BTW, I changed my profile headline. The new one is longer, but more accurate, and slightly less ironic, probably.

But I started using the "intimidating and complicated" line as a joke, after so many people on here referred to me that way. I've had probably 50 or 60 other headlines before that one, and, as far as I can tell, it never made any difference.

I just don't think people read profiles. Because if they did, about 90% of the people who contact me wouldn't have contacted me.

Oh, that should do the trick
Straight to the point

BTW, I changed my profile headline. The new one is longer, but more accurate, and slightly less ironic, probably.

Has the rest of your profile ever been more inviting? i.e just a couple of well written and consise paragraphs, without all the added extras.

Not that it probably makes any difference. The main barrier you are facing here is yourself. Have you ever thought of having a lobotomy?

My point is they DO read the headlines even if not the whole lengthy (albeit somewhat fascinating and mesmirizing profiles). And both of yours basically send the same message--"Go Away-you scare me so I'll scare you first" Sorry to be so blunt, but surely you see that?

I like it! Top marks for not specifying breast size.

Very few read profiles. Mine is only a few lines long and it's pretty clearly stated what I'm here for. Yet I still get emails.

Fair enough. I have had my share of that as well. I've read your whole profile,with a few naps to re-energize myself in the process , and the headline is not inappropriate. You seem to be a nice and sincere person, but you also send a message that you doubt anyone can live up to your standards. That is intimidating. And the way you seem to have arrived at this decision is complicated or at least shows that you are complicated. I really do have my fingers crossed for you to meet that someone special, but I hope you won't scare her off when she does. Consider this---your profile may be weeding out women, but they may not be the women you want to weed out. Maybe of many local/date-able women who actually do read your profile, only the slowest, most insensitive women respond because they are the only ones not frightened off by your stated criteria.

You might never know......

On the other hand, if you really have given up on finding a date on Mingle2, maybe writing out all these thoughts is therapeutic in another way.

I am pretty sure no one reads the profiles. Mine clearly states that I am not a cougar. Yet I get all these messages from men from Africa who are clearly still recovering from their last diaper rash.

I also know it's hard to break the ice with someone but where is the teleporter that is going to take me to bum eff Egypt so we can take long strolls on the beach?

As to the original poster's question? Your profile says you are 37; where do you think you are going to find a chick without chicklets and no desire to have any? You have narrowed your options so vastly that it would be darn near impossible to find such a creature who would be both sane and interested and just happen to live near you.

Just my humble opinion.

Dammit, now I have to go back and add that.

It has been rumored that there are actually women in the world who do not want kids. I know, I know, it's a ridiculous assertion, but still. There is even a dating site called IDoNotWantKids.com, which I personally think is a brilliant idea, but which appears, at this time, to have about six female members. Even though it's been around for a few years.

And you're right, it's been almost impossible to find a girlfriend who doesn't want kids. I did find one, she was (and is) the most intelligent, the most creative person, the most interesting person I've ever known. She even did my first two book covers. But she and I have been doing this on-again-off-again-relationship thing for 11 years now, and I'm tired of being a yo-yo. I still have no idea why we broke up the last time.

The point is, if there's one girl out there who's OK with not having kids, there might be another one. I have no way of knowing for sure, but it's statistically possible.

Don't you dare, or I will personally come to Crown Point and kick your "But" (purposefully misspelled)

And the punctuation purposefully left out as well?

Don't you dare, or I will personally come to Crown Point and kick your "But" (purposefully misspelled)

It's also statistically possible to win the lottery. I am not ragging on you but rather just stating the odds aren't that great.

This is about the people who contact me, which you already know if you read the aforementioned title as mentioned above.

OK, here's the thing -- I get a fair amount of people contacting me on here, via e-mail, IM, nudges, whatever. A certain percentage of these are scammers, and (thanks to Mark and Charles and their crew) I can usually get them nuked within 45 seconds.

As for the ones who are not (or who cannot definitively be proven to be) scammers, I notice a disconcerting sameness in them. Many of the messages are extremely brief (I had one this morning that said "Can I know u?"), poorly written, completely devoid of any signs of useful information or a functioning brain stem, and from people who are very very far away.

I rarely hear from anyone who actually has anything to say, or the literacy skills to say it.

And this puzzles me, because nowhere in my profile (I think -- I mean, the damn thing is so long I rarely go in there myself anymore) does it say "Please contact me if your writing is so garbled and incomprehensible that it will give me a massive headache."

Statistically, it seems to me that the odds SHOULD be that at least one genuine prospect should have contacted me by now, seeing that I've been here 4 1/2 years. Math was never my best subject, though, so I may not know what I'm talking about. It would certainly not be the first time.

And there are many locals on this site; I see them floating through "People You Might Be Interested In" every day. When I look at their profiles, though, it always says "Last Seen Shortly After The Civil War" or something along those lines.

I just don't understand what makes me attractive to someone whose most creative act in life was opening a bag of Ruffles Potato Chips.

George Costanza said it best: "When I like them, they don't like me...and when they like me, I don't like them." OMG, I'm George Costanza....