Here I Go Again....

Don’t you love that song by Whitesnake?

I’m back on the dating scene, which I must admit that I have not missed. I’m not that anxious to jump back in as I think it’s probably best to have some down time between relationships (to avoid rebounding if nothing else), but I have a lot of well intentioned friends who feel otherwise and are more than ready to set me up.

But I must admit that I’m not totally adverse to being set up. I met two of the guys that I’ve dated more than a year through blind dates. One was a set up by a friend, and the other was through the scheming of two federal judges (how could I say no?). All I knew going into these dates was the guys’ height, education level, age, etc. A lot has changed since these blind dates.

Namely the Internet, which means that “blind dates” are no longer sight unseen affairs. For example, my friend Jacob has several friends he would like to set me up with (this is no doubt a red flag—what criteria is he using? Single and breathing?), so he sent me their law firm “links” one day. Voila: I knew what they look like, where they earned their J.D., how long they’ve been practicing law, etc.

So tonight a dear friend who really knows me and would never set me up with someone less than solid called to tell me about a guy her best friend (who I’ve met once) wants me to meet. She gave me the rundown on why she and her friend think we would hit it off and what she chose to share about him reminded me of why I should only let close friends who really know me and understand my values and faith set me up on dates. I know, you may be thinking “what’s the harm with going out with someone once?” But I figure why tempt myself by going out with some cute guy (even if he is a partner Jacob) who ultimately doesn’t share my faith, which is easily my most important criteria for any long term relationship potential. And why waste his money and our time? I’d rather just be friends from the get-go. But I digress as usual.

So after sharing this guy’s long list of fantastic qualities, my friend says “Oh, he’s on Myspace.” Jackpot!! After five minutes of searching, I knew that he listened to Voddie Bauchman’s sermon last weekend too (this series is on marriage,so if you're curious as to what you should be looking for in a Godly spouse, e-mail me and I'll send you the link); has a cool song I’d never heard on his profile; loves the Braves, Andy Stanley, and Ronald Reagan (and they want me to meet him?); is super healthy; has no tattoos or gay myspace editing; and likes thunderstorms only when he’s alone on soccer fields (hmm…). I don’t have his social yet to run a background search nor do I know his IQ, but I’ll keep you posted.

Anyway, I may never meet this guy or any of the other guys my other friends are suggesting, but it’s fun (and a bit scary) that I can already know so much about someone I’ve never met. And it kind of makes me think a little about what I post on my profile, and whether googling and myspace and whatnot takes a little fun out of a “blind” date—or perhaps makes it a little more fun by giving you a little harmless background—like what your date’s “political profile” is, his favorite books, and whether he prefers Pepsi or Coke (a Pepsi preference might be an initial deal breaker though).