Ok, Cupid

Lately, I've been thinking about getting a cat. I decided that Pickle must be lonely all day & would enjoy some company.

When I seriously thought about visiting the shelter, I realized that I am by no means ready for a cat. Cats mean litter boxes & grumpiness & another critter that needs to be watched while I'm away, which is something I learned is going to be a bit hectic for the next few months. Hectic, but exciting: at my new job, I get to travel! (only within the States, but still...) Part of the agenda today is to take Pickle for her entrance exam to boarding school. (It sounds less scary when phrased that way, but it has to happen for the few weeks I'll be away between May & July.)

Anyways, so I nixed the cat idea & thought, maybe I'm the lonely one. On the bus that day, I signed up for an online dating site called OkCupid.

My hairdresser recommended the site, said she met her husband on it. While I've been highly opposed to meeting people online in the past, after another failed attempt at meeting people at a bar event, I decided the internet was my best bet. I'm so damn picky too--I just like a wide variety of activities & characteristics; what are the odds of meeting that on the street? Online, you find many details that help you find out if you even want to talk to the person--all of that wonder when staring across a bar & deciding whether or not to approach? Decided in a click.

It's actually really creepy. For starters, it's like online shopping...for people. "Oh, this one would go great with my love of live music!" "But wait, this one has an adorable smile, & we could go to coffee shops together!" Creepy. Then, they rate a match %, but the only people who initiate conversation have match % of like 40, when there's a large population of 80-something%. THEN, those messaging people send you things like "(;" or "What are you doing tonight? (;" or "Your rly cute you sound interesting want to hang out." For those people, I've decided to just start offering advice. I feel bad not answering people, but I also don't want to be a jerk. For the latter message though, I admit my response was, "Sorry; I don't accept bad grammar."

I'm a little nervous to talk about the messages that are going well or the potential for meeting someone (!). This is a totally new realm to me. Some of the questions they ask for your profile are ridiculous--like you're supposed to have your entire life philosophy locked down before meeting someone.

Anyways, that's that. I'm now a part of the population of internet-dating millenials. Here we go.