i’ve never really been what is known in the biz as “a ladies man.” i tend to get nervous and insecure when i get to a situation with a girl that i like or find attractive.

take, for example, last night. i go out with my roommate, his gf, and some of their friends to one of our local watering holes. it turned out this particular event was a live journal group meet up. i’m not a member of live journal, but the people were cool so it was all good.

well, in walks these two amazing girls, and to my surprise they sat down at the other end of our table. we are introduced and then they start talking to the people they know. well, being the total asshat that i am, i never really make any attempt to talk to them b/c they are at the other end of the table.

for me the real problem comes from trying to discern those situations where it is ok to walk up to the girl and those where it is not. i always assume it’s not ok, b/c they are either there with someone, not (what i would consider) interested in me, or whatever. basically what i’m getting at here is that i have no balls.

—

i just recently read two of the best books i think i’ve ever read in my entire life. one being blink by malcom gladwell and the other being freakonomics by steven levitt and stephen dubner. both of them are very interesting; blink is about your unconscience ability to “thin slice” or in other words in a very short amount of time reduce any stimuli to only that which matters in a particular situation.

freakonomics is just about the different incentives we all have in life, and how two seemingly disperate things (like, say, public school teachers in chicgo and sumo wrestlers in japan) can actually be very closely related in a lot of ways.

i would recommend either of these books to anyone that is interested in sociology or psychology or just someone who would like to find out some very interesting things about themselves and the world around them.