Okay! Good news! I now have two guys who have winked at me in the past two days who I actually think I could sustain an online conversation with - One is 26 and one is 24, both are a little chubby and both have somewhat stimulating profiles. The 24 year-old is actually the most intriguing, but he ends his profile with a damn emoticon.
THEY ARE LIKE THE DAMN EBOLA VIRUS. YOU CANNOT ESCAPE THEM NO MATTER HOW FAST YOU RUN.
Anyway, I'm going on vaca again this weekend, so I won't be posting 'til like Tuesday. Deal with it Kenny. Hopefully by then I'll have something fabulous to tell you about my new chubby boyfriend who was totally using the emoticon ironically.
Fingers crossed.
Thursday, March 29, 2007
Wednesday, March 28, 2007
Day 16
Migrane. (Probably from too much winking.) Will post tomorrow. Back to bed. Sorry Kenny.
Sidenote: 36 year-old winked at me today. At 1:46 pm. Buddy, you're 36. Get a job and stop harassing the underage ladies
COACH CARR, STEP AWAY FROM THE UNDERAGE LADIES.
Ugh just looking at caps lock makes my temples throb.
Sidenote: 36 year-old winked at me today. At 1:46 pm. Buddy, you're 36. Get a job and stop harassing the underage ladies
COACH CARR, STEP AWAY FROM THE UNDERAGE LADIES.
Ugh just looking at caps lock makes my temples throb.
Tuesday, March 27, 2007
Day 15
Alright this is getting ridiculous. 3 guys have winked at me this week and EVERY SINGLE ONE of them was over the age of 30.
See, this is why I don't understand why this keeps happening to me - match.com makes trolling for cyber-ass really easy by lining up 25 different traits and comparing your preferences side-by-side to the person whose profile you're looking at. So, let's say I'm looking for a guy whose body type he would classify as "a few extra pounds" with brown eyes who likes wine tasting and considers tattoos a turn-on - match.com will tell me if he matches me on all those points, just like it will tell me if HE is looking for a girl who considers herself "about average" with blond hair, green eyes and a passion for Supertroopers and penguins.
Does that make sense?
Whatever that's not my point.
My point is that at the top of this list of 25 points that you can possible match on, at the very tippy top, is AGE. My preferred age range? 23-30.
And friends, 30 is an outer limit. A WAY outer limit.
Like, an I-was-just-trying-to-be-generous-and-not-limit-myself-to-jackass-frat-guys-just-out-of-college-type outer limit.
Yet here are these 33 year-olds and 35 year-olds winking at me like I'm the kind of recent college grad who would date a guy with an entire decade on me.
Let me clarify what kind of recent college grad I am:
I still secretly enjoy a hangover - not the feeling-like-death part but the eating-greasy-food-and-watching-old-episodes-of-Friends-on-VHS-that-were-made-while-I-was in-high-school-and-you-were-already-of-legal-drinking-age part.
I have a LOT of bad hip hop on my iPod and not one song by Air Supply or ZZ Top.
And while we're on the subject, I listen to my music on an iPod and not a Discman.
(Or for that matter, a WALKMAN.)
I have all my hair and I would prefer that my cyber date does too.
I'm still glory-dazing and since you keep winking at me, I'm going to go ahead and guess you must be, too.
I am still in the renting phase, not the buying-a-home-taking-on-a-mortgage phase.
Sometimes I dance around my apartment, and when I do, I'm not doing a dance that a choreographer taught me for my first wedding. Or my second.
I like MTV reality shows and that's okay because there are still people on them that are my age. Ever since Mark and Eric Nies officially retired from the challenges, you can no longer say the same.
I'M 23. YOU'RE 30-SOMETHING. YOU DO THE MATH.
See, this is why I don't understand why this keeps happening to me - match.com makes trolling for cyber-ass really easy by lining up 25 different traits and comparing your preferences side-by-side to the person whose profile you're looking at. So, let's say I'm looking for a guy whose body type he would classify as "a few extra pounds" with brown eyes who likes wine tasting and considers tattoos a turn-on - match.com will tell me if he matches me on all those points, just like it will tell me if HE is looking for a girl who considers herself "about average" with blond hair, green eyes and a passion for Supertroopers and penguins.
Does that make sense?
Whatever that's not my point.
My point is that at the top of this list of 25 points that you can possible match on, at the very tippy top, is AGE. My preferred age range? 23-30.
And friends, 30 is an outer limit. A WAY outer limit.
Like, an I-was-just-trying-to-be-generous-and-not-limit-myself-to-jackass-frat-guys-just-out-of-college-type outer limit.
Yet here are these 33 year-olds and 35 year-olds winking at me like I'm the kind of recent college grad who would date a guy with an entire decade on me.
Let me clarify what kind of recent college grad I am:
I still secretly enjoy a hangover - not the feeling-like-death part but the eating-greasy-food-and-watching-old-episodes-of-Friends-on-VHS-that-were-made-while-I-was in-high-school-and-you-were-already-of-legal-drinking-age part.
I have a LOT of bad hip hop on my iPod and not one song by Air Supply or ZZ Top.
And while we're on the subject, I listen to my music on an iPod and not a Discman.
(Or for that matter, a WALKMAN.)
I have all my hair and I would prefer that my cyber date does too.
I'm still glory-dazing and since you keep winking at me, I'm going to go ahead and guess you must be, too.
I am still in the renting phase, not the buying-a-home-taking-on-a-mortgage phase.
Sometimes I dance around my apartment, and when I do, I'm not doing a dance that a choreographer taught me for my first wedding. Or my second.
I like MTV reality shows and that's okay because there are still people on them that are my age. Ever since Mark and Eric Nies officially retired from the challenges, you can no longer say the same.
I'M 23. YOU'RE 30-SOMETHING. YOU DO THE MATH.
Monday, March 26, 2007
Day 14
First off, let me just apologize to my loyal reader for not posting the last 3 days. I went back to the homeland for the weekend and was simply too busy to pay attention to my online dating life/blog.
