Voting has begun...

I can't decide if this guys is creepy for funny....read the message below and weigh in!


"...how is your week shaping up? Somehow I'd like to land an evening with you!"

"...ahahahaha....when are you free? I couldn't resist! My schedule has been hectic lately, but I'd love to play hookie and catch up with you!"

Thoughts?

The hard questions.

And so the process begins... though, I must admit, you girls are intimidating, but then again, y'all have had a month head start (more if you're KT).

Tonight, I became a "Serious Member" on Plentyoffish.com (POF). So far as I can tell, the only benefit of being a "Serious Member" is that other members now know I'm serious. Wow. Great. $30 later, I'm a "Serious Member" for 3 months. Niiiice. So then, I work to perfect my profile. I'd left it sort of skeletal until just a few moments ago. Deciding exactly how to portray yourself to prospective suitors is perplexing. POF offers basically zero helpful matching tools. The whole site is basically a free for all of fish in a low tech ocean. I'm just trying to swim above all the bottom feeders. Seriously.

So, this is what I came up with; About Me: About Me

In August, I completed my second bachelors degree and am beginning my career. After five years of dedicated study, I am ready to dedicate myself to the career I have laid out in front of me. I love the work I do, and will speak of it freely when the opportunity is right; however, I prefer not to use it as a ploy to be asked on interview-style dates (the idea of such things is my greatest pet peeve).

In particular, I am new to the area and have few social connections. There's a lot to learn about this area and I look forward to the chance to explore with someone new.

I practice writing as an art in order to create an archive of the lives we live. Know that an email from me is likely to be lengthy. I am interested in many type of social experiments and informal anthropology.

I love the juxtaposition between technology & modernity // tradition & antiquity.

I find it endlessly interesting that if I were to say "I like Radiohead," most members of my generation will immediately and ultimately categorize my taste in music in a very particular (but mostly over-generalized) genre. I like Radiohead.

Through this process, I'd like to meet new people. I am not "into" a particular "type" of guy as I am unlikely to fit into a particular "type" myself. Intelligence and intrigue are significant factors.

First Date

Deep and meaningful conversation in an atmosphere that both facilitates and creates such opportunities. Long walks to no where, meeting for coffee/tea, art museums, etc.

----

And the toughest decision of all? The little line next to my height (I rounded up to 5'10" to ward off undesirable short guys) which reads "Profession"..... thus far the most daunting self-revealing item. For this, I write: "Director; Restorative/Preservative Art." Very honest, I think.

Tonight I learned:

From L.Lo: The best way to relax before a first blind date _______.

From KT: This is a contest... news to me! Yikes. I thought I was just here to encourage my writing and meet my future ex-husband. Shit.

Double Trouble

Date 4: Teacher part 2

So I went on another date with the teacher. We met up for dinner at a restaurant by school since I would coming directly from class (That's right, I had to be super cool and show up with my back pack!!!) Anyway, the second date was definitely less awkward than the first. Though our waiter wasn't helping anything by hitting on me the whole night. He was always coming up an talking to me, not even acknowledging that there was another person at my table. He brought be a free beer because he "thought I'd like it and wanted me to try it" but didn't bring one for the teacher. I found it amusing but the teacher looked a little annoyed.The night ended with a hug, I think he might have wanted more, which got me thinking...
How many dates should you give it to see if there is actually something there? I mean, the teacher and I have been on two dates now, decent dates, but still no real spark. As a wise person once told me "if you can't picture his *BLEEP* in your mouth, the relationship isn't gonna go anywhere." While I maybe would've put it more delicately, that's kind of where I am on this one. He has asked me to go out again. Do I give it another date and see if something changes? How many dates can you go on with someone you don't see anything really happening with before it's just mean? Though let's be real, the mere participation in our little competition suggests that all of our moral compasses are a little off (some more than others...cough). Maybe I wont worry about it.

Until next time,
xoxo

I Have Outdone Myself This Time...

