Shooting Down Cupid: Part 2
The Plan - Nick Jahn
A book came out a few years ago called "The Year of Yes" by Maria
Dahvana Headley. Maybe you've heard of it, maybe you haven't. Maybe
you've even read it or like me, you have not. If you've never heard of it or
read it, then let me sum up the big picture: the author decided to not
turn down any dating requests for an entire year, and she wrote about all
of her experiences.

She apparently said "yes" to some 150 suitors including a homeless man
and a couple of lesbians over the course of one year. Like I said, I haven't
read it - so if I'm slaughtering the principle or making it sound too
simple, then I apologize wholeheartedly. After all, the author and her
book were a huge inspiration to me. I thought so much of the idea that I
wondered if I could do the same thing. Then it occurred to me that since
I'm a guy, life just doesn't work that way. In other words, even if I said
yes to every woman who asked me out over the course of a year, I'd
probably get to date a grand total of one woman if I was lucky, and
maybe none if I maintained status quo. Oh, sure - I could say yes to gay
men I suppose. But since I am as straight as an interstate highway in
Nebraska, I'd be in for a pretty short bus of dating experiences.

So I pondered the idea some more, and came up with what I thought was
a brilliant twist on Headley's premise. I would ask out every woman that
I found even remotely attractive over the course of a year and document
all the times I would get shot down. The more I thought about it, the
more I liked it. No more worries about going up to that hottie at the bar
- or in the mall, or the gym, or wherever - with the risk of being hugely
embarrassed of getting turned down. After all, the practice of coming up
with some ridiculous pick-up lines and noting how bad the reactions
were could make for some pretty damn interesting stories. So I thought,
"What the hell - I'll ask out as many women as I can and write about it.
Then I'll share my experiences in an online magazine." Well, not quite -
I figured I'd write a book about it as Headley had. But the online format
is just easier to deal with. And I'm too busy to write a book, anyway.
Yeah, that's it…I'm too busy. Whatever.

In short, over the next few months I'll share various stories of dating
proposals, techniques, and flat out buffoonery and I'll let you know how
it worked out. Here's a clue: I'm still single. In any case, I hope you will
enjoy reading about my experiences as much as I enjoyed putting myself
through it.

Oh, one more thing. I don't pretend to be a professional writer or an
accomplished vocabulari-ester. I sometimes make up my own words,
which could be fun too. So for all of you English majors who are looking
to send feedback critiquing my amateur and colloquial efforts, remember
this - I am in fact an amateur and I can be very colloquial. But for the rest
of you, I'd love to hear your stories of shoot-downs as well. Because you
know what? At the end of the day, you tried to ask her out, she said no,
and you're still alive to tell about it. So why the hell are we so damn
insecure when it comes to asking out women? That's right - we
shouldn't be. And that's the premise of Copia Magazine - today's the day,
and make every day count.

See you next time! -- Nick

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