As part of my duties at the Vancouver Courier I write for and act as editor of a magazine called #vansummerlove, dedicated to tech-savvy millennials, which is how I recently came to be researching the best new dating apps for summer (honestly).
And that got me thinking about some of my friends using online dating sites in their search for companionship — and possibly love. It makes sense really, because as much as they’ve looked, there has been no sign of Prince Charming at the grocery store or a lothario at the library, as so often happens in romance novels.
But let’s just say the results for the most part have been less than successful. I’ve always believed there’s something to be said about quality, versus quantity — and, as it turns out, online dating is the poster child for that hypothesis.
For example, a friend went on a date a while ago with a man who invited her for coffee, but once at the restaurant they ordered a salad to share. Near the end of their “date,” my friend excused herself to go to the washroom and on her return discovered he had asked their server to split their bill. Sitting in front of her as she slid back into her seat was a bill for $4.50, which she promptly paid, and left, never to return his emails again. Call me old fashioned, but if the man or woman asking someone on a first date can’t spring for $4.50, it doesn’t bode well for their financial or romantic futures.
Another friend who has decided to start online dating after an unexpected divorce two years ago is struggling to write her online dating profile. While trying to find the perfect words to describe her hobbies, she was torn between “drinking enough red wine to give the appearance of lipstick without needing to buy an actual lipstidrinking enough red wine to give the appearance of lipstick, without needing to buy an actual lipstick” or “taking two chopsticks at the sushi place to pretend that my takeout is for two people.”
And yet another friend, a widow in her late 50s, decided to take it up a notch and learn how to “text” so she could communicate with a man she met who lives a couple of hours from her place. Once the relationship progressed past the awkward stage, she decided to surprise him by sending what’s become known as a “sext,” a racy message meant to grab his attention. Although she didn’t catch her new companion’s attention with her sexy message, the man at the receiving end of the wrong number she texted was certainly interested. Too bad Mr. Wrong Number lives in Prince George.
That’s not to say all connections made via Internet dating are disasters. I have friends who have met their (second) soul mate online. A quick search online also shows the number of dating sites catering to baby boomers and seniors is growing almost as quickly and dramatically as housing prices in Vancouver. So if you’re considering online dating, do your homework, be careful, don’t give out too much personal information and ask for a meeting in person sooner rather than later. And lastly, don’t forget to have fun — Mr. Right Number might be as close as the click of your send button.
@sthomas10
