christmas specials christmas special
As you may or may not know, I have once again decided to re-enter the world of online dating. This is a phase I go through every six months or so. I'm reporting on this after I’ve managed one date. With someone from Nerve.com. It was good. Pleasant, really. Some drinks. Some conversation. We tried sitting at the tabletop Ms. Pac-Man videogame at Moe's but that didn't work out. The slanted tabletop was bothering me and the flashing lights were distracting her. There won't be a second date, but it was good to know that I’m still capable of leaving the house for something other than the trip to the office.
In this attack on online dating, I’m approaching the situation from all available angles. My profile on Nerve has been updated. My Friendster profile is current. And I still log into Lavalife with the hope that I’ll find someone worth dating who still uses that service. Lavalife seems like it’s only a hopping area when the company blankets the subways with advertisements. For now I’m going to stay away from eHarmony, but if I turn 35 and I’m still writing these semi-regular updates about my dating life, please remind me that another option exists.
Last night I wasn’t feeling the “write a creative email to a stranger” vibe so I opted to stay away from all activities that involved more than just scanning profiles and adding them to my “hotlist” of potential dates to contact at some point. Most of my effort was concentrated on Friendster – it’s remarkable how many people still maintain profiles and log into the service, even though it was the hot thing for a few months back in 2003. One of the first sections of a profile I always inspect is the list of favorite TV shows. It’s no secret that watching TV is my life. And, believe it or not, I’m interested in sharing this part of my life with others. During the date last week I mentioned that if I could rent myself out as a TV-watching buddy, I would. I’m almost certain people would pay money to watch TV with me. I’m that good at watching TV.
The TV watching type one encounters most frequently on Friendster and Nerve? The person who doesn’t watch much television but loves THE SIMPSONS and THE DAILY SHOW. Or maybe just THE DAILY SHOW. I’m tempted to write in my profile that while I sometimes watch both of these programs, I wouldn’t ever think of putting them in my top ten. I just don’t get that much out of them. I like that they’re out there. I laugh when they’re funny (and there are usually a few good chuckles during every episode) but I can’t consider these two shows the be all and end all of television. There is more out there. I want trashier fun. I want a hint of drama. I want a person I go out on a date with to argue about why she loves some not-so-great reality show. It’s also possible that I’m intimidated by people who can quote from THE SIMPSONS. Remembering film and television dialogue is a skill I’ve never possessed or tried to master.
Last night while scanning profiles on Friendster I found the profile of a person who listed “Christmas Specials” as one of her favorite types of programming. Although I wasn’t in the mood for the mental challenge of composing a flirty, yet reserved and knowing email, I did feel it would be a good idea to email this woman and alert her to an upcoming special on Trio – a Christmas special about Christmas specials. I’d seen a commercial for it earlier in the day and figured that if she had cable, this would definitely be something she’d want to watch. I checked out the Trio website but didn’t see a press release for it. After scanning the upcoming schedule I realized that it’s not airing until two weeks from today (if memory serves correctly). I sent a general email noting this and wished her the best. To me, this is the kind of Friendster message I’d love to get from a stranger. Helpful, and not at all annoying. I not so secretly want her to write back, thanking me. I hope that her email contains a few other paragraphs and gets us started on the sort of correspondence that leads to a date. I may be hoping for too much, but I feel like I provided a service and that she’ll appreciate that. Doing so made me feel good. And that’s what online dating is all about, right?
Comments
i miss watching tv with you and i would gladly pay for the service. but something tells me that i'm not what you are looking for.
you've got to find a way to promote your tv watching service and let people know that they are missing out without you.
maybe you could itemize the services you offer. for example, we all know that your giggling easily makes a show 50 times better than it is. and we all know that you don't like people talking during a show. but what if people want that from you? will that be extra? will you be like a prostitute who charges extra for the really kinky stuff?
Posted by: dan | December 6, 2004 06:05 PM
I have a feeling she'll write you back and you already have an in for the follow-up once it airs and you both watch it.
And I agree about both shows you mentioned - I haven't really gotten much out of "The Daily Show" since the election at all - and fear that the National Book Award or whatever it was that they won may be a jump-the-shark kind of moment for a show that gradually has seemed to become more and more full of itself.
Posted by: mas | December 6, 2004 09:34 PM
Enjoyed the dating update. It was inspirational, but not enough to make me want to start dating again. When it comes to Favorite TV shows on Friendster, I automatically veto any guy who has Will and Grace and/or The Golden Girls in there. And that seems to be about 95% of gay men.
I was always a huge fan of Christmas shows when I was a kid. Rudolph was my favorite. I love how the Abominable Snowman is so misunderstood. When exactly is that Trio show going to air? I am getting cable on December 18. I'm not sure yet what all channels I'm getting though. But it is an exciting development for me. I've gone about 2.5 years without cable now, and that was long enough.
Good luck in your romantic adventures.
Posted by: jim | December 9, 2004 11:37 PM