Do I need this book?

DAY 53

Mum brought this book back from the library last week as a joke (haha!) and it got me thinking back over my dating adventures this year.

Here is just a sample of some of my encounters for all of you who are living vicariously though me!…

Mr Doctor – I learned never to trust a head-shot photo only. This lovely guy ended up being a little 'heavier' than I was expecting.

Mr Melbourne – after many, many emails back and forth, spanning about 3 months, things just stopped. I learned that eventually thing have to move from emails to actual conversations.

Mr Townsville – my first date via skype. A little awkward.

Mr Nice Guy – the name says it all. 2 dates. Lots of emails/skype chats. A sudden and unexplained 3 week silence on his end. I let this one go.

Mr Romanian – someone I came across very early in the online dating escapade. Seemed intriguing to start with, then the unintelligible text messages started coming at 2am plus a strange email where he explained that God had told him all about me in a dream so he felt he knew me already. Understandably, I beat a hasty retreat and blocked his number from my phone.

Mr Never-Called – had a lovely, long lunch with this guy on the Gold Coast. All went great from my point of view. At the end of the date he asked to see me again and wanted to meet me for lunch in Toowoomba that week. I was keen. Turned out he changed his mind. He let me know with silence. I learned never to believe anything a guy says at the end of date.

Mr Stood-Me-Up - Probably not my wisest move. Met this guy at a friend’s cocktail party. He asked me to meet him for lunch that week. I put it in my phone. I turned up. He didn’t. I learned not to make dates with guys I meet at parties. They are not to be trusted.

Mr Star Wars – A 30+ year old who described himself as ‘a massive star wars fan’ in his introduction email to me. I chose not to respond. I hope this was a wise choice.

Dating lessons I have learned in 2010:

1. Never trust photos – especially when it is just a head-shot.
2. Don’t believe a thing a guy says at the end of a date. Just smile and walk away.
3. Don’t respond to any guy who says he is a ‘massive’ fan of anything.
4. Don’t make dates with guys from parties that involve alcohol. This can never end well.
5. Emails are a convenient form of communication but eventually you will have to meet each other. How can you know that a guy actually has legs until you see him walking towards you?
6. Anyone over the age of 30 is going to bring baggage. No guy makes it through his 20’s without accumulating a heavy set of matching suitcases filled with drama, ex-girlfriends/wives, hang-ups, preconceived notions etc etc etc.
7. The kindest way to let someone know you are not interested is to just go silent on communication. No one really wants to hear someone else tell them why they are not the right person. In the dating jungle you have to be cruel to be kind.

So - it has been a learning experience this year. Let's hope 2011 makes me a little more discerning and adventurous in the correct directions.

Fun times!