LIES. I was just too embarrassed to update my blog/log on to match.com on my parents’ computer, which is conveniently located smack-dab in the middle of our living room.
(I actually tried twice, but the first time my dad walked in and started aggressively reading over my shoulder because he thought I was checking out my progress on my NCAA bracket. No, Dad, I’m actually online trying to meet a man. Would you like to sit down over a cup of tea and strumpets and talk about that? No? You wouldn’t? Me neither. Now go watch the game highlights on ESPN 34 like a normal person.)
(Oh, and go
(FYI: The second time I thought somebody was walking in but it turned out to just be my dog but then I had already closed the window and was too lazy to open the browser and re-type the link and re-sign in and blah blah blah.)
So anyway, my apologies to
Despite the fact that I wasn’t constantly updating you all, I was thinking about you. And by you, I mean all the illiterate weirdos and medieval knights that have winked at me so far. See, I’ve done my fair share of winking myself, and let me tell you, I'm not going to virtually put myself out there like that for just anyone. Each guy was carefully scrutinized and judged, and they each seemed really...well, passable, and more importantly, attractive. (For those of you who don’t know me, my definition of “attractive” is probably not the same as yours. Just so we’re on the same page here, I’ll give you a few examples: I think Eric from MTV's Infernos I and II is attractive. You would most likely beg to differ. (Actually I think he’s so attractive I signed up for MySpace just so I could be his friend, but then I lost my nerve so now I’m only friends with 4 people, and 1 of them is technically a cat. But I digress.) I think Jack Black is attractive. I’m going to go ahead and guess that again, you would disagree with me. I thought every single guy on the football team at my college was – and is (call me!) - attractive, include the one who wore mesh shorts when he ran out of underwear instead of doing laundry and peed in to an open window of a freshman dorm…and inside a rather small elevator…and one time when we were walking back to his dorm room from a party…just for the heck of it. I can tell you right now that most normal people find the vast majority of those guys decidedly unattractive. (And here, when I say “normal people” I’m talking about my college roommates, who, for those of you who know them, know that use of the term “normal” in this context is debatable))
(Love you guys)
So anyway, I’ve winked at probably 10-15 dudes at this point, and only one of them (Mr. Emoticon) has bothered to contact me. What GIVES? I mean, we’re all on match.com here, fellas. I think we’ve officially reached one of those inevitable don’t-look-a-gift-horse-in-the-mouth moments. Let me just put it out there - I’m not bad looking, (plus I’m really photogenic which – hello – BONUS when it comes to online dating) I’m completely literate, most of the time I don’t smell bad, I almost always remember to brush my teeth and if I don’t I have a back-up at my desk just in case which means I’m also very organized and on top of things and I've never left a Ziploc bag of poop on a guy's kitchen counter. (But I know someone who haaaas!) I am a veritable internet dreamboat! And yet, just like in the real world, there seems to be a match.com hierarchy. The guys who played football and lacrosse in college (and with screen names like “laxman345” and “QB_NIU” it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out who they are…or why I heart them) are just not that in to me, whereas the guys with full-sleeve tattoos and in-home jousting rings are all up on me.
So does that make me the medieval knight to their sarcastic blond cyber-dater?
Oh dear god.
Am I their guy-wearing-pleather-in-his-profile-picture?
Thursday, March 22, 2007
Day 10
My first full day with NO communication whatsoever from Mr. Emoticon...turns out I didn't need all your advice ANYWAY (but thanks to the 3 of you who did weigh in. Love you like a 2/3 anonymous and 1/3 crazy Army-loving sister.) Looks like
OH MY SWEET GOOD GOD. I am not making this up, he legit JUST IM'd me. Like I was concentrating really hard on my next jackass comment and looked up and OOPS I'm typing in his little IM box.
Note the time stamp:
iceNIU XXXX (9:17:17 PM): so meet any more knights?
Note the emoticon:
iceNIU XXXX (9:17:34 PM): :)
Are you kidding me? What a creapy stalker :(
Oh sweet jesus AND he uses the "r" instead of "are" and "u" instead of "you:"
iceNIU XXX (9:18:54 PM): how r u?
This guy is literally my cyber-nightmare.
Alright that's it. No more of this ignore-him-and-he'll-go-away crap. This guy CLEARLY does not pick up on my subtle signals...and by "subtle signals" I mean no response or communication of any kind for the last 5 days. Yup, real subtle.
The afghan scenario painted by Mandy's co-worker is looking - in all seriousness - more probable by the minute.
UPDATE! I DID IT:
pureSuGaRXX (9:23:41 PM): listen I have to be honest with you - I'm just not really feeling this right now
(Disclaimer - the last characters in my screen name are not XX, I'm not THAT much of a singles-grabbing, g-string-wearing, lady of the night. I just don't want all you crazies sending me IMs filled with emoticons and excessive exclamation points at all hours of the night...But yeah, the puresugar part? That's alllll me.
I've never been so embarassed in all my days on this earth...or at least not since I started a blog about my experiences online dating.
Waaa waaaa.)
He actually took it pretty well:
iceNIU XXXX (9:24:45 PM): no problem. been nice chattin a bit.
And then:
iceNIU XXXX (9:25:07 PM): :)
OH COME ON.
Well thank God that's done. My first match.com rejection went amazingly well. I feel fantastic.
God I hope I don't see him at Features.
OH MY SWEET GOOD GOD. I am not making this up, he legit JUST IM'd me. Like I was concentrating really hard on my next jackass comment and looked up and OOPS I'm typing in his little IM box.
Note the time stamp:
iceNIU XXXX (9:17:17 PM): so meet any more knights?
Note the emoticon:
iceNIU XXXX (9:17:34 PM): :)
Are you kidding me? What a creapy stalker :(
Oh sweet jesus AND he uses the "r" instead of "are" and "u" instead of "you:"
iceNIU XXX (9:18:54 PM): how r u?
