Thursday, May 08, 2008

The Needier Sex

As I’ve mentioned here before, I decided to subscribe to an online dating service to try to meet some relationship minded guys. I love the online thing because it’s a way to connect to a lot of people at once and probably guys who are more serious about a real relationship than you’d meet in a bar or nightclub. One big drawback, however, is that you can only tell so much about a person from a two paragraph blur and a couple of pictures. So, my best friend, Suze, and I have devised a sort of set of rules for weeding guys out. We exchange at least three on-system emails (meaning anonymously through the dating site) before giving out our real email addresses, and at least three more after that before giving out a phone number. By six emails, you can usually tell if the guy is illiterate, perverted, or actually a thirteen year old boy. And that’s when the phone test comes in.

I’ve weeded out a couple guys at the phone stage. You can tell a lot more about a person by the way he speaks on the phone than through an email. For example, there was Bad Dad Guy who was absolutely stunning in his photos, but on the phone he was screaming at his kids in the background every five minutes. Nice guy. Yeah, he was out. There was Hopped Up on Speed Guy, who talked a mile a minute and used the F word as a catch-all adjective - out. There was Valium Man, and, no, not because he was a valium addict, but because he was so freaking boring on the phone that I had to pinch my arm to keep myself awake when I talked to him - out. And, most recently, there was The Dude.

The Dude had some pretty hot pics on his profile, I will admit. And, after exchanging the requisite number of emails, he seemed literate, had a real job, didn’t suggest anything rated R. I took the next step and gave him my number. He called right away, that same afternoon.

On the phone he was very sweet, but it quickly became clear he was just a little too “dude” for me.

Him: Dude, you sound hot!
Me: Uh… thanks?
Him: Your voice is like, total hotness.
Me: O-kay.
(insert loud noise in the background)
Me: Um… what was that sound?
Him: (Giggling) Dude, that was my mixer. I’m making brownies. (more giggling)
Me: These wouldn’t by any chance be “funny” brownies, would they?
Him: No, dude, these are like totally serious brownies.
Me: No, I meant… uh, never mind.
Him: You like brownies?
Me: Um, sure.
Him: Dude, if we got married, I’d bake you brownies all day.

Whoa. Did The Dude just say the “M” word. Okay, time to nip this stoner in the bud. So, I tell him I’m meeting up with a friend that evening and have to get off the phone.

Him: Cool, where you guys going?
Me: Uh, you know, around.
Him: I could meet you there.
Me: Oh, gee, thanks. But this is a girl’s night out kind of thing.
(whew, quick thinking!)
Him: Oh. That’s a bummer. But call me back as soon as you get home, okay?

Um… call him back? No, the conversation was done. No calling back. We’re kinda finished here. He can consider himself weeded.

But, apparently that wasn’t clear to him. By the time I went to bed that night I had two voice messages and two texts from him. The next day, he calls again. Twice. The messages getting increasingly more upset. And whiny. There is nothing in this world I find less attractive than a whiny guy. So… three days and countless more messages later, I’m getting fed up with him hijacking my voicemail. I finally call back.

And that’s when I’m treated to a lecture on how rude I was to wait this long (three whole days!) to call him again. He hasn’t heard from me in “forever, Dude”. He goes on to say that in the meantime (while he’s been leaving me five hundred messages a day) he “met” someone else. Okay, not met, but called someone else. And he doesn’t talk to more than one girl at a time. I’m thinking, “Hallelujah! Move on already.” But, no. He says that since he’s talking with this other girl now, we can only talk as friends.

Oh brother.

How to tell him I already have enough friends? So, I say, “Dude (trying to speak his language) I already have enough friends.” He says okay, we hang up.

That night… another message. Two more the next day. One a day for the rest of the week. Me thinks someone ate too many funny brownies and their brain has turned to mush. How does he not get that I’m not interested? I’m left with two choices – change my number or tell him to bugger off again.

Changing my number sounds like paperwork (which I hate) so, I chose option B and call him. But, before I can tell him in no uncertain terms to take a long walk off a short pier, he starts in on another lecture about how “friends” call “friends” back.

Him: I thought we were friends.
Me: You do realize I've never met you, right?
Him: How am I supposed to get to know you if you never call?
Me: Excellent point. Let's just give up on the whole getting to know each other thing, okay? I think we know enough.
Him: What, you can’t find the time to pick up the phone and call me even once a day?
Me: (Laughing. Out loud. A big snorting thing.) Seriously? Once a day? I have a life. A busy one. I’m lucky I have time to shower once a day.
Him: Dude, that ain’t normal. Friendship has needs. You should put your friends first.
Me: Dude, don’t ever call me again.
Click.

I’m happy to say I’ve only received two more messages from Needy Dude since then. I think he’s almost got the point.

