Plenty of Fish

People are always telling me that there are plenty of fish in the sea. Fisherman go out on the water and always expect there to be a catch of the day. What about the catch of a life time? Some people don't have time to go out and actually date. Therefore they online date. So, it happened. I thought before I could properly start this project I should experience 'the online date' here in America. How could I properly write about something I don't know anything about? It all started when my English class had to chose topics to study and experience first hand for the whole semester. I volunteered to do my semester project on online dating when the topic arose. Soon enough I had made a few dating profiles so I could compare and contrast the different sites. Little did I know how much online dating is impacting today's modern society. Online dating can be used through cell phone applications, social media, or websites particularly made for online dating. It is everywhere. As the first couple classes came and went I was more and more confused on what and how I would handle this project. Then I realized there was only one way to get this project started. To immerse myself into the project itself. To online date. And online date is what I did.

As Professor Peckham (Link to his Blog) continued to ask me how my blog was coming along, I realized that I needed to do something. That is when it hit me. I needed to go on an online date asap. After looking at the different profiles I had made I decided to stick mostly with the dating site Plenty of Fish. That is when I began scrolling. The sad part about online dating is that it is completely based on appearance. Sadly, most boys on the site have no idea how to make themselves and their pages presentable. (Blog post on the 'do and don't''s of online dating profiles!) But I found a few different boys that seemed pleasant enough to possibly meet up with. I messaged three different boys. I started out each message with a simple 'hi.' I got three responses. All three boys were very amiable. Then I did the test. After getting to know each of them I decided to see if they were real? How does one do this? You do the Catfish test. (Catfish: The Art of Deception) All three passed. I found Facebook's and Twitter accounts which correlated with who these boys said they were. Now I just had to meet one. Good thing *John got right to asking me out. He wanted to meet me the very next day.

Messaging John was initially a mistake. I was scrolling through profiles and saw a blurry one of someone hunting. I noticed a lot of men on POF (Plenty of Fish) had pictures like this. Pictures that didn't show their face. Just hunting. I was immediately curious. What type of person only posts pictures like this? So after the Catfish test I was surprised. I was shocked, this person is actually attractive. We messaged for a few hours. I made sure not to give too much information. I didn't want to give him my number, but at the last minute, after plans had been made, I caved in. I reckoned that if there was a miscommunication, then at least we could fix it through the phone. Before I went to meet him at Reginelli's I wrote my roommate an emergency note card. It consisted of his full name, his Facebook account, his college, his phone number, and his POF account. I was sure he was who he said he was, but in this situation I would rather be safe than sorry. I walked there and then waited outside. I received a text in regards to the location of Reginelli's. I responded 'Chimes.' Then I began waiting. He told me he was outside wearing a green shirt. The only person outside with me was a young black woman with dreads, texting, and wearing a green shirt. I stood there staring at her waiting for her to look up to say 'I'm so sorry. But I'm John. Well, actually Jillian...' I told him that he better be lying to me, because I couldn't be Catfished! Then it hit me. I told him Chimes and he must have gone to the restaurant Chimes rather the street. Sure enough after walking there I see a boy standing outside Chimes. He was wearing a green shirt.

Now when you go on an online date there are always two unavoidable awkward situations. The first is when you first meet and the second is when you say goodbye. I approach him, say his name, and then we look at each other. This is the part when the two people meeting take the opportunity to look at each and mentally compare it to what they saw online and what they expected. He smiled and gave me a hug. It isn't that I have low self esteem, but I do realize that I am not everyone's cup of tea. Well, no one has a universally ideal physique for each person. Simply impossible because it doesn't exist. I was just grateful he didn't give me a sour expression. We walk to Reginelli's and have our own section. This was the first time either of us had ever been there and were very confused to the menu. I have never seen so many cheese, sauce, and topping variations in my life. The menu was *literally* Greek to us. We went with a large half pepperoni and half pineapple and jalapenos. We had spent the first bit talking about how weird the menu was and after ordering we had to talk about real things. He was really cool and it wasn't difficult to talk to him.

We spend the next few hours laughing and making jokes. He tells me about his family, life, and school. Every once in a while he would lean forward, look at me, and then I would feel something against my foot. Me, being the most awkward person ever, would break eye contact and move my foot. It eventually got so weird that I just sat pretzel legged in the booth. That isn't weird, is it? I've never been a fan of playing footsie. Soon after we got our food my friend walked by and decided to come in to say hi. She talked for a few minutes and then left. Turns out me and John have a lot in common. He is taking the current semester off to work in a chemical engineering plant. He almost played college football, but opted to stay in Baton Rouge. He also enjoys hunting and insisted that he would take me some weekend. I didn't realize how long we had been there until everything was cleared from the table. Time really flew by. After he pays for the meal with a hundred dollar bill we still sat for another half hour. I ask him why he decided to go online dating. He told me how his friends have been persuading him to do it. John heard that online dating was becoming more and more socially acceptable. He decided to just make an account and see where it took him. I told him why I was online dating, sans the part about it being for English class. We then realized that we had been there for over two hours. We decided to head home. He throughout the night would insist that he should personally take me back to my dorm. For the final time that evening I told him I would prefer him to not accompany me home.

Now time for the second inevitable awkward situation. We walk a little way towards his car and my dorm. We talk and continue to joke around. But now they are nervous jokes and we are walking slower and slower. Who knows what is about to happen? I see my street, turn to hug him, then I cross the street. That was it. Why do I have to be so awkward? He was such a nice boy! Walking home I noticed a missed call from my friend who had come into the restaurant. She began badgering me with questions. The began yelling, 'WHERE DID YOU MEET THAT SEXY ASS BOY.' (I promise that that is a direct quote.) She started talking about his body, his eyes, and his hair. I hadn't of noticed anything besides his eyes. I am not one to notice or care too much for physical appearances. My friend was mad that I didn't notice how 'hot' John was. She asked again, 'where did I meet him?' I reminded her of my English project. There was only silence on the other end of the line. Then she said, 'You're kidding me!' Now she wants to make an online dating account. Even though the date didn't go anywhere, it was still a fun time and a free meal. Free meals are such a great incentive to get as much field experience for my English project as possible. People are always hearing about bad online dating experiences when there are also always a few diamonds in the rough. I found one of those diamonds. But I've never cared too much about them and I had no interest in this boy. So I tossed the diamond back into the ocean, because there are always plenty of fish in the sea.

I am the serial dater and this is my guide to online dating.

*names have been changed for personal purposes