Finding Harmony

Two weeks ago I attended the wedding of one of my dearest friends from college. He was also someone I thought of (and he thought of himself) as an eternal bachelor. He was my back-up. And now he's married. And I couldn't be more thrilled for him. But it also got me thinking. He and Katherine met on e-harmony. And I know I tried that before in Baltimore -- and I rolled my eyes after not having good luck on it and said it was "a little too chicken soup for the soul."

But I need to try it again. And so after a little pep talk from my sister-in-law, I signed up for three months. At $99, on my credit card that has already been misused in the past few months (new tires, new wheel stud, dress for the wedding and another dress and shawl to replace that one, hotel room, hair updo and then hair cut, wedding present, etc), I hope it is a good investment.

E-harmony works a little differently than the other sites -- hence my chicken soup comment. You fill out a personality profile. You've seen the commercials, you know its based on the 29 personality something or other. Then they send you matches and you send the match five close-ended (multiple choice) questions. He answers them and sends you five questions back. Then you exchange lists of your 10 must have's and can't stand's in a potential partner.

Here I present my most promising potential so far:

Tim, 33
Middle School Teacher

Tim's friends describe him as:
Creative
Generous
Loyal
Funny

The one thing Tim is most passionate about:
I am a teacher and I feel very passionate about the way I teach and the students I come in contact with.

The most important thing Tim is looking for in a person is:
I look for someone who knows what they want and are not afraid to try for it.

My five questions (and his answers):
* How important is chemistry to you?
within the first couple of dates I need to sense a certain chemistry
* What best describes your parents' relationship towards each other:
married and loving
* If you could take a dream getaway, where would you most likely choose to spend a week?
a cottage by the sea
* How important is it to you that your partner be accepted by your family and friends?
important, I trust my family & friends but sometimes they are wrong
* Which sort of date sounds like the most fun to you?
visit a comedy club

His questions (and my answers):
* If you decided to stay at home for the evening would you tend to:
watch TV and read
* When in a relationship, how much personal space do you generally find you need?
its hard to quantify "time" I need alone, but I do like some me time, and it depends on both people
* Which of the following marriage issues do you fear most?
fear of marrying the wrong person
* Your idea of a romantic time would be:
cooking dinner together at home
* How often do you find yourself laughing?
I try to laugh all the time and get serious only when it's needed.

After he read my answers, he will send me his list of 10 must haves and can't stands in a potential person.

So far this is more interesting than any other attempt at on-line dating. One of these days, something's got to work, right?