Cupid, upload an arrow. I'm going in.

Well, I did a little research on the many dating websites last night. And there are many. As much as I'd love to do an in-depth site comparison, that would take a really long time. And no one is paying me for these blog entries, so I'm not sure pouring five hours into a single blog posting would necessarily be worth it. Sorry, guys.

Anyway, there are plenty of reasons to choose a particular site. However, the one thing I cared to find out was which site had the least expensive one-month membership. I know. Lame. If I'm going to try this, might as well dive in, right? Well, what if I hate it? What if I never actually start a conversation with anyone? I don't want to sign up for an entire year if I can't even make it through one month.

First I went to e-harmony, because about a year and a half ago, I filled out their extremely long questionnaire out of curiosity. So I already have a profile there. The problem with e-harmony is that they match you with people who are just like you. I'm not sure that approach would work. Don't you need someone whose personality compliments your own? Or even challenges your own? Anyway, aside from that, one month on e-harmony is $60. Which immediately knocks them out of contention.

Next I went to perfectmatch, which, according to datingsitescomparison (yes, this is a real website) is a 9.9 out of 10. I don't know. The website seemed a little too conservative, just based on their line of questioning. They kick things off by asking about religion, politics, education, physical appearance and world peace(?!). In fact, the true/false question is "World peace and other global issues (such as the environment) are extremely important to me. I believe our planet is in grave danger." Who is going to answer false on this one?! Right-wing, conservative Bushies are going to say, "True! We're in danger from Al Qaeda!" and left-wing, liberal Clintonians are going to say, "True! The ice caps are melting! The polar bears are screwed!" Actually, it's possible I would answer false to that question, just because I don't consider these issues to be "extremely important" to me. So I've gone and contradicted myself. But anyway, of course you're going to find your "perfect match" if you're being narrowed down by religious affiliation, political affiliation, education and physical appearance. But what fun is that? Besides, it seems like they're trying to appeal to people who are looking for a spouse. No thanks, not there yet. And I sure as hell don't want to date someone who has "just give me the damn ring" tunnel-vision.

So after all was said and done I ended up landing on okcupid. Why? Well, because it was free. I figured this was the safest way to dip my big toe into the online dating waters. No financial obligation, access to all the profiles, instant open communication (none of this "guided communication" nonsense). We had a winner. So I created my profile, added some pictures that make me look far more attractive than I actually am (this will probably come back to bite me) and started browsing.

Now. Maybe it's because I'm using the free site, or maybe it's because Austin is a relatively small city, but there is not a whole lot to choose from. I don't want to sound rude, but there are a lot of pudgy girls in glasses on that website. And like I've said in the past, my main gripe with online dating is that you learn a little too much about these people right off the bat, so the smallest thing can turn you off. "Oh, she seems sweet. Oh. Hmm. She really, really enjoys Dark Crystal. And Labrynth. Uhhh." Anyway, they have these survey questions which are supposed to help narrow down your matches even further. So I ran through a couple of them and started browsing through my matches. Well, the only girl I found interesting and attractive was "0% my match, 0% my friend and 29% my enemy!" How is this possible? Am I so self-destructive when it comes to finding a girlfriend that I'm immediately attracted to the person who's wrong for me?! So I e-mailed her. We'll see if she ever e-mails me back.

But no matter what happens in the first couple weeks, I won't get discouraged. I've pledged to go on at least two dates. Two. That's not so hard, is it? Even if it's with an overweight, Toby Keith-loving, five-cat-owning, Evangelical stick in the mud. And believe me. She's out there.