Did I blow it?!

So last week my accomplice and I sent out a bunch of e-mail to fill my monthly match.com quota. I wasn't expecting a large response, and I wasn't really disappointed. But one guy who I thought was super cute and whose profile actually made me laugh out loud, responded!! Yay! However, I didn't actually read it and respond until three days later. This was not some game playing on my part. I was not near a computer for two days and then was so sick, I didn't even get out of bed. I know, some will say that sick or not I could have turned on my computer! Really, I don't think I could, it took too much energy just to pick up my own head! So when I felt better I saw the e-mail and responded. He has not written back. Oh, I am a little bit sad. Its not like I had met him or even spoken on the phone. But I was just so excited that someone I had written to had written back and maybe was interested in me a little bit. I know I am probably overreacting, I mean, he could still write back, right?

Happy Year of the Ox!

Yes, 2009 is the Chinese year of the Ox and of course I have to go look up what that is going to mean for me this year. I can never remember what I am according to the Chinese calender, a rat, a monkey, a tiger perhaps? Remember those great placemats at Chinese restaurants that you would look at for your year (and everyone else's at the table) until you spilled wonton soup on it. Well, I don't have one of those placemats handy, but I do have the Internet and I used it to find out that I am a goat! Yes, a goat. Well, in this year of the Ox, what is in store for a Goat like me? Here is the information according to Astrology.com when it comes to a Goat's relationship status this year:
Goat Relationships
The Goat may find solace in your family relations this year, as they will offer you the support you need to see through challenging situations. You may also see a lot of new faces in your life, as you are prone to meet new people this year. Relationships fare well for you, but you may have to be a little more outgoing than you are used to being, in order to see your relationship progress to a higher level. The single Goat may be blessed to have several suitors this year.
Woo Hoo! Several Suitors? This Chinese year thing sounds great! I have gotten an e-mail back from one of my match.com people. So I'm keeping the optimistic vibe and hoping that the year of the Ox will treat this Goat well! :-)

Like a Bad Lifetime Movie

That's what my accomplice has called match.com's selection of men! And I could not agree more! I sign on to e-mail guys and meet my quota for this month (which I am still working on) and I feel like I am looking at the same guys over and over again! Its frustrating! What is a single girl to do? Don't get me wrong, this is not a "woe is me" moment. While I don't think of this whole process as my job, I don't want to keep going if it isn't fun.
So, I just need to come up with ways to keep this whole thing fun! Like tonight my accomplice and I will be online together scoping out any potential matches. Also, I am hoping my newly enlisted help (ie: Accomplice #2, hopefully you know who you are) will get to work. I know I have to get to work too, start going out more and all that. Who knows? maybe on some excursion I'll meet someone great! And it really will be like a Lifetime movie!

Apologies

I know I have not posted in a while and people are starting to get antsy and want to know what has been going on. I wish that there were tons of fun stories for me to report from over the last couple of weeks. Sorry to say that just isn't the case. Believe me, I was busy. But there was no movement on the "Operation 3.0" front. I have recruited some new help for my accomplice and hopefully that will have something come out of it. I need to revamp my profile on match.com because I just don't think I am getting enough traffic on it. Besides it is good to keep things new and interesting. I still find it funny though when I get people who do contact me who are so clearly not a match! I mean, is it too difficult for them to read my profile just a little bit to see what I am looking for? So, no former alter boy, I don't think we would be a good match. And no guy just looking for a New York City fling, I am not that kind of girl! Oh well...hopefully 2009 will improve, I mean we are only fifteen days into it! Anyway, even though there was not much going on in "Operation 3.0" I was busy with my sister's wedding and it was beautiful! She was just a gorgeous bride and her husband couldn't look happier to be marrying her. They looked great doing their first dance and everyone seemed to have a marvelous time. And don't worry readers, there was no throwing of the bouquet. that pretty much would have been me and one other girl out on the dance floor and I just don't think I could handle it! And there was also a serious lack of nice single guys too. In general it was mostly other couples in terms of the younger guests. But no matter, I had a blast (and my accomplice did too), I don't think I have ever seen my mother so happy! (who knew that's what it took....I really have to put this operation into high gear!) It was just a great weekend, enjoyed by all! So congratulations sister (and new brother)!!!

