I joined a meetup group for women in their 20-30s who want to meet other nice, fun, outgoing women in the Bay area.  We had a meetup at this really cute wine bar, District, which is practically right across the street from the AT&T Stadium. We tried a bottle of white (Vevi, Verdejo, Rueda, Spain 2010) that was SO good. If you like whites that are crisp and fruity, and just this side of sweet, it's the wine for you.  The menu describes it as peachy. I enjoy a good glass of wine, and I'm working on developing my palate.. but if you ask me to identify the notes, I'm likely to answer, "Uhh.. grapes?"  But this rueda was bursting with peach notes. Amazing. I would recommend their fries, too--the dipping sauce (garlicky creamy something, maybe mayo?) was delicious with the truffle oil on the fries. Check it: http://districtsf.com/

It was great to get out and just have girl talk. I've been hanging out with B-Man and his friends all the time.  Despite having a few very close, long lasting friendships with girls (I love you, ladies) I've always gotten along better with guys. I can't shake the feeling that it's very strange for B-man.  Maybe it's his European-ness?  Maybe he's insecure? No idea.   The feeling of his unsaid discomfort drove me to the one place where you can find anything: the internet. I was hoping to find that elusive species: human females who are smart, fun, NICE, accomplished, and who actually like getting out and doing shit.  I only went to one meetup but I have to say--I think I've already found a winning bunch!

We talked for 3 hours about everything, and there was never a dull moment in the conversation. The girls were from all corners of SF, but one is living in a small city to the south--just 1 mile away from B-Man, in fact. I offered her a ride home at the beginning of the evening and as we talked, I was more than happy I had offered--she was definitely the nicest of the bunch.  It was a great time and I realized how much I miss talking candidly about anything and everything.  No topic was too crazy, nothing was off limits--everything from how we're dealing with shifts in our social circles as more and more of our friends are getting married and having children to the struggle women in SF face as they deal with SF guys and the weird dating scene out here.  I had such a great time that I was still in a good mood the next morning, even when the alarm went off at: 4:30 am.

The whole meetup thing makes me think--it can be kind of weird to agree to meet up with a group of total strangers, none of whom have ever met each other before.  The internet has really changed the world. Who would have thought that something like this would be possible?  With a few clicks of a mouse (I am dating myself here--I should pretend that I have a tablet. This is 2012 in Silicon Valley), I found a new social site that makes connecting with people SO much easier. I never would have been able to get such a great group of girls together on my own if I didn't already know them.  It beats the hell out of trying to meet people in bars.

I'm curious--who else has used social (Web 2.0) to accomplish something that would be pretty much impossible otherwise? Have you stepped outside of your comfort zone, like I did?  And what was the result?