Oh my goodness, last night was quite the night. I had my first date. Kind of my first dates. Technicalities...First of all, I was very calm and relaxed for date. I would say that was a plus. I am not positive that I didn't hurt someone's feelings...but hey. That is the arrangement you wanted. I bet he didn't think it would be me having all the fun. Details will be divulged in private for those who request them.

MORAL OF THE STORY: Girls is pimps, too.

Anyways, my date. We shall call him "The Pilot." Because he is a pilot. Good thinking, eh? He is young...21 I think. But...he has a hella good job, a house, and a BMW. And big muscles! So I show up, after pushing my date back half an hour for personal reasons, and he looks much better than in his pictures. In the future, pilots look dorky in their uniforms. But anyways, things were cool. We had a few drinks and watched the Wings lose to the Wild (boo). And by we, I mean me. He doesn't love hockey like we love hockey. I am confident that he could learn, though. So the night went pretty well. No weird silences or anything, but there was minimal flirting since we were sitting across from each other. It makes it hard to be leg touching, etc. Just FYI. Drinks are maybe better sitting at the bar. More opportunity for physical contact. Just sayin'--don't wanna get in that friend zone. So we're getting ready to go and this Playmate blonde lady comes up to me and is all in my face. "I just had to tell you. YOU ARE SOOOO BEAUTIFUL. You are gorgeous! God, you are just so pretty. Is that your man? Is he your man? He is? Oh damn..." A lesbian came up and hit on me on our date. HOW DOES SOMETHING WEIRD LIKE THAT ALWAYS HAPPEN TO ME? That would not happen to anyone else. Haha. So he walked me to my car, I gave him a hug and left. Not bad, not bad.

Then, like 5 minutes after I leave I get a text saying how he had a good time and wants to see me again. I said I would like that and thanks again for the drinks. He texted me again today just to say hi and see how my day is going. I guess it's not just lesbians who like me!

Operation: EGGS IN BASKET. I'm liking it. No more nice girl. I'm done being the one who gets screwed over. ZERO expectations. Time to have fun. Fuck it. If something happens, great. But until then, party time. I'm not a slut, I just kiss a lot. That is my other new motto. Words to live by, ladies. Words to live by.

19 Jan 2010 (retro-post)

So here I am, already browsing, browsing, browsing, the fish in the sea. Did I mention that I set this account up before I feel asleep/as I was passing out? I did it on my phone therefore, my initial profile was total crap--no description nor photos. Come on, I did it on my iPhone.

To quote, my profile originally read, About Me: "I'm not ready to do this.I'm not ready to do this. I'm not ready to do this.I'm not ready to do this.I'm not ready to do this.I'm not ready to do this. I'm doing this from my iPhone and it's not fun."

Brilliant, right? Not to mention, my apprehension in taking up this project.

Pure impulse, sounds like so much of my unplanned life and my past pseudo-relationships if you really must know--seemed like a good idea at the time. Anyhow, I'm realizing that if I really want to give this a try, I've got to actually put some attention into the process. As L.Lo reflected--the process has a lot to do with self-reflection and analyzing what it is that I actually want--like academic work, like working out, like grief work--all these processes demand a great deal of the focused self. I reckon I ought to put some good effort in if I am to take it, and to be taken, seriously.

29 Jan 2010

More profile progress: Handful of photos (what I really need is to do a glamor shot photo shoot, L.Lo, you got some mascara and a camera?!), list of interests, vagueness about my career and degrees, but I still included that cover-all co-out: "I originally began drafting this on my iPhone before I realized that I need to put some major effort into it if I expect to get anything out of it. More to come..."

And there it is, for now. Until then, I dream of furthering this social experiment and possibly some interesting experiences. Something to write about, at least, right? Eggs, baskets, blogs.

Quote of the Day

Girl 1: "I would never online date, I need a good 'how we met story'. But if this guy doesn't work out for you give him my number."
Girl 2: "So it's ok for you to find guys through me online dating?"
Girl 1: "Yes, that is a much better story!"

Easy as 1, 2, 3...

