When People Tell You Who they Are... Believe Them....

Wow.. How many times have you been burned by this.. You know often we all want to see the best in others even when it means we can be hurt. I have found this significantly profound in my recent time doing Internet dating... Yes, me.. Don't get me wrong, I have found a few people that I can say are good friends, some I wish I had never met and then there are those that cause me to write this entry... Oh well, such is life.

A good friend sent me this email from an article written in the Washington post.. Enjoy...

Sunday, January 28, 2007; 2:36 PM
NOTE: This essay was written by a woman interviewed by The Washington Post whose mother helps her find dates on Match.com.

Jennifer Aniston. Christie Brinkley. Sheryl Crow. Teri Hatcher. Either dumped or cheated on in a most humiliating and public way.
Every woman in the dating world has thought, "If it can happen to her, it can happen to me." While he's snoring away, we think quietly at night about what we can do to make sure it doesn't happen to us.
We respond by trying to make our stomachs flatter, our boobs bigger, our faces prettier, and our clothes tighter and more revealing. We do everything possible to please our man. You prefer French cooking? Mais oui, mon cher! You want my hair long? No problem, I'll get a hair extension. Spending part of your vacation with buddies? Go have a good time. You don't want to be with my family on Christmas? I'll see you on New Year's Eve. Is that OK or would you prefer some other time? Do you like my mani-pedi'd, spray on tanned, liposuctioned, Pilates body? Can't commit? Oh, that's right. You're just not that into me. Or her. Or her. Or her.
What the hell has happened? Three words. Match dot com. Match.com and other online dating services have given men access to thousands and thousands of women in every city who look just as great in jeans and a little black dress (the requirement in every man's profile), a smorgasbord of women each one more delicious to devour than the next.
And that awful book, He's Just Not That Into You, provides a warm blankie of an excuse for every man who just cannot commit. "Hey! He's just not that into you. Move on, sister!" While I agree with the tenant of the book to just move on to find the next one, they provide no rules to we women who will likely encounter yet another man who gorges at the table we have set for them.
We pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off and start all over again only to find exactly the same man in different clothes but using the same M.O. until yet again we realize he's just not that into any woman. When they finally are into making a commitment, they are well into their 40s, ready to settle down with their paunch, their bald head, and their decades of treating women poorly.
Ladies, this is what we have to look forward to unless we set up and set some ground rules of our own, to stop this awful trend that Match has fostered. It is an "oh well that didn't work out -- next!" attitude that is damaging millions of people in their 20s and 30s who could be building fulfilling, long-term relationships. We are bolting sooner and sooner if there is a lull in the conversation or the slightest hint of incompatibility, knowing that the next one will appear within a few mouse clicks.
I'm a good-looking woman with a good career. I probably have a few more jokes in my quiver, a few more laughs in my belly, and a few more paper umbrellas than most people because I am rather a positive, upbeat, happy, glass overflowing kind of person. I like men. And yet in my 30s I dated someone who, unbeknownst to me, was a practicing bi-sexual. I dated someone who hid his depression and profound anxiety for nearly a year. I dated someone who didn't tell me he was still in love with his ex-girlfriend until eight months into the relationship. I even had a blind date arranged by a "famous person's" agent who told me this "famous person" in his mid 40s wanted to meet me, only to find Jackie Mason sitting at the table. I found someone in bed with another woman who now wants to date me again. Uh, no! I dated someone who dumped me after telling me I was the love of his life because he didn't know where he was going in life. All met online; because I am too effing busy in my professional life to join a cooking class or go grocery shopping - where all the eligible bachelors are supposed to be spending their time.
I am every woman. And I am taking it upon myself to step up and demand dignity and respect for dating women of all ages.
I will remain anonymous. My name doesn't matter because I am every woman. Normal, happy, well functioning. Like you.
I call on all women in all cities to start dignified dating behavior everywhere.
It will be so simple and so liberating.
Following are some fairly simple but self-respecting dating principles for women:
Be honest about your age and size. You may think you will charm him with your dazzling personality but you're simply wasting his time and yours if you lie about your age or send him a photo that no longer looks like you.
Don't respond to winks or messages from men with no photos. If there is no photo, he is married or involved.
If he doesn't ask to meet you within a week of talking on the phone and exchanging e-mails, he is either busy serial dating or too busy working to date you.
Keep in shape and look your best but don't dress too provocatively.
Keep the date short and do not even think of sleeping with him until he is clearly nuts about you. If you jump into the sack too soon, he will not take you seriously.
Don't reveal too much, and certainly never ever discuss past relationships. Men love a mystery. Again, do not bring up your exes, reveal your dark secrets, constantly complain, or interrupt - simple stuff but amazingly ignored by women and men.
But be sure to be yourself. If you're a giving person, give. If you're into cooking, cook. If you're busy, stay busy. If you're not into sports, don't fake it. And watch your alcohol intake.
If you are interested in seeing him again, let him pick up the tab with a promise that you'll get the next one. If you're not interested, either pay half or entirely. If you're interested and he's not, let him pick up the tab or split it.
If you don't receive flowers by the fourth date, dump him. Poor hygiene, bad manners, or sloppy dress are also grounds for dismissal.
If you seek children and / or marriage, best not to discuss this until after several dates. When the subject of marriage or children is discussed, be clear that he has six months (or twelve, depending on how you feel) to decide whether or not you will be engaged. No more, no less. And then don't bring it up again. Ever. This rule is of course null and void if there is no interest in marriage from both parties.
At the six- or twelve-month mark, if he does not propose to you, you must walk away with class and dignity. Don't tell your family and friends how strong you are and then contact him every day. No contact. Move on.
Absolutely allow him to chase YOU.
Finally, the way he treats your family is very important. If he is cold, indifferent, or not eager to spend time with them, run!