tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10971908.post-1118769297707097752005-06-14T10:53:00.000-05:002005-06-14T12:14:57.713-05:00Christopher responded to my short-answer questions. Turns out he doesn't necessarily want children—he's just not opposed to the idea. That doesn't exactly jibe with answering that two would be the ideal number of children but whatever. So now we're at the "open communication" stage, leaving me to send the first actual message. I can't say the process thus far has created any excitement about Christopher for me, but maybe the open communication will change that.<br /><br />"Hi, Christopher--So we 'meet' at last. How have you enjoyed your eHarmony experience so far? I'm kind of undecided about it, myself. Parts of it seem like a good idea, but it also seems so impersonal and business-like. I find it hard to get a handle on what someone is really like or even just his interests, y'know?<br /><br />Regardless, we definitely have some things in common. Have you had any good travels lately? I went to Kauai in November, which was unbelievably beautiful and had some great hiking. I usually like to take one major trip each year, with a few shorter getaways along the way. I spent some time in Lake Geneva, NJ, and Michigan this year, and also took in some pre-season and post-season Cubs games in Arizona and Atlanta.<br /><br />I noticed you're in grad school--are you getting an MBA? Where are you going to school? I got my master's in journalism in June. Not that useful for Trivial Pursuit (one of my favorite games, too), but it should help me get more freelance gigs.<br /><br />Well, I'd better get going--I never know how much to write in this phase. Hope you're having a good holiday season so far (with lots of chocolate), and thanks for your interest!<br /><br />Barb"<br /><br />While in EH, I noticed that Roger hasn't closed us out yet. What's the delay? I guess I could do it, but, on the off chance I hear from him again, it'd be an actual message and I’m curious to see what he would write, if he'd even refer to how drawn out he'd made the process.<br /><br />Chris (as he signed his email, thank God—you know how I feel about guys who use their full names) responded with a pretty brief email:<br /><br />"Barb,<br /><br />I was to Kauai 3 times so far, Love it more each time I go<br /><br />If your interested maybe we can talk over the phone. Its so much easier and I would be willing. Let me know I can give you my number or you can give me yours?<br /><br />Chris"<br /><br />I don't know why, but I find myself hesitant to go the phone with EH guys. It doesn't make much sense, considering how quickly I give my number to some guys on the other services. I think maybe it's because the EH process gives you so little feel for the guy. At least with the other services, a guy's profile offers a fairly clear idea of his interests and maybe even his background, while the voice of the introductory emails lets you glean some sense of his personality. You don't get that with EH. Or maybe it's just my shallowness—I haven't found either of the guys with whom I've reached this stage in EH particularly attractive (plus, Chris' email wasn't very articulate). Still, I paid $100 for EH and haven't talked to anyone yet, so I should send Chris my number. Who knows what could happen? I think I'll ask him if he has a profile posted on any other sites, too, so I can gather some more intelligence on him.<br /><br />On a more immediate note, I'm meeting Alan for dinner in a few hours. We made the plans a few days ago, and some hints of skepticism started creeping in today. I thought I remembered him saying that he would call to confirm, but I hadn't heard from him since our initial phone conversation. I was resigning myself today to the fact that he might not show up and already debating whether I'd pick up some takeout pizza at the restaurant before heading home. I'm pleased to report, though, that Alan called about 10 minutes ago, and we're allegedly still on. I'm afraid past experiences leave me no choice but to insert the "allegedly"—you just never know what will actually happen. At the same time, though, the door-slammed-in-my-face outcomes of some earlier "dates" make me appreciate the courtesy of the confirmation call. Looks like I've stumbled across a mature and considerate one. Here's hoping the call is a harbinger of good things to come.Bemusednoreply@blogger.com