This guy is literally my cyber-nightmare.
Alright that's it. No more of this ignore-him-and-he'll-go-away crap. This guy CLEARLY does not pick up on my subtle signals...and by "subtle signals" I mean no response or communication of any kind for the last 5 days. Yup, real subtle.
The afghan scenario painted by Mandy's co-worker is looking - in all seriousness - more probable by the minute.
UPDATE! I DID IT:
pureSuGaRXX (9:23:41 PM): listen I have to be honest with you - I'm just not really feeling this right now
(Disclaimer - the last characters in my screen name are not XX, I'm not THAT much of a singles-grabbing, g-string-wearing, lady of the night. I just don't want all you crazies sending me IMs filled with emoticons and excessive exclamation points at all hours of the night...But yeah, the puresugar part? That's alllll me.
I've never been so embarassed in all my days on this earth...or at least not since I started a blog about my experiences online dating.
Waaa waaaa.)
He actually took it pretty well:
iceNIU XXXX (9:24:45 PM): no problem. been nice chattin a bit.
And then:
iceNIU XXXX (9:25:07 PM): :)
OH COME ON.
Well thank God that's done. My first match.com rejection went amazingly well. I feel fantastic.
God I hope I don't see him at Features.
Wednesday, March 21, 2007
Day 9
No winks. Not one. For a solid 24 hours. Did they find my blog? Do they know that instead of actually considering dating them I'm just holding them up for public ridicule and general mocking?
I feel cyberjected. Mr. Emoticon (the artist formerly known as Mr. Naperville who - surprise, surprise - IMd me at about 4:30 this afternoon) is looking better by the moment.
SIKE. Nothing can make a winking emoticon look like anything other than a tiny yellow romance-killer. Not even a cyber-dry spell.
Speaking of Mr. Emoticon, thanks for the few words of advice.
Especially you, El.
Especially you.
I need a beer and a taquito. See you people tomorrow.
I feel cyberjected. Mr. Emoticon (the artist formerly known as Mr. Naperville who - surprise, surprise - IMd me at about 4:30 this afternoon) is looking better by the moment.
SIKE. Nothing can make a winking emoticon look like anything other than a tiny yellow romance-killer. Not even a cyber-dry spell.
Speaking of Mr. Emoticon, thanks for the few words of advice.
Especially you, El.
Especially you.
I need a beer and a taquito. See you people tomorrow.
Tuesday, March 20, 2007
Day 8
Alright kids, I need your help. And not just from all two of you who actually post comments on this beast - I need ALL of your help. Especially the fellas. Here's the situation:
Mr. Naperville? AKA Mr. Emoticon-hehe-creapy-awful-grammar-guy? He keeps IMing me. We're talking alllllll the live-long day with the hey-there's and the when-you're-around-and-have-some-time-let's-chat-some-more's and the blah-blah-winking-face's. Not interested, Mr. Naperville. But how do I tell him that? I thought that just ignoring him/immediately stopping whatever I'm doing on the computer as soon as he IMs me so that it looks like I've just stepped away from the computer the second he IMd me would do the trick (it worked on me SEVERAL times in college...waaa waaa) but he will NOT. GIVE. IN. I've now had 2 people tell me to just tell him I met someone else who I think I have a future with, but that could not be further from the truth. I mean, sure, I've met a man I can joust with and a man with more tattoos than words in his vocabulary, but...come on. I feel bad lying, but the truth (which is, for the record, that he is an IDIOT and/or a 14 year-old girl posing as a 28 year-old dude) is way harsh. So how do I do this? How do I cyber-reject someone?
Any and all feedback, even from you randos that are reading this blog because my college friends are forcing you, would be much appreciated.
Okay, good talk. See you guys out there.
Mr. Naperville? AKA Mr. Emoticon-hehe-creapy-awful-grammar-guy? He keeps IMing me. We're talking alllllll the live-long day with the hey-there's and the when-you're-around-and-have-some-time-let's-chat-some-more's and the blah-blah-winking-face's. Not interested, Mr. Naperville. But how do I tell him that? I thought that just ignoring him/immediately stopping whatever I'm doing on the computer as soon as he IMs me so that it looks like I've just stepped away from the computer the second he IMd me would do the trick (it worked on me SEVERAL times in college...waaa waaa) but he will NOT. GIVE. IN. I've now had 2 people tell me to just tell him I met someone else who I think I have a future with, but that could not be further from the truth. I mean, sure, I've met a man I can joust with and a man with more tattoos than words in his vocabulary, but...come on. I feel bad lying, but the truth (which is, for the record, that he is an IDIOT and/or a 14 year-old girl posing as a 28 year-old dude) is way harsh. So how do I do this? How do I cyber-reject someone?
Any and all feedback, even from you randos that are reading this blog because my college friends are forcing you, would be much appreciated.
Okay, good talk. See you guys out there.
Monday, March 19, 2007
Day 7
Oh my goodness! My week anniversary! And how did I celebrate it? With a GENERIC MATCH.COM MESSAGE. Oh chicagohunk21 (seriously, with that screenname? Seriously?) with your child and baby mama drama...could you really not have taken the extra 46 seconds to personalize your message/wink combo instead of just blatantly mass-winking the entire female match.com population between the ages of 20 and 24? Did you even look to see if we were compatible? Let me answer that for you. No, you didn't. How do I know? Let me count the ways:
1) You have a child. I mean, ain't no shame in that game, but I specifically said that I'm not looking for someone with children. For God's sake, the creepy 49 year old didn't have children! I understand that you are, apparently, a hunk, but please. Keep it in your pants.
2) You are 22. I (again) specifically said I was looking for guys between the ages of 23-30. Now, clearly the men of match.com don't pay all that much attention to my preferred age range (I'll point to exhibits "Day 5" and...well just Day 5 because Day 6 was totally my fault...and a little bit the green beer's fault. Thanks to Lesli for pointing that out.) But still...at least READ my profile before mass-winking me.
