It is October 23, 2011 and this is the final posting of my online dating journal. I began this virtual journey on January 2nd, 2011, my second attempt at this modern method of searching for a mate, and officially ended it on October 19th. I am amazed that I lasted nearly 10 months as an online dating subscriber, but am not at all surprised that I failed to find my mate in cyberspace. I do not think that a few photos coupled with a brief bio truly captures who I am, or really anyone else for that matter. I have always found myself to be less than photogenic, and even though I can spell and string a sentence or two together, a few carefully written paragraphs cannot fully convey who I am and how I came to be the Joan that exists today. We are human beings comprised of energy and light. You cannot feel or experience the essence of another through a computer screen. A face-to-face encounter, divinely arranged, is the method that I believe will result in the meeting of my next, and hopefully final mate. I have learned SO MUCH these past 10 months, and do not regret one minute (or dollar) that I have invested in this process. I have met some interesting men, and acquired some much-needed practice in the dating ritual.

I have recently told a few people that 2011 looks like it will close as my best year of the past thirteen. I have been blessed with the ability to do some things for myself, such as join two writing groups and rekindle my relationship with hospice volunteering. Through these ventures and others, I am constantly meeting new people with whom I feel a kindred spirit connection. I believe that at least one or two will become long-time friendships. I will continue to embrace where I am, and will try to live by the mantra, “Let go, let God.” I know that she will continue to guide me in my journey. All I have to do is remain present and keep my eyes open to what is in front of me. I know that the possibilities for joy, happiness and contentment are endless.

THANKS  SO MUCH for reading along and supporting me this year as I shared with you my attempt to move forward with my life. I have worked tirelessly and diligently at integrating all of the lessons that were presented to me in the past decade. It has been a long and painful journey at times, but as they say, “That which doesn’t kill us, only makes us stronger.” I promise that I will be back with updates, because I am certain that there will be more stories to be told, along with a true final chapter, entitled “Found Mr. Right!”

As always, I wish you well in your own journey. May you find the strength and perseverance you need to weather your own storms, or at least, the cloudy days, and embrace all of the good that comes your way. As one of my bosses likes to say, “Love ya, mean it!”

After nine months as an online dating subscriber, I have FINALLY figured out how to attract more potential mates.  First, inform your site that you will not be renewing your membership. Then announce to the universe via your blog that you are done with online dating.  Wait about three hours and watch the emails and flirtatious communications roll in.  I have been contacted by no less than six men this week-a personal record for me.  One fella, who I am still corresponding with, emailed me the same day that I made my announcement. I have traded a few emails with another interesting guy, and we will be speaking by phone this evening. I did have to channel my inner JLTGL radar on one local guy. He is one of the flirtatious communicators, and had a similar method of “cutting to the chase” that the last JLTGL used. Warning sirens and flashing lights were going off all around me. I both saw and heard them loudly and clearly. Not going down THAT road again. Learned. My. Lesson. In between reading and answering emails, I did manage to skim through several profiles this week.  Here are a few favorite excerpts:

One guy used the following as his tag line: “Lookingforwar591.” I thought online dating sites were for people “looking for love?” He must be confused. Maybe he was trying to Google one of those Civil War Reenactment websites and accidentally stumbled onto a dating site?  I’ll bet he wonders why there are so many women soldiers being sent his way!

Another 67-year old local guy used his age range to sneak in what he is REALLY looking for. He is seeking women aged 50-69. Normally, I would applaud him for willingness to date women older than himself, but not this time. He should have just rounded up to 70. Then, he would have gotten a gold star.

One “NiceCleanFitGuy” (his tag line) wrote the following in his profile: “Hi, tired of creeps? Want a guy who is not interested in a booty call? A guy who has a stable career and good insurance?” I kind of like this guy. Who isn’t attracted to a nice, clean, fit guy-especially one with a good job and health insurance? Also, he has obviously heard about the creepy, JLTGL guys that are swarming all over this site, and wants you to know up front that he is NOT one of THEM. His use of the term “booty” also reminds me of the hip hop music that I love, along with KC and the Sunshine Band’s rendition of “Shake Your Booty.” Too bad I did not feel a physical connection to his photos.  Oh well, it has been a week of “so many men, so little time….”

Another 53-year old from a town nearby wants his potential matches to know that he “will try anything as long as it is mostly legal and doesn’t hurt anyone. NO SKY DIVING!” I am with him on the no sky diving policy and his belief that we should not harm one another. ( I would also toss in “animals” as something I would not want to hurt either.) I am curious as to what he considers “mostly legal?” Is there truly a gray area when it comes to things to do which are acceptable and within society’s laws and things that will get you tossed in jail? Anyway, he also wrote “I believe in God. He flys my plane.” Personally, I think we all come here with free will, which actually makes God a co-pilot and not the actual pilot. I believe that she is there to take over should you fall asleep at the wheel of your life, or become lost and require help getting back on the correct flight plan. I have witnessed this first hand!

