My Previous First Date

Okay, people have been asking about what I've been up to this last week (and requesting a new post), so here goes: Yes, I am dating again. Right after Christmas I took the eHarmony plunge. I figure if they can find a girl for Howard, there has to be someone out there for me, right (joke)? Plus, I firmly believe in better living through technology. The idea that you'll bump into that special someone and have the foresight/courage to strike up a conversation that will lead to a relationship later is a little silly, especially in this town with it's 10:1 bachelor to bachelorette ratio.

So after a few months of sorting through matches and guided communication, one match stood head & shoulders above the rest [laughing to myself]. So we exchanged e-mails, talked on the phone, and we've been meeting in person the last few weekends.

Unfortunately, I'm not going to tell you any more about her right now. I haven't told her about my blog yet, and it would seem wrong to talk about her on the internet without her knowing, so I'll save the fun stuff for later. But I will give some general observations on what's changed since the last time I went on a first date, approximately 7 years ago- when N*Sync's Bye Bye Bye topped the charts and Mission: Impossible II was #1 at the box office:

1. I was in college, so dates were planned around homework and exams.
2. I had a cell phone, but all it did was make calls. It didn't even have caller ID. I never actually used it, because I only had like 50 minutes a month (plus it sounded terrible). That was so long ago that I actually wore it on my belt.
3. No one had ever heard of a "txt" message.
4. Starting a dotcom was a sure-fire path to becoming a multi-millionaire.
5. I had maybe 100 MP3s on my computer. We didn't have MP3 "players," and the first iPod was still a year away.
6. We had to worry about where to hang out, based on who's roommates were home.
7. Speaking of which, Daniel doesn't knock, he just barges right in. With his brother.
8. Internet dating was for weirdos and losers.
9. I knew nothing about women. Well, okay- some things are the same.

In any case, the game has changed, mostly because I'm pushing 30. This time I'm really not concerned with making people like me- I'm just out there. I'm saying whatever comes to mind and being totally honest. I figure if they don't like what I say, then okay, move along. So far it's worked out amazingly well. If it keeps going like this, you'll probably get to meet her soon enough.