New Year, New Me?

I know I have not posted in a while, but I have been traveling quite a bit for the holidays and now I am home for my sister's wedding!
Anyway, as I think about this new year, with three months down in my match.com membership I have been thinking about "Operation 3.0." I can't say its gone very well. I mean there have not been that many dates and not too much in the way of communication. But I am still determined to move forward! I got a few e-mails before I left for vacation and I did answer all of them! So I guess we'll see if anything comes of that. I will send more e-mails, above and beyond the monthly quota. I'll keep an eye out for events that I might be able to meet someone at. Any other ideas, feel free to send them my way!
Thanks for all your support and Happy New Year!

Problem solved!?

So, I was kind of bored today at work, which is something that happens every now and again. Anyway, I was looking at my yahoo homepage and there was an article that caught my eye. I am pasting it here...

According to relationship experts at Heriot Watt University in Edinburgh, romantic comedies give people unrealistic ideas about love and sex, and cause them to "fail to communicate with their partner." Here's more:
Psychologists at the family and personal relationships laboratory at the university studied 40 top box office hits between 1995 and 2005, and identified common themes which they believed were unrealistic.
The university's Dr Bjarne Holmes said: "Marriage counselors often see couples who believe that sex should always be perfect, and if someone is meant to be with you then they will know what you want without you needing to communicate it. We now have some emerging evidence that suggests popular media play a role in perpetuating these ideas in people's minds. The problem is that while most of us know that the idea of a perfect relationship is unrealistic, some of us are still more influenced by media portrayals than we realize."
Do you think this is true? Is real-life romance a big ol' letdown? Sure, lots of people like the idea of a perfect man or "happily ever after," but does that mean we're all unable to separate fantasy from reality?
Also, have you ever had an experience that could have been right out of a romantic movie (think John Cusack holding up a boom box)?

Well, there you have it! My love of movies and TV (and probably books too, but so many people forget about reading!) have ruined my chances for meeting anyone. I am so jaded by Tom Hanks standing at the Empire State Building and Richard Gere falling for a hooker and "nobody puts Baby in the corner" that I'll never meet anyone!

Come on! I mean I am a realist and I know that these are just movies, stories made to entertain us. Sure they make us a little more hopeful that we can meet someone who loves us and who we love in return. But do I really think that the next time I am on the train and someone steps on my toe we are going to fall madly in love? I don't think so.

Calling all accomplices!

So far "Operation 3.0" has been all right. I won't call it a success, but I won't call it a failure either. I have done things I didn't think I would ever do, speed dating anyone? And I have e-mailed more men on match.com then I care to number (needless to say I meet my quota every month). However, things just do not seem to be rolling along. This has become more a lesson in not losing your self esteem completely than anything else. I do get a rare e-mail from someone on match now and again, either from "bigblackman" and others like him, or from much older Jewish guys who look sort of like my dad. I just don't feel like writing back even though I know I should. I know that some people (mom) will say I am just too picky. I'll admit that I just might be, but I also know that I don't want to lower my expectations. Oh my goodness, remember that skit on Mad TV "Lowered Expectations"...is that what I need to find? If you don't know what I am talking about, please go look it up on You Tube!
Anyway, I am asking all you readers and accomplices out there for help. Please share your ideas on what else I can or should do. I will of course read your thoughts and comments and maybe even act on them. If you know who I am and know a guy you think I would like, hook it up! Come on people, I don't think I can do this alone. Your support is so great and your help would be even greater! Think of it as a mitzvah or a good deed during the Holiday season.

I am a Virgo

Even though I know my sign, that doesn't mean I'm a big believer in all of that stuff. I don't know which signs I am compatible with and would go out on a date with a Pisces or a Taurus. It doesn't matter. I do however read my horoscope. I just think its a fun thing to do and sometimes it is so totally off base it gives me a good laugh during the day. Recently I got a good one though that actually spoke to this Little Match Girl. I just thought I should share it here since it seems to fit with the theme of this blog (and maybe my life in general).

