I agree. I'm not, like, socially awkward (or at least not more awkward than the average person), i've just tended to be very lazy on the subject of actually putting myself out there, especially since college.

My roommate told me he was using Plenty Of Fish, and was banging a different girl each week from when i moved in August until he found a steady girlfriend (through a play he was acting in) in October.

Like i said, i may reach out this summer, depending on how busy i am (i might get full-time work this summer, but if i'm only part time...)

Hmmm.. its then bedtime in Europe.. so..  how are you gonna sell yourself?

Talent: poetry (I selected the poem very carefully to run for low time, be witty without being stupid, and play on my talent for public speaking)

Date: A trendy art museum (Google "Andy Warhol Museum Pittsburgh"), followed by dinner at a fairly upscale restaurant (the one i have the giftcard for, but nobody needs to know that upfront).

its ok-ish... If you knew the menu from cafe located in the Museum you could say something like: "We'll get the best Waffles at the Andy Warhol Museum Cafe and if you like it we could visit the museum.." Some girls would be impressed by waffles..

It's different than a spontaneous date. As Reggin_Bolas indicated on the last page, dinner is a bad idea for a first date because of too much eating and too little talking. However, i'm trying to sell something here, more than i'm trying to find a girl or anything (though i'd be quite pleased if i hit it off with my buyer). First and foremost, i'm there to raise money for charity, and so you load out the big guns that you otherwise wouldn't for a first date.

Plus i've got that giftcard. No way i'd touch a restaurant that expensive without it (not that i'd cheap out, either, but i'd focus on finding quality food at a reasonable price, a nice-but-not-premium Italian restaurant, for instance. The place i'm going for is *ritzy*).

I know but you're selling yourself as:

Poetry + Museum + Upscale Restaurant = Boring Nerd

You just need add to the story something of a "fun" factor.. that one bit which makes girls think: "I'll have a fun time on that date with him"..
I don't care what.. you could skateboard together through the park to get to the Museum.. = "fun factor + 10"

Ended up getting bought... by a guy

It was a much more informal thing than i imagined, bids ran more along friendly than along gendered lines, so friends bidding for friends more than anything else. I did fetch $35, about the average winning bid price. (highest was 60, lowest about $25, average seemed to run $30 to $40)

She was not there. I swear she's got this sixth sense to avoid events i'm going to.

The acoustics in that place were shIt, at any rate. I was about 15 feet from the stage before i got up, and couldn't hear a damn thing over the buzz of the crowd, so i opted out of my poetry, and the people who did try a talent really didn't get far. I do think i made my pitch pretty well.

Stay away from fornicatiors, whores, girls too young, too rude, liars, thieves, greedy, selfish, cheaters, and/or wrong-doers in terms of dating.

Ha, why am I not even surprised.. xD

I think i'm going to try again. I had a conversation with her today, which did not feel awkward or forced on her end. All about school, of course, but eh. I've got 6 weeks left to this semester, then (i think) she goes to South Africa, and i'll stay here and try some dating sites, or maybe casting my net out in other social circles.

Can't let her go without at least making my case clear

(yes, NiKKoM, i know exactly what you're going to say. Complain about how long i've been taking with this, it's no matter).