Yes, I have tried on-line dating, but it is not something I've made public knowledge because I feel incredibly awkward about it. (What will people think me? That I'm desperate? That I have no other options?) But what I've found is that on-line dating is....awkward. (Get ready for some good stories...)
The first time I tried on-line dating was probably about 4 or 5 years ago. I had just spent a good part of Christmas vacation at home with my mom and dad. Probably too much time. Anyway, when I'd watch TV with Dad, anytime one of those cheesy eHarmony commercials would come on, he would look at me and say something like, "Have you thought about trying that? Looks like it works. Plus, it might be fun, kind of like shopping." Kind of like shopping?? Yeah, awkward shopping. Shopping for a mate, might as well sign me up for a mail-order bride service. Geez, Dad. "I'm just saying, if I was single and your age, that's where I'd be."
So, I decided to humor him. I signed up without telling him. I think I told a grand total of 3 people. And the outcome of my 2 month stint on eHarmony was 2 dates with a guy who played "Let's Make a Deal" on our 2nd date by wrapping up little gifts and I could choose to answer questions or unwrap the presents. To be fair, it was a clever idea and if we'd be dating for say, at least longer than a month, it could have been romantic. But. It was our 2nd date and we were in a restaurant where the waitress kept looking at us like we were nuts. And I didn't grow up with a TV, so I didn't know anything about this so-called-game "Let's Make a Deal". And I would have answered his questions without the game. Like, we could have had a regular conversation? And he worked in radio, so every time he asked me a question, I felt like I was being interviewed on-air. And then he kissed my hand in the parking lot. My hand. It was so awkward. Again, could have been a romantic gesture. But we'd just had an awkward Let's Make a Deal date. And we were in a parking lot. A parking lot. And that's about the time when I decided this on-line dating thing was not for me.
Honestly, it was less about the awkward date thing--in retrospect, that was kind of fun and made for an awesome story. But, I just felt like there was this unauthentic intimacy about the whole thing. You try to encapsulate your being, your essence on a profile page and you're judging the being, the essence of someone else based on their page. A few e-mails back and forth and you feel like you "really" know the person, but you've never met them in person, you've never heard their voice. It just felt so misleading, so false. Like you could make the decision about whether or not you would spend the rest of your life with someone on your first date. There was so much intimate knowledge, and yet such a lack of quality time and depth.
My second venture into the world of on-line dating began in June.
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