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> > I'm just looking for ideas for one-off outings and activities. I know perfectly well that joining some sort of club would be a better plan, but when you change shifts every two or three days and have different days off every week, that is completely impossible.
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> > Brunnen-"as is replying to this post, probably"G
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> You know I have similar hermit-like tendencies, but I don't even have the excuse of an off-hour, changing schedule. But here's what works so far.
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> I've been taking a yoga class. The place where I take it has classes scheduled all day, all week, so no matter what time of day you're off, there's bound to be a class going on. An offshoot of that same idea is to join a gym. I know you're already very physically active, but all KINDS of people go to the gym. Surely you'll have something in common with some of them. ;-)

Oh, I already belong to a gym. It's lucky I enjoy going there for the exercise, because I've never had my attempts at conversation stomped on faster and harder than at the gym.

In case this starts sounding like a self-pitying whiny post (it isn't, believe it or not), I'll change the subject line and call it a tangent about the interesting ways gymgoers defend themselves from having to talk to another person.

The most usual way is to suddenly go hard out on whatever machine they're using, as soon as somebody else seems to be approaching. The facial expression should be one of intense focus and grim determination. The message to get across is "Talk? I don't come here to waste my time with a microsecond-long grunt of hello in response to the likes of YOU. I come here to WORK, you better believe it."

I think this is partly due to a fear that the other person might want to use the same machine, and mostly because they're afraid you're about to start hitting on them. I don't know how true this is, but there's always this theory that gyms are a good place to meet members of the opposite sex (or the same sex, judging by about 50% of the crowd there) so any attempt to be sociable with either a guy or a girl is more likely to mark you down as a crazed stalker than anything else.

The majority of people at the gym defend themselves further by wearing Walkman earphones while they work out, and cultivating a glazed expression which forestalls either vocal or visual contact.

I don't think it's a coincidence that there is no "for fun" option on the little card you fill out when you join the gym, stating your "goals". You're supposed to have goals, you see. Going to a gym because you like it seems frowned upon.