So I figured out why I don't date...it's like a full time job. Between the searching, matching, "winking", e-mails, plus the rest of my life, it is hard to fit the actual dates in. With that said, I have "successfully" completed three dates this past week (yes, successfully is in quotes for a reason).

Date 1: Mr. Good

My first date was with a teacher, nice guy, good guy, almost too good. I'm trying to convince myself that that isn't a bad trait. We'll see how that goes. It's weird "nice guy" has always been on my list, but it's looking like I need him to have a bit of an edge too! Anyway, we agreed to meet up for coffee at the place of his choosing (unlike some people I'm not trying to have 4 hour first dates...creepy). I was impressed by his choice of location, a little neighborhood coffee shop which also happened to serve wine and beer! On a total side note, these kind of places are popping up all over the city and I LOVE them. He earned points for choice of date location. We both ordered hot chocolate (I wasn't about to order alcohol if he wasn't) and sat and talked for awhile, nothing too exciting. Given that it was my first date in a LONG time I wasn't sure if the semi-frequent awkward pauses were normal or not (subsequent dates have proven that they are in fact NOT the norm). We'd be talking and all of the sudden there would be a pause and he would stare at me dreamily. Kind of flattering I guess, but also kind of creepy. After the PG beverages we both ordered a beer (score!) and continued with conversation. The last hour of our date consisted of telling drinking stories. But wait! Before you get too excited about how much fun that sounds, let's just say I had to severely sensor my stories because his were all so tame and I didn't want to scare him. So if anyone asks...the crasiest thing I've ever done drunk is "watch" my "roommate" bring home a traffic cone (that crazy roommate). The end of the date was a little weird as I rushed out to catch my bus (that is what we city people use for transportation). All in all though, it was an o.k. date, nothing amazing but not bad. I would say date one falls on the success side of the spectrum. We have dinner plans tomorrow so stay tuned.

Date 2: Andre the Giant

So I am roughly 5'3" (5'4" on a tall day) and my second date was 6'8"! I sometimes wonder what the world looks like from up there. I was actually most excited about this date out of the three I've been on thus far. Partially because I am just so intrigued by his height and partially because I really enjoyed our e-mail conversation and partially because he has really good credentials (does that make me shallow?) We seem to have a lot in common and he's a bit of a smart ass like me (always a plus). It took us like 3 weeks to actually meet up because his work schedule is so crazy but we finally were able to meet up for drinks at one of my favorite bars (granted I did the picking). When I met him at the bar I realized just how tall 6'8" is...REALLY TALL! Luckily we sat down at a table so the height difference wasn't so noticeable. We had good conversation with no awkward pauses which made me realize just how awkward my conversation with Mr. Good had been. It was a short date, he had to work (catching a pattern) but it was fun. Again, date two is definitely on the success side of things. Though I was less than pleased when ended the date by putting the ball in my court! What? I have to make the next move? Uncool. Typically I wouldn't have done anything, but I decided for the sake of our social experiment (and me winning) I would man up. We now have plans this weekend.

Date 3: Douche

I was getting disappointed that my dates were all very normal compared to some of the dates being posted on this site (well one in particular). But alas, date three came around. Now you might I am evil for titling this one "Douche" but after he told me Douche was a nickname for his Indian name, well I completely forgot what his real name was so I couldn't write that even if I wanted too. He will forever be known in my stories as Douche. We met up Monday night and a relatively fancy bar which was nice, I like being fancy sometimes. I was all set to order a beer but then he ordered a vodka tonic, and well my general rule is not to order a beer if the guy doesn't, so I ordered wine. Slight problem, I forgot that wine had a significantly higher alcohol content. So let me preface the rest of the story by saying I was a pretty tips for most of this date. It's probably a good thing I was too, let's just say the conversation was weird and he really liked to talk. Here are some highlights.

- His first question was "why are you on Match?" I left out the whole competition/joke part and just responded "me and some friends decided to try it out together so we're all on different sites seeing what happens." Not a total lie. He then replied with "you guys should start a blog!" I laughed. Though I did not tell him we have one.

