Computer Dating, 1970s-style

Last June I wrote about an episode of "Silver Spoons" from back in the '80s and speculated that Ricky Schroder was television's first computer dater (http://www.bestdatesnow.com/2008/06/ricky-schroder-tvs-first-on-line-dater.html). But I was wrong. When the Nicest Guy in the World came over the other week, he brought his DVD of the TV show "The Odd Couple," which featured an episode from 1972 (the year I was born!) called "Gloria, Hallelujah," in which Oscar joins a computer dating service at the suggestion of his secretary, Myrna. Of course, in the paperwork (which he has to fill out by hand) he describes himself in the most flattering light possible, to Felix's chagrin. How can the highly scientific computer-matching process work, after all, if Oscar stretches the truth? Maybe Felix was right, because Oscar gets matched up with Gloria -- Felix's estranged wife! So of course Felix gets all jealous. Then at the end, Oscar tries meeting someone from the dating service again -- and he gets matched with Myrna. It was pretty funny, and worth watching for the cool '70s outfits alone. ;)

Nicest Guy and I had a lovely two-year anniversary of our first date on Wednesday. He took me out to dinner at the Renaissance Diner in Manhattan, where we'd first met for lunch on January 21, 2007, and he gave me a rose -- made of the Dove milk chocolate that I am addicted to! Then we promptly killed the mood by going to see the movie "Revolutionary Road." ;O Well, not really, but that is not a happy film! But we'd already seen a romantic comedy the week before ("Last Chance Harvey" -- really sweet, even if Dustin Hoffman is a whopping 22 years older than Emma Thompson), and "Revolutionary Road" looked so good. But we both thought it was overrated. Some of the dialogue and even some of Leo and Kate's acting seemed so fake and soap opera-ish. As Nicest Guy put it, "Sometimes it felt like we were watching a parody of the '50s." I can see why it didn't get nominated for an Academy Award for Best Picture. I'm curious to read the novel it was based on, though.