Lose the iPod

Every so often the same article gets published by a by some magazine or on a dating site – great places to meet people just doing your regular errands. The dog park (I have no dog), your morning coffee place (I don’t drink the stuff), Duane Reade (not with a box of Tampax in my hand), Home Depot (I call my super to change a light bulb), Barnes & Noble (they all closed). They also include the grocery store on that list. A place I happen to frequent on a regular basis, yet I have never even made eye contact while perusing the spice rack.

Tonight I realized my problem – it’s the iPod. While it’s awesome walking around with a permanent soundtrack to my life and very useful for creating an audio barrier between me and the crazy guy on the subway, it completely hinders any possibility of starting a conversation at the antipasti bar. And it’s my own damn fault because I have it cranked and I’m zoned out and only take out the ear buds to give my order to the butcher and pay. Even if I felt the need to keep the iPod on while shopping, there’s time while standing in the express line (non-express if for couples and families, not an opportunity area).

So sorry cute preppy guy that smiled at me when I almost ran you over, had I not had The Police blaring through my ear buds you could have shared the Chicken with Onion, Apple and Cider Sauce and Roasted Rutabagas (both from Great Easy Meals) that I made*. Instead you went home with a pre-made meal in a cardboard box, and I have to do the dishes myself.

*This meal sounds heavy for 90° weather but it’s not, especially with a chilled glass of white wine. Great Easy Meals is Food Network Magazine’s cookbook from Hyperion and most (if not all, I didn’t check every single page) recipes serve four. Although these are leftovers that I am looking forward to eating later this week.