- He then proceeded to tell me how he is a "breaker" meaning that he likes to go into banks and look around and plan out how he would rob them. He doesn't, but he likes to imagine. I have yet to come up with the appropriate reaction to this part of the conversation.

- The highlight of the night was when he explained to me how arranged marriages work in India and how since he is over 30 he doesn't really have any offers anymore. Way to sell yourself on a date...a first date at that. I didn't really want to ask, but I'm guessing this is why he is on Match.

- Finally he offered me a ride home which I appreciated (I had walked there and it was now really cold) so he asked where I lived. I told him the intersection and he said something which I didn't really understand because of his accent (note to self: become more culturally sensative) so I just agreed. Apparently he had been asking me if I lived in the Eitel Apartments...I do not. So I got dropped off in front of a building I don't live in (luckily it is close) and he now thinks I live there. I didn't bother to correct him. Failure is such  harsh word, so I will say date three was less than successful.

Quote of the Day

So I've noticed that online dating results in interesting conversations. To keep track of the highlights I'm instituting Quote of the Day (aka post any bits of funny conversations resulting from online dating)!!!

"How wrong is it to push a first date back to have sex with another guy?"

Small world

So I'm doing my nightly match checking and, per usual, I have a few new matches. I reject the first few, opt to "decide later" on one of them, and click on my last new match, someone who has "noticed" me ... He has 16 pictures, which is great for me because I'm judgmental and it gives me a lot to critique. Strangely, he looks kind of familiar. As I hit pictures 5 and 6, I realize why ... he's the TWIN BROTHER of my high school spanish teacher. This man (my teacher) was not only fairly unattractive, but he was incredibly awkward ... there are pictures of them together. Needless to say I am slightly scarred. Yet at the same time, part of me wants to respond and say I'm interested, just because it would make for a ridiculous and probably appalling story. I don't think I have the balls to do it, but I haven't rejected him yet.

Introducing, girl 4

I'm always looking for the next social experiment. Ladies, I think this is the final frontier. I've signed up for Plentyoffish.com. Let's make history.

Eff

A quick update ... I just read an email from date 1 telling me he had a great time on our date and apologizing if he came on too strong too soon. Do I feel like a super bitch now? Just a bit. Looks like Gossip Girl and I are for sure burning in hell...

Clammy Hands and The Engineer

Dear Gossip Girl,

I am so not dating an Asian. I made sure the site will only match me with Whiteys and African Americans ... yet strangely I was matched with a Mexican yesterday? I should probably change my preference to just White because I've rejected everyone else. Also, as I lay in bed writing this, I can already feel the flames of hell ready and waiting to get me when my time comes.

