Look What the Tide Dragged In

Once I got on board with the idea of actively dating, I had to figure out where to meet my new potential suitors. I didn’t think it would be that hard, in such a big city there had to be tons of single, available guys.

First stop, friends. I have lots of friends and have had several relationships develop with previous friends. Unfortunately this wasn’t going to be a good option anymore, practically all of my friends were married, and most of their friends were married, too.

Next up, work. Although I’ve been burned by work relationship before, I think I’ve learned the right way to meet someone through work and date them without jeopardizing their career. Mostly my theory involves not dating someone I work directly with, though, and my current company is pretty small. Too small for dating.

Ooh, what about the bars? I used to meet people all the time when I used to hang out on weeknights and weekends for hours and hours… wait a minute, I don’t really do that anymore. Partly my activities have changed and partly I don’t have anyone to really go with (see aforementioned married crew). I do spend time in bars during NCAA football and basketball, so that’s a definite possibility, but what about the summer? I needed something more immediate.

There was one obvious option left. Online dating, thousands of single folk ready and waiting with nothing but an internet connection between us. It seemed fairly straightforward, I would simply cast my net and see what the tide brought in.

I dabbled on a number of member websites, Match and eHarmony, but I really hit my stride when I found out that Craigslist had a personal section. No subscription, no formal profile required, seemed like a great way to flex my creative skills and see what was out there.

The first post I put out onto Craigslist under Personals -> Women Seeking Men -> Dating, Romance, Long Term Relationships returned the below:

• If you’re height/weight proportionate (not “Chicago”-height/weight proportionate – really) and actually a runner, we might have something to talk about
• I liked your post because you sound fun, well-balanced, and your writing simply gives off, and I don't mean to be new agey-- a good vibe
• You’re exhibiting the Chicago Factor. The Chicago Factor is the innate ability of women in Chicago to be boorish, negative, jerks. They assume that all men are axe murderers and as such they make wild, crazy assumptions.
• Hey hun, As your inbox gets flooded with one liner emails, let me say something that catches your eye..I look like Brad Pitt..well, not really..but hopefully it did the trick.
• I'm pretty tired of being single, but I'm also picky beyond belief. You've made it past the gates, now I'd like to invite you up to the house for some lemonade and conversation to see if we fit.
• my wife left me over christmas :)

Looks like this is going to be tougher than I thought.