Looking for Fun This Weekend?

I, for one, am going CAMPING this weekend, which I could not be more stoked about.  We're going up to the North Cascades to tool around in boats, climb waterfalls, eat a bunch of yummy grubbins, and drink a lot while soaking up the sunshine.

this is the most funnest place

Grindr

So. Grindr. The newest thing in WiFi technology for gay men. An app for iPhone and iPod Touch that uses GPS to hook guys up for casual sex. It's like Craigslist on steroids!

Not for pepper.

On the one hand, I think this is ingenious. What a clever application of GPS technology, and way to identify a market and cater to it! On the other, the STD fighter in me cringes at the sheer number of casual sexual encounters that result from such a thing. Don't forget the condoms, men!

There are some concerns about safety and privacy. Personally, I think it's as safe as any other tryst-with-a-stranger-from-the-internet, gay or straight (meet in public and trust your heebie-jeebies, hurt feelings be damned).

There are also those that say the app perpetuates negative stereotypes of gay men as promiscuous and sex-crazed, which is probably true in some cases. As a counter, I will take this opportunity to point out that most gay men are not just looking for regular anonymous sex in random places. A bunch are, or apps like this wouldn't exist, but most are looking for someone to build a life and buy real estate with.

What are your thoughts? Have you used Grindr? What did you think?

Oh! Speaking of gay sex, there's some GREAT news! The rates of syphillis and gonorrhea among gay men in San Francisco declined in 2009!! Keep it up (and covered), men!!

UPDATE 2.19.10: Get it while you can, guys...looks like Apple is flexing their inner Big Brother again.

PlayDate

The singles scene is a nightmare. Maybe it's just me (who is autistic-like with my avoidance of crowded rooms full of loud music and flashing lights), but trying to meet someone actually interesting in the full light of day in a club or bar is nigh unto impossible.

Then there's the internet. Some people are freakin' wizards at internet dating. One of my best friends met her adorable Dutch husband online, and while another has not yet met the man of her dreams, she's met some amazing people and will get an incredible book out of it. For most people, though, it's an exercise in awkward silences and disappointment.

There's something new out there, though: PlayDate US. This company sets up evenings where single people come, pay a $10-$15 cover charge and play games. All kinds of games! Monopoly, Hungry Hungry Hippos, Musical Chairs, CatchPhrase, Pictionary...the list goes on. There's also a cash bar, food and a dance floor with a DJ. FUN!

sexy!

I looked around to find out what people thought about PlayDate, and most seem to think that the games break the ice really well and make people come out of their shell in ways they don't in a bar or club. Personally, I think it's great to have a venue where cleverness and wit can be displayed as prominently as a beautiful body.

The only negatives I could find were that the evenings tend to get crowded, and that "it's kind of for old people". Age, however, is always relative...the average participant in a PlayDate is in their early to mid thirties. Ba dum bum.

Have you participated in one of these events? Are you planning to? Let me know about your experience!