This Will Be (an Experiment)

I have taken the plunge, sort of. I signed up for a three-month subscription to eHarmony, the (mostly Christian) Web site for singles trying to find their soul mate.

I have plunked down $117 for the privilege of being matched according to my likes, dislikes, personality traits, distance, and so forth. So far, I've been matched with 10 prospects. Five of them have turned me down because of distance, dating outside eHarmony, or "other," which really annoys me.

I have tried eHarmony before, in 2004. I kept getting turned down by prospects for one reason or another. Frustrated, I quit after three months.

But I wasn't happy about my dating situation. So, I decided to at least give eHarmony a try.

I'm not a big fan of dating Web sites. I tried Match.com and met this one guy who lives in Oakland. He was a year or two younger than I and described himself as a self-employed entrepreneur who was selling his home in the North Natomas area of Sacramento to move to the Bay Area to meet more singles. We arranged to meet at the Barnes and Noble bookstore in the Jack London Square area of Oakland. (I was working in San Francisco at the time.)

He described himself as 5'7". When we met, I noticed I could see over his Jheri-curled head. I'm 5'5". This was not a good omen.

The back of his car was stuffed with all sorts of clothes and stuff, as if he were either moving or living out of his car. He wore a sweat suit and an undershirt. For our first meeting! For crying out loud!

We had coffee at the Starbucks inside the Barnes and Noble. He was looking to date me, but I said that I don't know where I would be in a year because (at the time) I was looking for another job. (It was true. I was looking for another job. I ended up working in Sacramento.) When I mentioned that I had a cat, he said, "A kee-at? If we're dating, we'll have to do something about that." Like what? Give Tuff-Punk away? I don't think so! That turned me off immediately.

Shortly after our meeting, I canceled my subscription with Match.com. I was so discouraged by the lack of choices.

As for my signing up with eHarmony, it's an experiment, nothing more. I'm still getting out and doing things, taking classes, and enjoying my hobbies. I just want to see what happens. I do not expect to hear Natalie Cole's "This Will Be" while I'm doing this. I'm just seeing what (or who) is out there.

Writing Diva