#dated photos

[shabbydoll]

Was supposed to spend this afternoon packing for a trip, but instead I dicked around on the internet and found a horrible photo of Brett Anderson talking on an old ass cell phone. Priorities. 

[lonelyhavens]

Portrait of the Loner as a Young Playa

Smitty, my informant from the broomball singles scene, calls me last Tuesday in need of a favor. Her coed v-ball team is one man short to register for the rec league. Not just one person short -- one guy short. (Did I mention that the league is run by a company that hawks ski-dating packages?) Nine weeks, ninety bucks.

"And you need to do it!" she says.

I'm not sure I agree with how need is used here.

"Come on," she nags. "Maybe you'll meet some nice friends. I don't know..."

I try to think about it in terms of substitutions. Twenty-five havens down is a lot of time to fill. And I haven't been replacing them in the way I had hoped -- with people. Instead I've been content to stay alone provided that I keep busy: working, writing, ditching bad habits. But the loneliness itself is a bad habit, as bad as any lonely haven on my list.

Twenty-five havens down is a lot of time that I could be sharing.

Then again, some settings still leave me helpless. The singles bars, for instance. The über-swank places. The sordid places. The loud places. Whiskey Tavern...

Where does rec-league v-ball fit in? Which game do the players take more seriously?

"The atmosphere is way too competitive to foster flirting," Smitty tells me.

Okay, so it's a legit gym-rat thing. I can deal. Will it be 5-1 offense or streetball chaos?

"Can you stop asking questions and just sign up? The deadline is today."

The next day, I get an e-mail with the confirmed schedule. Meet some of our new opponents:

East Side Swingers

Deli King Cougars

Sets All Night Long

I look at the fine print on my registration: "Cancellation less than 10 days prior to the start date or activity, and if not sold out and/or no replacement is made -- No refund."

The first game is next week.

I think about the time. I haven't played in what -- ten, twelve years? Better if I don't try to count them. Better to just shut up and not worry and play along.