Soup & Sprite: The Future of Dating

As I rode around in Blackie (my relative's car) for the last 3 non-consecutive weeks, I really did think that finding love on a free website is possible.

It's not.

If you are on a free website, you get what you pay for. My mother has been warning me ever since she noticed that I had breasts large for a girl my age, "boys only want sex". Fast forward 20 years: "men only want sex".

If you meet them on the internet anyway.

I have met an electrician, a doctor, an accountant, an IT person, a PR person, a Locomotive engineer, a recycling plant worker. They all just want to have sex. They don't come out and say it, but I just know. Some of them should just have Iwanttohavesex@yourplacetonight.com for their e-mail address. Now Recycle, I met at a mall. He seems to be the most genuine of the bunch. A big country drawl speaking guy who wants to take me to dinner. Go figure, he's the one I did not meet online. I told him I was no longer interested in him so I could go out with the electrician. The electrician, also only wanted to have sex. But he told me he was falling in love with me...blah blah, but now he can't date me because he has no money... so now I am patching things up with Recycle...already. Recycle wants more than sex, but as you can guess, I am not sure if I am interested in him. Sigh.

I don't want to sound like a bitter internet dater who keeps coming up short, I want to keep the free internet dating hope alive.

For starters, its free. Secondly, it's free. And it's the best way to meet someone, for free. All you have to do is invest a few sentences and an e-mail address. Then messenges come straight to your cell phone, all day and all night...sometimes you can't even keep up. I have a real electronic dating life out here. My phone is on fire even though the bedroom isn't (I mean it could be but this is not want I am looking for).

And if the electronic energy is so fantastic, you can meet them at a coffee shop in person and see how it goes. Now, we are at $5. Depending on where you meet for coffee.

But this is 2009 just off the heels of 2008's economic tragedy from hell. The electrician's car was in the shop, while mine was and he just didn't feel good about meeting out for a date because he is car-less. Then we have Locomotion, who doesn't realize that people are broke and getting laid off. Even the doctor may be foreclosing on one of his 7 homes, and has laid off staff. If a working doctor is in foreclosure, umm we have a problem.

So who is going to take me out on a date? The out of touch Locomotion? Or a doctor in foreclosure? I am sure there is only one thing on their minds, sexual relief from all of this stress.

No one wants to go on a date. Those who can afford to, only want to have sex. Because they are afraid to spend money and they only want sex. Those who want to take me on a date, cannot afford to. So the best deal, is sex. The situation is so extreme, I am dumped on the side of an emotional road during a Blizzard Warning in Chicago.

But is it just the men I am meeting, or is it the economy? Or is it me? (No I am completely normal).

On one coffee date, I.T., bought a sprite while I sucked down soup. The economy has changed first meetings into soup & sprite. He seemed disinterested in me, and very interested in the cost of the sprite. I was stressed about the cost of the soup. The economy has us more stressed about the bill and who will pay, than each other. We haven't talked since.

To recap, it is hard to be sad over a dumping because there are so many men out here. Why cry over a failed free shot at love? There are millions of men. They are all e-mailing me right now. But most of them only want sex. I will have to keep surfing until I find the one who wants more than sex. Maybe sex and soup and a movie. Better yet, a Netflix. Because going to the theater is too expensive. Maybe not even a Netflix... more affordable...a burned dvd from a cousin Russel who lives in the basement.

Finding love on line will take a little longer than I thought....I won't give up, despite my serious skepticism.

It's free... and I really am hoping for a bargain...not a bust...and maybe a little more than soup and sprite.

I am hoping for meeting the man who will prove me wrong. Over soup and sprite. My treat.