Fatherly Advice

So somewhere along the way I forgot that my dad reads the blog and therefore he now knows things about me he probably doesn't want to, and I probably don't want him to know. Which brings me to Match. When I had the revelation after posting about Match that my dad would soon discover this fun fact I decided I would just deflect any questions that might come up and pretend it wasn't happening. Then, a few days ago, I get this email:

Hi Annie,
I read your blog and saw that you're on match - this is not the email of fatherly advice about dating that you may think. All I wanted to tell you that (as you know I did this in a different age group) is that (1) you have to approach it with a spirit of adventure; and, (2) it's a numbers game. I don't think it's different at any age because you're dealing with the general population: 10% are really and truly weird people; 80% are nice, often very smart, will have no connection with you, you'll never see them again nor will you have any interest in doing so; 9% are people you'd like to know better, be friends with and possibly more; 1% are perfect for you. So it means going out a lot and even signing up on other sites as well.

But the best part is the having a spirit of adventure and that's what is redeeming about the 10% who are weirdos, as long as you're safe. I have great stories, character studies and some good material for writing about the odd things that people do or say. I even have a file of emails of people spilling their guts about things they wouldn't talk to their best friends about. I don't think it's an invasion of privacy because I'd never reveal who they are - in fact, I don't even remember who they are, but what I have are little vignettes about real people's lives that I can use, combine, etc. in the writing, which I hope will entertain me into my elder years.

That's it. No fatherly advice about how to handle men, which I hope you're very relieved about.
Love,
Dad

Aw, Dad. So wise, so intuitive, so smart to avoid talking to me about EW! BOYS! and stick with what we are good at: making fun of people. No, that's not what I mean, but I love the fact that we both seem to have determined internet dating to be a fantastic place for character study and writing material. Like father, like daughter, no? And fun fact: my dad met my step-mom from one of these dating sites, and they are happy as clams. So, who knows...

And don't worry, I have another date tonight which means a full report tomorrow.