub. I didn't realise that she'd also sent it to CC, but I replied in the affirmative.

I wasn't planning on it, but as it turned out to be a nice night here, I thought that I might as well.

I was sat in the bar with CC for almost an hour before KfW2 turned up with her husband and we spent a few enjoyable hours talking rubbish about all sorts of things. Eventually, KfW2 made it clear she wanted to move on, so we left. KfW's husband was meeting a friend of his at another bar, CC was going home, so KfW2 asked if I wanted to go for something to eat.

I replied positively, partly because I wanted to stay out longer and KfW2 is always good company and partly because I was only going to go home and order a takeaway anyway.

We found a nice looking place and sat for a few hours, chatting away about nothing in particular (though CC's self-centeredness might have been mentioned) and generally chilling out before her husband called her and asked for a lift home (less than two hours after meeting his friend in the pub).

An unexpected, but otherwise enjoyable start to what is going to be a quiet weekend.

Bah.

CH is out and about tomorrow night with a friend of hers. I had been hoping for her to be in my home town so that I could try and engineer a repeat of this night, albeit with a slightly different outcome. I tried to confirm that with her today, with the aim of starting to plant the seeds, but it turns out that she's going out in her own home town instead.

She's due to come out with us in a few weeks' time, but that'll be a completely different night out.