Thirty Dollars Later

As it turns out, I actually have quite a few friends on Match (calling it that instead of Match.com sounds a lot cooler, right?). After hearing the pros and cons of it, a few months ago when I was feeling particularly curious (and or lonely), I created a free profile. I'm too lazy to do it for New York because that would require me actually going on dates (the worst!), so I made it for Austin to "test the water" in case my mother gets her way and I move back home. (She would consider that WINNING.)

FYI, just signing up is super time consuming, like it takes forever. Luckily I was smart enough to just steal half the crap in my "about me" tab (blog pays off!) so I sound like as big of a tool as I do on here. Somehow though I kept getting all these email notifications about guys "winking" at me and other nonsense. I guess I chose good pictures? But since I just did the free trial, I couldn't see who they were from or respond to them.

Whatever, plenty of escapades were going on in my real life so I didn't care. Plus the idea of shelling out $30 whole dollars was too much. Even though I can spend $30 in five minutes at Duane Reade or at 3 am on a drink, cab ride and some late night pizza, for some reason $30 on meeting my soulmate was unthinkable.

Until I got a coupon. (The BFF loves to mock my pension for "saving money" because it almost always causes me to spend money that I wouldn't have normally spent.) It literally saved me maybe $5, but it was the incentive I needed. Sort of like any free-shipping offer is all I need to press click. Otherwise that extra money and 5-7 business days will totally kill the mood.

So in my first 24 hours of full-court Matchdom I got TWO emails from guys I know. Seriously, Austin, this is what you have to offer me? The first was a guy from high school a few years older who at one point I briefly had a thing with and the other was a guy from college who I thought was smokin' hot and he felt the opposite about me. Nostalgia. Gross.

After that I didn't do more than open the emails on my phone and judge the thumbnail picture of the guy, and if he sent one, his message. Don't get me wrong, I'm very vain and love nothing more than receiving notes about my beauty. That part is nice. The fact that they were coming from wildebeasts in Buda was not going to fly. As shallow and stuck-up as you might think I am about New York dating, you have no idea about when it comes to Texas. It's unbearable.

Fast forward to a few days ago. I got a message from a guy who passed my automatic height/location/attractiveness check, even getting bonus points for his dog rescue volunteering. I responded and told him I was coming to visit this weekend.

Turns out he's from Austin too, but has spent the past few years in New Orleans and just moved back less than a month ago. He's scheduled to come meet me and some friends out on Friday night. (PS if you're in Austin and want to meet up, let me know!).

We started texting yesterday, and today we're FB friends. Things are moving fast. By the time my flight lands at noon on Friday, my mom will probably have picked out a wedding venue and scheduled me a dress fitting.

You'll all be invited, obviously.

PS: Happy Cinco de Mayo. I haven't celebrate lately, mostly because I was on probation from the holiday, but since I'm flying home early Friday morning, I thought why not, I love self-inflicted hungover air travel! 

Anyway, to get me in the spirit of things, here's two classic pics of me, S, and The BFF from a legen-wait-for-it-dary Cinco de Mayo party in college at my ex's frat. I'm not sure how, but the night ended with me crashing a House of Tutors party in West Campus, stealing some chicken, and winning the M.I.S. business fair. (That story will mean nothing if you did not go to UT, or even if you did. But it was hilarious. Maybe you had to be there?)

Where did we get this dog?

And why on earth does The BFF have a hook?