Hey, fellow singles, Saturday was particularly righteous: I rode my bike around Brooklyn and hit up a fun loft party, where I chatted up a cute girl.

Don't get too excited -- it didn't lead to anything, not even her number. Why? We both got distracted by friends and didn't reconnect. The interaction itself wasn't anything amazing, but it did lead to an intense conversation with my boys about picking up single women at house or apartment parties.

We all agreed that house parties are the ideal venue for making a move -- you're at the same party so you have at least one thing in common, it's easier to mingle, and people are more open to strangers than at the bar. That being said, scoring a girl's contact info is never easy. Here are four favors you can bestow on the lucky fella who has caught your eye:

Check out the host's bookshelf. Head to the kitchen for a snack. Watch the party game. The Millionaire Matchmaker was right: when you're surrounded by other women, he's not going to come over and risk being rejected in front of an audience.

Odds are the first thing out of his mouth will be corny -- just smile and help steer him towards a more natural line of conversation. (On Saturday, my opening gambit was complimenting her for wearing a nice dress, which I really did like.) Remember, pitching yourself to strangers is hard.

When hitting on a lady, I'm always bracing myself for the moment when she brings up her significant other. Clear the air by casually mentioning how you pity all of your coupled friends or love being independent.

Even when I hit it off with a girl at a party, I neither expect nor want to talk to her the entire night. At some point I need to go to the bathroom, get a fresh drink, and brag to my friends. But I do want to end our conversation on a high note, so it's great when the girl takes the initiative and somehow indicates this isn't the end of the line.