HEY VALENTINE'S REJECTS! You are not losers, no matter what anyone one thinks, not as long as you keep your chin up. SWM still isn't sure who he is or what he's looking for, but won't quit looking until he finds it. There's someone out there for him and for everyone else. I know you're out there--I'm out here, too.I picked up I Know You're Out There by Michael Beaumier after reading a glowing review by Ira Glass. Both Glass and Beaumier are contributors to NPR's This American Life, so I expected to read a witty story-behind-the-story about Beaumier's life as a personal ad editor. While Beaumier's book isn't as comical as the cover might suggest, it does have its critical moments of insight that reveal the truth that we are all freaks in the world of dating.
You'll meet Beaumier's submitters--the regulars, the occassionals and the closeted. Sure, it's easy to think of these people as perverse and abnormal. I mean, really, who would be desperate enough to put in a personal ad? But I found myself relating to their disappointments with the dating world and their continuous their quest to find the right person nonetheless.
We all have our habits that we try to hide to make the best first impressions. But you have to give credit to the people that are willing to put themselves out there instead of trying to write neutral personal ads. Thumbs up to the guy who's willing to admit he wants a "hot kinky superfreak" who has a "70s-80s fashion sense." Hell, he has a better concept of what he wants in a relationship than I even do!
In the end, you will feel bad for some of the characters that are having a hard time finding a date (although, that feeling will be secondary to your contemplation about how many closeted freaks you've dated). But most importantly, you'll realize we're all looking for the same thing--we just want to be loved by that perfect person, and I know he's out there for you somewhere.
