For all the no-reply emails I sent out, I have gotten a few unsolicited emails. This one was particularly nice:

Date: February 8
Subject: All the best bands have mandolins..

I also have a soft spot for groups that have fiddles/violins and accordians in the line up as well. That said my tastes tend to run to folk rock and alt country so I may be biased :)

The Greek Theatre in Berkeley is probably the biggest venue I’d head to for a show (seen Wilco there twice – nothing like hearing “California Stars” on one of those rare warm and clear Bay Area nights at the Greek), but I must admit I was tempted by the Boss – I love good lyrics and he has one of my favourite (if depressing) lines “Is a dream a lie if it don’t come true, or is it something worse?”

I’m a big fan of scrabble (or really a lot of other games) over beers or wine. I’d happily meet you for a game any time, should you be so inclined.

Cheers

He’s 41 (a tad oldish, but really, only six years older than me), Australian (hence the “favourite”), and sounded like a nice, well-grounded guy. I wrote back.

Date Sent: February 12
Subject: RE: All the best bands have mandolins..

Thanks for the nice note! As soon as I read that you saw Wilco at the Greek, I thought, “Wow. Imagine hearing ‘California Stars’ there.” Then just a few words later… I love the Greek. I’m not a big fan of huge shows, but Bruce was awesome. That was the first time I’d ever seen him, and I just couldn’t believe how he carried that bar band vibe through in a stadium show.

So who are your favorite Australian bands? (The Waifs immediately came to mind with your folk-rock and alt-country tastes.) Or maybe I could just ask you that over a beer and Scrabble.

Hope you’re having a good week.

We exchanged a few more emails, mostly about music. He was out of town for work, I was busy, he suggested a day to meet up, I forgot to write back. Then after I sent an email apologizing for not writing back, he wrote:

I hate to do this but can I ask for a rain check? I’m not much for multi dating and have met someone with whom I’d like to see where it goes before I actively pursue meeting anyone else.

My apologies for this, I was genuinely looking forward to meeting you.

I have to respect him for that. I wrote back and said I understood and wished him luck. After all, that’s why we’re all on Match, right?

I emailed this guy because I hadn’t emailed anyone in a while, and he was from right outside of Philly (I am from right outside of Philly). He also made a funny joke in the “Last Thing I Read” section: Still hoping I can find that special somone to teach me to read ;).

I sent him a totally lame email:

Hi!

I have found one place that makes something approaching an Italian hoagie: Molinari’s in North Beach. But of course, it’s not a hoagie without the Amoroso roll (and sadly, they don’t have them).

If you ever want to talk about the Shore or try to track down some decent pizza, give me a shout.

Nada.

This guy mentioned that he was Buddhist (I’m not, but I think Buddhism is fascinating), had a long list of favorite songs (about half of which I loved), and described himself as “rebelliously intellectual.” He also included this quote and offered to buy a drink for anyone who could guess whose it was:

“A human being is a part of a whole, called by us ‘universe’, a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feelings as something separated from the rest… a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest to us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty.”

Now that I think about it, what’s up with starting the games before you even meet a girl? Kidding, of course. You need to have some sort of a gimmick on Match to rise above the masses. Here’s what I wrote:

Hi!

I was going to guess at the quote, but then I cheated and Googled it. Albert Einstein, eh? I would have been hopelessly wrong. It’s always amazing to me when scientists (or any other left-brain-brilliant people) can see the bigger picture in life so clearly.

I also wrote you because “American Girl” is one of my favorite songs. I was on a huge Tom Petty kick a while back.

So what do you like to do around the city?

Googling was a coward’s approach. I don’t entirely blame him for not writing back. But I don’t entirely blame myself for not playing the game, either. Admittedly, I would think it was more clever and less of a game if he had written me back. (Hey, I might be irrational, but at least I’m self-aware.)