Went to my old local pub in Sunnyvale, have to drive there now but it's worth it since I'm known there.

Met a bunch of buddies who just happened to walk in same time as me, hadn't arranged to meet them but I knew I'd run into someone I know.

Jesus man, they've turned this pub into a nightclub on Saturday nights and now you can't hear yourself think because of the loud music. The other guys were chatting away, but all I could see was lips moving but couldn't hear any words coming out. Very hard to get into conversation.

HB8.5 walks in and sits at a table texting furiously. HB8.5 is what it averages out, she gets 9 for her body but only 8 for her face and attitude. I scanned her clothes and accessories in search of an opener. I saw the logo D&G on her top and thought I could ask what that stood for, and then give her a witty retort of what I thought it stood for, but I couldn't think of one quickly. I thought that if I sit around for too long thinking of the perfect conversation thread then she'll either leave, her friends will arrive, or some other guy will pounce. She was under a lot of scrutiny from the other guys in the pub.

I just thought "fuck it, I'll run the opener, see what she says it stands for, and wing it from there."

So I approached and asked her what it meant. She had to put her phone down, she told me what it stood for, I asked what that meant, she explained it was a brand name (prolly a bad move by me, she was quite young and would probably expect someone in her acceptable age range to know stuff like that).

She then picked up the phone again when it vibrated, and answered it, excused herself, and went to the bar. I just let it go and went back to my buddies rather than hover uncomfortably at her table.

Later there was a HB8 sitting by herself a few seats up from me at the bar. I sat for a minute thinking of the opener, but I could only come up with a lame one. I just approached with the lame opener, asking her opinion on the new layout of the pub and the new music they were playing. (Probably not so lame after all.)

Conversation went reasonably well but I never really ran any routines, there was a lot of fluff talk...... zzzz I'm tired as I write this. I'll finish it off in the morning. G'nite all

OK, long story short, I chatted to her for half an hour or more, bounced her to another location that turned out to be closed, and # closed her in the street before saying goodnight. Didn't go in for any kiss or anything, was gonna go for a hug or something but her body language was a bit awkward.

Seeing her tomorrow night. Bit of a soft target to be honest. Any single woman sitting in a bar by herself in Silicon Valley is asking to be picked up.

Went on a date with her a week later. Fuck it was lame!

My game is rusty as all hell, she wasn't my intellectual equal, a lousy kisser, and I didn't bother calling her again.

My old pub is a good place to go for meeting the lads but not necessarily the best place to find attractive women. But I have social proof galore there since I'm so well connected with the owners and the staff and half the regulars. It gets its share of a younger crowd with attractive women in the mix, and I have number closed a few HB8.5s and 9s, but failed to convert - an old problem I've long had. Need to work on the more advanced stages of my game I think. Approaching and opening doesn't seem to be my problem, I actually quite enjoy it.