Nothing spices up February like discovering your on-again-off-again gentleman friend is shopping for new prospects online.

 I know you find my dating experiences entertaining. I was "on again" with my long-term gentleman friend when I saw an email from Match asking me to rejoin the site. It gave me my friend as an ideal match.

 I went to look it up and saw he has just revised his Match profile. Me, in a harem? No chance.

Of course, when confronted, he was angry and defensive and resorted to gaslighting.

"How dare you when we've known each other for less than a year?" he exclaimed. My calculations put August 2022 at 2.5 years ago. I also mentioned that I wasn't checking up on him—Match offered him as a good prospect for me.

 Of course, he lied about his age and stretched the truth based on what I read. The cynic in me assumes he probably researched Chat GPT for an ideal profile write-up. I'm very forthright, and he learned what I thought about that.

 When I told him what had happened, he resorted to telling me that his profile had been on Match for years. I know he left the site for a while, and this representation of himself is very recent. He had a current employment history, and he mentioned his one-year-old granddaughter. She and I share a birthday, and it was just a few weeks ago.

 I hadn't set out to investigate, but I’d apparently crossed a line. Information is just one of the risks of posting on the Internet. People learn and know things about you.

 I decided this argument was a big deal, so I will try Match again and move on. It's challenging to do so; I like his sense of humor and intellect and would like to remain friends. Being intimate friends won't work, but friends could have possibilities, but that may be out of the question.

 So, I joined Match, only to find that it might be a long slog. I just want to meet people, learn about them, and enjoy a pleasant coffee or a delicious lunch in a cool spot. Go to a farmer's market or some other innocuous event? I don't want to commit based on a phone call or a couple of dates. The last time I was on the site, I did make a couple of charming and helpful casual friends. I had my ideal first date, though it didn't lead to anything more. There may be some good experiences ahead. 

 However, my first couple of contacts got me a scripted essay about a guy and what he planned for his relationship with the person with whom he connected. I know people make demands on partners, but living in a movie script is an acting job I can pass on. Another person wanted to be sure we were an ideal match before he would arrange to meet with me. He also regretted his house was being torn up for some repair work. A lot to assume that I'd want to have anything to do with his house before we even met!

 Just wanting to meet people and enjoy a conversation or an event is not the kind of dating this current batch of prospects is looking for. But I am an optimist. I'm counting on not all older single men being weird. That may be a misplaced hope.

Stay tuned—because, if nothing else, the world of online dating is never dull.