So, In Conclusion...

I have learned a lot from this little experiment.  Most of the lessons learned were about me.  Men are men, and although interesting creatures, I can't say I drew some amazing conclusion on the hairier sex.

Here is a breakdown of lessons learned, from my perspective:

1.  Internet dating sucks.
2.  Apparently dating ex boyfriends is better than dating new guys from the Internet.  (Who knew?)
3.  Stay away from plentyoffish.com.  Far, far away.
4.  Coffee dates are counterproductive.
5.  On a first date, if you're not into him/her, don't stay longer than an hour.
6.  Keep it to 2 alcoholic beverages, and that is IT.
7.  Married guys are on these sites looking for girlfriends.  Marriage seems to suck.  Don't worry gays, you'll find out soon enough.
8.  There are still good men out there.
9.  Flirting is fun.  Reality is disappointing.
10.  The French are very intuitive.

The truth is, before ending the blog with UFB, I was very cynical about men.  This blog had become a project, and dating was a chore.  I wanted to enjoy it, and at first I did, but then I detested it.  I just wanted to finish this project, prop my feet up on the coffee table, read a fashion magazine, and never date again.

But getting to spend time with UFB reminded me that there are men out there that I enjoy talking to and laughing with, that I also I want to do grown-up things with.  I needed that reminder, and the timing was perfect.

The flip side of the coin is I'm protective of UFB and, therefore, a bit more cryptic with posts that include him.  Again, a reminder that there are just some things that should remain sacred.

I also learned that my reserved nature, while appealing at first, will do nobody any good at the end of the day.  It's time for me to practice opening up to others.

I leave this blog with high hopes of finding a man that makes me laugh, challenges me, and supports my dreams and endeavors.  He has to be out there somewhere.  If you think you're him, I'd appreciate it if you'd give me a little bit of downtime to recompose myself.  But after a few weeks pass, maybe you should contact me.  I've learned so much about myself and need to put these lessons to the test.

Since this thing is over, I feel I should out myself.  Many of my Regulars know me, but for you in Malaysia, and those people in Russia, and shout out to Israel...  This is me.

Dates 29 & 30 (I cannot believe it.)

First I'd like to address something that has been brought to my attention.  Kibbutz and Ash said that they thought it was unfair to use UFB as dates.  Do you know what I say to that?  (This is when I wish I could flatulate on cue like my college boyfriend used to do when he didn't agree with me on something.)  Yeah, maybe it's not as exciting and titillating than meeting a stranger on the Internet, but this is going down and that's the way it goes.  This is MY blog and only I make the rules here.  UFB counts.  And personally, I could not have asked for a better way to end this blog.  This will be discussed in my conclusion blog.  (So Regulars, at least one more blog we get to share together!)

Date 29
It's Friday night and I'm ready to trip the night FANTASTIC!  I put on my slinky black dress, head to UFB's, and pop open a bottle of white wine.  Let's DO this.

Then the damn conversation about where we're going to eat.  Why is this conversation so difficult?  People are starving, For Christ Sake, on the streets of our very own country.  We go back and forth about it anyway.

He wants a burger but if we (I) want to feel fabulous for the evening's revelries, it's going to have to be a bit lighter than that.  Compromise made.  Moving on.

The rest of the night was like a dance.  We sat at the bar (my favorite) and had a great meal.  A friend of UFB stopped to say hello.  He was ridiculously good-looking.  I wondered what it must feel like to have both men and women think that you're ridiculously good-looking.  We met 2 girls from Los Feliz that are in the toy industry (random).  I exchanged phone numbers with one, and we have decided to be friends.  We changed locations and met another friend.  We went home.

Who can ask for anything more?

Date 30
It's the next day, and I swear to God I could have chewed my arm off, I was so hungry.  I know what to do.  Today is a day date to get that BURGER.  I pitch the idea to UFB, and he agrees.  It's 10am and surly the place will open at 11am.  Try again.  Not until noon.  NOON.  I'm dying.  My stomach is growling, I feel faint, I need to consume calories.

But guess what, ladies and gentlemen.  I toughed it out.  Took it like a man.  Cowboyed up.  Oh, we had that burger.  We ate it like savaged beasts.  There was little talk involved, as well.  We'd just occasionally look up at each other and nod.

And that's 30 freaking dates.  Concluding statements, future predictions, and closing thoughts to follow.