Limes with Orange

I've recently been spending a little too much time on a particular forum where we've been chatting a lot about how people find love. It's no surprise that the subject of online dating has come up a few times.

As I've mentioned before, I have done the online dating thing in the past. Sometimes with much success, sometimes not so much. One of the things I came to realize is that I'm a little too offbeat for many of the people I've met on those online dating sites... a little too quirky, a little too dark.

But now there's hope for those of us that reside in an alternative world: goth dating. So I actually signed up for this one. I'll let you know if I have any luck with the gothic guys!

Labels: dating, fun

There's a new online dating site called Just Say Hi that has one important distinction from other online dating sites… it's completely free. And I don't just mean free to sign up and make a profile; it's actually free to contact people. What a concept! And it's got forums which makes it much more of a community than the dating sites I've used in the past. And it even has testimonials about members by other members, which is kind of a cool concept.

Having said all that, I'm not sure I have it in me to do the online dating thing again. Three times was not a charm for me. But don't let that discourage you. After all, I did meet someone online that I ended up dating for a couple of years. So it might work for you... and here's a completely free dating site to help you find out.

Labels: dating, fun, odds and ends

I've lived in Calgary for almost seven years now, and it's only in the past year that I've really managed to find the artsy people that I want to hang out with. I'll admit that much of that is my own fault. I arrived with the attitude that Calgarians expect from Torontonians: what little redneck, culturally-bereft backwater have I just landed in? Not too endearing an attitude, I'll admit. But I only seemed to be meeting people who worked directly in the oil and gas industry or indirectly for the oil and gas industry. And my parents were hippie actors. No common ground. I did try. Really. But I felt like I was selling my soul.

Then last year, I joined the Calgary Society of Independent Filmmakers and started taking a bunch of courses there—meeting people who had not only heard of my favourite movies, but actually liked them—and my one musician friend married a really cool actress with really cool creative friends and all of a sudden I have artsy people back in my life. Yay!

This whole process could have happened a lot sooner if The Whole 9 had been around when I first moved here. The Whole 9 is an online community to connect creative and artistic people for networking and dating (there's even a place for your portfolio). I may not be needing it for friendship or dating at the moment, but I'll definitely be exploring the networking potential!

P.S. Couldn't resist the Beatles reference in the title, especially since 9 is one of my favourite numbers. My fave favourite number is actually 108... long story... short answer: I'm weird, remember?

Labels: art and photography, cool sites, dating, film, music, theatre

Several years ago, I was dating this guy that I met through an internet dating service (even though we didn't last, we were actually together for a year and a half, so obviously the reason we didn't work out had nothing to do with the fact that we met online... but I digress). His name was Rob. His best friend's name was also Rob. So things could get a little confusing. So I dubbed the friend "Christian Rob" (because he was a devout Baptist) and the guy that I was dating "Pagan Rob" (not quite accurate—he really should have been "Atheist Rob" because he thought that all religion was bunk... don't get me started—but the names were inspired by a song by Dar Williams called "The Christians and the Pagans").

Anyway, the point of this rambling is that I always wanted to fix Christian Rob up with someone because he was the sweetest, funniest, cuddliest guy I knew (and pretty smart, too)... but I didn't actually know any other Christians who were remotely devout. And that was a dealbreaker for Rob. Which is why I wish that this Christian Singles website had been around back then. It would have been perfect for him. Just perfect.

Labels: cool sites, dating

I just found out that there's an online Jewish Dating Service that seems to work much like Lavalife, except it's specifically for Jewish singles. When I was growing up, my mother started the process to convert to Judaism. She was studying with a Rabbi and learning Hebrew, we were going to synagogue and observing Jewish traditions in the home. My mother never ended up converting but after years of being raised in the only faith that ever made sense to me, I think it would be ideal to meet a nice Jewish boy. (I keep intending to finish what my mother started, but I haven't connected with the Jewish community here in Calgary so I'm a little intimidated to start the conversion process. But I digress…)

But back to jsingles.com: I'm not sure how many members there are, and I can't find any place on the site where they mention that. Maybe they'll add that feature once there are more members. But there are certainly no other members in this area at the moment, but again maybe it's just too new (or maybe I just need to move back to Toronto). In any case, I'll be interested to see how the community grows.

Labels: dating, judaism, odds and ends

Now that I've figured out how to embed video in my blog, I've just got to share this advertisement for Koolanoo, the world's first Jewish social network. Not only is it very slick in a James Bond or Alias kind of way, but it's also funny... and a little dark.

Not necessarily what the goyim would expect from a Jewish Dating site (a little Yiddish goes a long way), but I loved it.

Labels: dating, judaism

I've probably mentioned my past attempts with online dating. Some successful, some not so much. My conclusion was that it was a logical way to meet that man who's "good on paper" but not necessarily someone that I wanted to date. Having said that, I did end up dating someone for two years that I originally met online. And I ended up becoming good friends for even longer with another man that I met online (and, at one point, actually ended up dating someone that I met through said friend). So obviously, I'm not entirely averse to the idea, I just no longer expect to find love that way.

Which is why I was intrigued when I came across lifeknot's Google gadget. It's not set up as an online dating service, but as a way to meet new friends based on common interests and shared activities. At this time, there are over 1,200 member-suggested activities. You can click the gadget's "Shuffle" link to see five random activities. Click an activity to see profiles and pictures of people who enjoy that activity. Lather. Rinse. Repeat.

You may not find your soul mate, but you're sure to find a friend (and who knows... maybe that friend knows your soul mate).

Labels: dating, odds and ends

Someone asked me recently if I was dating anyone. I went into a long spiel about how crazy busy I am and how time consuming that whole meeting new men can be (especially when you're as picky as... well, me) and how awkward some of those first dates are. And I concluded that I just don't have any desire to date at the moment. A position I firmly supported by maintaining my long-practiced "don't touch me" vibe at the recent Mocking Shadows gig.

Apparently, I was kidding myself.

And it's just too Jane Austen that the person I'm crushing on is someone that I didn't like when I first "met" him a couple of years ago. I held him responsible for messing with my favourite band. Turns out that the "messing with" was actually a really good new direction for the band. And the boy? Well, turns out he's pretty nice... and cute to boot. Boyz!

Labels: dating