Ten Days in Burma - Part 1
Thursday, August 21, 2008

I met Burma Boy while I was dating someone else. I use the word “met” loosely. I “met” him via email. That's only sort of true too. I met him via Jdate. I figured if I was going to take the ridiculous plunge into the world of online dating, I might as well make my mother happy by dating someone Jewish. Regular dating hadn’t been working out so well. It's hard for it to work out when you aren't going on dates. So I finally caved and decided to try the internet.

I posted my picture and profile: my age (26), where I was from (NYC), what I looked like (5'4", brown eyes, brown hair), a little about me (love sex and the city, the beach, and red wine - especially when consumed at dinner parties with friends), my perfect match (makes people laugh. challenges me. confident and driven. up for trying new things and teaching me new things. isn't scared of relationships...), my idea of a perfect first date (there's no such thing), and things I’d learned from past relationships (I should trust my instincts. Sometimes it's worth the battle, sometimes it's worth the compromise, and sometimes I actually am wrong.)

While perusing Jdate in September 2002, I came across Burma Boy’s picture (which was cute) and his profile (which was witty and fun) so I decided to take a chance and email him. I never heard back. Until February 2003 when out of the blue, I got the following email:

hi. this is a bit funny, but back in september i think you emailed. so, I know it has been a bit of time since then, but i didn’t realize i gave an email address i don't check that often. let me know if you are still alive and kicking…

I’m not sure what possessed me to write back – the email wasn’t that interesting, and who gives an email address to a dating service that they don’t check that often without realizing it? Plus, his profile said he lived in Boston and I lived in New York. PLUS, I had been dating someone for about a month – someone who I really liked…but something made me write back. Maybe it was that he DID live in Boston so it seemed harmless. Maybe it was that when I looked at his profile and picture, I definitively remembered having emailed him. Maybe I had just had one too many glasses of chardonnay. Whatever it was, I emailed him back:

were you living in nyc in september? because you're living in boston now - no? and i grew up in mass., but i live in nyc now...and i don't think i would have emailed someone in boston, but maybe your smile felt irresistible. (clearly I was still interested in flirting...) anyhow, yes - i'm still alive and kicking. but seeing someone. only for about a month, but curious to see where it goes. still, you seem like a great guy - even if you are sort of far away. i can't date you right now, but i'm sort of interested to know more about you -- so if you feel inclined, write back. and if you don't, will you at least let me know if you just moved to boston recently or if i was totally on crack when i emailed you??

And indeed, he did email back – quite the charmer himself:

must have been the irresistible smile. no, i do (well did live) in NYC for 1.5 years, but just bailed this week. I'm off to Japan for 6 months and then moving to Boston. So, i was and now i'm not in NYC. But, hey better late then never, eh? Well, have fun until August and I hope all goes well. If you feel inclined to chat (I hope you do) between now and then you can email.

Well, I did feel inclined. And thus, the beginning of an email correspondence that I looked forward to on a daily basis. It was fun to get to know a stranger through writing . Over the next 2 weeks, I learned of my “pen pal’s” taste for adventure as he took a last minute unplanned trip to Iceland. I learned that he liked to push the envelope as he posed intelligent and flirtatious questions. I learned that via email, I thought he was very cute. And I learned that because there was really no risk involved, I had no fear of saying how I felt about anything. I spoke my mind strongly and clearly – and if he didn’t like it, I didn’t care. As life would have it, he did like it…

Posted byMeesh-elle my Belle at 3:11 PM  

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3 comments:

megabrooke said... August 21, 2008 at 6:09 PM  

oh come on... i want MORE!!!!

and you kind of got me thinking about match again. is this about your now husbie? because i dont know if i knew that you two met this way?! so cool. can't wait for the net installment!

Anonymous said... August 25, 2008 at 7:46 PM  

Proper JDate Jewess.

Anonymous said... August 28, 2008 at 5:53 PM  

OHHHHH I remember this all so clearly! You got me over fear of Jdate and all E-date! I miss working with you Michelley.

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