My first date from the internet. We’d arranged to meet at a pub then as he’d booked a restaurant for dinner we’d go there even though the internet dating sites recommend a short date for the first one just in case you don’t get along with each other. I walked into the pub and he was standing at a poker machine playing it. Warning signals should have gone off there and then, just because I absolutely hate poker machines. I mentioned before he was different looking than I expected. His photo made him look taller and younger and more dashing as he was obviously younger then and it was taken at an angle looking upwards at him. He also had a pony tail which I’m not really into and he was about as tall as me even though according to our profiles he should be two inches taller than me. I was prepared to look past all of this though, so long as we got along well.

We had a drink at the pub sitting outside as it was January and the weather wasn’t too bad, then we walked over to the restaurant that he’d made a booking at a night or two earlier. We ordered a nice bottle of wine and had that with some yummy food and the conversation flowed pretty freely. Alcohol definitely helps in these situations and because we’d gotten to know each other over the phone for nearly two weeks I felt like we already knew each fairly well. After the beer at the pub and half a bottle of wine at the restaurant I was feeling pretty numb and thought I’d better slow down as I had to drive back to my friends place who was babysitting Jaycee Junior. After the meal we went outside so he could have a cigarette and looking at his face I could tell he was a pretty heavy smoker because he had those smokers lines on his face which prematurely age many people.

We went to pay for the meal and he asked if I minded going dutch which of course I didn’t mind because I didn’t want to feel obligated to him and of course he didn’t have a job so probably couldn’t afford it anyway. We then went back to the pub and had another drink.

I didn’t mention that while we were at the pub prior to the meal he was already asking me if we could meet the next day for a coffee. I was a bit perplexed at this as he had only just met me and who knows what it would be like for the rest of the date. I might be completely different in person! I said that I would have to see about that – I didn’t want to commit.

At the end of the night I could have quite easily had a snog but wasn’t drunk enough to make the first move so we just had a peck on the cheek goodbye. We left it that I would call him in the morning. I got home after midnight.

There’s a part two to this date which I’ll cover next time.

Internet dating – last hoorah (part one)

After about seven months on the internet dating scene I’m about to say goodbye to it all. I joined up on an internet dating website late last year and was full of hope that this could be a way to meet my ‘true love’ or at least meet some people I connected with – well I was wrong. It’s not for me. I haven’t looked around too many other internet dating websites but I guess they all pretty much work on the same premise where you can initiate contact with someone you like and if they show some interest you can pay to make further contact with them. Ok, I’m with RSVP and kisses are sent initially, then stamps are bought to send emails to a person if you so desire.

I was full of hope at this potential way of meeting heaps of blokes and I could go out on heaps of dates and just pick and choose. It hasn’t quite worked out that way for me.

I wasn’t off to a good start I must say as I did my profile carefully, then sent a couple of kisses. I got an email shortly afterwards asking if I was really a male? Shit, I thought, I put the wrong sex on my profile so I immediately went in to change it. I emailed this guy back thanking him and we had a couple of email exchanges before it completely died off.

The other person I’d sent a kiss to initially, I resent after I renamed my profile so he wouldn’t twig that I was a complete prat and so he didn’t think that this bloke must really fancy him. He replied to my kiss saying he was looking forward to my email so I duly bought some stamps and sent him an email. Before too long we were in phone contact and having long phone conversations. We got on really well over the phone and seemed to have lots in common. Next was arranging to meet in person. It was a little bit hard because I have to arrange babysitting to go out on a date and work around my busy social life and it was busy at the beginning of this year. I had to put him off one weekend as I went away for a girls weekend so the next weekend we arranged to meet. My friend babysat Jaycee Junior while we went out for dinner. Straight away I had strayed from the suggestions of the RSVP website which says just to meet for a short time the first time to either get something bad over with straight away or to leave each other wanting more.

I was really nervous about walking into the pub to meet him but recognised him straight away even though his photo looked quite different from the flesh. For a start I think he exaggerated his height unless I’m taller than I say I am. He also exaggerated about he amount he smokes (occasionally/socially should have been regular). There were a few other exaggerations which I realised he had made later. First of all was his job. In his profile he said he was in IT but he actually had a job working in the local wine industry doing labour type work. I don’t mind what sort of job a person has so long as they are honest about what they do. Even before we met though, he had quit this job and didn’t have another to go to. Another warning signal should have been that he lived with his mother. Also during our first longish phone conversation he was offering to teach me how to play the guitar and he hadn’t even met me yet. A couple of phone conversations later he was offering to lend me his old guitar so I could learn on it. Why do people do this sort of thing if they haven’t even met a person yet? He also sent me text messages all the time even after I told him I wouldn’t be replying so don’t get offended. Even more frustrating, he’d text me asking if he could ring. Just bloody ring me all right?

So, to the date….

Internet dating – last hoorah (part two)