So, help me gals, how can I weed out the needy boys before I give out my number? ‘Cause, seriously, I don’t think my voicemail box can take another one like this guy.

~Trigger Happy Halliday

17 comments:

Anonymous said...

LOL. Love it, Gemma!

I see a book here . . . ADVENTURES IN ONLINE DATING. It would be a hit!

Faye

Christie Craig said...

Love it Gemma!
As for tips, could you purchase one of those cheap throw-away phones? Seriously girl, dating is a risky business.

Thanks for the laugh.

Crime Scene Christie

Gemma Halliday said...

Ooo... a throwaway is a good idea! I never thought of that. Wow, it's bad when I have to have a separate phone for dating. Lol!

~Gemma

Jenyfer Matthews said...

Totally with Christie - DUDE! You do not want to give these guys your real phone number until you know they are really worth it!!!

Though a (normal) man who makes brownies regularly...hmmm...

Gemma Halliday said...

Yeah, the brownie part I could TOTALLY live with. Granted, if I ate brownies everyday my butt would likely might expand so far it could have its own zipcode. So, maybe it's all for the best.

~Gemma

catslady said...

It ate my comment after saying I put it in twice arghhhhh. I apologize in advance if this shows up 3 times.

Dude, I'm so glad you didn't have a real date with this guy and he doesn't know where you live. I hate the word dude. It's bad enough when they call each other that but I can guarantee you are not a DUDE lol.

Hellie Sinclair said...

Dude (*snortal, grin*) you're a FICTION writer. It's obvious what you do. You find your guy friend who you'd never date anyway but who seems game to run off yokels. (I have one of these guys--very handy.) SO...the next time you get slammed with messages and you've tried to handle it, have the guy call back Needy Moron and say, "Stop calling my wife" and let him explain you're a poor deluded woman with five kids, who dates much to the despair of your "husband". Then your "husband" can threaten to make Needy Moron sorry if he doesn't stop calling.

Needy Moron will surely want to avoid a woman who is clearly not available and has five kids. (After all, you wouldn't have any time for him with five kids.)

Sure it's a LIE. Sure it's a big LIE and supposedly unnecessary, but sometimes, some things call for drastic action.

No paperwork. Takes five minutes. And your guy friend will feel like he's "saved the day." They love that.

Anonymous said...

Dude.... way to nip it in the bud and weed them out. LOL

michi

Lucy said...

OMG, too funny. I'm with Christie on this one...the cheap throw-away phones sound like a good idea.

Good luck. :)

Beth said...

OMG! Wow, you're like a frog magnet. I admire you're stamina. The right guy is out there, you can't give up on romance if you write it.
I'm with Christie. Although, if it gets serious how do you explain why you gave him your throw away phone # instead of your real one? Of course mshellion has a great suggestion too.

Kathy Bacus said...

Oh lord, Gemma, this is just what the doctor ordered after another fifteen hours and 30 pages of writing!

You've made me SO thankful I was never tempted to sign up for on-line dating. I'd have hunted Dude Boy down and shown him what he could do with his brownies.

Hmm. Maybe I need a break from murder and mayhem.

Ya think?

~Bullet Hole~

Gemma Halliday said...

OMG, Mshellion, ROFL! I'm so doing that next time. How fun would that be?

~Gemma

Gemma Halliday said...

Michi - *snork, snicker* ;)

~Gemma

Gemma Halliday said...

Thanks, Beth! I'm actually contemplating speed dating again next week. It's the 25-35 crowd. I'm *hoping* that means there won't be any granddads in it this time.

~Gemma

Gemma Halliday said...

Kathy - step away from the murder mystery. Have some chocolate. Take a break. Seriously, girl, 30 pages - you are a rawk star!

~Gemma

Minna said...

How about chatting with them in one chat room or another first? There are plenty of them over the internet, so you wouldn't even have to use the same one twice, if the guy seems too strange. The throw-away phones could be the next step...

Terri Osburn said...

I can't believe I missed this one! Gah! I love these stories. I had the same experience twice last summer. One of the dudes had the nerve to think I'd ditch my daughter to come meet him on Mother's Day. Uhm...no. I had to tell him I wasn't the girl for him. He seemed good, didn't call.

Other guy was trying to determine the geographic mid-point between our homes where we could buy our first house. This was during our first phone conversation. Within 36 hrs of giving him my cell, he sent over 100 text messages. I thought I was going to die.

When it came time to meet, I couldn't do it. I sent an email that I would not be making the date and that we were not going to work, but he apparently didn't read it for a couple of days. Turns out he went to the meet, not sure how long he waited, then started leaving messages wondering where I am and hoping that I didn't just stand him up.

Very threatening voice. Gave up after another day or so. Totally freaked me out.

I have figured out that you just have to tell them flat out. This is not working, I'm not the one for you but I'm sure she's out there and you'll find her. There has to be someone as needy as they are, right?