3x5x60

On Hiatus

3x5x60 — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 21:55:55 +0000

Greetings 3x5x60 fans. At the moment I have limited internet access so I’ve suspended my daily stories about the 60 callers. I will resume as soon as possible and finish out the stories.

Thanks for your interest and for reading.

Cheers!

Isaac

3x5x60 — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 02:39:04 +0000

If I were Jewish, Isaac would have been a stereotypical dream date. He was both Jewish and a doctor. Not a medical doctor of the caricature but a Ph.D. which was more my nerd fantasy.

Although Isaac’s message was a bit more non-specific than I generally liked, it was full of good heart and who doesn’t like that? Isaac described himself as sincere, sensitive and having a good sense of humor. Taking it up a notch, he claimed to be both a good listener and a good conversationalist. Which, when it came down to it, was ultimately what I sought.

Isaac finished by saying that he liked music, art and movies. Though I wish he had given me a few examples, I still liked Isaac’s message. If I had met more of the callers, Isaac would definitely made my callback list. However, I’m sure a nice, sweet Jewish doctor – even a Ph.D. kind – didn’t stay single for long.

Martin

3x5x60 — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 05:28:42 +0000

Martin was a caller who gave no indication that he read my ad or listened to my message. For all I know he could have been calling random voice mail boxes. Actually it is more likely that Martin chose a bunch of ads to respond to and then left the same message for every one.

These are the entirety of my notes from Martin: He was tall, European and “sophisticated as all Europeans.” He then said that he would like to meet and see if we have anything in common. Well, Martin, darling, I just gave you a detailed list of many things I enjoy. Did you hear anything on that list for which you share love? A simple yes or no will do and will tell you whether or not we have anything in common.

It was not difficult to conclude that meeting to further investigate potential sparks would be a fruitless pursuit. Here’s hoping Martin eventually connected with a nice sophisticated European lady with whom he had lots in common.

Tips For Successful Online Dating

3x5x60 — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 22:43:14 +0000

Since the world has moved from the back of free newsweeklies, voice mail and 900 numbers, online personal ads are a bit different. Two recent posts give some glimpses at how to make it work in the go-go aughts.

First, dating site OK Cupid has analyzed ads that work and give you some key insights into what to and what not to say in your initial response to an ad.

Second, blogger AV Flox hits submit in her quest to find a compatible “carbon-based life form.”

Greg

3x5x60 — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 06:18:31 +0000

In contrast to the generalities of some of the previous callers, Greg was brief and to the point in his specifics.

All Greg gave me in addition to his phone number was his shared or counter points to to my artistic faves. He also liked James Joyce, Wings of Desire, and Apocalypse Now. Greg added the Grateful Dead and Tears For Fears to the music category. As long as he wasn’t looking for a fellow Dead-Head, we were still good. I went to a Grateful Dead concert once and and a gentleman wearing overalls with one broken strap and no shirt inquired as to whether or not my roommates had any “spare womans.” The charm of that experience aside, I’m not really into jam bands though the 20 minute drum solo was an interesting highlight.

Greg added a few more authors and said that he enjoyed disparate films ranging from Casablanca to Blue Velvet. Certainly Greg was my type in the brains and interests department. This was better than the vague flattery other callers offered. But still it wasn’t enough to get a call back. I need a bit more of surrounding fluff. Not a lot but some. I hope somewhere out there Greg is living happily ever after with the Dead Head girl of his dreams.

Pete

3x5x60 — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 06:26:44 +0000

Pete was all flattery and no substance. While that had a certain appeal to my vanity, he really did not give me enough to go on to choose to call him back out of the crowd.

He said he enjoyed my ad and my voice. If only Pete knew how often I was complimented on my telephone voice he would no that, although compliments are always nice, that one was rather pedestrian for me. His best line was: “Anyone who likes The Wizard of Oz can’t be all bad.” Funny, sweet and true.

