Dating in the City

Atlanta Ga, I relocated here to for a few specific reasons. For my love of larger cities-me coming from a slightly smaller city, school after highschool, & to help advance my career-building my social calendar one contact at a time. Now these are reasons that i had in mind when i decided back in late 2006 to head down that yellow brick road[75south] into Oz. I have worked my ass off. I have planned everything from how i was getting here, where i would stay, where would my income be coming from, what i would eat, which family members to inform[not eveyone has the greatest advice to give when you decide to do your own thing] but it would seem that because I am a young black male-who enjoys company, both emotional and physical, of men i.e. GAY here in Oz, that everyone believes I have came here for the "overabundance of black gay men"
...smh

Nearly every man that I have met[usually older] makes the most ballsy comments along the affect of: "Oh you in Midtown, thats where all the men at" "Oh you young in atlanta, I know you be at the clubs" "I know you got a bunch of men you talking to"... UGH! I mean seriously, these comments come even after i sit and offer to them a vague overview of one of my five year plans-I refuse to be content with just one plan B. I shake my head at this. I know this is not the consensus of all me here in Oz. When i hear things like this the first thing out of my mouth is usually that there are gay men EVERYWHERE in the world so why would i head to Atlanta just to "find a man" && by the way, who said I was looking for a man? && whats up with no one[male] ever even considering that my attraction is not purely phyiscal-women enter my thoughts and sometimes my line of sight as well.

Dating here in Oz has been an experience to say the least. Key word: DATING. No one seems to be on the same page as I with this one, so allow me to throw a lil bit of myself out there in hopes that we[whomever & I] will be better able to find some form of common ground.

The Art of Dating: Dating is an artform. Being able to spend time with another person, exploring one anothers interest, talents, and company. That being said, sex may or may not be included in this art its entirely up to the dater[s]. [For myself] The purpose of dating is to learn someone as well as yourself, everyone is not going to mesh well with everyone-so you learn alot about yourself in dating. At the end of the day, through my dating experiences, even if we do not end up "in a relationship" I would like to have gained at the least familiar face and not just another unused contact in my phone.

I will say that I am not one for bullshit, I dont take kindly to people who dont live by their word-at times your word is all you have to represent yourself. Alot of conversations have been cut short not to say that im shallow or boujee at all I just refuse to become victim to this idea that all us young black men are the same. We are not!

-au•ton•o•mous