Me So Far

I was a presenter at a Me So Far event sponsored by WEZ at The Mayne Stage. My boyfriend and I had a blast putting together our presentation for toasting our friend Dena. I love the philosophy of Lakshmi who is the founder of Me So Far when it comes to dating. I attended one of the first Me So Far events as an audience member/​participant, and loved the opportunity to get up there on stage myself to honor my good friend. It truly felt like I was giving a toast to her like I would at a wedding. Incredibly meaningful. Thanks to Me So Far for the opportunity! If you have a chance to attend an event, I definitely recommend it.

Alright, I have to admit, the basic premise sounded weird (to me and anyone I told about it). Me So Far sets up singles mixers themed around a type of person: nerds, students, people-​accessible-​by-​red-​line-​or-​brown-​line… the themes can get interesting, and they give you a glimpse of the people you’ll be meeting. But the real trick to Me So Far is the format before the mingling: ~10 people are selected before the event to make a 5-​minute PowerPoint presentation on themselves, and an audience of ~40−50 take it in. As a med student, I usually get enough PowerPoint slides in the classroom, so I was simultaneously repulsed and intrigued when I read up on the event.
But it’s exactly this quirk that makes Me So Far different from any other kind of singles event. I attended Nerd Alert 2, an event themed around nerds ranging from librarians to beekeepers. Each presenter was charged with the task of answering questions like «If you could hold a weekend long convention, what would it be about and why?» or «Show us your internet search history and explain the most recent entries». And when the presenters started talking, I learned about childhood stories, cute obsessions, personal philosophies… all things you would NEVER hear on a first date, second, maybe even fifth. But you got to the meat and potatoes of the people you were meeting, and when all was said and done, the mingling afterward was just THAT much more interesting. Pandora’s box was opened and we could all ask those weird, personal, oh-my-god-you’re-a-real-person! questions. I met plenty of beautiful, interesting women that night, and I’m betting I only found out they were interesting because I got to know the good stuff, the this-​makes-​me-​ME stuff, about each of them that I’d never find out at a random bar. Best dating experience of the year, hands down.
I know that these kinds of things fill up with women fast, and the men aren’t as quick to sign up. But I’d recommend this to any guy out there that’s tired of the bar/​club scene and is looking to skip the BS for some quality conversations with women that have more to say than just the name of the drink you’ll buy them.

Amazing way to meet a very diverse group of people… even if you don’t find someone who you hit it off with romantically (I did, as a matter of fact), you will still have a great experience! I think the most impressive thing about MSF is it encourages and empowers you to go beyond small talk and find out who people really are. You will find conversations to be far more engaging and interesting than your typical bar chit chats. Be sure to go to the afterparty if you aren’t a grandma!

This event was so real, so much fun and so entertaining; met wonderful and cool people! Just wish I’d been a tad more sober!

A great idea and a great way to meet new people. The way the event is set up makes for an open, friendly, non-​intimidating environment. Plus you get to meet people face-​to-​face — always an easier way to make a connection. And if you’re thinking about presenting — do it! It’s a little nerve wracking, but definitely rewarding.

So you’ve tried speed dating and it sucked. And you’ve been on OK Cupid for about 50 years, or so it seems, and the pressure of going on a date and judging someone and being judged has become frustrating and toxic. You even quit the site to get back at the world. Take that, world! But guess what, you’re still single. Have you noticed that dating websites sort of resemble shoe shopping on Amazon? The people at mesofar have, and you’re not shopping for shoes! How many of your best friends would you have picked out online?
And there you have the concept of mesofar. You get to know people around their stats. You take off your judgement hat because this isn’t a court or even The Voice. You watch a few people make funny, sometimes earnest, presentations about themselves, and then you have something to talk about in a cocktail hour after. You have nothing to lose and everything to gain and it’s fun. Go for it!

It was an incredibly rewarding experience. Everyone is incredibly interesting and you’re guaranteed to have a great conversation. A must try event.

Awesome experience. The people you meet are great. As someone who moved to Chicago about a year ago, I was interested in meeting people so I gave this a shot. I went on a few dates afterwards and while I didn’t meet «the one», I made a really good friend… looking forward to doing it again.