3) You didn't graduate from college. Again, ain't no shame in that game, but yet again, I specifically said I wanted someone with at least a bachelor's degree.
4) Ok I didn't mention this in my profile, but I HATE SEINFELD. HATE IT. And you love it. So that's out.
Now, you might be wondering how I know he mass-messaged me. Well, let me tell you a little something about myself. I do my fair share of mass-messaging in my life...that's right, a whoooole lotta mail merging coming out of this girl. And if there's one thing I know, it's what a mass message looks like. And it looks like your message. And here's the clincher - He mentions my "short profile." Guess what kids? Never in my life have I been accused of being short...or at least in the sense that I am the most long-winded person on the planet. I mean, scroll down a bit. Note how long each of these posts are. That's right, they're looooong. And so is my profile. In fact, you have seen my profile. You know that it's like 1,000 words long. And he thinks that this so-called "short profile" makes me sound "sweet, smart, and compassionate." Really? Really chicagohunk21? Smart? Okay, yeah maybe in the sense that it's smart-ASS. Sweet? Sure, okay why not, though I don't really see what's sweet about Jack Black and video games. Compassionate? Not even a little bit, unless he mistook that whole land/sea mammal thing for an actual interest in animals/the environment because in that case he CLEARLY doesn't know me at all. I mean, I'm the girl that drives the bagel place that is literally - absolutely no exaggeration here - a stone's throw from my office building. And I throw like a girl, too.
I'm just saying.
1) You have a child. I mean, ain't no shame in that game, but I specifically said that I'm not looking for someone with children. For God's sake, the creepy 49 year old didn't have children! I understand that you are, apparently, a hunk, but please. Keep it in your pants.
2) You are 22. I (again) specifically said I was looking for guys between the ages of 23-30. Now, clearly the men of match.com don't pay all that much attention to my preferred age range (I'll point to exhibits "Day 5" and...well just Day 5 because Day 6 was totally my fault...and a little bit the green beer's fault. Thanks to Lesli for pointing that out.) But still...at least READ my profile before mass-winking me.
3) You didn't graduate from college. Again, ain't no shame in that game, but yet again, I specifically said I wanted someone with at least a bachelor's degree.
4) Ok I didn't mention this in my profile, but I HATE SEINFELD. HATE IT. And you love it. So that's out.
Now, you might be wondering how I know he mass-messaged me. Well, let me tell you a little something about myself. I do my fair share of mass-messaging in my life...that's right, a whoooole lotta mail merging coming out of this girl. And if there's one thing I know, it's what a mass message looks like. And it looks like your message. And here's the clincher - He mentions my "short profile." Guess what kids? Never in my life have I been accused of being short...or at least in the sense that I am the most long-winded person on the planet. I mean, scroll down a bit. Note how long each of these posts are. That's right, they're looooong. And so is my profile. In fact, you have seen my profile. You know that it's like 1,000 words long. And he thinks that this so-called "short profile" makes me sound "sweet, smart, and compassionate." Really? Really chicagohunk21? Smart? Okay, yeah maybe in the sense that it's smart-ASS. Sweet? Sure, okay why not, though I don't really see what's sweet about Jack Black and video games. Compassionate? Not even a little bit, unless he mistook that whole land/sea mammal thing for an actual interest in animals/the environment because in that case he CLEARLY doesn't know me at all. I mean, I'm the girl that drives the bagel place that is literally - absolutely no exaggeration here - a stone's throw from my office building. And I throw like a girl, too.
I'm just saying.
Sunday, March 18, 2007
Day 6
Note to self: Never again, under any circumstances, drink and wink.
Seriously. Never. Again.
Note to the guy who returned my wink at 8:17 this morning: Happy St. Patrick's Day, 36-year-old-with-2-children. Enjoy it while it lasts.
Seriously. Never. Again.
Note to the guy who returned my wink at 8:17 this morning: Happy St. Patrick's Day, 36-year-old-with-2-children. Enjoy it while it lasts.
Saturday, March 17, 2007
Day 5
Dear 37 year-old man that winked at me at 9:09 am this morning:
If our age difference was a girl, there's a good chance she would be having sex by now. She would be taking driver's ed and fighting with her mother in the dressing room at Abercrombie about how short is too short when it comes to skirts. She would argue that as long as it almost covers both ass cheeks, we're good to go, and the cologne-soaked, puka-shell wearing sales assistant stationed outside not to help people find things but instead to simply look hot and ask asinine questions like "Are you ready for spring break?" as people walk in would agree with her. Her mom would then probably (a) realize that when her daughter had said she needed to go on the pill because her cramps were so bad they were making her vomit, she was probably lying and (b) start crying in public. This would embarrass our age difference and both of them would stomp out of the mall in a huff and drive home in complete silence with only the soothing drone of NPR slicing through the dead quiet.
If our age difference were a guy, he would still have braces and horrible acne, and yet will still have managed to cop a feel on the girl version of our age difference.
Think about it. And never wink at me again.
If our age difference was a girl, there's a good chance she would be having sex by now. She would be taking driver's ed and fighting with her mother in the dressing room at Abercrombie about how short is too short when it comes to skirts. She would argue that as long as it almost covers both ass cheeks, we're good to go, and the cologne-soaked, puka-shell wearing sales assistant stationed outside not to help people find things but instead to simply look hot and ask asinine questions like "Are you ready for spring break?" as people walk in would agree with her. Her mom would then probably (a) realize that when her daughter had said she needed to go on the pill because her cramps were so bad they were making her vomit, she was probably lying and (b) start crying in public. This would embarrass our age difference and both of them would stomp out of the mall in a huff and drive home in complete silence with only the soothing drone of NPR slicing through the dead quiet.
If our age difference were a guy, he would still have braces and horrible acne, and yet will still have managed to cop a feel on the girl version of our age difference.
Think about it. And never wink at me again.
