Jaundrea Clay writes The Single File.

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In 30 minutes, I had an IT consultant, an Air Force jet flyer, an assistant professor, a bartender and an Italian businessman.

No, this wasn’t the latest remake of your favorite porno, starring yours truly.

I attended my first-ever speed-dating event.

Let me start by saying that, until a couple of weeks ago, speed dating never crossed my mind except in such hilarious context as “The 40-Year-Old Virgin.”

Which basically means that speed dating just made me laugh.

Speed-dating events have often been the perfect scenes for some classic comedic moments, and I think that perception has spilled over into reality.

Moreover, some see speed dating as a desperate attempt for a date or an activity reserved for those who don’t have the time (or looks) to snag a date at a bar or MySpace like any other regular person.

When I told my friends that I was participating, I got a mixed reaction. The women were overwhelmingly enthusiastic or interested. The men asked me why or made cracks, channeling their inner Steve Carell, that I must be “hurtin’ for a squirtin’.”

Even at the event, it was evident that the women outnumbered the men (so explain to me why don’t guys go to speed-dating events again?).

The rules of the event were that participants had six minutes to talk to the person at your table and after those six minutes were up, both would jot down notes on a notecard before the men moved on to the next table.

I thought it would be weird and awkward — and how the heck am I supposed to compress 29 years of interests, travels, careers, family life and education into a single sound bite?

Yet there I was, sitting across from a perfect stranger and, well, not feeling so strange.

I had a lot of laughs and learned more than I thought I could about anyone in six minutes. And, most importantly, I met people whom, had I been in a bar or at a concert or anywhere, I likely would not have approached or been approached by.

In the end, it wasn’t so much about dating but about expanding my horizons and trying something new.