Don't sell people short...

Seattle is known for many things, among them being a statistic for the most single people in a large urban area. Depending on the source the concentration based on gender may be different, but the fact itself isn't surprising.

In my own experiences, people from the NW are naturally more standoffish than people from other parts of the country. And I don't mean they don't open up so much as they seem to show an active effort to ignore people. Unless, of course, you are in the way and they are late to work and you aren't in a hurry.

Today at work, a very nice lady surprised me when she asked my opinion on the topic for a paper which I assume she is going to write. While my first suggestion did not fly, building on a second that she offered provided a very nice interaction.

It was a refreshing change in my original assumptions whenever dealing with a woman in Seattle. I don't always think that people are intentionally ignoring because of arrogance or anything like that, I think it has more to do with underdeveloped social skills.

Another point in case is that there is a gentleman friend who goes to the same group as I do. He is not easy to talk to and really needs a lot of personal space. He speaks quietly and does not enunciate his words clearly. He comes off as being offputting, and I don't really think it is his fault. It is just that he, like many NW'ers, has underdeveloped social skills and doesn't realize he is doing these things.

Well, I am off to a Happy Hour. Place looks like a dive and chances are small it will make "the list" of restaurants I would take people to, but it is a chance to...socialize...and develop my skills that much more. Ciao!