Friday, March 16, 2007
Day 4
Well, my counter hit the double digits day and I have to say, I am THRILLED. Finally, I have some people to bounce this crap off of - I can't keep shooting my screen name out in to the ether without someone to remind me that the cyber world is one big emoticon. (Mr. Naperville, case in point.)
Since the only wink I got today lives in "Pontiac" (the city in Illinois and not the car...I really, really hope. Though that might explain his willingness to travel up to 75 miles to meet his mate...that, or just sheer desperation. Either way, not going to happen) I thought I would take a moment to explain, once and for all, why I decided to undertake this massively embarrassing (mis)adventure.
1) Of the few friends I have out here, every single one of them is either married, engaged, or has been dating someone for legit decades, and while that's fine for my friends, it doesn't leave a lot for Single Sarah over here.
2) If nothing else, I'm hoping to meet some people to just hang out with. My circle of friends out here is a small one (shocking, I know) and it would be nice to have some new peeps to kick it with. (Yup, I said "kick it." Deal with it.)
3) I'm going to share something with all of you that I only share with people I really, really trust. (You know, like my lover. Or your mom. Ooooooh SNAP.) I SUCK at dating. Granted, I haven't had much experience (we'll call that reason #4) but from what experience I have had, I know this much is true - I legitimately blow at dating. The last date I went on? (A) was over 2 years ago. (B) I had to drive over 5 hours for (it should have been 2 1/2 but I got lost and was too embarrassed to ask for directions...waaa waaa.) (C) I STOLE A BRASS FIGURINE OF A PRANCING HORSE. That's right, you heard me. I committed a CRIME on the last date I went on. I don't even know why I did it. I think we were joking about it (Pop quiz: how do you know when you have run out of things to talk about on a date? Answer: You start talking about stealing the surrounding decor.) And then suddenly I had stuffed it in my purse and we were trying to look inconspicuous as we awkwardly tried to hide my now-gigantic purse between our bodies.
Needless to say, I need some practice. And somewhere to display my kickass brass figurine.
Since the only wink I got today lives in "Pontiac" (the city in Illinois and not the car...I really, really hope. Though that might explain his willingness to travel up to 75 miles to meet his mate...that, or just sheer desperation. Either way, not going to happen) I thought I would take a moment to explain, once and for all, why I decided to undertake this massively embarrassing (mis)adventure.
1) Of the few friends I have out here, every single one of them is either married, engaged, or has been dating someone for legit decades, and while that's fine for my friends, it doesn't leave a lot for Single Sarah over here.
2) If nothing else, I'm hoping to meet some people to just hang out with. My circle of friends out here is a small one (shocking, I know) and it would be nice to have some new peeps to kick it with. (Yup, I said "kick it." Deal with it.)
3) I'm going to share something with all of you that I only share with people I really, really trust. (You know, like my lover. Or your mom. Ooooooh SNAP.) I SUCK at dating. Granted, I haven't had much experience (we'll call that reason #4) but from what experience I have had, I know this much is true - I legitimately blow at dating. The last date I went on? (A) was over 2 years ago. (B) I had to drive over 5 hours for (it should have been 2 1/2 but I got lost and was too embarrassed to ask for directions...waaa waaa.) (C) I STOLE A BRASS FIGURINE OF A PRANCING HORSE. That's right, you heard me. I committed a CRIME on the last date I went on. I don't even know why I did it. I think we were joking about it (Pop quiz: how do you know when you have run out of things to talk about on a date? Answer: You start talking about stealing the surrounding decor.) And then suddenly I had stuffed it in my purse and we were trying to look inconspicuous as we awkwardly tried to hide my now-gigantic purse between our bodies.
Needless to say, I need some practice. And somewhere to display my kickass brass figurine.
Thursday, March 15, 2007
Day 3, 8:55 pm
Well, since none of you bastards are reading this or providing any feedback whatsoever, I'll have you know that I took the plunge with Mr. Naperville (that's what I'm going to call the one guy that I've met so far who is passable profile- and looks-wise, because he lives in Naperville. Pretty basic really.) I sent him an email with my screen name and not 10 minutes later, BLIIING (that's my blog version of the incoming IM song. Whatever, deal with it.) It was Mr. Naperville. And the VERY FIRST IM he has sent me?
iceNIU XXXX: Well i just got your email from Match, so i thought i would send you a quick hello :-)
Obviously he did not read my match.com profile after reading my match.com email, because if he had he would have been reminded of the fact that the thing I hate most in online communication is the GOD DAMN EMOTICONS.
I mean, this guy is 27 years old, and over the course of the conversation managed to use the :-) face 6 times, "lol" twice and 3 "hehe's." He also used "your" instead of "you're" thrice times and when he typed "cheaky" instead of "creepy" he corrected himself but spelled it "creapy." If I didn't know better I'd say a 14 year old girl was trying to scam on me.
Is it wrong to write this guy off for nothing more than piss poor written communication skills?
UPDATE: He just used the winking emoticon. I don't care what you people say (which, clearly, is going to be nothing.) This kid is DONE-ZO.
iceNIU XXXX: Well i just got your email from Match, so i thought i would send you a quick hello :-)
Obviously he did not read my match.com profile after reading my match.com email, because if he had he would have been reminded of the fact that the thing I hate most in online communication is the GOD DAMN EMOTICONS.
I mean, this guy is 27 years old, and over the course of the conversation managed to use the :-) face 6 times, "lol" twice and 3 "hehe's." He also used "your" instead of "you're" thrice times and when he typed "cheaky" instead of "creepy" he corrected himself but spelled it "creapy." If I didn't know better I'd say a 14 year old girl was trying to scam on me.
Is it wrong to write this guy off for nothing more than piss poor written communication skills?
UPDATE: He just used the winking emoticon. I don't care what you people say (which, clearly, is going to be nothing.) This kid is DONE-ZO.
Day 3, P.M.
