Get what you pay for...

(Note: Sorry for the long delay in posting...have been sick for a solid week! Never fear as I used the down time to start a new experiement which promises to provide hours of entertainment on the blog.)

I went out last Thursday night to catch up with a friend (see Disco Inferno for more on my friend and my misadventure) and his wife after their salsa dancing class. In the course of our conversation at dinner, his wife asked me, “When’s the last time you had a real date? Not a coffee date but a real date?” I sat there thinking back and honestly couldn’t remember the date…the actual, physical date (like December 10, 2007…I remember the girl…oh yeah, never forget that one). After a few moments of awkward silence, I replied, “What year is it?” A brief laugh and a few self-deprecating jokes, we moved on to the next topic but I couldn’t stop thinking about it.

How’d this happen? Was I really that busy with more important things? I seriously don’t remember my calendar being so full that I couldn’t work in a few dates but here it is 2009 and I’ve got nothing to show for my past efforts but a couple of empty coffee cups.

I’ve always believed that life is what you make it and I’ve succeeded in making mine a complicated, neurotic mess with little chance of ever being considered anything beyond a borderline disaster (but it’s been a hell of a ride : ) Too many unimportant things getting in the way and opportunities lost because of indecision or lack of action. For all the flaws, it’s still mine and I embrace it with both arms because it’s the life I’ve made for myself…even if I wasn’t entirely sure what I was building at the time.

Understanding my past failures, I’ve decided to put on a full-court press to improve my personal life and date more in 2009. My exploits in meeting new people are well known and have included everything from Speed Dating, Internet sites and social networking…all with little to no real results. I swore off the Internet years ago after spending too much money to get one response…which was more of a questionnaire around my finances and ability to spend money on her. All the internet dating sites want the dollars so what’s a jaded, cost conscious guy to do? You guessed it….FREE internet sites!

I’m a firm believer in “you get what you pay for” so my expectations are lower than usual with this iteration of the online dating experiment known as http://www.plentyoffish.com/. This site is 100% free and caters to all kinds of people so decided to see what can happen when I post a real picture of myself and the following profile:

I’m a well-adjusted, average guy who is still fascinated by shiny things and enjoys learning new, useless pieces of trivia. I posses great skill in the ancient art of listening but have been known to tell interesting, mostly true stories on request.

For fun, I’ve been known to go all over the world to swim with the fish and see the sights at the bottom of the ocean. I started falling out of planes (at altitude) a few years ago because it seemed like a fun thing to do after a long week at work. Mostly, I spend my weekends riding around the woods trying to see if the number of laps will ever exceed the number of falls in a given day.

In the not-so-fun but necessary category, I lift heavy things 3 days a week in the name of fitness and being able to fit into pants with a 30 inch waist. I still haven’t gotten the call to grace the cover of Men’s Health although I’ve been told I have a bright future as a “before” model.

Speaking of work (if I must), my employment status is “gainfully employed” and even includes a recent promotion. I’ve held a variety of jobs in the past and am skilled in hunting, gathering and living well on a mid-management salary. I escaped the cubicle farm to get away from the distractions and gossip of the office. Now, I work from a square room in my house while staring out the window and gossiping over IM. Did I mention they promoted me for this behavior?

I’m not new to dating but any success using the Internet would be new. Looking to meet people who are serious when they need to be but know how to have fun!

The goal here is to have fun and see what happens with no expectations. At the very least, it can’t be any worse than the other ways I've tried to meet people.

Stay tuned…