Matchmaking

I have learned my lesson.  Even if they say it's not matchmaking, don't believe them, it will not turn out well.

At the July 4th neighborhood barbecue, I got talking to one of my favorite-but-distant neighbors about how all of the friends who live close to me are married and parents.  A few days later, I get an e-mail that opens with "I know this sounds like matchmaking, but I don't do that so it's not..." and goes on about this nice Christian young man, a good family friend, who says the same things and could use a friend.  She emphasized the NOT a set-up part, and included us both in a message so we could facebook. 

Mistake.  I'm going to call him Dolphin Boy, as his profile is, inexplicably, a dolphin.  It should be DOlphin boy, because he apparently has issues with capitalization and not enough presence of mind to fix it.  Yes, I am judging.  So, DOlphin Boy begins popping up on chat all. the. time.  I answered the first few times, and we decided to meet up for coffee.

I hate to be shallow, but DOlphin is, politely, unattractive.  He has bad teeth, really bad teeth, which is my #1 turn off, physically.  We disagree on music, and movies, and books.  He's almost 30.  Conversation was not very fluid, though not as bad as with The Marine or the Beat Boxer.  He didn't seem to have a whole lot of personality...he was kind of spongy, if that makes any kind of sense at all.

I almost gave him my old phone number when he asked, but I'm a truly terrible liar and probably couldn't get away with it.  I'm just going to avoid any unknown numbers, unless they leave a voicemail.  And he now comments on EVERYTHING I put on facebook, and pops up even more constantly on chat.  I largely ignore it.

I saw nothing in him that made me want to actually form a friendship, or even continue an acquaintanceship.  He keeps trying to invite himself along to things.  And chatting.  And saying absolutely nothing in a great many words.  As I realize how much personal stuff I have online and how mostly-total strangers don't need to know it**, I decided to delete him, and then blocked him for good measure.  This way I vanish.  I'm afraid I may have offended him, or possibly through him my neighbor, but...too late? 

So yeah.  Neighbor may have thought it wasn't matchmaking, he certainly seemed to think it was.  Even when I mentioned the Tenor repeatedly.  Live and learn, right?  No more set ups!  (unless maybe if it's from someone I reeeeeally trust).  Sigh.  I still feel like a jerk.


**I know that I am here pouring out my relationship stories to the internet, but it's anonymous.  That somehow earns it a distinction.