E-Harmony Part I

Things to know about E-Harmony:

1. Guys might be worse than girls in the picture department. I have seen more 3/4 poses, cell phone in the mirror shots and peace signs than I ever care to see. And if they're not posing weird, they're in snowboard gear or sunglasses or in a group of 10 people so I can't see them or point them out. It's VERY frustrating.

Also, I don't need to see a picture of just your bike. Or you in front of a BMW that is obviously not yours. Or just your dog (as much as I love dogs.) C'mon men! I gave you a plethora of pictures that look like me and show all of me. JUST ME. Why can't you do the same?

2. It's very addicting! I'm on E-Harmony more than I'm on Facebook. I love to see my new "What ifs" for the day and who has sent me messages.

3. There's a fun thing where you can answer random questions and then when you look at a profile you can see how many of those questions you have in common with that person.

So are you ready for it? 

I had my first date on Tuesday. I had a really great time, but it wasn't as e-harmonious as I would have liked. The guy was so sweet and fun. We had loads in common, but from the second I saw him I could tell right away why he was on a dating site, and it made me wonder, why was I? 

Here is how it went down:

He contacted me first. Looking at his profile I saw that he was a 28 year-old newly graduated lawyer who runs triathlons. His pictures were okay, but like I mentioned above it's hard to tell by pictures. I really liked how enthusiastic he was in his messages and he was witty. He also seemed "real." He asked questions about me and didn't brag about his car or the great school that he went to. It was refreshing. After a few emails back and forth he gave me his number and I decided to be brave and call him. We talked on the phone for over an hour and he was very sweet. We had plenty of things to talk about and ended the conversation with a date for the next day. Tuesday. I got all dressed up and met him at a little Mexican restaurant for Taco Tuesday. 

When I saw him I was a bit surprised. He did look like his pictures except he didn't. I'm not sure how to explain it. He was still in his work clothes, a dress shirt and tie. But instead of looking like Don Draper he looked more like: 

Toby Flenderson

Kind of a let down. 

And then he smiled. (First I want to say that looks are NOT everything but I need them and want them.) ....Okay, back on track. He smiled and I saw The Cumberland Gap! This was no little Madonna gap or a cute little quirk. This was a serious problem. A whole extra tooth could have fit in there! The worst part- he was so self conscious about it, I felt like a shit head for not being attracted to him.

The beginning was awkward at first but a few sips into our Cadillacs and we were back to the way our phone chat was. I learned a lot about him and genuinely had a nice time. When the bill came, he insisted on paying which I thought gentlemanly and when he asked if I wanted to go to the little bar across the street I thought him bold and accepted. 

We each had a beer and as we talked a bit longer. I started noticing his teeth less and some strange "gay mannerisms" more, they appeared out of nowhere! Lets be honest. I knew from the beginning of it that this date wasn't going to be MY LAST FIRST DATE but the strange girly eye rolls and fruity hand gestures were hard to handle in general. 

He walked me to my car and I told him what a good time I had- which was the truth and when I went to hug him, he went in for a kiss. We did the painful I know you just tried to kiss me and I blew you off thing. Hate that!

I don't plan on seeing him again. I would liked to have sent him a "I had a really good time" text but I didn't want to lead him on. 

He did call me tonight and left a voicemail. I have yet to listen to it and am not sure if I am going to call him back and tell him how I feel or just ignore it. Dating is so hard!

Since Tuesday though I have made a few very promising connections that might turn into dates. I will keep you updated!