Pete was 33 and professional. And that was all he shared. Sweet, funny and complimentary was a good start but I needed more. Given Pete was competing with 50-something other guys, it just wasn’t enough to make the cut.

Samuel

3x5x60 — Sun, 13 Sep 2009 06:30:28 +0000

I wish I had called Samuel. Not so much because I think we would have made a great match but more because he was polite, sincere and took some risk and effort to put himself out there and basically ask me for a date. I regret not responding.

Samuel was your basic dude, statistically speaking and according to his height, weight, hair and eye color. He said he worked out and was fit.

He worked in the film business and enjoyed documentaries. Though Samuel liked a range of music, he was particularly fond of classical. He also said he was smart, meeting my key criteria.

All in all, Samuel sounded like a basically decent guy. He ended his message by asking if we could meet for coffee or lunch. Samuel, thank you for calling and asking. I am sorry I did not call you back and give you an answer.

Thomas

3x5x60 — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 06:21:34 +0000

Looking back on my notes, I think Thomas benefited from an early mover advantage because I honestly cannot remember meeting him though his card indicates that I did.

He was a writer tuned tradesman. As we’ve previously established, I found the brainy blue collar types appealing so I’m sure that played a role in why I chose to call Thomas. But there isn’t much else to make him stand out from the other callers. He liked my movie choices, was a few years older, looked like one of the stars of TV show Thirty Something and claimed to be capable of being witty, etc… in less than 90 seconds.

Thomas’s message was not bad but also not spectacular. Perhaps that was how it was in person. That I cannot remember him tells me that though we didn’t make a love connection he also did not disappoint me or freak me out. I’ll choose to remember Thomas as a nice guy whom I’m glad took a chance on calling me and that I had the opportunity to meet. And I think that is something to appreciate of anyone who comes into our lives no matter how briefly.

Sheldon

3x5x60 — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 06:06:39 +0000

What can I say about Sheldon? Nothing, actually. He left me no message. Sheldon shared only his slightly sweet, slightly goofy name and his phone number. I have to say that his name alone if said with some humor and verve could have tempted me to call to learn more. But I have no notes about inflection so Sheldon shall have to remain a man of mystery.

Felix

3x5x60 — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 22:55:06 +0000

Felix left me a fairly detailed message offering me the kind of information that should have made me want to call him back immediately. But somehow, despite giving me what I was looking for, Felix’s message left me cold.

We might have crossed paths in college. He was a couple of years older and had majored in political science as I did at the same university. Unlike me however, he had gone on to work in politics. After the job description, Felix gave me the rest of the standard dating profile: age, height, hair and eye color and weight. Despite all that I still had no idea whether or not I’d ever met him at college.

The rest of Felix’s message started to sound far more interesting. He shared some of his favorite films and there were some choices I enjoyed and others less so which meant we’d have something to debate/discuss/argue about if we met. That was a good thing. He like classical, jazz and rock music but wasn’t well versed in the then-current music scene which meant I could introduce him to some contemporary acts if we met. That was a good thing. He enjoyed reading generally non-fiction books, magazines and newspapers which meant presumably he would be versed in and could discuss current events if we met. I was becoming less sure that meeting Felix would be a good thing.

Felix’s list of favorite activities was slightly more specific than his choices in music and reading material but nothing like the great start he was off to with his movie choices. But other than skiing and hiking, his interests included travel, movies, concerts, theater and dining out. Don’t get me wrong, other than the skiing which we’ve already established is so not my thing, all those choices are good and it was certainly better than not that he liked them. But most anyone who found my message worth responding to would likely enjoy those things generally. At this point I was craving more specifics beyond knowing that Felix generically liked to read, listen to music, watch movies and eat.

Felix closed with a bit more specificity and some flattery. It brought my interest back up. He liked my “super smart” reference and added that he enjoyed interesting ethnic restaurants. But though my interest was somewhat rekindled, it wasn’t enough to get me past Felix’s political non-committal to specifics. Perhaps he hoped not to turn me off with differences but instead he tuned me out with blandness.