The Real World

So, I’ve still been doodling around on okcupid and kicking myself about it because it makes me feel so ridiculous sometimes. I was thinking the other day about how, if I’m realistic with myself, at this point I’m actually a lot more likely to meet a good friend or a romantic partner online than offline. And there’s just something weird about that, isn’t there? Isn’t that a sign of some sort of emotional problem, when you are so much more successful interacting in front of a computer screen than in person?

But it really isn’t that I’m just limiting myself to online interaction – I make a reasonable effort to go out and interact with people in person and I always give making friends in my various classes a shot. It’s just that I seem to get a lot further online. Really, my okcupid pursuits haven’t exactly been the most fruitful, but through there I’ve found myself in bed with a girl watching a movie, and that’s a hell of a lot further than I’ve gotten through “real life” interaction, isn’t it?

So, anyway, the latest okcupid pursuit involves a girl named Darcy, who is probably most noteworthy in that she seems more interested in me than the other girls I’ve chatted with on the site. Honestly, I was mostly just clicking around due to boredom than actually “looking for girls to message” when I happened upon her profile, but her favorite book was Lolita and she’s only an hourish away from both the farm and the university, so I figured she might be worth chatting with. She’s 23 and has a B.A. in English and is very intelligent and knows it. She also takes pleasure in correcting my grammar a lot. A conversational excerpt:

(6:42:53 PM) Me: where do you work at?
(6:44:04 PM) Darcy: You know the feeling you get when the idea of a knife, carving it’s way down your spine, breaks the synapses of nerve endings to create an involuntary shudder and spasm?
(6:44:26 PM) Me: I’m not that familiar with the feeling, no
(6:44:36 PM) Darcy: Oh, well, take a moment and ponder it.
(6:44:57 PM) Me: will do
(6:45:43 PM) Darcy: That’s how I feel when people end sentences with the preposition, "at."

Despite that, she seems to fancy me a bit and there’s at least a fair chance that she’ll be the second person I meet from the site. And she’s not nearly as attractive as Robin, which is probably a good thing since it stupidly makes me feel less intimidated. And if nothing else, my grammar should improve before it’s over with, right?

catch the sparks

Hah. I love the knife comment. But she got “it’s” wrong.

Chah. I kind of like how much of a grammar nazi she is, although I think she’d hate me.

Olivia Baker

She sounds clever and mean. And, gosh, I didn’t think English majors could be like that. I mean, I get paid to correct grammar a few hours a week, but in regular conversation . . . ? (My chemistry-major boyfriend loves to make fun of me when I misuse lie/lay and sit/sat.)

mairead

April 18, 2008

^ Agreed, Catch the Sparks. Agreed.

Beautifully/Torn

I was going to comment on the “it’s” as well. I probably would’ve majored in English if I liked writing essays and there was more to do with such a degree. Just to throw it out there: I met my boyfriend right here on this website. I didn’t set out looking for him, but I found him and I couldn’t be happier. Althought sometimes I wish he lived somewhere warmer than Canada. Ah well. ♥Andrea

Yeah. That was supposed to be “although”, not “althought”. It’s 6:40am, what else did you expect? :p ♥ Andrea

((brilliant))

^^^ i was just about to point out the same thing catch the sparks did! but uh, she sounds kinda bitchy… just my opinion based on that one conversation, though, so it doesn’t count for much. 😉

exupery

In that case, yes, your use of “at” was mistaken, but there are plenty of times when it is grammatically correct and even preferred to end a sentence with a preposition. People who like to correct others’ english should know that it isn’t actually a rule of grammar.

cheezit

I don’t think that there is anything wrong with you emotionally just because you find it easier to talk to someone online then in person. Most people feel that way, so STOP BEING PESSIMISTIC! And I still say that she’s mean.

SeulementBanana

I think her analogy is cute. But after a while, I see how it can become very annoying. I’m embarassed for her that she didn’t spell “its” correctly in that situation. If I were here I would die.

Oh my god. She sounds…. pretentious? Is that the right term? In any case she sounds mean. Be careful. She could drive you crazy.

Sleeping on it

As a person with an English degree, I hate it when people expect me to have great grammar yet I notice other people’s mistakes often. I just don’t point them out because I make them ALL the time when I type. Not so often when I speak thankfully.