Trends

I noticed that my matches seemed to follow certain trends.

1) As mentioned before, my first matches were all in the computer industry (IT, systems engineering, computer science, etc.). But then, the next group got a little more appealing.

2) Marines. Yes... Marines. Little known fact: I LOVE Marines. What is better than that uniform? Nothing. They're heroes. They, presumably, share my love for freedom and our country. They understand stress, adrenaline, danger. Maybe this whole eHarmony thing does work after all!

3) Medical Resident. Ok, there was only one. But because I'm in the medical field, I still think it's notable. PLUS, he was cute! And lived near me. Downside: He closed the match. Said he was "pursuing another relationship." Loser.

4) Pastors. Primarily youth pastors and camp ministry. Ok, so I guess we have a passion for God in common. As a Christian, my relationship with Jesus is the most important thing in my life. But... that's about all we had in common. I don't really see myself living in the middle of no where in Idaho (where most of them are from. No wonder they're on eHarmony) in a lonely cabin, staying at home, raising a small army of children, knitting, and sewing clothes for the kiddies. I need to live somewhere where I can at least get out a couple days a week to work a job of my own. Sorry lonely pastors.

5) Engineers. Nothing wrong with that. But, judging by their pictures, these engineers should be classified with the computer nerds. Pasty white (Hey, I'm very white too... but these guys have that glow-in-the-dark paleness, which I'm pretty sure is a tan from sitting in front of a computer screen for too long), scrawny, and usually list one of their interests as video games. Sorry, but you don't even compare to the Marines.

6) Teachers. Mostly high school and junior high teachers. Most of them were fairly good looking. And they're educated. Most of them have a lot of pictures in awesome places (Greece, England, etc) and list travel as one of their interests. I like traveling. Especially if someone else is paying. Downside: Teachers are poor. Dang it.

7) Students. Hey, I'm a student too, so that's fine with me. The problem is: NONE of them list what they are studying. Seriously? Ok, well it makes a big difference if you are going to medical school or getting your degree in computer science (as discussed above). I'm not hatin' on computer guys, I'm just saying. Please be upfront with what you are studying. If you really enjoy studying your intended career field, you should like it enough to mention it. There's nothing that annoys me more than people who hate their jobs (GET A NEW ONE) so I'm not going to listen to you complain about it forever.

8) Reservists. Mostly Army reserves. They come from a variety of fields, mostly engineering. But the pictures of them in their uniforms make them much more appealing than the other engineers. Plus, I love the military. They may not be Marines, but they are still heroes. And they make me proud to be an American.

9) Cops. Almost in the same category as Marines, at least in my heart. I love cops. I have my minor in Criminal Justice, have grown up in a law enforcement family. And, like Marines, they understand stress. All of the cops I was matched with seemed really nice. Especially one of them. More on him later.

10) Grad students. Most of them are getting degrees in counseling, something financial/business related, or going to seminary. I value education, and plan on getting my masters degree and maybe my PhD eventually. But why can't they be studying something more interesting? Seminary is ok, but business? I think I just threw up in my mouth a little bit. I think I would actually wither away and die if I had to sit at a desk all day. Plus, does that have anything in common with my job? Not at all. Polar opposites.

I find it intriguing that, every few days, my matches would change from one category to another. Some trends I enjoyed more than others. Marine week = best ever.

We've only just begun...

I had to wait overnight, but I finally received my first matches. Now, just as eHarmony advertises, you can review your matches for free. That is part of the reason that I decided to try it- there was no way I was going to pay money for that. I mean, that would definitely mean that I was one of those desperate girls, right? Anyway, I logged in excitedly to see who my new matches were. I had a few of them, although I expected more. If there are so many people in the system, why does it only give me 5 matches? I clicked on the profiles of these guys that I was supposedly compatible with in 29 dimensions, wondering what they would be like. And what did I find?

They were all computer nerds. All of them.

Ok, so I don't necessarily have anything against guys who work in the computer industry. But, for those of you who don't know, I have a very stressful job. I work as an EMT, and I deal with very difficult situations at times. I love the excitement and adrenaline rush of my job. So, how could I possibly be matched with several guys, that are all so different than me? If the most stressful part of your job is that a computer crashes (which they could probably repair in a matter of seconds) then I just don't see it working out.

That was disappointment number 1.

And for disappointment number 2: No pictures. That's right. No pictures at all. Well, that removes at least 70% of the fun. Now all I'm left with is what they write about themselves, and the fact that we are allegedly compatible in 29 dimensions. Apparently with the free version, they withhold all pictures. Tricky tactic, eHarmony. So, I did what any reasonable girl would do.

I bought a subscription.

But that doesn't make me one of those desperate girls. At least that's what I keep telling myself. I like to think of myself as a scientist, if you will. Sometimes, you must pay a price in order to get the data that you need to complete your research.

It's a good excuse, at least.

And so it begins...

Hello, and thank you for visiting my blog! I'm sure you have much better things to be doing with your time, so if you have decided to spend it here, I sincerely thank you. And I hope you enjoy your stay.

Recently, I decided to try out eHarmony. It was a spur-of-the-moment idea, and I set up my account while at a friends house. I answered about 500,000 questions, or so it seemed, until I finally succeeded in completing my profile. It was a great sense of accomplishment, and I eagerly clicked on the "my matches" tab to see who I had been matched with. Only to find.... nothing. It seems that it takes a day or so to begin sending you matches. Well, that was a disappointment.

You may be wondering why I decided to turn to eHarmony. Let me tell you- it was not out of desperation. I may be single, but most times I prefer it that way. As a full time student with 2 jobs, I would definitely spend more time with my textbooks than I would be able to spend with any guy. I can't say with certainty why the idea came to mind. I suppose the commercials on T.V. may have been too alluring. Maybe it was because of all of the people I have met who, at some point during conversation, inform me that they met their spouse online. I began to wonder, what is all the hype about? Could this really work? Are there really normal people on online dating sites?

I hope you will join me as I share the results of my experiment. It may not be exceptionally interesting, but it is quite entertaining. And if you happen to be one of the men I was matched with... I apologize if any of my comments offend you. Maybe you can learn from your errors, and eventually win over some nice eHarmony girl.

And so, we begin.

(Names may be changed to protect the innocent)