So. Many. Choices.

My eHarmony subscription will be ending pretty soon, so I wondered what to do?  Should I renew? Should I try another website? Should I get a new pair of shoes to make me feel better?

The answers are (in order) Maybe… Yes… Not yet, but that’s always an option…

eHarmony has apparently ran out of the selection of eligible men in my local area so I continue to get matches from all over the state.  This isn’t a bad thing, but I was wondering if Match.com would at least give me more of a shot with someone not several hours away.  I logged on, created a profile, and because they offered a 1-month membership for $31, I figured that it was worth it to at least see what it’s all about.

The two sites couldn’t be any more different.  Here are some words that I would use to describe them:

eHarmony: Polite, Reserved, Slow and Steady, Exclusive

Match: Free for all, Meat market, Overwhelming

Now, Match does have a few features that I with eHarmony had.  They have a “No Thanks” option for winks and emails which gives you a polite way to turn someone down.  There isn’t that option in eHarmony, so you have to either send an email saying no or just ignore them. Match also has an IM system so you can instantly talk to someone if you’re both online (this is good, but can easily get very overwhelming).

eHarmony also uses first names – it makes it a bit more personal because you know who you’re talking to.  Match makes you create a user name.  Since all the variations of my first name were taken (really?), I was forced to come up with something creative.  Anyone who knows me knows that I am an animation art fan and my favorite character is Pepe le Pew.  The cat he chases is Penelope, so my screen name became Penelope4433 (I tried just regular 43, but that was taken too – geez, how many people are on Match.com anyway???)

So let’s talk about some of the guys’ screen names now…  I got an email and a wink from Nicedaddy4you who described me as a “pack of beauty.” Wow, I don’t think I’ve ever been described as a pack of anything before, so that’s a first.  I politely declined…   Then I saw TrainedMonkey25 – wasn’t sure what to even think about this one, but he was kinda cute and had a nice profile – I winked at him, he winked back and I sent a quick email.  Other funny names were Happycar, Divenaked, Prince Shrek, etc. etc. etc.

Match also gives you the opportunity to describe what your date should look like – height, body type, hair color, etc. These are all multiple choice questions, but when a guy says that his date should be between 3’0” and 8’11”, I’m pretty sure there wasn’t a lot of thought put into it.  Here’s a tip for those guys – get off Match.com and try the circus.

In all this craziness, I have to report that I have some conversations going with a few guys.  Here is the selection I have going right now (in no particular order).  Feel free to weigh in and let me know your favorite!

·         UPS driver, 45:  We exchanged our pre-selected questions and then had a few days lapse before he sent me a message saying it was his last day on eHarmony and gave me his email and phone number.  I sent him an email but haven’t heard back yet.  It doesn’t look like he has kids, but he has a dog.  It also sounds like he had someone cheat on him based on some of the wording in his profile and how he answered some of his questions.

·         Educator, 47:  We went through all of our pre-selected questions and the next step is if he wants to send me a regular message through the system.  He seems like a very nice guy but I can’t tell how his sense of humor is – I do like a guy who can make me laugh and smile and he strikes me as a bit more reserved.  He has a son.

·         Small business owner, 42:  We’ve made it all the way through the pre-selected stuff and have been messaging back and forth several times.  He’s looking for a strong loving relationship (in fact, he admires that his sister has the type of relationship that he never had).  I can’t tell if he’s a little shy or if he’s a bit insecure based on bad experiences in the past.  He has children (not sure how many – I only see one in the pictures), but he sounds like a good dad.

·         Radio guy, 50: This was my first “hit” on Match.  He reached out to me and we had a nice IM chat session back and forth for the better part of an hour.  He seems like a nice guy and we do share some similarities.  We’re emailing back and forth through Match to get to know each other better.  He’s never been married and I can see a bit of insecurity coming through, although he is asking good questions like “what’s the main thing that men don’t get about women?” My answer, BTW, was that men underestimate the power of being a gentlemen (opening doors and flowers for no reason). J

·         Chef, 47: This one just started this morning… he sent me the first round of pre-selected questions and I sent mine back to him.  This one gets bonus points for having an Australian accent (OMG!)

So that’s what has been keeping me busy over the last week or so.  Five solid options to choose from – now I’m just waiting for some first dates so I can see if they live up to their profiles. I’m ready to dust off those heels so these guys can see what they’re in for… Let’s see if the secret weapons can help me find someone who appreciates (and loves) me for the “pack of beauty” that I truly am. ;)