I have never set any prerequisites in my romantic searches (except for the minimum of a female gender), since I've always felt that romance transcends the confines of measurements, age, status, culture, colour, religion and ethnicity. As such, I'm intrigued by the riddle to what extent people, who usually set prerequisites and condition filters, do really stick to them, and do they really find them helpful or perhaps sometimes adverse...

All I do is put age because i'm young and don't want someone too old obviously.

In other words, baseball dosen't want us old crows circling his head....LOL

Well, no it's not that. I wouldn't mind a friendship with an older person but I don't want to date someone who's like 25+

I never set any up on here because I like to meet a lot of different people, but as for my personal dating pref, I have those filters in my head

Your point is well taken, Baseball Fanatic. Well, today's young is tomorrow's old, and it runs sooooo fast... I rejoice that feeling young is still allowed by the law, and I do it to the fullest.

smart girl Andrea :)

I just want to be the pretty one in the equation!!!

Your reply, Andrea, has filled me with joy... witty as well as amusing. That actually sums up the Ideal, but we are humans...

How are going to do it, Gypsy...

Sorry, Gypsy, your answer's too long...

I've got no restrictions on the e-mail because I talk to a lot of people from all over the world here. As far as any sort of romantic entanglement dilemma is concerned, I do have a few rigid preset parameters, but they are not based on age, etc.

I would like to ask, if I may, people like Lex and Andrea who admit having some preset dating conditions in their minds. Are you able to stick to your filters, or often you find out that reality is stronger then your filters...

I thought I had a pretty strict age range for dating...until I met the most wonderful 19 year old guy.

im still waitin for that 99 yr old to contact me.!!!!lol

PBB, my filters were built over a number of years, as I dated different people and found out what worked for me and what didn't. Basically, for me, it's just a sort of a "gate" to help me avoid getting involved with people who I can be reasonably certain that, going in, it simply isn't going to work out long-term.

I have always been aware of the need to keep an open mind about the possibility of exceptions, because someone might come along who is just totally right in every way but one -- and maybe that could be worked around.

But I can honestly say that I haven't had any reason to invoke the "exception clause" in a very long time. Which tells me that my basic rules are probably good enough for me to adhere to.

To be honest, I have to admit that the few rules I DO have are enough to exclude probably 90% of the pool right off the bat. Maybe more. I mean, I am not aware of anyone on this site who fits! This was a conscious decision though, after dozens of bad relationships. I would rather be alone than waste a lot of time on someone who will be just another "wrong one" in a very long list....

What did you do then, Goofydame... I'm keen to learn from your experience, being myself repeatedly assaulted by young girls, and I am not celeb...

We had the most amazing time ever. We are both adults even though he is considerably younger. I adore him and we plan on keeping in touch even though he is leaving for Iraq the end of next month.

Unfortunately, Lex, your 90% conclusion sums up the situation for 90% of us... what's wrong with us then, humans...