Next week it's back to work. This week I've been going in a few hours each day to get a head start on my classroom. Each year it seems that I need more and more time to get the same amount of work done. This is my 18th year of teaching and I'm not tired of it yet. I still love it. When I go back to work to get a start on my classroom there are other teachers milling about and starting their classrooms as well. Of course you have to stop what you are doing and talk about what you did over the summer. I feel like holding up a sign saying that I had a nice summer except for my trip to Oklahoma. But I won't do that. So I'm polite and tell them about my trip and listen to their summer adventures. I don't really care what the hell they did over the summer. I'm only being nice. I'd much rather be working on getting things set up in my classroom. That's why I go to work a week early. Next year it will be two weeks early probably.

On the drive to school this week, and it's a really short drive, I started to notice again all the eye candy I see on the way. Each year I forget that lots of hot guys are going to work at that time of the morning and I have a brief moment of lust when I drive by them and see them all dressed up and ready for work. Long term relationship fantasies rush through my mind in the 3 or 4 seconds they pass to my left or right. Are they single? Are they gay? Do they live around here? How old are they? Catch up to them again and take one more look! He might wink or something! But as usual nothing happens. Kinda silly anyway. I've never heard of someone finding a boyfriend on their drive to work.

Seeing this eye candy, having the relationship fantasies, and having the courage to talk to someone when I was out with K on Monday night made me think that I have to be proactive if I am going to find a man. K invited me out again for drinks with some of his friends on Sunday but my brother is coming in town and we are having dinner with my mother so I can't go. I was really hyped about it though. I was ready to go out again and talk to some strangers. Hahaha There are certain things I could do to at least increase the chances of meeting someone. I've been a non-paying member of Match.com for awhile. The only problem with that is that you can't e-mail anyone who e-mails you unless you are a paying member or unless they have included a different e-mail address in their initial e-mail to you. Did you follow that? So after Sunday's decision, I reactivated my Match.com profile and sure enough, within 24 hours I had three e-mails from guys I couldn't e-mail back. So I took the plunge and paid for a six month subscription. I was able to e-mail them back. One guy lives in Chicago (and no, it wasn't Mr. ATF…who I haven't heard from by the way), one lives way out in Maryland and one lives in the DC area. I didn't reply to the one in Chicago, I shot e-mails back and forth with the one way out in Maryland but turned it down because it's way to far to drive for a date, and the one in the area who started the e-mail with me hasn't e-mailed me back. Oh well. That's only the first few days. I'm sure others will e-mail me sometime. The bold thing though is that I actually e-mailed two guys who I found interesting. I've never done that before. I have been encouraged to do so in the past and there was one guy I've had an interest in for awhile. He was one I e-mailed. But as I could have expected, neither of them have e-mailed me back. No big deal. The important thing is that I e-mailed them. My confidence is rising.

This Saturday is the DC Gay Bloggers Brunch. It's going to be held at Trio's on 17th street in DC. I think there are about 15 people who will be there. I don't know any of them except through some of their blogs. I am looking forward to meeting them though. It will be very awkward for me because I've never met any of them and I'll be going alone. I'm very shy in groups of people. I fear I will become that wall flower and clam up. I hope I will either have the confidence to talk or that someone else will engage me in conversation. Either way, it should be a fun event. I'm looking forward to it. And if any of you reading this are also DC Gay Bloggers, you should join us. Thanks to Chrisafer at Blah, Blah, Black Sheep for coordinating this event.

Oh, and one more thing. I have 5 Gmail invites if anyone is looking for a Gmail account. Gmail is the e-mail system that Google has. I use mine for junk e-mail and it has been working quite well. If you would like an invite, feel free to e-mail me and tell me why I should give you one. 🙂 I'll probably give it to you anyway, but I want to hear why I should give you one.