That is just about it for this week. I must get back to the mundane chores and tasks that have consumed the majority of my day. (This was a welcome distraction from laundry and yard work.) I’ve also got to get mentally ready for my phone call. I am hopeful that all of my previous practice runs have prepared me well for my latest encounter with a potential mate. I really like him on paper.  I will leave you with yet another great mantra to add to your list. “I look through life’s windshield and not the rearview mirror.” Pretty cool, right? Here’s a tip: Make sure that you have used a little Windex on the glass to insure that you truly SEE what is right in front of you.

It was a quiet week for me (contact wise), but the guys were out in full force.  Here are my picks of the week:

One 55-year old from my home state answered the question, “What I like to do?” with this three-word statement: Golf, golf, golf! WOW! I think he really digs golf!

A younger guy (age 46) from a neighboring state wrote the following about his favorite TV shows: “I like the Big Bang Therory. (It is funny how smart people are so dumb.)” I agree that sometimes the uber intelligent lack a certain degree of common sense, but I am pretty sure that they know how to spell the word “theory.”

Another grammatically incorrect 54-year old wrote the following as his entire profile: “I just want to have fun camping riding dancing any thing to do with having fun lets get the ball rolling what is this English class well I will just keep on typing Im sure you are going to be worth it….” For the record, the dating site is NOT synonymous with English class, and it appears that perhaps this fella might benefit from a refresher course-especially one focused on capitalization, punctuation, and sentence structure.

A 55-year old local guy was “singled out just for me:” The first line of his profile begins with “Looking for a lady who likes to camp.” He also shares that he is fine with “cig smokers.” Included in his photo album were pictures of a camper, pick-up truck and tractor trailer. I am not exactly sure how he was selected as my match of the day? I hate camping and am not okay with “cig smokers.” Also, I prefer small cars as my method of transportation.

The photo of the week captures a potential mate lying sideways across a bed talking on a cell phone. Huh? At least he actually took the time to make the bed before saying “cheese.”

As I mentioned last week, October began my ninth month as an online dating participant. My subscription is up for renewal on 10/19. After giving it lots of thought, I have decided that I will not to continue with this form of a “search” for a mate.  I contemplated hanging on until January 1st so that I could say that I committed one full year to this process, but I truly believe it has run its course. I will continue to write this weekly post until my subscription officially expires, and then will gracefully (and gratefully) exit the online dating world. Thanks for reading, and have a great week!

Welcome to October and the beginning of my ninth month as an online dating subscriber. I could have birthed a baby in the time I have spent reading the profiles of aging American men. I am glad that I don’t have a baby (WAY to old for that), but wish I could find the right guy! I did receive two flirtatious communications again this week, but once again, felt no connection to their profile. I should probably share with you an interesting observation I have made in my time on my current dating site. There are three ways to start a conversation with a potential match-email, a flirtatious communication (I don’t share the real word for this as I try to keep all of this as anonymous as possible) or a phone call. I have always assumed that men sometimes choose the “flirting method” if they just want to let you know that they are interested without actually writing you an email.(They just kind of “feel you out” to see if you are available.) I have received several of these over the past months, and have responded with an email or a “flirt” back if I am interested. Funny thing. Many times, when I write back, either their profile is blocked OR they never respond! WHAT IS UP WITH THAT????? It makes me believe that all of this is just a big game for some of these “supposed singles looking for love.” Hopefully, this gives you more insight into why I often find this entire process exhausting and ridiculous.

This week’s profiles did contain a few great quotes and one winning photo. Here they are:

One 52-year old from a neighboring town to the north had this as his opening line: “I like to think of myself as a great guy that you can take home to your parents.” Now, I understand exactly what he means by this statement, however, the problem is that many of us with fifty-plus candles on our cake no longer have parents who are living. In my case, my mom is still with us, but my dad has been gone for 15 years. I think a better line is , “I like to think of myself as a great guy that you can take home to your kid(s).” This is a far better test. Any match of mine will also have to be a great match for my son!

Another local guy wrote “……life is short so I like making the best of those moments with an occasional food or pillow fight.” A food fight sounds a little messy and reminiscent of college and “Animal House.” A pillow fight reminds me of something I did with my sibling at bedtime or with friends at a sleepover. These are not activities I have engaged in with a mate. The slogan, “Make love not war” seems a more fitting activity for a couple, don’t you agree?

One fella from a state to the south mentions that he likes “cars, trains, planes, boats/ships…..hey, I’m a guy!” I think I just might update my profile with the following sentence: “I like shopping, clothes, shoes, jewelery, chocolate and flowers…..hey, I’m a girl!

My favorite photo was posted by a grown man from a neighboring town. He is lying on his stomach on an unmade bed holding a teddy bear. He is 52 years old. Is it just me or is this kind of weird?

This concludes my summary of this week’s profiles. I would like to leave you with a quote I read in an email earlier this week. “God doesn’t give you the people you want; He gives you the people you NEED……to help you, to hurt you, to leave you, to love you and to make you into the person you were meant to be. I hope this serves as a reminder that every person we cross paths with serves a purpose. There are no “accidental encounters.” I thank you for reading, and am grateful that our paths have crossed! I fully understand that it is part of a master plan……..