How do you date?

[MrBroken]

So finally accepting my marriage / relationship is over I feel a need at some point to start dating but seriously how do you do it?

I met my wife pre Internet age but the thought of Internet dating makes me want to vomit. All my friends are in happy relationships, I own my company so I can't really date the staff and the gene pool where I live is pretty poor.

Any advice?

You start by changing your username - that one has "stay away" all over it!

Sounds like you're not divorced yet - make that your focus before dating. Not the final paperwork, can take ages. But get through the agreeing stuff stage.

If you want to stay away from online dating, just do everything else you can to be out and about. Hobbies, social clubs, group holidays - that sort of thing. Then at least if you don't meet anyone, you're still having fun!

If you are just splitting up, why date right away? Take some time out before rebounding when you are not even divorced, fgs.

Btw - re Internet dating making you vom... You just interacted with a woman online. It's just the same, really!
Just chat for a bit if you see someone you like. You don't have to flirt. In the same way you'll read replies on here and get a "I connect with what she says" feeling sometimes, so you do with online dating.

You do need a thick skin and to understand the whole (lack of?!) etiquette online though: seemingly interested people disappearing without a word, that sort of thing. Best to read the online dating thread here to steel yourself for it!

But as I said in first post - swerve it and go for just getting out LOADS if you hate the idea. Good luck!

By the way - calling the gene pool where you live pretty poor seems unnecessarily harsh!

Okay points taken, name changed :)

Gene pool is in reference to living in a small town with my cheating ex-wife and my cheating ex good friend.

I've been very frustrated with online dating, and had almost forgotten that it was possible to meet people in the old school way!

I went out at the weekend and had a ball. Got chatting, briefly, to a man. It was fun. He looked me up on Facebook and contacted me the next day and now we are meeting for coffee.

Get out and about if you can and concentrate on having a bit of fun and meeting people.

Ouch! Sorry to hear that. Rainbow is right about making sure you've moved on enough though. No town is that small. And if there are connections - sod it! My boyfriend has a supplier for work who is a customer of my ex husband. Beyond "did your hear A is dating B who left C who apparently cheated?" what's to say? It's soon, for other people, yesterday's news.
Don't write off the whole town!