So, I went on my first and second official online dates this past week. I'll start with date 1 (I won't be using any names just to save my ass, should anyone actually ever read this blog). The date was set on a Tuesday night. The plan was dinner and watching a hockey game. Sounds like fun, right? I thought so ... until I actually spoke to date 1 on the phone to set up plans. I suggested we check out a sports bar, eat dinner while watching the game, kill 2 birds with 1 stone. Plus, it being a first date, I didn't want it to be super awkwardly long in the event that we didn't click and I wanted to get out of there ASAP. Anyway, my suggestion of a sports bar was shot down and he wanted to do dinner at 6, then relocate to watch the wings. Do the math, that's a 4 HOUR FIRST DATE!!! It's awkward enough having that "get to know you" conversation and dragging it out for 4 hours seemed like torture. So, I show up to the restaurant, talking to one of my bff's on the phone for moral support and he happened to walk in the same time as me. We introduced ourselves and rather than a hand shake or head nod, he leaned in for an awkward half hug. I was totally caught off guard and slightly weirded out ... I don't like being touched by strangers. So we're in the restaurant, sitting, chatting, eating. All went well, the conversation was decent but I could already tell that it wasn't going anywhere and there was no interest on my end. Dinner ended around 7:30 and we walked to a bar down the street. Unfortunately, it wasn't a sports bar and the accommodations for TV watching were sub par. For us to both get a good view of the game we had to sit next to each other at a table for 4. We're sitting next to each other, watching the game, chatting. By this point he's had 3 beers and I've had 1/3 of a martini. Well, 3 beers must have gotten his confidence up because he started edging closer to me, brushing his leg against mine under the table, which lead to him putting his hand on my knee/thigh, squeezing it at one point, then moving it to the back of my chair and even rubbing my back. All the while I was scooting to the edge of my chair, crossing my legs away from him, doing everything possible to send the "I DON'T WANT YOU TOUCHING ME" signal. And to make matters worse, HIS HANDS WERE CLAMMY!! SO clammy that I could feel it through my sweater. UGH. I'm sorry, I may sound terrible, but that just grosses me out. I'm not into you, I don't want you touching me, AND your hands are sweaty. Can I go home now? On top of that, to make me feel even worse, he keeps talking about going out in the future and where we'll go, what we'll do. Knowing full well I have no desire to date him, I could only smile and nod in response. The awkward question of "so, have you met anyone else on 'this'" came up. Come to find out, I was only the second date he'd ever been on from his many months of being on chemistry.com. Here I am, in the email/pre-meeting stages with at least 5 other guys ... So I'm pretty much an online dating slut. Cool. Finally the game ends, the bill is paid and we're on our way out of the bar. It was cold so I put my hands in my coat pockets. He asks "may I?" and slips his hand through my elbow. Awkward. Isn't it supposed to be the girl who does that? Holds onto the man's arm? Whatever, just more unwanted touching. Now we're at my car ... the awkward goodbye. I guessed, based on the handsy-ness previously, he was going to go for a kiss, so as I said goodbye I gave him a half hug, saw him lean in for my face and pulled a strategic head turn, giving him nothing but cheek. Crisis averted, or so I thought until he tried for a second hug/kiss combo. Ballsy move, guy! I gave him an even lesser hug and barely any cheek. I get in my car, SO glad the date is over, and instantly call my friend to relay the gory details of my evening and laugh until I felt better. Basically, I consider date 1 a fail.

Date 2: The Engineer
My second date was tonight. I already had higher hopes for the evening because, based on date 1, I could really only go up from there. Also, date 2 and I had spoken on the phone a couple times and surprisingly the convos weren't awkward. We met up for dinner at 7. Conversation went well, we had plenty to talk about. Once we started eating it was slightly awkward, that silence when you're chewing and look up only to make eye contact and half smile with your mouth full ... yeah. Note to self: don't order food that has to be held, ie. a sandwich. For some reason I feel weird using my hands to eat on a first date. But I also read in Cosmo that guys judge you when you order a salad for dinner. Dilemma. Anyway, we made it through dinner just fine and headed over to a bar to watch a hockey game. Anyone notice a pattern here? Thankfully date 2 was not a repeat with sweaty hands and unwanted touching. We sat across from each other, enjoyed a few beers, watched my team lose :(. The waitress brought the bill and I offered to pay because date 2 bought dinner. He told me it was "lame", but I insisted. I feel bad having these dates pay for my food and drinks when I'm not sure I want to continue dating them, but I found it nice that he wanted to pay for it all. The bill is paid and we walk outside, he walks me to my car and gives me a hug goodbye, no lean in for the kill, and I told him to give me a call if he wanted to go out again sometime. I don't know if date 2 is someone I could date long term, but I wouldn't mind a second date. I consider date 2 a success.

All in all, I learned that I need to perfect my body language signals for "no touching", not to order sandwiches or "hand food", and to maybe suggest meeting for coffee rather than dinner to avoid dragging out an awkward situation.

Bring on date 3 ....

Am I Going to Hell?

Is it bad that eHarmony matches me with people that they think I will actually be compatible with and will be good for me and I "close communication" with them cuz they're not hot? Well, not exactly NOT HOT. Ugly. Unattractive. It's one thing to not be smokin' hot. It's quite another to be very unfortunate looking. I mean...there has to be sexual attraction there. That's how I defend it. Bad?

