A quick foray into a bar or a nightclub reveals some of the major shortcomings of looking for romance in such places. A combination of booming bass and shrieking laughter bombards you aurally, while a potent mix of cigarette smoke and spilt beer assails your olfactory senses. Eventually, amidst the human chaos of the locale, a figure from the opposite side of the room piques your interest. You fight your way through the crowd in the general direction of him/her and suddenly find yourself screaming in their ear because of the aforementioned noisy surroundings. The best case finds you exchanging hastily-scrawled phone numbers with the other person or following them out the door, while the worst case finds you feeling rejected and dejected. Even the middle options are less than desirable; often, the person that attracted you physically does not do the same mentally or emotionally, and youre stuck at an impasse with a minimum of things to talk about.
The truth is that dating in the traditional sense and settings is a distinctly hit-or-miss affair, and a largely impersonal one at that. You find yourself drawn to another person not because of their intellect or their...