A Different Breed Of Men

In a recent meeting at work, someone described the social media voice of a client as a Midwestern cross between the Brawny man and Conan O'Brien – except, apparently the client disagreed with the picture that was presented. Supposedly, the strapping young men in the area aren’t as attractive as what we put forward.

To which I thought, “WHAT?!” Who wears flannel better than a homegrown, boy-next-door type from somewhere in the Minnesota, Iowa and Illinois triangle? (As a random side note, check out one of my favorite YouTube videos here, in which flannel is prominently featured during a parody of Katy Perry's California Gurls.)

However, the client had a point - there does seem to be something a little off with the boys in Chicago. Specifically, a lack of interest in girls. Or at least me!

In an attempt to meet new people when I first moved here last year, I quickly joined Match.com - but despite dozens of winks and emails to the "supposedly" eligible bachelors (I'm convinced some of the better-looking possibilities are actually dummy profiles that have been planted to help keep you interested) in my area, I ended up with only a single date over the course of a month. Some of you may think this is all that can be expected from online dating, and that in fact, a single date with a decent guy in four weeks is actually a good track record.

However, I know better. When my roommates and I were at the height of our Match.com-ing in DC (think Monday nights spent on the couch with our laptops open to better compare potential matches while watching The Bachelor), I would occasionally have two to three dates - per week!

At the time, I chalked it up to the fact that we were in the middle of the holiday season. After all, from a strategic perspective, who wants to risk the possibility of having to Christmas shop for someone you've only known two weeks?

But now that it's August, and I'm having the same problem, I realize there must be something more going on. You could make the argument that during the summer, everyone is out and about happily meeting (and hooking-up) easily enough between happy hours, weekends at the beach, etc. Except that summer is winding down, and still no uptick in dates. And it's not just dates - it's responses in general. In the last six weeks, I've had a total of four qualified men email or wink at me (and by qualified, I do not mean they meet all my standard criteria - only that they're under the age of 40, and relatively nearby!).

So what gives? Are the men in Chicago just not as active in the online dating scene? Definitely a possibility, given that so many in this city seem to have moved here as a group with their college friends, limiting the necessity to expand their social circle (as opposed to DC, where everyone's looking for new partners-in-crime). But that can't be the only reason. If anything, there seem to be far more boys - particularly cute and gainfully employed ones - on the site in Chicago than there were out East.

Which leaves me to wonder what's the story? Is Match.com in this city a hoax? Is eHarmony the way to go (if you can get through that questionnaire, more power to you!)? Are the men here really aliens disgused to look like nice Midwesterners?

Please share your theories - I really want to know! And I'll keep you posted on any new clues I discover as I sleuth around the Windy City.

On The Prowl Again

That's right, I said it - I'm ready to do some man-hunting! Granted, it's been awhile and my instincts may be a little rusty, but I'm ready to put them to the test.

But hold that thought - first, you have my sincerest apologies for the months of silence. Turns out that getting acclimated to a new city takes a lot out of you, and when I can't blog at work anymore - because I actually have WORK to do - it's a lot harder to find the time to write!

To bring you up to speed since I last filled you in, sadly, things with DMV Boy did not have a fairy tale ending. Sadly, DMV boy did not turn out to be a match made in heaven. As lovely as the story was of how we met, it just wasn't meant to be. He DID call (call, mind you, not text!) and we hung out several times - he even made me dinner and scored us tickets to Conan O'Brien's writers' show last fall. In the end, though, he was just a little too vanilla/Minnesota nice. I know - sounds horrible, right? I'm NOT looking for a bad boy! But unless there was alcohol involved, the conversation was far from scintillating, and when added to the fact that it took 45 minutes to get to his house on public transportation, I decided to cut my losses sooner rather than later. He remains a gchat friend, but we haven't met up in awhile.

