The Vertical Challenge

I like nerds. I like sports. I make no secret of either of those facts. And tonight I had a date with a neuroscientist, and he suggested we go to the park to play catch. This should be a dream come true, but for some reason, I needed both Scarlet and Grayer to tell me how excited I should be about it. They were right, I should have been very excited about it, but for some reason, I couldn't really get pumped up. Have my expectations just been lowered by all the other disappointments? Or, (a very likely explanation) am I just looking forward more to John Boy being back in town?

While I was waiting for him at our designated location, a man about 60 with white hair parked in front of the bench I was sitting on, got out of the car, and said, "Are you waiting for me?"

"No," I answered. Because if this was somehow the Neuroscientist, I didn't want to admit who I was anyway.

"Oh, darn!" said the white haired man. It was then that the Neuroscientist walked up. I stood up, and immediately regretted it. The Neuroscientist is vertically challenged. I was definitely taller.

This is a phenomenon I've noticed about online dating. Men exaggerate their height. Unless they are over six feet tall, they add a few inches to their height on their profiles. I'm not an abnormally tall woman, but I have a few inches on both Scarlet and Grayer, and when I'm wearing heels, I appear to be a tall woman. I'm just not attracted to men who are shorter than me. It's awkward.

Not only am I taller than him, but I also have a better arm than than he does. That's nothing new, but when I asked John Boy why I'm still single, he answered that men could possibly be intimidated by me. I don't think I'm an intimidating person, but as he also pointed out, I go after nerds and the like, who are more likely to be intimidated by someone by me. So I wouldn't be surprised if I didn't get a call for a second date from the Neuroscientist, even if it did go well otherwise.

And by the way, on the way back by our meeting point, the white haired man was sitting there with a more age appropriate woman, chatting and drinking coffee. Clearly they were doing the same thing. It was really very sweet.