Hotel Food

I've been in a hotel conference room the past two days for a workshop. The presentations and group exercises worked well to help everyone focus. The only downside is that I gained two pounds in the process. Sitting for eight hours and being served rich and tasty foods is not a great combination. I was especially prone to the yummy taste of the potato salad.

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Tim told me about a wedding he attended last weekend. There are seven friends who met in college. C was the one getting married. The other five people are all married or engaged. Because the five couples formed a table of ten, Tim was not seated with them (awww). Instead, he was put at another table with strangers from Illinois. He tried to make conversation but felt there was nothing in common to keep the conversation going. He felt lame and sad. No wonder older single people get married so fast, they don't want to be exiled at weddings.

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I put myself on a dating website last week for a test run. The last time I posted a profile several years ago, I remember getting some 30+ e-mails within a few days. This time, I received about 10. Things have changed. Can it be the ratio of males and females has equilibrated?

Perhaps I didn't market myself well, but I really hate all the crap. Spelling out my entire life is not appropriate because then what's the point of getting to know me. I wrote what I thought was an honest paragraph or two about myself. There was nothing unique, but it demonstrated my curiosity and how I keep active with friends. I'd like to think the pictures I posted were attractive and real.

I responded to two guys. I tried very hard to be reasonable about the other people who contacted me but couldn't work up the energy to reply. Two men I immediately excused because they clearly did not read my profile and were not matches. The first guy was over 40, divorced, with a young child (the picture showed a toddler). Eeck! The second guy looked like a pudgy Mike Brady, peppered curly hair and mustache. He sent me an e-mail writing, "Hey, we're a match! Blah, blah, blah... ."

Yeah, sure, I matched YOUR search filter. My profile requests a man between 30-40... you're 46. Read more carefully!

The two prospects? From what I can tell...

1) Kq is likely a smart PhD geek. He didn't, however, start off with a good impression. His first e-mail was, "How was your weekend?" Not a conversationalist I presume. Gee Kq, you could have demonstrated a little more interest and help me understand why you want to communicate with me by commenting on things from my profile. I had to ask for a picture which turned out to be this semi-distant shot of a thin guy exercising in sweats. Eh. He's getting a second chance, I wrote him and asked about where he's lived and what books he's reading.

2) Midwest has just relocated from... the Midwest. He started a new job here and seems decently friendly (as far as one can determine from a couple e-mails). He's well traveled which is appealing. My only reservation is that since he just moved here, maybe he's really just looking for friends. Honestly, when you're new to a city why would want to start dating. I would think that a guy might want to sow his oats a bit first and live it up as a bachelor. Right? I know I shouldn't jump to conclusions, but I don't need another KT situation where I end up feeling used. Making a friend would be fine, but I'm not letting him meet any of mine.

I'll give these guys a couple weeks and see what happens. It's strange to want so much to find a good man and yet have such lack of enthusiasm about meeting men.