94%

I was hesitant to write about dating again because I don't want to come across as desperate and listening to Adele on repeat. But I like Adele.

Over the weekend, Meena and I, while feasting on our snackstravaganza (olive bread, pesto, three kinds of cheese, mushroom ravioli, mini tacos--we went crazy at Trader Joe's), discussed how online dating is apparently very common in SF and how openly people discuss their online dating lives. We wondered if we'd ever join a site, but more importantly, why is The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills so damn entertaining? I've watched the scene where Kyle wilds out on Kim at least 7 times, and my jaw still drops every time.

As I was going to sleep, and because decisions are best made when you're alone in bed and bored, I started looking at dating sites and signed up for my first account. After 40 minutes of answering questions, I was provided with some matches. One in particular stuck out to me because aside from being a 94% match, he had a great smile. Unfortunately, the 29-with-a-comb-over look trampled any possibility of mojo. Hey, I have nothing against balding men. But as a word of advice, gentlemen: if it's clearly falling out, go Jason Statham on it, not Donald Trump. So much better, I promise.

The next morning I went to the farmer's market with a friend, and whom else do I see, but Comb Over himself. I freaked out and hid behind a giant wheel of cheese. Then I remembered, "you dumbass, he doesn't know you were lurking on his profile," so I apologized to the cheese guy for hovering all up on his business, and got myself together.

This is why I deleted my account today. I live in a city because I relish the anonymity of being a no-one in a crowd. Sometimes I walk with my hat and sunglasses on while listening to music, knowing that I'm cut off from everything from the bubble I created around myself. I can't have some stranger knowing that I'm scared of pigeons and that one day I want to move to Africa to lead a development project. That kind of stuff you reveal over a lifetime of knowing someone (or in a blog read by your friends..). What is there left to talk about when a computer program tells you what you already have in common with someone else?

I'm also not ready to give up on the possibility of meeting a person and having that initial connection. True chemistry is hard to come by, but knowing that it's out there is the fun and challenge of dating, n'est-ce pas? I'm not opposed to online dating. I'm just not ready to put myself out there. And when I end up marrying my 94% match I'll look back at this post, shake my head and wonder why I thought I knew so much when, really, I know nothing.