| Anyone tired of online dating? I have heard that | | | | I was overwhelmed with all the attention and |
| over 40 million people in the USA alone will log | | | | adoration. I had not had this many women after |
| onto an online dating or matchmaking website | | | | me since the time I accidentally walked into the |
| during the course of a year. You would think with | | | | girls bathroom in grade school. |
| that many single people it would be like shooting | | | | As with most of us when learning a new trade, I |
| ducks in a barrel.. Wrong! As a 49 year old man, | | | | made many blunders along the way. For one |
| with a 16 year old son, being single has been an | | | | thing, I never kept files or any sort of managed |
| absolute nightmare to say the least. The only | | | | dating notes about all the conversations and e-mail |
| thing worse than online dating is in- person dating. | | | | exchanges. I would jot down numbers and names |
| All joking aside, The fact of the matter is that at | | | | on pieces of scrap paper sitting next to the pile |
| my age I am too old to go the bars and | | | | of papers on my messy desktop. I was |
| nightclubs filled with men and women young | | | | attempting to just shoot from the hip and see |
| enough to be my children. Even if I did go out, | | | | how things went. Being memory challenged did |
| what would be the point? Time and maturity (and | | | | not help either. I was constantly losing names, |
| wrinkles and gray hair) have made that not an | | | | numbers, and appointments. The problem was I |
| appealing option. I have another problem. I am | | | | had too many women and not enough time. I |
| self-employed, and work out of my home which | | | | was never the type of guy that juggled women |
| is very isolated. I don?t even have to get dressed | | | | well, and I usually got caught if I ever did anything |
| let alone dressed up. Moreover, I am incurably | | | | worth getting caught over. I also have a morality |
| shy. I was the one that made the girl ask me to | | | | streak which does not allow me to lie to a person |
| dance in high school and even then tried to get | | | | who I know is trusting me. What I did have in my |
| out of it. | | | | favor was some sales genes inherited from my |
| On the good side, I have diagnosed the problems | | | | father, ample charm, and I cleaned up pretty |
| pretty well. The internet craze and subsequent | | | | good. In the beginning due to the stigma attached |
| birth of online dating in early 1999, was like a | | | | to ?lonely hearts clubs? I decided to keep this |
| Godsend. For me it was a no-brainer. I had | | | | new thing a secret and just see if in fact I could |
| nothing to lose, except possibly $19.95 which could | | | | actually find true love. If I did find love I could |
| be refundable if I were a totally dissatisfied client. | | | | make a pact to fabricate a good story as to how |
| At that time I had just filed for divorce and was | | | | we met and no one would be the wiser. |
| separated so I joined one of the leading dating | | | | After coming off the pink cloud I decided that |
| sites. It was very easy to join, I simply filled out a | | | | even as shy as I was, this was too good an |
| questionnaire about my age, eye and hair color, | | | | opportunity to pass up so I started meeting |
| height, weight, body type etc. At that time, I was | | | | people within a few weeks of joining. After talking |
| actually truthful about my age which was 42. I | | | | on the phone, I made plans with a woman to |
| also wrote a profile about my hobbies, work, | | | | meet at a nearby coffee house. I remember I |
| interests and also the qualities I wanted in a | | | | had seen her photo which was quite attractive |
| woman. I had a fairly recent picture which I | | | | but I asked her what she would wear so I would |
| scanned and then paid the money for a 30 day | | | | not need to look foolish as I entered the place. As |
| trial. Literally within minutes I started receiving | | | | I come into the coffeehouse, I see my date out |
| e-mails from women filled with compliments and | | | | of the corner of my eye sitting there waiting for |
| interest in getting to know me better. I | | | | me. She was huge! She saw me right away and |
| remember thinking that my dating worries were | | | | immediately greeted me with a hug. During our |
| finally over. I was so excited I started thinking | | | | conversation she said she had just broken up with |
| about marriage, children, white picket fence..and | | | | her boyfriend and put on some weight under the |
| walking hand in hand into the sunset together. | | | | stress. Needless to say I was a little disappointed |
| Here I was waiting for beautiful, single, sexy | | | | but decided that maybe the rest would be better. |
| women to contact me without even leaving my | | | | They were not. |
| home. It was unbelievable. That first couple of | | | | One of the first words I learned about was |
| weeks were unforgettable. I was getting about | | | | ?chemistry?. This apparently, is what every single |
| ten e-mails a day from otherwise unattainable | | | | woman MUST feel in order to continue in a |
| women living within just a few miles of my home. | | | | romantic path. In other words, if she does not |
| They were the most flattering messages I had | | | | feel ?chemistry? within seconds of meeting you, |
| ever seen. Some wanted to talk immediately and | | | | you are out of luck. I have heard several |
| gave their numbers, others actually wanted to | | | | different definitions of the word, but generally it |
| meet in person that day! My divorce wasn?t even | | | | has nothing to do with science. Here is Webster? |
| final yet! | | | | |