Sunday, December 14, 2008

Dating Like It's My Job

Match.com is a part-time job.  I know this is not news- everyone always gives this as a reason for not online dating.  They are right!  It has been a while for me, and it has also been a while since I had a regular day-in, day-out, non-freelance work schedule.  It turns out that one almost needs a freelance (or even better, unemployed!) lifestyle to keep up with this stuff!

When I am home for the evening, I start the second shift.  The sheer volume of people on Match means that there are suddenly a lot of emails.  Which is great!  But there are also winks.  And other emails about "catching someone's eye" in "the daily five" (don't ask).  So it can be a lot to sift through, with many potential suitors to keep straight.  First, one must delete all the creepy men in their 50's and 60's,  the non-hot dads,  the ones who photograph themselves shirtless in the bathroom mirror, those that crop out the tops of their heads in all of their pictures, and the all the ones with piercings, shiny shirts, and/or spiky/crunchy hair.  So, then, what's left are a lot of average guys who seem exactly the same.  Which one lives my neighborhood, and which one is in the Mission?  Which one works for some sort of non-profit? (Vast majority.)  And who is it that's into cycling and hiking?  (Oh wait, no need to worry about that one- that's 100% of San Francisco men.)  I need an assistant and a spread sheet.

I think I am finding them less than memorable, because, unfortunately, none of these guys are really grabbing me.  And of the maybe 5 that actually do look good on paper, 2 of them have already dropped the ball and abruptly stopped emailing me.  (I'm telling you, I'm a MASTER at finding these guys.  Doesn't even have to be in person anymore!)  So, I guess maybe it is time to duty-date some middle-of-the-roaders.  Because I have gone out with many guys who have "wowed" me over the years, but where has that gotten me?  And, no that's not settling, it's called reprioritizing and being open.  (Right?  At least that's what I'm going with.)

Date 1 with Joe SF Match Guy (average height, average looks, fancy education, tech job, outdoorsy, with photos that include both tevas and polar fleece) tomorrow night.  Let the dating season begin!

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

You're so good at describing the process, I feel like I'm doing it with you.

Favorite part: "First, one must delete all the creepy men in their 50's and 60's, the non-hot dads, the ones who photograph themselves shirtless in the bathroom mirror, those that crop out the tops of their heads in all of their pictures, and the all the ones with piercings, shiny shirts, and/or spiky/crunchy hair."

I never thought about it before but I guess guys that crop out the tops of their heads to hide the baldness are like girls who crop out their bottoms to hide the size.