Well forget match.com - Obviously I should have known that all I need to do to meet Mr. Right is walk to my local grocery store about a mile down the (very busy) road that runs outside my apartment complex - I got 3 honks, 1 truck honk (which nearly startled me in to the middle of the road...good one, sir) and 1 '93 Windstar that actually PULLED OVER and asked if "that California Pizza Kitchen thin crust was for 1...(long, looooong pause) or 2." I giggled out of sheer embarrassment for him and then legit HIGH TAILED it to my apartment - and if you didn't know, the last time I "high tailed it" anywhere was to the sundae bar at Thorne on a Wednesday night sophomore year for a bowlful of that crack-laced whipped cream.
But I digress.
So, a fun new lesson was learned today in my on-going internet dating education. Apparently, step 3, after the initial wink and the subsequent message, is to chat via AIM. I've now had 2 guys suggest this method of conversation, which we all know I am KICKASS at. Except, here's the thing - My AIM screen name is from my junior year of high school and, umm...it's awkward. Like, REAL awkward. And not awkward in the my-screen-name-is-a-blend-of-my-first-pet's-name-and-my-favorite-My-Little-Pony way, but in the my-screen-name-sounds-like-I-can-pay-for-a-Birkin-bag-entirely-in-singles-because-I-work-nights-at-the-Pussycat-Club-near-the-airport way. So what's a girl to do? IM her future cuddle buddy from a screen name that makes her sound like she should be doing 3-5 in a minimum security prison for solicitation? Or be REALLY tragic and create a screen name solely for the purpose of instant messaging some dude who, no matter where things end up, I will always have to introduce as "you know, the guy I met online?"
I invite and welcome your input. Both of you, if my visitor counter is correct.
But I digress.
So, a fun new lesson was learned today in my on-going internet dating education. Apparently, step 3, after the initial wink and the subsequent message, is to chat via AIM. I've now had 2 guys suggest this method of conversation, which we all know I am KICKASS at. Except, here's the thing - My AIM screen name is from my junior year of high school and, umm...it's awkward. Like, REAL awkward. And not awkward in the my-screen-name-is-a-blend-of-my-first-pet's-name-and-my-favorite-My-Little-Pony way, but in the my-screen-name-sounds-like-I-can-pay-for-a-Birkin-bag-entirely-in-singles-because-I-work-nights-at-the-Pussycat-Club-near-the-airport way. So what's a girl to do? IM her future cuddle buddy from a screen name that makes her sound like she should be doing 3-5 in a minimum security prison for solicitation? Or be REALLY tragic and create a screen name solely for the purpose of instant messaging some dude who, no matter where things end up, I will always have to introduce as "you know, the guy I met online?"
I invite and welcome your input. Both of you, if my visitor counter is correct.
Day 3, 10:25 A.M.
Sweet mother, this could not wait. Simply COULD. NOT. WAIT. I'll get back to the guy I emailed later, but for now we need to discuss the guy who just winked at me - You see, whenever you get a "wink" you are sent an email informing you of this fact, an email which includes a picture (thank GOD) of whoever has decided that you are cute enough - or in my case, have a weird enough profile - to wink at. From there you're just a short click away from your husband-to-be's profile, and in a move that I think is extremely fair of me, I have never once simply looked the picture and written the poor guy off. I mean, who am I to judge?
So anyway, this guy winks at me, he's not really my type but, in keeping with my vow to not be THAT shallow, I head over to his profile. Oh. Sweet. Jesus. What does he do for fun? "Jousting and swordfighting." WHAT? Ok, weird but still reading...His occupation? "medieval times dinner and tournament ." AHHHHH. I can't even make fun of this - The joke writes itself. The guy is one of the knights that jousts for the crowd whilst the serving wenches throw chicken drumsticks and mulled mead at the crowd. I wonder how many times he has beaten the Black Knight and saved the princess or whatever. Do you think he's a big fan of D&D? What level Dungeon Master do you think he is? Wasn't there an MTV True Life about this? I am considering sending him a message just so I can get my questions answered. It's not every day you cyber-meet a fake knight.
So anyway, this guy winks at me, he's not really my type but, in keeping with my vow to not be THAT shallow, I head over to his profile. Oh. Sweet. Jesus. What does he do for fun? "Jousting and swordfighting." WHAT? Ok, weird but still reading...His occupation? "medieval times dinner and tournament ." AHHHHH. I can't even make fun of this - The joke writes itself. The guy is one of the knights that jousts for the crowd whilst the serving wenches throw chicken drumsticks and mulled mead at the crowd. I wonder how many times he has beaten the Black Knight and saved the princess or whatever. Do you think he's a big fan of D&D? What level Dungeon Master do you think he is? Wasn't there an MTV True Life about this? I am considering sending him a message just so I can get my questions answered. It's not every day you cyber-meet a fake knight.
Day 3, A.M.
I DID end up emailing the guy who winked back. My subject line was "stop being so coy" and then I told him that I dug the fact that he liked Family Guy. I mean, what else am I supposed to say? His profile, unlike mine, is not exactly rife with talking points. And speaking of which, I feel like I should post my profile essay here so that you all have a sense of just how utterly whacked-out I find this whole situation to be, and also what I'm expecting from my potential cybermate. I mean, if you're not going to tell me upfront what your favorite water-based mammal is, what hope is there for our future?