Since then, a lot and yet nothing at all has happened. I'll let you in on a secret - one of the perks of leaving DC (in addition to an amazing job opportunity and the chance to live in the Windy City) was leaving behind a bit of heartbreak. A drastic change of location certainly helps a girl move on - until the boy in question suddenly reappears again. Too make a very long story short, a relationship I thought I had left behind with all my furniture and other castoffs turned out not to be as over as I thought. Unfortunately, although this boy is someone I now consider to be a very dear friend, he remains the object of some unrequited affection. And although I've done my best to convince him otherwise, repeatedly stressing how CRAZY he must be for not wanting to give things a go, it's time to truly leave the past in the past.

Which leaves me ready to take Chicago by storm! To that end, I'm meeting and greeting all over the city. To further hedge my bets, I've also joined Match.com again - after all, 1 in 5 relationships now begin online (or so their ads proudly proclaim!). At the very least, I'm hoping to expand my circle of Midwestern friends. Although I love my co-workers, a girl occasionally needs some non-Type A, less than uber-organized, self-professed "not" planning fiends to hang out with on the weekends.

So keep reading in the coming months for what are sure to be some hilarious dating stories:).

I've Got a Date!

Helloooooo Chicago!

I'm happy to report that dating prospects in the Windy City look good...VERY good. In fact, I was asked out less than 48 hours after moving to town. And, it happened in the cutest way. What more can a girl ask for?

Like any good law-abiding citizen, I headed to the DMV immediately after settling into my new apartment (ok, admittedly, I may have learned the hard way that it's far easier to deal with this stuff on the front end than to fix it later, but that's not the point).

And, like anyone that has a driver's license, I dreaded the visit to this office. In an attempt to limit the amount of time devoted to the less-than-pleasant experience, I hopped on the bus with my newly purchased CTA pass before 8am.

Unfortunately, it was raining. A lot. And I got lost. Thus, I spent twenty minutes wandering around downtown looking for the right building, well aware that my chances for a good driver's license picture were vanishing with every wrong turn.

Anyway, I eventually arrived at the DMV, bedraggled, but determined. I had done my research and had every document I could possibly need - and then some - to prove my new residency in Illinois. There was just one thing the multiple state, city and DMV websites failed to mention - they don't take Visa! Discover, Mastercard, Amex and check - all a-ok. But Visa, the most widely recognized credit card in the world, known for being accepted globally, is NOT a valid form of payment in th eyes of Chicago driving authorities.

Out I went back into the rain to track down two different ATMs before I could compile the necessary cash for the day's expensive transactions (seriously, $200 to transfer the title of my car!).

Finally, finally, I had everything I needed and all I had to do was wait for the office to open. Luckily, I was second in line. Thinking it might be a good idea to silence my cell phone to prevent any untimely interruptions, I pulled out my new Nokia and began to fiddle with it. Except, I could not for the life of me figure out how to put it on vibrate, or worse, turn it off. At this point, I turned to the guy next to me and laughingly explained my problem. With a grin, he was kind enough to help me out (I knew I had missed Midwesterners for a reason).

As we followed each other from station to station within the office, filling out the required paperwork, I eyed him up and down. My age, blond hair, runner's build, 5'11"ish and definitely cute.

Hmmm....this has possibilities, I thought. Granted, he was there to register his new moped, but since I didn't know anyone else in the city yet, it wasn't like I really had a ton of people knocking down my door to hang out.

And then it happened. In true Jerry Springer-style, proving perhaps every stereotype about government employees, the DMV erupted into a legitimate cat fight. Two of the clerks, at windows across the room from each other, began to scream back and forth about how neither knew how to do her job - and the rest of the employees took it in stride as though it was a regular occurrence!

While entertaining, this ridiculous situation also afforded me the opportunity to chat with DMV-boy. Turns out, he went to a neighboring high school in Minnesota! With great happiness, I concluded my business, but sadly turned to leave. I started to wave good bye, while wondering if I should ask him to get a cup of coffee, when he read my mind and asked ME if I wanted to go out sometime. The Chicago dating stars had aligned!

Even better, as he was getting my number, it was his turn in line, and he told the DMV clerk "Just a minute." The shock reverbrated around the room - someone was telling a state employee, a person who had the power to make his life miserable, just a minute?

"I'm trying to get a date here!" he said loudly.

Sigh. If this works out, it's going to be an adorable story for the grandkids.