To Online Date or Not Online Date, That is The Question

It is clear when a new year is upon us when our televisions are inundated with weight loss and online dating ads. Chemistry.com wins for the most nauseating ads. Are we really all that suprised when the girlfriend vows to never wear a nightgown and the boyfriend chimes in that she should not wear anything at all? So sweet and romantic right? I prefer to think of it as just another proofpoint that boys can only think with one thing yet are initial reaction is to coo and say "aww" when we experience love secondhand.

Not me, I will not be persuaded by the guy who likes to eat Cheeseburgers on Match.com only to become one the fake numbers the PR people drum up to make it seem like a lot of normal, non serial-killer type people really do find true love via a desktop computer (or excuse me iPhone for the technologically savy type). I don't mind being part of a statistic but in this day and age it's much more important to be "one less."

I'm happy for those select few that find love online. That is a major achievement in my book considering the horror stories I have heard from the less fortunate. I thank Jezebel.com for a blog post last year chronicling just how uncomfortable meeting your online lover face-to face can be. If you are feeling sad and alone read this and you will be thankful that you are a single.
http://jezebel.com/352444/online-dating-will-break-the-bank-and-maybe-your-belief-in-love

I'm 23 and some might say I lack the love gene. That's not to say that I don't want to love, I just don't seem to have much luck in finding it. I will admit that I did contemplate joining an online dating site. I was persuaded by two friends who were each enjoying their new found joy of casual dating. Then, I came to my senses. Would I rather go on a handful of agonizing dates or just hold out for Jim from the Office? I soon came to realize that holding out for Jim from the Office was a safer bet then getting stuck with the check or listening to my date tell me the last girl he dated may have been a blood relative. Sure it's nice to have a free meal (when the select few actually do pay for your meal) but it's the new year and I'm counting my calories.

Everyone always says that 23 is so young and why would you want to settle down? To be frank, I am not looking to settle down but when your other 23-year-old friends are paying over $20 a month to makeout with a stranger, you can't help but think you're missing out on something. We are supposed to be "so" young but the more weddings I get invited to, the more I question my strategy.

Why is everyone so fearful of being along and so obsessed with having a "better half?" I understand if your biological clock is ticking and if you don't find some sperm soon you may no longer be considered a woman that you might resort to the Internet. However, before computers were invented and pedophile's figured out how to create a screen name, people still found love. Why must we create this online persona in order to attract those of the opposite sex? What ever happened to getting drunk and taking a stranger home for mindless sex and questioning why he hasn't called???