I like to sleep with a fan on, even in the dead of winter. My favorite meal is breakfast and my favorite restaurant is any establishment that serves breakfast 24 hours a day. I love dogs and I hate cats. My favorite land-based mammal is a toss-up between the elephant and the polar bear. My favorite water-based mammal is without question the seal. Or the sea otter. Or the penguin. My parents are my best friends, followed closely by my babysitter, who (don’t worry) has not babysat me for about 7 years (5 years if we count the times my parents went out of town and wouldn't leave me alone in the house overnight because they “trusted me but not my friends.” Right. They were totally right though. I tried to have a party anyway and my babysitter blatantly busted us. Anyway.) I hate the dentist. I love Caddyshack. I love to bake. The old man on the Six Flags commercials really freaks me out, as do all PG-13 scary movies, i.e. The Others or The Mothman Prophesies. If I had a chance to make out with the guy that plays PC on the iMac commercials I absolutely would and in no way does that make me easy. I love to read. My favorite imported beer is Stella Artois. My favorite domestic is Bud Light. My favorite non-beer is champagne. I hate watching people make out on TV. I love water - swimming in it, boating on it...drinking it. I often like to express myself through the art of dance, mostly to songs like "The Right Stuff" by NKOTB or "Baby Baby" by Amy Grant. Or sometimes "Juicy" by Notorious B.I.G. Depends on my mood. I secretly love The Real Housewives of Orange County and I openly love Top Chef. I think Jack Black is awesome.
My perfect match is absolutely hilarious. He is smart and would be okay with – and good at – teaching me how to play video games. He is the kind of person who practices his golf swing in his living room while watching the Masters but doesn't actually play golf. He does, however, bowl. He is outgoing and charming and will have a separate life that I know about but don't need to be a part of. He will challenge me, and not only with his sick, circa-1996-when-boy-bands-were-coming-out-of-Orlando-faster-than-you-can-say-Britney-put-down-the-electric-razor dance moves. He will buy dinner and I will buy the drinks afterwards. Or vice versa. He is driven and hard working, but not on a Sunday morning. Or a Sunday afternoon for that matter. He secretly thinks Dashboard Confessional is kind of awesome in a sad, rainy day kind of way. He can fix things like my toilet that flushes roughly 12 times for every 1 time I push down the handle. He likes his parents. He likes to watch movies but will sometimes make me watch something other than Orange County or Waiting for Guffman. He is, generally speaking, awesome. He doesn't use emoticons or excessive exclamation points in emails. He has been to Europe and would love to go back. Coincidentally enough, he thinks I’m pretty awesome, too.
I apologize to those of you who have already read this, but I was informed this morning that first entry was so deliciously evil that my blog address might be passed along to some relative acquaintances, as opposed to the 6 of you who know when I lick a stamp or change the channel because I probably call you and tell you about it. For like 20 minutes. You are welcome.
So, I got way off topic and I actually do need to do something worthwhile, so hold your breath and I'll be back later to tell you allll about what Mr. Family Guy wrote back. It's super exciting.
SIKE.
I like to sleep with a fan on, even in the dead of winter. My favorite meal is breakfast and my favorite restaurant is any establishment that serves breakfast 24 hours a day. I love dogs and I hate cats. My favorite land-based mammal is a toss-up between the elephant and the polar bear. My favorite water-based mammal is without question the seal. Or the sea otter. Or the penguin. My parents are my best friends, followed closely by my babysitter, who (don’t worry) has not babysat me for about 7 years (5 years if we count the times my parents went out of town and wouldn't leave me alone in the house overnight because they “trusted me but not my friends.” Right. They were totally right though. I tried to have a party anyway and my babysitter blatantly busted us. Anyway.) I hate the dentist. I love Caddyshack. I love to bake. The old man on the Six Flags commercials really freaks me out, as do all PG-13 scary movies, i.e. The Others or The Mothman Prophesies. If I had a chance to make out with the guy that plays PC on the iMac commercials I absolutely would and in no way does that make me easy. I love to read. My favorite imported beer is Stella Artois. My favorite domestic is Bud Light. My favorite non-beer is champagne. I hate watching people make out on TV. I love water - swimming in it, boating on it...drinking it. I often like to express myself through the art of dance, mostly to songs like "The Right Stuff" by NKOTB or "Baby Baby" by Amy Grant. Or sometimes "Juicy" by Notorious B.I.G. Depends on my mood. I secretly love The Real Housewives of Orange County and I openly love Top Chef. I think Jack Black is awesome.
My perfect match is absolutely hilarious. He is smart and would be okay with – and good at – teaching me how to play video games. He is the kind of person who practices his golf swing in his living room while watching the Masters but doesn't actually play golf. He does, however, bowl. He is outgoing and charming and will have a separate life that I know about but don't need to be a part of. He will challenge me, and not only with his sick, circa-1996-when-boy-bands-were-coming-out-of-Orlando-faster-than-you-can-say-Britney-put-down-the-electric-razor dance moves. He will buy dinner and I will buy the drinks afterwards. Or vice versa. He is driven and hard working, but not on a Sunday morning. Or a Sunday afternoon for that matter. He secretly thinks Dashboard Confessional is kind of awesome in a sad, rainy day kind of way. He can fix things like my toilet that flushes roughly 12 times for every 1 time I push down the handle. He likes his parents. He likes to watch movies but will sometimes make me watch something other than Orange County or Waiting for Guffman. He is, generally speaking, awesome. He doesn't use emoticons or excessive exclamation points in emails. He has been to Europe and would love to go back. Coincidentally enough, he thinks I’m pretty awesome, too.
I apologize to those of you who have already read this, but I was informed this morning that first entry was so deliciously evil that my blog address might be passed along to some relative acquaintances, as opposed to the 6 of you who know when I lick a stamp or change the channel because I probably call you and tell you about it. For like 20 minutes. You are welcome.
So, I got way off topic and I actually do need to do something worthwhile, so hold your breath and I'll be back later to tell you allll about what Mr. Family Guy wrote back. It's super exciting.
SIKE.
