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Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!cbosgd!ihnp4!gargoyle!oddjob!matt
From: matt@oddjob.UUCP (Matt Crawford)
Newsgroups: net.singles
Subject: Re: catching up
Message-ID: <1038@oddjob.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 6-Nov-85 22:23:48 EST
Article-I.D.: oddjob.1038
Posted: Wed Nov  6 22:23:48 1985
Date-Received: Fri, 8-Nov-85 21:53:01 EST
References: <177@unirot.UUCP>
Reply-To: matt@oddjob.UUCP (Matt Crawford)
Organization: U. Chicago, Astronomy & Astrophysics
Lines: 31

pooh@unirot.UUCP (Pooh @ The Soup Kitchen) writes:
>Re: Being Attached
>
>I also find that if someone is Significantly Attached, he will generally
>let me know one way or the other--either by starting a sentence with,
>"My wife/girlfriend/lover/woman and I . . ."
>. . .   On the other hand,
>men who *aren't* attached and want to make sure I know it will talk
>about how tough it is being single (:-), or talk about their EX-whoever

Gee, I don't bring up the subject of X's much, and certainly not
on a first meeting, but I can see where an adroitly-delivered
remark about "my most recent ex-{boy|girl}friend ..."(*) could be
used as a token of encouragement.

If I meet someone and am interested in them, and if there is no
attachment in evidence, then I assume there isn't one, while
listening for hints that there is.  If there turns out to be
someone already, then acknowledging that information may put the
person at their ease somewhat.

How can one get across a message of availability without being
too crass about it?  I once used some of that nouveau-macho
after-shave stuff, thinking that would either send a signal or
at least remind me to keep in a receptive state of mind, but
half an hour later I spilled gasoline on my shoe.  It's been one
of those days, all this year.
_____________________________________________________
Matt		University	crawford@anl-mcs.arpa
Crawford	of Chicago	ihnp4!oddjob!matt

(*) I have never heard a non-net person use the term "S. O.".