Case Study Specs -
The Basics:
1. Get the hell out the house - duh
2. Smile, smile, smile - check
3. Talk to strangers - check
4. Go to the gym, get that blood pumping - check
Advanced Tactic:
Tip #12: Flirt with "target's" wing man/buddy/best friend. This will spark the male's natural competitive nature and in turn will pursue you even more diligently.
Location: Bar - The Brown Lantern and Star Bar in Anacourtes, Washington
Situation Analysis:
I graduated from Western Washington University so I am fairly familiar with the happenin' places up and around Bellingham and the San Juans. When I was in school (pre New York) one of my school girlfriends was married to a naval pilot who was on deployment the entire time she and I were in school. She was barely 22 - so you can imagine when her husband was away she and I definitely played.
Since she lived on the navy base in Oak Harbor, one of the big navy hangouts was this bar in Anacourtes called the Brown Lantern. And boy did we get into some trouble at the Brown Lantern.
So it's been about 4 years and one of my girlfriends and her boyfriend were heading up to Anacourtes on their boat this weekend - since my family has a beach house up on Samish Island, I figured I would stay up there and head over to my old stomping ground and hang out with them. I agreed to meet them at the Brown Lantern once they docked so we could go take in a jazz band.
Lucky for me, (and this case study) they were reeeeeeal late. Like an hour and a half late.
In that hour and a half sitting up at the bar, sipping my "Brown Latern IPA" came the perfect opportunity to test out Sex in the City's male competition tactic. I was surrounded- seriously, surrounded by navy guys and sure enough a strapping wholesome looking young buck struck up a conversation.
Now for the sake of anonymity we will call him Tank- cuz aside from the fact that he was all kinds of tanned muscle, he told me he was second in command running oil tankers from Alaska to the Anacourtes refinery. He was wearing a layered polo shirt and jeans (um no, he did NOT have his collared popped). It's important to note that he looked young- like 21 young. Came to find out later he was 25- yes lambs, mama was a cougar last night.
His buddy on the other hand, we will call him Bling. Bling had on a backwards cap, a rhinestone long chain necklace and an a t-shirt with an airbrushed image of Darth Vader (I shit you not- Darth friggen' Vader) and roses AND he was drinking a Tokyo Tea. Whatever the hell that is. He was navy through and through. Stationed here for the next two years ladies. Go get him.
Anyhoo- first Bling abandoned Tank to let him chat me up for a bit. I got the full story about how he was from Alaska and how he started running these big ships yadda yadda yadda. The guy was a bit too wholesome (although not too wholesome to rest his arm around me intermittently and put his hand on my leg whenever he leaned in to tell me something) and too young. Instead of pursuing him wholeheartedly I decided to see what would happen if I started flirting with Bling.
The result was HI-LARIOUS and a little bit creepy. I had Bling on one side of me, Tank on the other. I started asking Bling about his story - I flipped my hair, gazed directly into his eyes, laughed at his jokes and for the most part ignored Tank. When Tank got up to get himself a drink Bling says:
"You are sooo pretty! I love your hair, you've got GREAT hair. And your smile...." - I don't know what it is about my hair. I smile and say thank you (see it really is about smiling, all-the-time.
Right about then Tank comes back and slides his arm across my shoulders and puts a drink down in front of me. And then the tug of war started happening. One would turn one way and then other would try and touch me or get my attention, or pay me compliments. At one point I had my back up against the bar and I felt a bit pinned because they were both in my personal space and I couldn't lean back any farther.
Then they started comparing their biceps.
Not. Kidding.
By this time, my late friends had arrived and they are watching this pissing match unfold. I finally had had enough of it and we left out the back door to go to the Star Bar next door.
And they followed.
The great thing about any competition is that it must come to an end. They both went down to the bar to get cocktails and only one came back. Tank won. Bling slunk off to Watertown.
But after all that competing- Tank didn't get the prize. While he tried to get me to take him home, I (no spring chicken) declined, gave him my biz card and headed back to Samish Island alone.
Conclusion:
Sex in the City by Lisa Sussman- you are on to something my dear. But at the end of the day, I felt creeped out by their persistence and turned off by their peacocking. Proceed with caution.
