The personal ad I answered 10 years ago has found me

I registered on MySpace a couple months ago but really haven’t done much with it, and I only have about a dozen friends through it. So, I was intrigued when I received an e-mail the other day with the subject “TexasMan wants to be friends on MySpace!” His message said, “I am glad to see you are doing well. I barely got to know you approximately 10 years ago. Of course, that is past. How are you?” I clicked on his profile, but neither his name nor his photo rang a bell at all, so I wrote him back and asked if I knew him from Texas, since that’s where I was living ten years ago, and how the heck did we know each other, anyway?

TexasMan wrote back and gently reminded me we’d met through the personal ads. Yes, the personals! I had completely forgotten (or psychologically blocked out) that I’d ever answered a personal ad, but as soon as I read his e-mail, it all came flooding back. I’d seen his ad for a week or two in one of the Austin papers. I don’t remember what it said, but there was something about it that I liked, so I finally responded. We ended up meeting for dinner one evening, and a couple weeks later he took me to dinner and a movie. I can’t remember a thing we talked about, but I do distinctly remember sitting in the movie and thinking, “I hope he doesn’t touch me, I hope he doesn’t touch me, I hope he doesn’t touch me.” Isn’t that terrible? It wasn’t that he was creepy or annoying or anything, but for some reason I just really, really, really didn’t want him to hold my hand or kiss me or anything. In my defense, only a day or two before we went on our second (and last) date, I had just found out my mom’s cancer was terminal, so I’m sure I wasn’t in my right mind. I ended up blurting it out to him after the movie, and he was very understanding and hugged me. We exchanged a few e-mails after that, but within a month or two I’d moved back to New Jersey and we lost touch.

I’m truly shocked he even remembered my name, because I didn’t remember his at all! So we’ve been catching up through MySpace. He’s now 46, still single and living in his hometown in Oklahoma. He wrote me this long explanation about how he had a business venture go sour on him, leaving him with no business to speak of and thousands of dollars in credit card debt. He moved back to his hometown so he could live rent-free in a family-owned home and work his way out of debt. I guess it’s working because he now only has a couple thousand dollars left to pay off. But he owns some land in Texas that he’s sure will be worth a couple millions dollars (!) in a few years, so when the time is right, he’s going to sell, move to Hawaii while he’s still young enough to enjoy it, as he put it, “and never come back.”

So, he’s either completely crazy or a soon-to-be millionaire. Guess I should keep in touch with him in case it's the latter. ;) Such a strange blast from the past!

In other exciting news, there were 104 viewings of my blog on September 1st – first time I’ve ever had readership in the triple digits! I had over 100 on September 2nd, too, and people have even been clicking on the ads. Thank you all so much for following my crazy dating adventures!

Best Title EVER

My favorite entertainment reporters from Metro NY newspaper (http://ny.metro.us/), Daniel Holloway and Dorothy Robinson, are coming out with a book on Sept. 2nd – and of all the dating advice books on the market, this one’s got to take the prize for funniest and most accurate title. Dating Makes You Want to Die (But You Have to Do It Anyway) promises to show readers how to make a first impression that is more "good" than "totally crazy,” give you foolproof breakup lines for total damage control, and show you how not to panic the moment you realize you're actually in a relationship. Here’s the Amazon link:
http://www.amazon.com/Dating-Makes-You-Want-Die/dp/0061456500/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1219937525&sr=1-1

SHI, not shy

What does the acronym SHI mean? Why, it stands for Single, Happy, & Interested, of course – and now, whether you’re straight or gay, this symbol can help you meet potential dates. A friend sent me this article about these “relationship status” pins (http://www.trendhunter.com/trends/how-to-spot-a-gay-single-and-hot-date-using-a-shi-symbol), which you can wear on your clothing in hopes that another single will spot it. And maybe ask you out. They used to be available only in Australia (those Aussies are so cutting-edge), but you can now buy them in the U.S.: check out http://www.shisymbol.com/
They have pins, pendants, shirts, bracelets, earrings, even cuff links. The jewelry costs more than your average costume jewelry at Claire’s, and the cheapest shirt I saw was $35, not including shipping. For just a little bit more than that, you could get a month on Match.com!

