Friday, February 13, 2009

Welcome to the Singles Summit

Tyler Cowen leads me to this story which, in turn, leads me to the 4th Annual Rocky Mountain Singles Summit. Other than 'Aaaaargh!' it's hard to know what to say about this. It doesn't appear to be an orgy - the Lock and Key Party sounds very tame - and it does seem to have an alarming amount of self-help - though why anybody should seek self-help from guest speaker Mark McIntosh, whose life seems to have had very little in common with a bowl of cherries, remains a mystery. You have to pay an additional $20 to take part in the speed dating - steep, I think, shouldn't it be no-win-no-fee? - and I don't think Attracting the Love of Your Life with Hypnosis - one of the seminars - strikes quite the right note. In fact, to my mind, it sounds perilously close to date rape. I also think Rate Your Date Before You Mate - via handwriting - is a touch calculating. The latter seminar also teaches you to 'learn two secrets to making yourself more date-able by changing your writing'. I think I know what they are: 1)stop writing like you 2)start writing like Keats.
PS And this seems to stand up the New York Times line that recessions are good for romance/sex. Or, alternatively, the media are just looking round for easy beat-ups on Valentine's Eve.

6 comments:

  1. "Takeaway bags including freebies, giveaways, samples, and more!"

    That would be the fat ugly ones then.

    Bryan, thank you for a world class link

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  2. There's a subtle difference between freebies and giveaways known only to desperate copywriters. I know, I've been there.

    I've also been to a few conferences/summits in the States (not Singles sadly), and there are always moustachiod Bobs and Ricks or shoulder-padded Sheenas delivering seminars with lots of numbers and alliterations on the title, eg.

    37 Ways to Win Big in the Battle for Bonuses
    or
    The Top 12 Things To Take Away Today to Make Sure You Identify Key Opportunities and Turn them into Terrific Tales to Tell your Grandkids....Every Time!

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  3. you would have thought that in general poorer families have larger families, thus less cash, more time on your hands, more time for bonking your brains out?

    The next batch of bonkers bankers could already be a twinkle in Bryans eyes as he struggles to cope with the apocalypse?

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  4. Your'e in the wrong game Brit, the K exhibition, held in Dusseldorf's Messe is the worlds showcase for all things placky and as such is attended by anybody and everybody smelling of overcooked polymer. The range of goodies on offer is amazing, think of the amount of stuff out there made of plastic, available here FOC, walking the entire show covers 7 kilometers.
    As usual it's the students who exit the hall with enough stuff to fill one of Norbert Dentressangle's finest.
    If you need a placky garden set, the entire contents of Toys r Us or a Ferrari bed, the Ks your man.
    An added bonus, the beer's 60P per litre.

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  5. Dusseldorf Plastic Expo, eh Malty? Sounds like the ideal Thought Experiments field trip. Stock up on placcy tat and 60p lager, "Zwanzig grosse Weissbier, bitte". Tarkovsky and Zoolander DVDs on the bus. Dylan and Morrissey sing-a-longs, Nige to provide nature notes, Elberry to provide security. Tempting to say lads only but we'll need Susan B to drive and keep order.

    ReplyDelete