I really need to find some kids my own age to hang out with.

I’m really not the social sort, and I haven’t really made many friends since moving back to North Carolina. Most of the ones I had here before have moved away, or otherwise disappeared. And my life has drifted off in a somewhat different direction from a few. So far, it hasn’t been a big problem. Frankly, I’m quite fond of my own company and I’m not at all averse to spending time alone. And I do a pretty fair amount of that since (a) I work at home, and (b) Mark is gone for two weeks out of every month.

But most of the social interaction I do have these days is with my parents and other assorted relatives. Most of them are on the north side of 70 years old. And I don’t think that’s entirely healthy for me right now, as much as I respect people of age — and even as much as I fancy myself as something of an old coot…

It’s difficult to think about one’s future when surrounded by people who, frankly, no longer think much about their own. Given my current state of mind, I really don’t need for most of my conversations to be about illnesses, doctors, and medication, nor do I want to start thinking of funerals as social occasions.

To be honest, I’ve had a bit of an overdose of “old” lately, and it’s getting me a little down. I’m becoming a little obsessed with aging and death, and that’s just not a good thing to combine with a midlife crisis. Being in school in the fall will help, no doubt, as will finding an outside job. Until then, however…

If you live in the Triad, and find me at all interesting, and if you want to hang out sometime (and are under 70), let me know. I like to eat (a lot), roam around used book stores, take long and pointless urban drives, etc. I tend to be cranky and antisocial on a superficial level, but if I like you, I’ll probably at least be less so. I also won’t require a huge time commitment, since I’ll probably always enjoy my own company more than anyone else’s anyway. Both boys and girls are eligible.

I’m not looking for sex partners (I have one), nor for people to play sports or “do nature” with (blecch…), nor for drinking buddies (I don’t drink). If you thought I was looking for any of these things, you obviously haven’t been paying attention and you probably shouldn’t apply.

Hey, this whole advertising thing worked really well once before, albeit under considerably different circumstances.