Finding a "Keeper"

When I first gave in and finally joined Match, everyone warned me that it was a slow, long process and i'd be going on a lot of first dates. I spent two months writing my profile so that I could be exact and clear about who I am and what I'm looking for - without making me sound incredibly weird or incredibly dull.

And I will admit, I'm weird. I have weird interests and weird tastes and weird hobbies (I like guns and I knit, most of the guys couldn't seem to put them together). I have a strange sense of humor. I'm very independent and strong willed. I made that clear up front. And for the first time in my dating life, I had no expectations. I also had a very clear-cut list of things that were non-negotiable (my therapist made me do it, she said it's a Jewish thing, I have no idea) and how I was going to go about the selection process.

I was extremely selective about who I responded to. The first few days I must have sent 2 dozen "no thanks" responses to winks, and polite "you're not meeting the criteria" emails. If their introductory email didn't make a reference to something out of my profile, it was a no-deal. If they winked, I would read their profile and if there was even a slight hint of "hmm", it was a no-deal.

Out of all the men (and the woman) that contacted me, I only responded to 4 - in person, let me add that. I emailed with several, but it took a lot to get to a phone call. Extremely critical and picky? Yep, that's me. If there was even any hint of something off, like Guy #3's being pushy, and Guy #2's having lived in Alpharetta for 7 years but not knowing where any of the restaurants were, and Guy #4's living in Monroe, they were crossed off the list. I know I probably missed out on some truly nice guys, but I had a very, very specific goal in mind and Doodlepants was nearly perfect.

Doodlepants was the only one I had an instant rapport with, and I think it was because I made fun of him for liking Dostoevsky and we had a debate about the Beat Poets. See what I mean? Not exactly mainstream. With the exception of him watching football and American Idol and me liking guns and MMA, we've pretty much got a lot in common and go about life in much the same way.

Does this all mean that he is a permanent keeper? I don't know. I like him very much and he likes me, but it's still going to take time.

All that aside, I got very, very, very lucky.