filed in Sex and Dating
Going For It
After receiving my daily “recommendations” from Match.com, I decided to email one of the ten candidates. I hesitated at first because the man describes the woman he’s looking for as someone who wears jeans, t-shirts and “a ponytail most of the time.” I’m assuming he’s articulating a mood of casualness rather than an actual hairstyle. If not, we’re doomed. Oh, and he doesn’t read except at the airport and on the Stairmaster. (Didn’t think that was a deal breaker.) I’ll keep you posted.
Artwork by Nikita Gale
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I have no patience for men who not readers, especially those who confess to reading only on Staimasters or at airports. I’ll cut slack for those who whine about not having enough time to read as long as they itemize something decent they’ve read recently.
Oh,and Wendy, I just have to share this profile name that came in my email today:
ImThe6uBthe9
Unfortunately, it was attached to a very handsome photo. Who also looked wacko.I feel like saying something but can’t find the words.
This profile name is pushing me closer to shut-down time at OKcupid.
“ImThe6uBthe9”
He really cuts to the chase, doesn’t he? ;^)
Ewwwww.
My instinct is that it’s not a great idea to engage the wackos. The one good thing about Match is that I signed up for 3 months, and after that I can put a punctuation to it, and say enough!
Ewwww, indeed. The worst one I saw on OKCupid was “azclitmaster.”
Do these guys think that sort of thing WORKS?
The other worst thing I got was a text from a guy I had met and was going to go out to dinner with. Before that, he sent me a text, “If you had a ten-inch [yeah, right!] piece of chocolate, how much of it could you fit in your mouth?”
Needless to say, dinner was canceled. His response was “What did I say??????”
I also agree with Mary; reading only on the Stairmaster and at the airport would be a dealbreaker for me.
Also, has anyone seen the new thing about asking for people’s credit scores on dates? There are now credit score dating websites as well.
Sigh.
I heard a segment on NPR about credit scores and dating. It was really ridiculous. Just another angle.
I recently viewed a profile on OKC called “Currylingus”. And yes, he was Indian. I wonder what woman would really respond to that one!
These men can’t be serious, can they?
OMG! Now I know why I am single! LOL! Yes, men who do not read on a regular basis besides being in airports and on Stairmasters would be a dealbreaker for me. And I was always told to have a professional sounding email address in order to NOT look like a wacko or attract wackos…the same should go for a dating site profile name.
I’ve taken a lot of heat for being open to someone who only reads at the airport and on the Stairmaster. In my defense, I dated someone who’s a very talented and sophisticated visual artist. He was not a reader, but we were still very compatible.
While I much prefer someone who reads (and not just work-related literature), I have dated a nonreader who was into design and had wonderful (and non-mainstream) musical tastes. As long as there is something arts/humanities that interests a potential mate, I can overlook the fact that he doesn’t read.
BTW, I did read that article on credit scores and dating in the NY Times about a month ago. And it’s also a theme in Gary Shteyngart’s Super Sad True Love Story, which I am about 2/3 finished reading.
Petra, I’m curious to hear your thoughts about “Super Sad True Love Story” when you’re through.
Just finished it this morning and I was impressed. He is a master of satire (I’d read Absurdistan last year, which is a satire of contemporary geopolitics.)
Initially, while I was certainly enjoying SSTLS, I believed Absurdistan to be the stronger, funnier book. And it is funnier than SSTLS. But the last third or so of SSTLS combined the wot and sharp cultural obervations which are a strength of Shteyngart with a poignancy that i wasn’t expecting. Indeed, the two main characters (Lenny and Eunice) went from being caricaturist to fully developed literary beings. I think this novel will resonate with me far longervthan Absurdistan.
I will say that Shteyngart is a master of observing and skewering cultural practices. And I’m not sure that we are all that far away from the dystopia in SSTLS.
He’s a very funny writer, and it’s a scary story. I found the sexual politics a little frustrating (beautiful young Asian girl falls falls for schleppy middle-aged Jewish guy). Oh well.
I can’t believe some of these profiles! It’s EMBARRASSING…and so DUMB.
It’s funny the things that are “profile triggers”. For me, I cringe at the cliche-laden profiles: “I like walks in the rain, the beach and indie films. I want to experience all that the city has to offer. I as equally at home in an evening gown and heels as I am kicking back, in front of the fire.” When women say “I really liked 50 Shades of Gray” I get a little tense–and I don’t know why as I haven’t read the book. If they don’t mention that they like sports I assume that they don’t. And since I’m really into it I tend to stay away.
Lew, do you mean watching sports or playing sports?
Watching. That seems to be the trouble spot. Being a fan. Dressing up in Jets garb (don’t worry, I’m not a face painter–just have a jersey and a cap). Knowing the starting lineup of the 1969-70 Knicks (Bill Bradley–yes, THAT Bill Bradley, Dave DeBusschere, Willis Reed, Walt “Clyde” Frazier and Dick Barnett)…Stuff like that.
I actually happen to know who those Knicks are. (Native New Yorker, here.) And I grew up going to Shea Stadium with my Dad. I love watching sports. But I’ve never included it in a dating profile.
Hey, Wendy I went to Shea with my Dad too! I love most sports and make sure to include it in my profile, but not once has anyone referred it.
About credit scores: I guess it was just a matter of time until they would become a proxy for attractiveness. I can’t imagine sharing that information with a prospective date.
I still have fondness for the Mets because of my early days at Shea Stadium. But the SF Giants are really my team.