Oh, man -- I'm watching this morning's Ellen, and they have Cindy Lauper performing at a subway stop in my neighborhood! That I was at several times this weekend!!

Also, now they have the Rent cast, and here is how cheesy I am: Seasons of Love still makes me cry. Also, Tracie Thoms is tearing it UP. FYI.

I asked a woman who works at a nearby bookstore out last week. Her response was an enthusiastic 'maybe.' No really, she was enthusiastic.

ION, I'll probably have to have a laser fired into my eye.

Then again, I had a friend in college who claimed that this line would work like a charm on pretty much any man. Well, okay, the exact line he recommended was, "Let's fuck."

I'm skeptical. I freely admit to being a standard-bearer for slutdom, and even I'm taken aback by someone assuming too quickly that sex is theirs for the taking without an effort at making friendly conversation first.

I would like to encourage everyone to do more asking out, in general. I mean, as long as the person is reasonably nice and non-creepy, it's almost always nice and flattering, even if you don't want to go out with them.

I would like to encourage everyone to do more asking out, in general. I mean, as long as the person is reasonably nice and non-creepy, it's almost always nice and flattering, even if you don't want to go out with them.

So you should ask people out that you don't want to go out with?

Sorry, I know that's not what you meant.

In that second sentence "the person" is the asker and "you" are the ask-ee.

OK, time to wang some chung.

In that second sentence "the person" is the asker and "you" are the ask-ee.

Yeah, that's what I figured. But it took me a sec.

I asked a woman who works at a nearby bookstore out last week. Her response was an enthusiastic 'maybe.' No really, she was enthusiastic.

Rock on! I hope it works out. There were definitely a few customers when I worked at Whole Foods who I always kinda hoped would ask me out. And last summer, I asked out the guy who sold me my bed. (insert joke here) Moral of the story: asking out people you meet in stores is a good thing and should be encouraged.

I used to never ask store employees out. I figured that female store employees got hit on all the time, so they must be tired of it. Eventually I decided that if the woman was genuinely friendly to me (i.e. not friendly in the mandated, "Have a nice day!" fashion), that it was OK if I asked her out in a non-obnoxious manner.

I'm skeptical.

So am I, although mostly I am just not that kind of gal. I like conversation.