First Date

I just had my first date. Well, first date that was setup through an online dating service. Yes, you read that correctly: online dating service. (The online dating service referenced throughout this post will remain anonymous for no good reason)

I'm thinking that right now, about half of you are laughing and thinking, "How desperate are you to use an online dating service?" and the other half are thinking, "Hmmm... how can I try this out without anyone finding out?"

Well, suffice it to say, it's tough in NYC to meet people. As per my previous entry and Hayeun's post on attracting trolls, it's hard to be assertive without looking like a total stalker. So you just go about your business, looking straight ahead, hoping you don't give off a stalker vibe and at the same time thinking about all the lost opportunities.

In any case, my date with a girl from one of the well-known online dating services went reasonably well. It wasn't fireworks, and it wasn't a horror story. While she's a nice enough girl, I just don't feel any sort of chemistry whatsoever. Even though my online dating service claimed to match people based on key personality traits and other "Ph.D research based factors", I didn't feel like this date was much more than a blind date.

Which makes me wonder why there isn't something in the U.S. that people do to indicate their status, besides a wedding ring (which indicates if you're married, but not if you're single and taken). Hawaii has that flower thing - why doesn't the continental U.S. have something? I'm thinking something like an armband. Or are there secret signals girls send when they're available? I'm guessing most girls wouldn't want to send an overt signal anyway to avoid trolls.