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Gaze into my eyes...this Wednesday!
Back in April 2010, I got a concussion while I was putting my dog, Nutter, inside the car. Hitting my head on the car door knocked me to the ground, and I sat there in a daze for several minutes. I wasn’t thinking clearly, and I couldn’t see straight, but I knew that I shouldn’t be driving myself home.
I reached out to Mr. Exec, the guy I was seeing at the time, since we had been texting right before I hit my head. He wasn’t as responsive as I would have liked, which shouldn’t surprise anyone who followed the debacle that was our relationship. Two friends out in Virginia offered to come get me, but then, I would’ve been stuck at their house away from my place and my preferred Emergency Room.
One of my good Twitter friends kindly agreed to head out to Alexandria to come get me, but she needed to find another driver to bring my car back to DC. She texted several friends from the social media community, and one guy responded that he was happy to help.
That guy was Jeffrey Platts.
He and I had followed each other on Twitter and commented on each other’s dating blogs, but we had never met in real life. His helpfulness toward someone he didn't personally know still touches me to this day, and I'm thankful to now call him a friend in real life.
Jeffrey is a man of many interests and talents, and I don’t mean that in the trite way. He is well known within the relationship blogosphere for hosting Eye Gazing Parties in the Washington, DC area.
“What is an eye gazing party?” you might be wondering.
Jeffrey describes it as follows:
Banal chit-chat about employment status, the location of your apartment, or where you're from is NOT a great way to spark a captivating connection with an alluring new person. Eye contact IS. An even number of singles meet in an attractive space over drinks and world beats. After a fun mini-lesson in the art and psychology of eye contact, the group splits into pairs. Each pair spends up to two minutes looking into each other's eyes, no talking, with inviting beats in the background. Pairs switch every one to two minutes, for a total of around half an hour. There is mingling, music and drinks afterwards. The eye gazing has an electrifying effect on the party. Two minutes of eye contact is the Cadillac of ice-breakers.
Who goes to eye gazing parties? Fun, adventurous, attractive, creative, confident and vibrant singles who enjoy quickly establishing amazing connections with each other. Eye Gazing Parties have been featured in the New York Times, CNN, Good Morning America, Match.com. Elle magazine called Eye Gazing Parties "New York’s hottest dating trend."
***
When I first heard about eye gazing parties, I chuckled to myself. If you know me in real life, I’m rarely one to be silent when I’m in a social setting. I’m also the type of girl who picks guys out in a crowd based on looks alone, and I'm used to discussing professions within five minutes of meeting someone.
My views on eye gazing changed, though, when I was required to participate in a session during my Sexual Attitude Reassessment Training through the American Association of Sexuality Educators, Counselors and Therapists. Our group was paired off, and we first were asked to just sit across from our partners. Then, we were instructed to close our eyes and hold our partner’s hands. We sat like that for two minutes in silence before we were told to alternate giving each other a light hand massage.
Following the hand holding portion of the training, our teacher asked us to open our eyes and look into our partner's eyes in silence for five minutes. The first 30 seconds were a bit awkward, but then, my partner and I relaxed. We communicated more without words than I had with words in other small group parts of the training. When we finished, the class was asked to share our experiences, and all of us were amazed at the connections we felt. A year after the training, I’m still in touch with my eye gazing partner.
For those of you in the DC area, there’s an Eye Gazing Party for Singles on Wednesday, May 25, 2011 from 7:00-9:00pm. RSVPs are still being accepted, and Jeffrey was kind enough to offer one reader a complimentary ticket. I'll give the ticket to the first person who comments that he or she would like to attend!
If you’re not in the DC area, check to see if there’s an Eye Gazing Party in your city. And, for those of you who aren’t single, be sure to spread the word to your friends that there’s a unique option out there to meet new people.
Eye Gazing Party for D.C. Singles - Wednesday, May 25
Wednesday May 25, 2011 - 7:00pm - 9:00pm
RSVP:
RSVP/Tickets required.
Venue Address:
Tabaq Bistro
1336 U Street NW
Washington, DC 20009
(a.k.a. "Silent Speed Dating")
Hosted by http://JeffreyPlatts.com/
As featured in the Washington Post.
Tickets: $12 advance; $15 at the door.
RSVP on Facebook event page here.
Purchase Tickets here.
Contact: http://jeffreyplatts.com, jeffrey@jeffreyplatts.com, (202) 681-9499.
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