Rotten Tomatoes

So I've been delving lately into the fun-tastical world of online dating, and so far the results have been generally...pretty boring. It hasn't been too hard on my own self-esteem, as I was initially worried it might be; most of the guys, at least apparently, have been somewhat interested, or at least enough to request/suggest a second date. And until last night, I've always been willing to oblige.

The forum of online dating is an interesting one. You're both there for the same reason, and you know a certain amount about each other (warning: you know the things THEY have written about themselves and nothing more). There is a certain protocol, it seems, to follow: you ask the appropriate questions to fill in the blanks, you probe deeper into the their pre-supplied, website-listed information. Are you really that in love with your cat? Are you as witty in person as you appear in a paragraph you had months to work on? Why the obsession with rock climbing? (Answers, respectively: it makes for some awesome profile pictures, yes, and probably not.)

Last night was reminiscent of a story my little sis told me, where she once found herself in the coveted position of being in a small enclosed space (i.e. her friend's car) with a boy she had long thought of as, well, majorly scrumptious. Trying to make conversation, she innocently asked if he had heard of her favorite author (I'm going to guess it was Tom Robbins). His response?
"Well, I don't really know, like, the names of people who like, read, or like, write stuff."
Her attraction to him immediately disappeared (almost) completely, and she told me she was tempted to make out with him just so he would stop talking.

I don't want to judge; I would definitely accept someone as a friend who doesn't read. But not so much a boyfriend. I would prefer not to spend my time defending the reasons WHY literature is important, but taking it for a given. I agree it's important to live in the present, but that doesn't mean the past is irrelevant. No, what I study may not be the most lucrative option but yes, it's worthwhile. If someone can't see that already, I don't want to have to be the one to enlighten them.

But I did learn one thing last night: If you are not 100% sure you like someone, do NOT under any circumstances let them drive you home. If you take public transportation, you are far less likely (although perhaps not entirely less likely) to get, what I have coined this week, "mouthraped". He actually had the gall to tell me he thought I "could kiss better than that", at which point I was tempted to retort, "Yes, but you see, I actually have to WANT to kiss said person (but you're damn right I can)".

While there will be no second date for the man who excels at first-date insults, there is perhaps one on the horizon for another, who at first sight lost points on the "not my type" basis (I tend to like brown, messy hair, lots of it, and the combination of dark hair/blue eyes has always gotten to me). But, having gone to a well-known ivy-covered university to study history, and consequently having read more than 2 books last year, he is suddenly seeming more appealing. We'll see how it goes...