Also...I may be racist. Ok, not exactly true. But I likey the white boys better. Also bad?

Lastly, I bet Amy dates an Asian.

I'm going to hell. See you there!

xoxo,

Gossip GIrl.

eHarmonizing...

So far I have found the following good things about this online dating thing:

1. It requires you to think about yourself. A LOT. I don't think I've ever sat down and thought of things like "can't stands" and "must haves" or EXACTLY what I'm looking for in a relationship.

2. You kind of realize how many people are really out there. The guys online (or at least most of them I'm guessing) are ready for a relationship and are probably just as sick of bad relationships and stupid games as I am. I've come to the realization that there is absolutely no point in wasting your time with someone who isn't awesome...there are so many guys out there--just go find another one!

3. It is a good distraction from homework.

4. Creepy guys don't just hang out in bars.

5. There are a whole lot of engineers on eHarmony. Coincidence?

So far I have spent what seemed like an eternity filling out a personality profile. I'm pretty sure I still haven't answered all the questions. Fuck it. I got bored. GOOD NEWS: They accepted me. I hear some people get rejected. APPARENTLY I AM NOT A LOST CAUSE! Yesss. Best news so far this year!

So pretty much what I have gathered is they email you a bunch of crap that says "Meet your new match, _______" and you can go check out their profile. Or you get an email saying "_____ requests communication." Pretty much it all starts with them asking you 5 questions. You respond, then send back your 5 questions. You can pick from a huge list of them. It's crap like "what would you do if your date brought you to a party where you didn't know anyone?" or "what's your idea of adventure?" Apparently if we agree on this we are meant to be? Who knows. So I've been doing this mini-quizzes and then they respond to my questions. I'm always kinda like "uhh...ok? Is this supposed to help me decide if I like you?" I don't know. But then we get to the fun stuff. Must haves and can't stands. You pick from a HUGE list of each and send 10 of each (or something...can't remember) to the person. I suppose it just cuts out all of the bullshit. For example, I can't stand: lying, cheap, dependence, uninterested (yes, they're talking about sex here), judgmental, etc. Apparently I "must have" someone who is: loyal, funny, autonomous, affectionate, ambitious, etc.

Pretty much that's how far I've gotten. I have to do more creeping now. Wish me luck! :)

Find Love. Guaranteed.

With a slogan like that how could I not choose Match.com for my 1/3 of this assignment? Actually I didn't even know that this was their slogan until I had already signed up. I ended up on Match after a night of drunken curiosity during which I made a profile to review my matches for "free." I had no intention of continuing with the site but I'm telling you, Match.com has the best business plan out there. You can see your matches for free but can't do anything else! After waking up the next morning to an inbox with 8 messages from people on Match but unable to read any of them my curiosity again got the best of me and here I am. And I unfortunately have to admit that none of the 8 original message produced any interest on my part, what a tease.

The profile creation process on Match is definitely less complex than other sites like Chemistry or eHarmony in that there are less questions and they are all pretty straightforward. However, while I didn't have to pick a color to describe my personality, I did have to write a small novel describing myself. You might think that it'd be easy, you know yourself right? But when you have to condense everything about yourself into a few paragraphs of 250 words or less, plus try to sound cute and intriguing at the same time, well its harder than it looks. I'd almost rather have the long crazy questionnaire.

One thing I do like about Match is that you can look at everyone's profile...everyone's. This can provide lots of "window shopping" fun! Despite what its name would imply, Match.com does relatively little matching, most of the work is up to the user and this puts a lot of pressure on me! It implies that I know what I want, which given my dating track record, is a very scary assumption. Basically I put in search criteria that I think I want and then sort though hundreds of profiles trying to find someone I'm interested in. And if I find someone I am interested in, I can send them a "wink" or an e-mail. I usually stick to the wink because wtf am I supposed to say to a stranger in an e-mail?