Wednesday, March 14, 2007
Day 2
I would have posted on Day 1, but the excitement was just too much. I mean, between picking out attractive pictures that conform to match.com's ridiculous standards (no see-thru clothes? Who do you think I am? Someone who actually owns clothes that are not see-thru? Guess that onesie made out of pantyhose material is out. Shoot.) and editing my 3,000+ character personal essay, I was overwhelmed by the sheer possibility of it all. How many winks would I get? (So far? 3.) Would I get them immediately or would I have to wait? (I would have to wait...but only like 4 hours. Some sad sap messaged me at like 4 in the morning...buddy, 4 in the morning SCREAMS lonely and tragic, not optimistic and looking for love. Think about it.) Would the guys that I winked only after screaming like a school girl wink me back? (One would, and of course it was the one who, prior to screaming like a school girl/clicking on the "wink for free" icon, I actually had a sober moment and thought...hmm. Maaaybe not so much. But apparently that's the level I should shoot for, since the chubby football player-type I winked (weird) was not feeling me. Or maybe it was the picture I posted of me with my face in a vat of frozen cosmos he wasn't feeling. The world may never know.)
So, 24 hours later, here I am, 6 pictures uploaded, 5 guys have contacted me, 4 guys have sent me messages and nobody fits my most important qualification - Not one of them has made me laugh out loud...or even on the inside either (The notable exception being the guy who I'm pretty sure sent me his senior picture...from high school. And in that case I was most definitely not laughing WITH him, an important distinction.) However, I'm reasonably certain every single one of them meets my "willing to teach me how to play video games" qualification - you know, on the console in their parents' basement. Because 3 of the 5 still live at home. With their parents. And probably some siblings. And perhaps the family pet. And nothing says "not tonight sweatheart" more than the 12 year old yellow lab with a goiter the size of a baseball growing out of his shoulder trying to lick your face while you're trying to master those wireless - and dangerous, from what I hear in various fluff pieces on the 10:00 news - Wii controllers. Nothing, I tell you.
And then there was the wink I got at about 5:15 pm this evening, from a guy whose match.com moniker includes the word "psycho." I wish I were making this up, but I'm not. This guy actually sat down after making the life-altering decision to put himself out there on match.com and, when faced with the arduous task of picking out a screenname, immediately thought "psycho! THAT will send winks-a-million my way!" So obviously I immediately wrote him off, though quite frankly if he's stupid enough to pick a word like "psycho" as his descriptor, he's probably not smart enough to cause any real damage. Any yet, I was still intrigued. So I decided to check out his profile. I'm going to go ahead and cut and paste a few choice lines from his essay because (a) I'm a bitch and (b) the only people reading this are never, under any circumstances, going to be this "psycho" character - I'm basically banking on the tree falling in the forest theory...except by "no one hearing it fall" I mean no one hearing it that is this guy from match.com. Right. Anyway. On with the show.
"I'm looking for someone who is thier-self and not something they're not." Oooooh. Good point.
"My friends define me as the funny yet weird guy that does or says something funny and weird." So he is funny yet weird and does things that are funny AND weird. Crucial difference, glad he clarified.
"I'm open-minded like to do anything 1 or 5 times, then say I don't like this." I don't even understand what that means.
"I have 2 full tattoo sleeves, 6 piercings, so you would have to have a found love for 'em as well." No, he is not kidding. Both arms, MAD tats. I guess that black figure 8 knot on my back has doomed me to borderline illiterate guys who rock head-to-toe black pleather in one of their pictures. Again, not kidding.
Alright that's enough. I actually felt God glaring at me there for a minute.
UPDATE: A guy that I winked about about 6:30 just winked back mere MINUTES later. Now the ball is back in my court...to email or not to email.
I leave you on that incredibly suspenseful note. Try not to pee your pants.
So, 24 hours later, here I am, 6 pictures uploaded, 5 guys have contacted me, 4 guys have sent me messages and nobody fits my most important qualification - Not one of them has made me laugh out loud...or even on the inside either (The notable exception being the guy who I'm pretty sure sent me his senior picture...from high school. And in that case I was most definitely not laughing WITH him, an important distinction.) However, I'm reasonably certain every single one of them meets my "willing to teach me how to play video games" qualification - you know, on the console in their parents' basement. Because 3 of the 5 still live at home. With their parents. And probably some siblings. And perhaps the family pet. And nothing says "not tonight sweatheart" more than the 12 year old yellow lab with a goiter the size of a baseball growing out of his shoulder trying to lick your face while you're trying to master those wireless - and dangerous, from what I hear in various fluff pieces on the 10:00 news - Wii controllers. Nothing, I tell you.
And then there was the wink I got at about 5:15 pm this evening, from a guy whose match.com moniker includes the word "psycho." I wish I were making this up, but I'm not. This guy actually sat down after making the life-altering decision to put himself out there on match.com and, when faced with the arduous task of picking out a screenname, immediately thought "psycho! THAT will send winks-a-million my way!" So obviously I immediately wrote him off, though quite frankly if he's stupid enough to pick a word like "psycho" as his descriptor, he's probably not smart enough to cause any real damage. Any yet, I was still intrigued. So I decided to check out his profile. I'm going to go ahead and cut and paste a few choice lines from his essay because (a) I'm a bitch and (b) the only people reading this are never, under any circumstances, going to be this "psycho" character - I'm basically banking on the tree falling in the forest theory...except by "no one hearing it fall" I mean no one hearing it that is this guy from match.com. Right. Anyway. On with the show.
"I'm looking for someone who is thier-self and not something they're not." Oooooh. Good point.
"My friends define me as the funny yet weird guy that does or says something funny and weird." So he is funny yet weird and does things that are funny AND weird. Crucial difference, glad he clarified.
"I'm open-minded like to do anything 1 or 5 times, then say I don't like this." I don't even understand what that means.
"I have 2 full tattoo sleeves, 6 piercings, so you would have to have a found love for 'em as well." No, he is not kidding. Both arms, MAD tats. I guess that black figure 8 knot on my back has doomed me to borderline illiterate guys who rock head-to-toe black pleather in one of their pictures. Again, not kidding.
Alright that's enough. I actually felt God glaring at me there for a minute.
UPDATE: A guy that I winked about about 6:30 just winked back mere MINUTES later. Now the ball is back in my court...to email or not to email.
I leave you on that incredibly suspenseful note. Try not to pee your pants.
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