My First "Dip" in the Online Dating Pool...
"Have you ever tried any of the dating websites?" This was something I heard from several people as it became apparent that I was single. "Online dating is the best thing ever"...said no sane person...ever!! But I was definitely open to it as my own daughter and son-in-law had met on Craig's List! I know of other success stories and thought, "why not?" I'd like to think I still have some spunk left in me, so what could it hurt?
Over the 4th of July weekend, while home alone, I thought I'd give it a shot. I went to Zoosk, which I had seen advertised on Bravo TV, a most reliable source. LOL! I typed in the site which was so welcoming..."check out your matches for free." I setup a profile, which is a hoot. This is how I would be "judged" by the hundreds of available men. I needed the following:
After you do this, to become active, you need to subscribe, and you pay for anything from one month up to a year. I decided to try it out for a month. *Consumer Warning...they do "auto renewal" so you need to be sure to set it up to NOT renew automatically unless you want to keep it going. I learned this the hard way!
After entering my credit card info and I instantly got a text message from my bank that there was suspicious activity detected! ADULT DATING SITE! Would the tellers at the bank know it was me next time I go into the bank? After a brief laugh, I wondered if I had made a mistake. I then began the process and let me tell you, it is a process.
The site uses some formula to connect you to matches that they think are good for you. They don't do a very good job. I had set some parameters, like an age range (55-65 years old), within 50 miles of Loveland, and divorced as the primary things that were important to me. I received 15 matches, instantly. Only 2 were within 50 miles of me and about half of them were "currently separated" or "I'll tell you later" which is code word for "I'm still married or I have an open marriage!"
Soon, I began to "browse" the site, looking for potential matches. You are given the opportunity to mark the person with an X or a heart. I quickly learned that by sending a heart, the man would look at your profile and possibly send a heart...maybe even a message. Or he may just give you an X and move on.
Let the games begin...
After a few "introductions" to people, one guy, I'll call him Ron, showed interest and we chatted. We decided the next step was a phone call. It was a big step to give him my phone number, but I did and 2 days later, we had a phone call while I was in the car traveling from Lexington to Louisville. When I called, he answered the phone, singing, "Nobody Knows the Trouble I've Seen..." Hmmmm...should that have been a red flag? Maybe. We decided to share a little more about each other and he said he would start...
Forty minutes later, I had said, maybe 10-12 words...like WOW! and REALLY? and OH MY! and COOL but the only full sentence I had said was "I drive an Avalon." He was so accomplished (in his own mind)...graduated high school in 3 years, fast tracked thru college and med school to become an emergency room physician, then when he got bored, he became a Navy Seal, and after that, he started a multi-million dollar non-profit and now he builds million dollar custom homes. Wow! Really? Oh My! Cool! He then started talking negatively about gays and that's when the conversation became real for me. I promptly told him that I was almost at my destination and I was going to have to cut the conversation short. His words, and I quote exactly, "It was so nice getting to know you." WTH? So he knew that I drove an Avalon. Yes, that describes me to a T!!! Well played Ron, well played.
Later that night, I sent him a message telling him that it had been nice talking to him, but I didn't think we would be a good match. I explained that his conservative views and his feelings about gays were deal breakers for me. His response..."You are who you hang with." Again, well played Ron. We exchanged a few messages and finally, I blocked him from my phone and I blocked him from my site on Zoosk. BAM! And that was my first experience with Zoosk and online dating. There is a feeling of empowerment when you can block someone...and I'm a pro at this. I've blocked more than I've chatted with. Just this past week, I finally cancelled Zoosk. There are other sites to visit...so stay tuned!
This is just the beginning my friends and it gets so much better!! Watch for the next dating site update...Silver Singles...oh my!!
"Have you ever tried any of the dating websites?" This was something I heard from several people as it became apparent that I was single. "Online dating is the best thing ever"...said no sane person...ever!! But I was definitely open to it as my own daughter and son-in-law had met on Craig's List! I know of other success stories and thought, "why not?" I'd like to think I still have some spunk left in me, so what could it hurt?
