Finally - we have lift-off!

I had been online for almost 3 months by the time I actually went on my first online date. Three months where I invested loads of time and made a huge effort in generating the quality emails and honing my how-to-ferret-out-and-avoid-the-crazies-and-timewasters technique.

Three long months.

In that three months I was asked out countless time by guys I had clicked with, exchanged photos, spent a bit of time sussing out and getting to know, swapped numbers and then.... nothing.  Seriously, why are these men on dating sites, going to the bother of asking women out and then nada.  Go figure.

Anyway, so I went through loads of those before I met Victor.. Victor and I emailed for weeks before we met up.  He gave seriously good email.  And I gave seriously good email back.  In fact we got on so well that for our first date we didn't do any pussy coffee or quick drink (like all my online dating savvy friends warned me were the only sensible first date options).  Oh no, we were getting on so well we decided that we'd go hell for leather and have a dinner and a whole evening together. I was so excited at the prospect of meeting him - purely because he seemed so lovely and we had gotten on so well over email. 

And that's how I learnt my first two key online dating lessons:

1. Getting on well with someone over email does not mean that you will get on with them in Real Life. Meet them asap to see if there is actually anything there.
2. Keep first dates brief.  Arrange a coffee or a quick drink after work. If all goes well you can extend it but if you have no interest you are able to easily get out of their without any awkwardness or without hurting anybody's feelings.

Victor and I had a nice dinner but after the build up it was quite a disappointment - for us both...  Par for the course I guess.