Making Friends, Offline

Is it sad, or just a sign of the times, that I can't think of any way to make friends in my new neighborhood that doesn't involve Facebook?

The Internet has seriously hindered my already lacking social skills.

I grew up naturally shy.  I was always awed at how easy my family could fall into conversations with strangers.  Don't get me wrong, I had friends, but they were friends I'd made through school.  Everyone, no matter how cripplingly shy, makes at least one friend at school.  I left home fairly young and having joined the military, was forced out of my shell.  Making friends with co-workers wasn't hard, because it was virtually impossible not to do, and that's how it's been ever since.

Now that I'm not working, I'm beginning to realize that I'm going to have to put some kind of effort into meeting new people, and, um, well... I don't know how.

Okay, I guess I don't know how without coming off like a crazy stalker.

Sure, I could "pop" outside my door everytime my neighbor does and strike up some pre-scripted conversation, but that's just creepy.  Plus, what if they veered off script?  I can't improvise.

What I need is a plan.  I need to get out to the parks, the librarys, to the grocery stores; to whereever it is that other stay at home moms stay when they aren't staying at home.  I know they are out there.  I can't be the only one.  I need to find them, befriend them, and have real face-to-face conversations with them, you know, like people used to do.

...

On second thought, maybe I'll just stick to this blog.