Over the 4th of July weekend, while home alone, I thought I'd give it a shot. I went to Zoosk, which I had seen advertised on Bravo TV, a most reliable source. LOL! I typed in the site which was so welcoming..."check out your matches for free." I setup a profile, which is a hoot. This is how I would be "judged" by the hundreds of available men. I needed the following:
- A screen name queenie of fun
- height 5'2"
- body type curvy (I chose this over "a few extra pounds")
- kids (have them? want them? okay if my partner has them?) yes/no/yes
- zodiac sign Cancer
- gender female
- interested in men/women? MEN!
- ethnicity white
- education college graduate
- religion Christian/Catholic
- smoking preferences non smoker
- income no answer (I didn't want someone attracted to me because of my financial success!)
- work event planning
- marital status divorced
After you do this, to become active, you need to subscribe, and you pay for anything from one month up to a year. I decided to try it out for a month. *Consumer Warning...they do "auto renewal" so you need to be sure to set it up to NOT renew automatically unless you want to keep it going. I learned this the hard way!
After entering my credit card info and I instantly got a text message from my bank that there was suspicious activity detected! ADULT DATING SITE! Would the tellers at the bank know it was me next time I go into the bank? After a brief laugh, I wondered if I had made a mistake. I then began the process and let me tell you, it is a process.
The site uses some formula to connect you to matches that they think are good for you. They don't do a very good job. I had set some parameters, like an age range (55-65 years old), within 50 miles of Loveland, and divorced as the primary things that were important to me. I received 15 matches, instantly. Only 2 were within 50 miles of me and about half of them were "currently separated" or "I'll tell you later" which is code word for "I'm still married or I have an open marriage!"
Soon, I began to "browse" the site, looking for potential matches. You are given the opportunity to mark the person with an X or a heart. I quickly learned that by sending a heart, the man would look at your profile and possibly send a heart...maybe even a message. Or he may just give you an X and move on.
Let the games begin...
After a few "introductions" to people, one guy, I'll call him Ron, showed interest and we chatted. We decided the next step was a phone call. It was a big step to give him my phone number, but I did and 2 days later, we had a phone call while I was in the car traveling from Lexington to Louisville. When I called, he answered the phone, singing, "Nobody Knows the Trouble I've Seen..." Hmmmm...should that have been a red flag? Maybe. We decided to share a little more about each other and he said he would start...
Forty minutes later, I had said, maybe 10-12 words...like WOW! and REALLY? and OH MY! and COOL but the only full sentence I had said was "I drive an Avalon." He was so accomplished (in his own mind)...graduated high school in 3 years, fast tracked thru college and med school to become an emergency room physician, then when he got bored, he became a Navy Seal, and after that, he started a multi-million dollar non-profit and now he builds million dollar custom homes. Wow! Really? Oh My! Cool! He then started talking negatively about gays and that's when the conversation became real for me. I promptly told him that I was almost at my destination and I was going to have to cut the conversation short. His words, and I quote exactly, "It was so nice getting to know you." WTH? So he knew that I drove an Avalon. Yes, that describes me to a T!!! Well played Ron, well played.
Later that night, I sent him a message telling him that it had been nice talking to him, but I didn't think we would be a good match. I explained that his conservative views and his feelings about gays were deal breakers for me. His response..."You are who you hang with." Again, well played Ron. We exchanged a few messages and finally, I blocked him from my phone and I blocked him from my site on Zoosk. BAM! And that was my first experience with Zoosk and online dating. There is a feeling of empowerment when you can block someone...and I'm a pro at this. I've blocked more than I've chatted with. Just this past week, I finally cancelled Zoosk. There are other sites to visit...so stay tuned!
This is just the beginning my friends and it gets so much better!! Watch for the next dating site update...Silver Singles...oh my!!
Good luck - eHarmony worked for us but it takes a lot of "sifting" to get through the debris out there. I'm loving your updates!
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