Sometimes it seems I just can't get a break.

I went to a largely gay party just before Christmas, and was pleasantly surprised by a couple of the guys I met. Sure, there was a sizeable contingent of bitchy queens who formed a tight little cluster to compare hair products and tanning secrets, but there were also some nice, normal, masculine guys who seemed happy to talk and mingle, and didn't even ping my (admittedly weak) gaydar until they mentioned "my ex-boyfriend" or something similar.

How refreshing! I was begining to believe that gay guys who don't act like total fairies were confined to preachy progressive sitcoms and 'Brokeback Mountain'.

One of them was tall, lean and laconic; dressed in a worn T-shirt, old jeans, thongs and stubble, swigging cheap beer and telling bad dirty jokes all night. Attractive? Hell yeah; not in a male model way but certainly in attitude.

The other one was shorter and skinnier, quiet and perhaps lacking in confidence. But underneath the mousiness he was good-looking and intelligent, without that meanness of heart one often finds in gay guys. While the other guy was more fun to talk to and be around, this guy had a certain something. I liked him, and he seemed to like me.

So a few days later I got his email address from a mutual friend and sent him some photos I'd taken relating to the party. No pressure, and the photos were relevant to a little joke that we'd shared.

That was ten days ago... and he hasn't replied. Not even a brief note of thanks. For the first few days I thought that maybe he was just away from his email for a while, but in the modern age no one is away from email for ten days. Maybe he's just pissed at me for dividing my attention between him and the other, more charismatic guy.

It's sort of depressing, especially since I've realised that if I ever want to meet any decent men, it's most likely going to be through friends, not through the internet.