The site does have a couple cute attempts at matching. In SingledOut the computer picks someone that they think is perfect for me. So far the computer is 0 of 3 on this one. I also get my Daily5 matches. The computer comes up with 5 people everyday that I match with, though I'm not quite sure how it figures this out given how little information it asks of you. If I'm interested in a match I click the "yes" button and it lets them know. It also lets me know if anyone clicks "yes" for me, which is a feature I appreciate. Usually about 4 out of the 5 suggestions I'm actually interested in, which I gotta say is more than I expected. Except for that one time when it matched me with one of my guy friends, didn't know he was on the site...oops. There is also a Like At Frist Sight match listing. Basically for this I looked at a bunch of pictures of different guys and picked my favorites. Apparently from that exercise the computer knows what I think is pretty and suggests some people for me on a totally superficial basis. Even I know there is more to a relationship than looks, I do enjoy browsing through these matches!

So far my online dating experience has been actually better than I expected. Online dating stereotypes have been both confirmed and dispelled. While there are definitely desperate creepers out there, I was pleasantly surprised to see how many seemingly normal guys are on the site. And now that I've gotten over the feelings of brutal rejection when I get a "Thanks, but no" response to one of my winks, it's actually kind of fun.

Anyway, off to have some adventures!

A Little Chemistry Experiment

So, for my 1/3 contribution to this "social experiment"/competition, I am subscribing to the site chemistry.com. The process thus far has been ... interesting. The sign-up begins with a barrage of questions about your likes, dislikes, personality, pretty much everything about you ... which ends in picking a color for your personality, BUT you only have 4 options, wtf?? If I had to give myself a color, it would be something in the red-pink spectrum, something bright and obnoxious. After the multiple choice fun comes the "describe yourself" section. Let me tell you, I sat there for a solid hour trying to pick out just the right thing to say, trying to sell myself essentially. So overall, I spent at least 3 hours just getting started. That's more time than I have spent so far reviewing my "matches". With a lengthy, annoying process like that I'm surprised there are so many people on online dating sites. I mean, let's be serious, if I hadn't committed to this whole thing I would have thrown in the towel after 10 minutes of "How do you feel about cheese? A. I love it B. It's okay C. Meh, it's cheese D. I effing hate it."

So, 3 hours and a mild headache later, I'm finally signed up and ready to start dating! Bring on the men, I can't wait to creep around and check out the profiles of every hot guy! ... Oh wait, little did I know you can't do that on this site ... you only get to see the profiles of people who the site matches you up with. Obviously I was a little bummed by this at first, but after seeing the variety of men I have been "matched" with, I can't say that I have been disappointed. I'd say out of every new batch of 10 matches, roughly 4 catch my eye. Not bad seeing as I get new matches daily.

The first batch of matches was pretty exciting, I'm not gonna lie ... there were some super cute guys who didn't sound like huge tools. Of course there were some I had to reject. I'm still trying to figure that one out ... So there's the "decide later" option, which I'm guessing is the area for rejects? But the thing is, the profile doesn't go away if you choose to "decide later". It's like, no, I don't want to decide later, I already decided and my answer is no thanks, don't save this profile with a little clock next to the name, I want it gone so I can get more matches! Anyway, annoying. I still have to figure it out. But for the profiles you want to learn more about, there's that option too ... but then you're required to send them "relationship essentials", which is basically a list of things like "he's good at saving money" or "he likes pets" and you indicate if it's not really important or very important. So you and the guy exchange your rankings and, if all goes well, the next step is selecting 6 questions for him to answer. The questions are dumb for the most part, like, what do I care about the weird foods your relatives eat? Yes, that is actually one of the questions that can be sent. So you exchange questions and get to read each others answers. AND THEN, if you still "like" them, comes the email option. That's where I am right now with 8 of my "matches". Not gonna lie, I have no idea what to say without coming off as incredibly awkward and weird. I'm probably going to lose sleep at night, laying in bed with my computer open, trying to compose a normal sounding email to a complete stranger. Sounds strange, right? I certainly think it does.

Well, I'm out of updates, now that I have probably put to sleep anyone reading this. I'm off to class and to think of normal, non-weird/creepy things to email 8 strangers ....