As I played Scrabble on my computer, I glanced over at the TV. Inside Edition was reporting the story of a woman who'd been beaten almost to death. Her assailant was a man she met on Match.com. He finished beating her, and then left her to go kill a different woman he'd also been seeing. He was apprehended and jailed, and he killed himself while in prison. This was a "nice" guy with no criminal record.
Why do I care, you ask? Well, previous to playing Scrabble, I'd been setting up my profile on various online dating sites and waiting for the winks and likes to start rolling in. I haven't dated anyone in too many years. Since all but one of my friends are coupled, I spend too much time alone, so I felt like it was time to start the dating thing again. Hmmm...the television show, a coincidence or a warning?
I don't know what to make of the men on these sites. In the past, I used the library computers on a regular basis. So too, did many residents from Perry Point. Since I could hear their conversations, I knew they were all registered on various free dating sites. And oh, these guys were brutal! I could not believe the way they spoke of the unfortunate women who answered their ads. They used absolutely vulgar language while making fun of their weight, their butt ugly looks, ad nauseum. I was often tempted to ask them if they'd like me to take a picture and show them how to post it to their site. I'm sure these women would be very interested in their scruffy beards, toothless mouths, and dirty clothes. Too bad there was no smell-o-vision or sound-o-vision available so these gals could enjoy the full appeal of these men. I could hear the guys discussing the best lies to tell these women to either get into their pants or into their wallets. On paper (or computer screen), they made themselves sound good. How's a girl to know?
Do I really want to deal with that kind of nonsense at my age?
Most of the free dating sites aren't free. You can set up a profile, but in order to see who checked you out, you have to pay. Perhaps that helps keep out the "riff raff," until you remember the Match.com Murderer. The free sites are something else. One asked me to answer questions to enable them to better match me. I answered over 100 questions until they started to border on the sexually revolting. I blush to even consider posting examples here. I didn't answer them, and frankly, I have no desire to date anyone who DID answer them. That site matched me with a man in his thirties only interested in casual sex. Huh? Did I do all that question answering for naught?? That site wants me to answer even more questions because, as they say on my page, "You are NOT popular," and I need more answers to be popular. Oy veh! It's either that site or the other one (I get them confused) that suggests possible matches. You know you're in trouble with a match when they provide a column entitled "You 2 Have Issues." Why are they even suggesting ultra-conservatives to me? Oh, and married men. Did you know there are married men openly advertising on these sites? No matter how many questions I answer, I am not about to date a married man.
Pictures aren't much help. These guys look so old. And it's no wonder, since I'm looking in the 55-65 category. Some of them make me laugh out loud; do these guys not understand you're supposed to post a photo of you at your best? And if that is their best, well, there are some really scary guys looking for women. I've decided to look for men who resemble my girlfriends' husbands. That way, they'll be old and they'll look old, but they'll be comfortable in a familiar way. Of the many pictures and profiles I've studied, there are four or five potentials for me to consider.
Which brings me to my original question. Am I really sure I want to do this? As my friend Brenda says, what have I got to lose? As Inside Edition points out, my life.
What's a girl known as barbe421 to do? You tell me.
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