Current Location: Redwood City, CA
Current Weather: 61F, 16C
Current Reads: Poker : The Real Deal by Phil Gordon and Jonathan Grotenstein, and Chance: A Guide to Gambling, Love, the Stock Market and Just About Everything Else by Amir D. Aczel (THANKS, John!)
Did I turn to the Love chapter first?: Yes
Will I be following Aczel’s method?: Ummm, no. Or maybe I’ll ask a statistician or two, how the hell long it would take (weeks, months, years?) for me to meet the next 37 available men that I encounter. And if I went on a date with all of them, how many hours would that take?
“You will maximize your probability of finding the best spouse if you date about thirty-seven percent of the available candidates in your life, and then choose to stay with the next candidate who is better than all previous ones.”
Yeah, he went on to explain some stuff that didn’t sound doable to me. And then added this:
“So if you are a young woman who expects to meet one hundred attractive bachelors over her dating years, you should let the first thirty-seven go, and marry the first one you meet thereafter who is more attractive to you than all thirty-seven young men you have already dated.
Reaction: I would’ve had to have started this when I was 16. Next, I’ll have to ask my best friend Dan if I’ve dated 37 men as he is the only one who can remember all the ones I’ve long forgotten. And I don’t think I’m close. Maybe half. But if we’re talking “meet”, well hell, sure, I’ve said hello to 37 single men since I started dating. Still, it would be interesting to see what number I’m on just to have some interesting dramas and potential story leads when #37 comes along. I have a few emails to send out…
Movies this week: If you’re my friend, you’ll come over and take me to one before I start crying because I haven’t been to a movie since Christmas. Seriously, call it exaggeration, or call it withdrawals, the choice is yours.
Pitches: No time for pitches. What am I talking about…I’ve been researching one for a mag. I just haven’t finished it yet.
Assignments: Can’t remember.
Biggest thrill: Don George asking me to be on the faculty at this year’s Book Passage Travel Writers and Photographers Conference. (August!)
Current writing: Zero, I’m reading everyone else’s.
Number of submissions in my inbox this week: 69
On or offline poker played: 0 🙁
TV poker watched: Ultimate Poker Challenge with Daniel Negreanu and Evelyn Ng as hosts.
Wifi Girl: Susan’s house –Woohoo!
Next trip: Vegas for Superbowl. But I don’t know if I can wait that long. Help?!
Number of friends who are worried I’m going to get addicted to gambling when I move to Vegas: 1
Number of friends attempting to make my move easier: 1
Number of poker lessons I got this week: 2
Best line that put me on tilt: “God you’re sexy!” said a man in our office building as I entered the room.
Shades of red I turned before exclaiming “You can’t say that to me!”: 6
His reply: “Yes, I can, you’re leaving next week.”
What I was thinking while I chatted with him for the next fifteen minutes: Reactions like this are going to keep me from being a good poker player. I mean, come on, I’m dead money if I get flustered this easily. Any guy could say that at a table.
Jobs: Working at Travelers’ Tales for a few more weeks/months?
What are you up to?
Last stats.
I heard these comments weren’t working, but it looks like they are. I also talked to my Math/Stats expert and there’s also the problem that you’re not going to just meet 100 people. It could be open ended. So, there’s one more way this thing is flawed.
My new idea, however, was to start fresh, and go to a bunch of speed dating sessions. Say no to the first 37 (whether they asked me out or not), and then to say yes to the 38th automatically. Or ask him out (he could say no).
Anyway, either way you look at it, I don’t like this whole thing.
Which reminds me. My math/stats expert says there also needs to be a bailing out point.
I think I’ll stick to, “Yeah, why not, you’re the nicest to me.” 😉
Strike the movies plea. I just saw In Good Company.
Congratulations on being on the faculty, Jen! That’s great! Does that mean I don’t get to sit with you in the back during the evening event? You’ll get a much better seat now. I’ll be all lonely.
Yeah, it means I’ll get to sit on those benches up at the front near the speakers. That reminds me of the time I was in the fifth grade. I had been trying to gross out my best friend Lisa by flipping my retainer over and showing her the saliva side. We were doing this from tables across the room. Mrs. Sullivan was none too pleased so she sat me in a chair right next to her at the front of the class. This just meant I had a better view, or a better stage. 🙂
So, then I just started flicking my retainer from the front of the room, got more people laughing, and got in bigger trouble.
I should learn from this and stay seated in the back with you, Jill! More fun anyway. Less margin for getting in trouble. 😉 Unless we upstage the keynote by hosting body shots for $5 each!
You’re dangerous. You know what a sucker I am for dares…
Well, lets see where we are in August. 🙂 That kind of stunt might be too small potatoes for me after my Vegas stint. Or, Poker Boy X might have something to say about who gets to take my lime. You know? 😉
Does your inter-office flirtation count as 1 of the 37?
Nope. He’s not single. That’s why I said he couldn’t talk to me like that.
I was thinking dating or kissed, but having just said that I’m starting to think it’s not so wise to put my numbers up here. I guess you can put them up if they’re under 15. Otherwise, we should probably hold off…
Dan has informed me that I’m over 15 but well under 37.