I’d feel a little weird “advertising” my relationship status in a symbol on my chest, but I doubt most people know what it means anyway – so wearing it probably won’t help much. But if nothing else, it’s a conversation starter, which could help you meet someone in your regular day-to-day life, NOT online. Wow -- what a concept!

The hazards of cell phones (and I don't mean brain cancer)

Remember the Drummer Boy, the cheapskate who makes at least twice as much as I do, yet asked ME to pay for the tickets to a movie he suggested going to (see my June 26th post)? While I was away over the weekend, one of my friends accidentally called him from my phone! I had forgotten to delete him from my cell phone contacts, and while she was trying to use my cell phone, she hit his name by accident. She hung up once she heard it ring and realized her mistake. But then he called me a few hours later (on a Friday night no less) and left me a message, saying, “Hi, I see that you called me earlier, I’m sorry I missed it – give me a call back!” Um, no thanks. But I do feel guilty because I never officially ‘broke up’ with him (is it called breaking up when you’ve only had three dates?). I just never responded to his last e-mail. Bad, I know, but I just couldn’t figure out a way to say “you’re too cheap for me to date” in a polite way. So when he saw that I had called him on Friday but didn't leave a message, he was probably completely confused.

Oh, and I have not heard from Mr. No Touchy-Feely via phone OR e-mail in 12 days. That’s a record for him.

Sexy Hobbies

My blog has been getting much more activity than usual over the past few days. I was regularly getting around 15 or 20 views a day, sometimes a few more, sometimes a few less. But on Wednesday there were 48 views, and then yesterday, a new record: 86 views! One person even clicked on an ad! Since I started this blog in January, I’ve earned $18.81 from ad clicks, but Google won’t cut me a check until the amount reaches $100. At this rate, I should get my check in March 2010. (Hey, it’ll come.) I have no idea why I’m getting so many hits now, but thanks to all 86 of you. And if you’re one person who clicked on this blog 86 times in one day: BIG thanks to you, and I hope you’re off bedrest soon. ;)

Last night the Nicest Guy in the World called. No sooner had I gotten off the phone with him than Mr. No Touchy-Feely called. No decision yet on my part. I really like them both. Usually I can’t find ANYone to like, so I never thought I’d have this “problem.” I wonder what will happen? I'm seeing each of them next week, so we'll see.

The other day EHarmony had an article on “five hobbies women find sexy” (http://advice.eharmony.com/?page=articles/view&AID=2016&start=1), which I found to be pretty accurate. The five hobbies are: playing a musical instrument; volunteering with worthy causes; playing sports; being able to fix things (is that really a hobby, though?); and doing adventurous things like skydiving, cliff jumping, and rock climbing. I could live without someone who plays sports (borrrring) or skydives (no way he’s talking ME into participating), but music, volunteering, and being able to fix stuff rank high in my book. I’m surprised being an animal lover didn’t make the list. I’ve found it’s a very good sign if a guy is willing to be patient with my crazy cat.

Free singles event in April!

On Sunday April 13th from 6:30 – 9 PM, there’s a “Deeper Dating” event at the 92nd Street Y in Manhattan (registration code T-LS5DB07-05) for people in their 30s and 40s. It costs $30 in advance/$35 at the door, BUT if you send an e-mail to DeeperDatingInfo@gmail.com with “volunteer” in the subject line and say you’re willing to assist, you can participate for free! Click on http://www.DeeperDating.com for more info. Apparently, Time Out New York calls it “a combination personal-growth workshop and singles’ mixer.” Sounds fun, or torturous -- it really could go either way. But if you get in for free, what do you have to lose, right?
Happy weekend, everybody! Go Giants. Or Patriots. Whoever you're rooting for. :)