And the winners are…
When we asked our readers to share stories of their forays into online dating for TCD’s Valentine’s Day feature, we had no idea what to expect. We’ve all been on strange blind dates before, but with tales of jilted divorcées (in sweatpants, no less) and peeing in public, some of these stories gave “bad date” a whole new meaning. But they weren’t all bad, and a few of our readers proved that it is, in fact, possible to find love in cyberspace (and in real life too!)
In case you missed ’em, read all of the stories here.
Winner #1:
Best $79.95 I ever spent
Submitted by Susan
Here’s what a 6 month membership with Match.com got me:
-18 messages from creepy and unattractive males living more than 300 miles away who wanted to know “how I liked it”
-12 awkward coffee dates which gave me great relief once over
-1 date who was already sloppy drunk when I showed up to meet him… at 6p.m. on a Tuesday
-2 guys who would text me non-stop as long as it was after 12 a.m.
-1 date with a married man (which I wasn’t aware of prior to the date)
-30+ searches on CCAP to weed out the “legally challenged”
-4 hilarious tales of caution for any of my friends who have considered online dating
-2 phone numbers in my phone that I won’t delete so I know when NOT to answer
-2 2nd dates that I thought could “really go somewhere”
-1 fiance who I will be marrying on Sept 17, 2011
Best $79.95 I’ve ever spent.
Winner #2:
Bathroom Break
Submitted by Mark R.
I traded emails for a couple weeks with a woman on Match.com. She lived in Kenosha and I lived west of Waukesha, so when we agreed to meet finally, we met at a Texas Roadhouse near Kenosha for dinner. She picked the date, and it turned out it was her birthday (which she didn’t tell me ahead of time).
After her spending an inordinate amount of time ordering and sending back her first order because she didn’t like it, we finally got our food. Conversation was pretty normal while we had cocktails before dinner, so it seemed to be going well. Otherwise we each shared the normal first date info about ourselves and families. After dinner, we sat at the bar for a drink. She talked of getting together again. As soon as she finished her after-dinner drink, she said she had to go to the restroom.
Then she grabbed her coat, put it on, and reached for her purse. She informed me that she never uses public restrooms and had to go home in order to go to the bathroom! We exchanged phone numbers and she clearly “had to go” so the end of our date was pretty sudden.
A couple days later, I got an email that said she liked me and wanted to get together again sometime, BUT she was going on vacation for a week, with her parents (we’re both in our 40s!) and would be in touch when she returned. I never got a call, didn’t pursue it, and wasn’t really interested when I reflected upon her somewhat weird behavior at dinner.
A couple months later, I got a message from her on Match.com. She said she liked my profile and acted like she had never met me before! Can anyone say “outer space?”