Middle-Age Dating cont...

I've been doing some thinking (I know-big surprise. Anyone who gets to know me knows I am a major overthinker) about WHY I bother to online date. Sure, I've met some nice people and some not so nice folks too--and those stories are coming up, count on it. But honestly, online dating is, for so many of us, at best a crap shoot and at worst painful or worse. So, why do I and so many others continue? The obvious answers are fun, sex, and love. However given all the risk and potential for heartache and ego-damage, why put ourselves out there? I don't have the answers at present...but am beginning to research what others have to say about this messed-up, hopeful, painful, fun, and a dozen other things, way of meeting people. Just to get started I've included a link to good ol' Dr. Phil's advice on the subject. Please leave a comment, critique or a rampage (I really like those, so knock yourself out :-) http://www.drphil.com/articles/article/524

Ego-Sucking Adventures Cont....

Okay. To continue with eharmony online dating misadventures. I must say that I had only a few first dates with eharmony, most not memorable, apparently. However, one date was, indeed, memorable because I behaved dishonorably to get out of it. Yeah, Ms. Honesty herself was deceitful and downright dishonest. In a tiny bit of self-defense, as a recent match.com date pointed out, the dude was dishonest first...does that excuse me? I rather think it doesn't. However, I digress--to the story and you can decide. I was forty-seven at the time and arranged to meet a man who said he was fifty-four. I thought that was a reasonable age range and was looking forward to that date as much as I ever look forward to any of them. I arrive at the cafe (a little divey but okay) and am looking around for someone who resembles the profile picture....to no avail. I start thinking I've been stood up. But no. A man at least my father's age introduces himself as so-and-so. OMG. Seventy-five if he was a day. He wasn't even wearing a clean shirt, and his fingernails were disgusting. AND, he kept touching me. So, because I completely lack femballs,I didn't just get up and leave like any other self-respecting woman would...oh no, I go to the ladies room and have my roommate call me in the next ten minutes with an emergency. That's right ladies-I completely fabricated an emergency. Because I am a total coward.

Dating in Middle-age and Other Ego-Sucking Adventures

I have no doubt that some of you ladies are doing the dating thing marvelously and are having a blast at it! If you are one of those successful ladies, tell us your stories! Everyone needs a happy story to encourage them. However, if more often than not, your date stories read like a bad English comedy, share those stories too! Because we can all use a laugh... Okay, I'll start. I have been on and off online dating sites since I got divorced in 2007. I know, I know: a glutton for punishment. Anyhow, to continue: I have tried at least four different online dating sites in the naive hope that a different variety of male would present himself. I tried good ol' eHarmoney first. You know, personalized for a ridiculous number of match points. In my earlier post I mentioned my propensity for honesty, and I carried that forth in the eHarmony adventure. Total raw, bare honesty. I made a point of mentioning that I am a vegetarian, bit of a treehugger, and book lover. Imagine if you will my consternation and surprise at being matched with a cattle rancher holding some dead animal, a gentleman (and I use that term lightly) who went off on a sheep grazing rights tirade at me, and another man who wrote to me, "Books?" "Whatre they for lol." Yeah. Go eHarmony.

New and Possibly Improved Stuff...

Here I am writing again after a very long hiatus! A great deal has happened during the past six years. I would simply love to claim that everything has worked out exactly as planned, but that would be a big, fat lie. And one thing I have going for me is that I am truthful (well, mostly-I lie to myself sometimes). So in all honesty, I have to say, it hasn't played out the way I thought or hoped it would. What is "it" you might ask? Well, Life, the journey, you know, getting out there, making your dreams come true--the usual bullshit. So nope, I haven't done a lot of those things. My dream job went *poof* through no fault of mine (shit happens), I didn't start up the wellness center I dreamed of (again, shit happens), and I surely didn't find the man of my dreams either (possibly my fault on that one). But, before you decide that this is just another middle-aged woman's rant against the unfairness of it all (maybe a little lol), give it a chance...sure sometimes it'll be a rant--life is full of sucky moments--but hopefully it will also be a place to laugh, dump your junk if you need to, or just be entertained.

Some Links to Check Out on Spirit @Work

http://wed.siu.edu/public/department/Litzsey%20paper.pdf

http://www.awomansjourney.com/workplacespirituality.html

http://www.workplacespirituality.info/article1025.html