Getting circular.

I've been talking to DSC a bit over the past few days, by text. We're meant to be seeing each other in a few week's time, on a day that I've planned to spend in the pub with KfW2, CC amongst others. We usually have lunch then potter about the town, chatting, having a coffee etc. This time, though, DSC said she might get the bus and have a couple of drinks. I told her about my plans later in the afternoon and invited her to join us which, surprisingly, she agreed to. She's met KfW2, GB, S etc. before so there won't be too many people here that she's  not met before.

I'm also hoping that my sister and brother-in-law will be down at some point too, if only for a little while. I'd like them to meet KfW2 (and vice versa).

Once again, DSC asked me if I had returned to online dating. It's a question she often asks, even though she knows how much I hate it. The answer, again, was emphatically negative. I don't have the mentality for it. By all accounts, you have to send out many dozens of messages for a return rate of replies of around 10% if you're lucky and obviously not all of those are going to result in conversations, never mind dates. You kinda have to leave your ego at the doorstep which I was unable to do. I think that not replying to messages is incredibly rude if you're on a website to meet people, though I do appreciate that there are a lot of men who seem to be spoiling it for the more genuine bloke. DSC mentioned getting upwards of thirty messages per day, some of which were pictures of guys showing their junk. But I refused to play by the rules - I didn't blanket message hundreds of women with a standard message, I selected those I was genuinely interested in knowing more about/meeting and tried to tailor a message for them. I think it's the same kind of stubbornness that's angry at GB and still would like to meet CB.

Still, the times that I was on it and taking it seriously (I've had a few accounts set up but never actually used them ), I tried to reply to everyone, even those women who made no effort in their initial contact. Sadly, the online dating karma never paid dividends.

But there's also the matter of the box ticking. Dating websites encourage you to finely tune your dating preferences with all kinds of tickable criteria. If I'd applied that mentality to real life, I'd never have pulled RB or gotten anywhere near Near Miss because, strictly speaking they're not really my type.

There's also the matter that, despite the fact that my relationship status is usually not an issue for me (and hence I don't often make the effort that I should when I meet people), my "hit rate" (for want of a better phrase) is much more impressive from talking to random women in the pub than going on to websites that are dedicated to introducing people who want to meet new people.

Sometimes, I'm tempted to return, to create another account to maximise my chances of meeting someone, but I know that ultimately, I'll end up depressed and question myself, just like I've done during my previous accounts with Match.con and PlentyOfFish.com