Tuesday, March 1, 2011

Girl vs. Computer - Strike One

So because I am trying to go outside of my comfort zone, I threw my better judgment out the window and took a chance on finding a new relationship in a way I never thought I would.  Typically, my strategy when it comes to dating is to hang back and let boys come to me.  Like many things in my life, I am not a very proactive dater; however, I recently made an attempt to change that.
For years now, people have been telling that I should venture into the online dating world and the other week; I caved and thought I would give it a shot.  Now I’ve heard the success stories and the horror stories associated with internet dating but for me personally, I don’t really buy into it.  It just seems like a more technologically advanced form of blind dating but on the flip side, where else are you going to meet people if you are a workaholic who travels way too much?  So I threw some money (yes they charge you) at the problem and took a chance on finding love on the world wide web.
Well I found a lot of creepers.  Over 800 profile views and 200 emails worth of creepers to be exact.  If you are over the age of 40 and living within a three state radius of me, I probably got an email from you.  I had a ton of guys telling me how pretty I was and how much we have in common.  Although there was interest, very few of them seemed like anyone I would be remotely willing to take a chance on but I promised myself and others that I would give it a chance.  My rule was three strikes or one month (whichever came first) and I’m out. 
Right out of the gate I caught my first frog who had all the potential to be a handsome prince.  He seemed great on paper and cute in pictures so I thought there was no harm in seeing if he was someone I might like to get to know.   It only took a few emails for me start wondering why exactly he was single and a few more emails for him to ask for my number.  Shortly after I gave him my number, I realized just why this guy was single.
Mr. Potential Suitor #1, when in the possession of a phone number, will drive you crazy!  He was a major texter.  Now I know that you’re probably thinking that texting is far from a deal breaker but after getting 9 texts on the first day he had my number, I started to think this guy might be a little much for me.  Every morning I get a good morning or a how’s your day going text.  Throughout the day, I get updates on what he’s doing like working out or running errands and let’s not forget about the dinner time texts where he tells me what he’s eating.  Of course there were good night texts too.  The texts were one thing but then there were also emails.  He even sent pictures.  And if I didn’t respond within a few hours, he would check in to make sure he hadn’t done something wrong to make me avoid him.   He was practically suffocating me and I hadn’t even met him yet!
Now, when it comes to relationships, I am pretty low maintenance.  I like to ease into things and someone coming on too strong, too fast will definitely send me running for the hills. I can’t deal with needy and this guy had gone from good on paper to full on Stage 10 Clinger in a matter of days.  I was even contemplating ways to break up with him when I realized, how do you break up with someone you’ve never even met?!
Ok so I think you all get the picture that Texter is definitely online dating strike one.  Two more and I’m officially retiring from this game.  He wasn't a bad guy, just not the guy for me but in every situation, there is always something that can be learned.  The moral of this little tale is slow and steady wins the race.  If you are in the pursuit of a relationship, don’t put every card you have out on the table right away.  Let a relationship happen and enjoy the getting to know each other part.  Jumping in too quickly makes me wonder if you want to be with me or if you just want to be with someone and I’m not looking to be just someone you settle for.  Soon I will step up to the plate again for the next pitch but right now I might take a minute, step outside of the batter’s box and try to regain my composure.   
“Never let the fear of striking out, keep you playing the game.” – A Cinderella Story

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