The Basics:
1. Get the hell out the house - duh
2. Smile, smile, smile - check
3. Talk to strangers - check
4. Go to the gym, get that blood pumping - check
Advanced Tactic:
Tip #12: Flirt with "target's" wing man/buddy/best friend. This will spark the male's natural competitive nature and in turn will pursue you even more diligently.
Location: Bar - The Brown Lantern and Star Bar in Anacourtes, Washington
Situation Analysis:
I graduated from Western Washington University so I am fairly familiar with the happenin' places up and around Bellingham and the San Juans. When I was in school (pre New York) one of my school girlfriends was married to a naval pilot who was on deployment the entire time she and I were in school. She was barely 22 - so you can imagine when her husband was away she and I definitely played.
Since she lived on the navy base in Oak Harbor, one of the big navy hangouts was this bar in Anacourtes called the Brown Lantern. And boy did we get into some trouble at the Brown Lantern.
So it's been about 4 years and one of my girlfriends and her boyfriend were heading up to Anacourtes on their boat this weekend - since my family has a beach house up on Samish Island, I figured I would stay up there and head over to my old stomping ground and hang out with them. I agreed to meet them at the Brown Lantern once they docked so we could go take in a jazz band.
Lucky for me, (and this case study) they were reeeeeeal late. Like an hour and a half late.
In that hour and a half sitting up at the bar, sipping my "Brown Latern IPA" came the perfect opportunity to test out Sex in the City's male competition tactic. I was surrounded- seriously, surrounded by navy guys and sure enough a strapping wholesome looking young buck struck up a conversation.
Now for the sake of anonymity we will call him Tank- cuz aside from the fact that he was all kinds of tanned muscle, he told me he was second in command running oil tankers from Alaska to the Anacourtes refinery. He was wearing a layered polo shirt and jeans (um no, he did NOT have his collared popped). It's important to note that he looked young- like 21 young. Came to find out later he was 25- yes lambs, mama was a cougar last night.
His buddy on the other hand, we will call him Bling. Bling had on a backwards cap, a rhinestone long chain necklace and an a t-shirt with an airbrushed image of Darth Vader (I shit you not- Darth friggen' Vader) and roses AND he was drinking a Tokyo Tea. Whatever the hell that is. He was navy through and through. Stationed here for the next two years ladies. Go get him.
Anyhoo- first Bling abandoned Tank to let him chat me up for a bit. I got the full story about how he was from Alaska and how he started running these big ships yadda yadda yadda. The guy was a bit too wholesome (although not too wholesome to rest his arm around me intermittently and put his hand on my leg whenever he leaned in to tell me something) and too young. Instead of pursuing him wholeheartedly I decided to see what would happen if I started flirting with Bling.
The result was HI-LARIOUS and a little bit creepy. I had Bling on one side of me, Tank on the other. I started asking Bling about his story - I flipped my hair, gazed directly into his eyes, laughed at his jokes and for the most part ignored Tank. When Tank got up to get himself a drink Bling says:
"You are sooo pretty! I love your hair, you've got GREAT hair. And your smile...." - I don't know what it is about my hair. I smile and say thank you (see it really is about smiling, all-the-time.
Right about then Tank comes back and slides his arm across my shoulders and puts a drink down in front of me. And then the tug of war started happening. One would turn one way and then other would try and touch me or get my attention, or pay me compliments. At one point I had my back up against the bar and I felt a bit pinned because they were both in my personal space and I couldn't lean back any farther.
Then they started comparing their biceps.
Not. Kidding.
By this time, my late friends had arrived and they are watching this pissing match unfold. I finally had had enough of it and we left out the back door to go to the Star Bar next door.
And they followed.
The great thing about any competition is that it must come to an end. They both went down to the bar to get cocktails and only one came back. Tank won. Bling slunk off to Watertown.
But after all that competing- Tank didn't get the prize. While he tried to get me to take him home, I (no spring chicken) declined, gave him my biz card and headed back to Samish Island alone.
Conclusion:
Sex in the City by Lisa Sussman- you are on to something my dear. But at the end of the day, I felt creeped out by their persistence and turned off by their peacocking. Proceed with caution.
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