new ways to hate dating

Howaboutwe.com is a new dating site that's recently launched in NYC. I like the idea behind it. Rather than setting parameters - I'm looking for a guy between 28-38, educated, doesn't smoke, etc. - daters propose dates. For example, my date is, "How about we...get drinks and play board games." It's a different way to match people based on similar interests - great in theory, but time will tell how well it plays out in practice.



I got my first match last week. He had clicked he was "intrigued" by my date, and I had clicked the same on his, which was, "How about we...ride the Cyclone at Coney Island and get hot dogs at Nathans." I've actually never been to Coney Island, and how bad can a date be if it involves hot dogs?! So we e-mailed back and forth a bit. Turns out it wasn't his date idea, a coworker suggested it, and he's never been to Coney Island either. Also, we had the same first concert (one of the questions in one's profile) - New Kids on the Block. We set a date for Wednesday.



I got into work on Tuesday morning and was telling friends about my date when I opened the website and saw I had a new e-mail from him.

PS - I realize my picture may not make it that easy to identify me. I haven't found a picture of myself head on that I like. I'll be the thin guy with glasses. I have a dragon named Spot on my right arm and a sun on my left. I may also be wearing a gray fedora, but I can't guarantee that. This is my first online date, I don't know how specific I need to be.

I threw my pen when I got to the fedora. "Fucking hipsters!"

"The fedora could be cool," my office mate encouraged. "Text me the second he goes to the bathroom."

"Okay, if he's too hipster for me, I'll pass him on to you." She's on this website, too, and she likes tattoos.



Hind sight is always 20/20. In his picture he's leaning forward playing his guitar, so I couldn't see his face, but I figured as long as he wasn't a cyclops I was fine. That night at drinks with another friend I told him about the e-mail exchange, and he winced - he has more online dating experience than me.



"Red flag, LeClair."

"I'm sure he's fine!"

"Or he's a cyclops."



Wednesday arrives, and my voice is still terrible, as it has been for the last week. I see someone recommending ginger scallion tea to a friend on Facebook and decide to give it a try. I found a recipe online and happened to have all the ingredients on hand, so I made a giant vat of it and tried to suck down as much as possible. As the day rolls on, I realize I may or may not have a voice for this date, but I am going to smell like miso soup. Awesome.



A little before 6 Dragon Boy called and let me know he was going to be a little late - the F train had stopped running to Brooklyn because of an electrical problem, and he was having a hard time finding a cab. He sounded nice on the phone, I appreciated that he called instead of texted, and I felt that he was coming from Manhattan. I waited for him at the bar.

Cyclops.

That was my first thought. In other words, if I had seen his face online we wouldn't be having this date. My second thought was, "urgh...I have to sit through 2 drinks with this guy." He wasn't that bad. He was just pale and dorky and looked like he spent a lot of time indoors playing Dungeons and Dragons. But he was perfectly nice, and we talked and played Connect 4. I won all but 3 times over 90 minutes - I wonder if he was as bored as I was. I had to get going at 8, so I shook his hand and wished him luck getting back to Manhattan.

Howaboutwe...pretend this date never happened and both get on with our lives.

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