I still think NOW is the time to online date but maybe not for me.

My excitement documented in week two of “shelter in place” and featured on CBS This Morning has worn off. After six weeks of “Covideo dating”, I’m taking a break. I’m finding online dating is mimicking “Groundhog Day”. Same conversations. “How’s it going?”. “It’s going as well as it can be given I laid off my entire company and have been home in my pajamas all day.”

In six weeks, I’ve “connected” with three men. The first one, stood me up for our first date. We eventually spent hours over a week’s time chatting (both by video and phone). We were coincidentally born on the exact same day which was pretty cool. After hours of conversation including his insistence that global warming wasn’t actually happening and therapy is a waste, I ended our conversations.

About two weeks later, I “met” someone who was more inline with me and had a fun surprise when I discovered his father had changed the family name from my maiden name of Goldfarb (I’ve met one Goldfarb who wasn’t related to me in my entire life.) I looked forward to our chats and my heart beat a little faster when I saw his texts. His communication though was inconsistent indicating he wasn’t as interested in me as I was in him. (After years of dating, I’ve learned that someone who is interested in you, can find the time to call or text..more so during a pandemic when all of us who aren’t healthcare workers or people with young children at home have LOTS of time on our hands.)

I spent another week talking to a very sweet man who gave me all the attention I was seeking and didn’t appear to have any deal breakers. I just couldn’t get excited about him.

So what did I learn? I got a like on Match that sat in my “Likes” but nothing happened. When we both swiped right on Tinder, I got a message. It seems sometimes guys really do need the “go ahead”.

You can tell people all you want that you are looking for a LTR but there are still people who will ignore it and have absolutely on intention of doing anything more than flirting with you online.

I learned if there’s someone I’m “iffy” about, I should swipe right on them and plan a video chat. It’s not a huge effort or time out of my day and you can tell a lot more about someone by video chat.

I wish I hadn’t dismissed those people so easily who said they wanted to meet me when the Covid thing was over. I was thinking they should want to take the time to get to know me while we had this time to do it. Now, I’m over it myself and wishing I hadn’t unmatched me.

The best thing that came out of this for me was the opportunity to be on national television and learning to use the video feature. No more “zero dates” for me.