Virgo:
You're creative, charming and good-looking. Your advances in just about any endeavor will be warmly encouraged. That ought to give you something to think about. Don't wait. This doesn't last forever.

Up Up and...

Well, not away, but the date with "B" last night was definitely a step up from previous dates in my life! We met at a central location so it would be easy for both of us to catch trains home, since we live in totally different areas. I thought that was fair for both of us.
Anyway, I'll admit that after the stalking, e-mail games, and cancelled date, I was not too excited to meet his guy. It was like a whole series in mixed messages and I just don't like all this game playing as I have mentioned before. So needless to say I was in a bit of a funk most of the day and not really looking forward to going out.
I got there and put on my happy face and decided to just make the best of it. My mom gave me a stern talking to during the day about how you never know and all that. So, I was surprised that I was actually having a decent time. Now, let me just be clear, me having a good time does not mean that I am all about "B" now. Believe me, I already sent a few more e-mails on match!
I just didn't have a horrible time and I could totally see hanging out with "B" again.
We just sat and talked for about an hour a half. We had a little bite to eat and I kind of felt like I was hanging out with a friend. I will say that on my part there was no attraction at all. That's not to say that kind of thing can't change, I am just putting it out there. We talked about our families and growing up in totally different places. I'm from Miami, he is from upstate NY. We talked about the holiday season, since its here and so much fun! He actually grew up celebrating Christmas in his home and not Hanukkah, I grew up in a Jewish home, where Christmas was something we watched our neighbors do (seriously, they have been on the "Today" show with their insane decorations!!). I'm sorry, and I have said it before, but I just want to meet a nice Jewish boy who I can bring home to mom (don't lie mom, that's what you want too). I just don't think "B" fits that bill. And to people that celebrate both, this is not a comment about that, its more a comment about what I want in my life and what kind of home I want to create with whoever I wind up with. But before you get all upset with me, I am not writing him off, I am just saying that right now I don't think this could be a match, but I am willing to give it another try. Now for more date details...
So we sat down and he told me he was not drinking, I'm sorry, but I needed a drink so I ordered a beer. For dinner I just ordered a soup he ordered an appetizer and dinner. Let me explain about my soup, I am not one of those girls who doesn't eat, in fact, I love food! But I had a late lunch and I love french onion soup, so I couldn't resist and it was totally filling. The conversation flowed fairly well with very few periods of silence. While I made him laugh a few times, he didn't really do the same for me. But I do love to make people laugh, so that's good I guess. Although i would have liked to chuckle a few time, oh well.
So, onto the end of the date when the check comes. This is always a tense moment for me since I have been on quite a few dates where the guy expects me to pay. So when the bill came I made my usual reach for my wallet and asked if I should pay. His response was "only if you want to." Really? This was another red flag about "B" for me. Listen up guys...you should always pay for the first date. Its just the right thing to do! So I just kind of sat there dumbfounded at that response and he was like "never mind, I'll get it." Okay, so that was a bit weird and a strange way to end the date. He walked me to the train and I gave him a little hug. All in all, it was not horrible but there were just no sparks for me.
Okay, so now comment away people, I know you're dying to!

Again?

Um, so it is Tuesday before my date with "B" tomorrow and I have not heard from him. Granted we spoke on the phone last week to make these plans, but there should be some sort of confirmation this week right? I mean we never even finalized where to go. Is he expecting me to just wait around until tomorrow? He can call me at 7 and I can be somewhere by 8?
Now, please correct me if I am wrong, because this whole dating thing is not something I'm too familiar with (I admit it and perhaps another post will be about my non-existent dating history). I just feel like at least forty eight hours is not too much to ask. I know he said he was busy with work and stuff, but guess what "B"? So is everyone! You are not the only busy person in the world or in NYC for that matter! I just feel like it is a respect thing, and by not getting in touch its showing that he really doesn't care all that much about meeting me at all. At least that is the impression he is making on me. So, tell me...am I right? Or totally off base?