“Another Saturday night and I ain’t got nobody . . . ”  But I could have somebody, if I lived in Israel or even New Jersey.  That’s the beauty of JDate, “The World’s Largest Jewish Singles” website.  You can look at, or be looked at by, men from all over the world.  And sometimes these men even contact you.

Being the pragmatic sort, I set my “preferences” for a 20-mile radius surrounding Irvine, California.  I can tell you what every man on JDate, between the ages of 42 and 56 and living in the “Greater Irvine” area, looks like.  It’s a terrific selection of men, and I see no need to look elsewhere.  But not everyone would agree with me.

It seems that many men prefer not to let a little geography stop them from finding their beshert.  The last two days have seen an increase in the number of men (from other parts of the world) in my “Who’s Hot Listed Me” category.  On the same day that Sabre4Ever of Israel Hot Listed me, he also IMed (Instant Messaged) and e-mailed me.  Although I took Hebrew in high school, I was unable to understand his e-mail.  But that didn’t stop me from imagining that he had written that I was the most beautiful woman in the world (after all, he probably had already checked out every woman in Israel; why else would he be looking in the United States?) and that he wanted me to make Aliyah.  That way, he could marry me and we could live happily ever after.  Due to my limited Hebrew, however, I was unable to accept his proposal and just wrote back “Ani medeberet ksat Ivrit” (I only speak a little Hebrew).

The next day, it was EastCoastMensch of New Jersey.  Unlike Sabre4Ever, he only Hot Listed and IMed me.  Due to my outdated browser, however, I only know that someone has IMed me, but I am unable to view the message.  Well, being the international beauty that I am, sought after by men all over the world, I was sure that he was ready to pack his bags and move to sunny Southern California to be with me.  I clicked on his profile and went right to the part where one can indicate a willingness (or not) to relocate.  He had written “No,” just like I had. 

My curiosity piqued, I sent him an e-mail, thanking him for Hot Listing me and asking him why he had contacted me.

“Hi, Sharon, you sound sweet, intelligent, and look beautiful [if he had stopped there, it would have been enough for me!].  I did note that you weren’t relocating [so he checked that also], but I thought we might chat anyway.”

Well, it was Saturday night and I didn’t have anything else to do, so I clicked on “Reply.”  We then started e-mailing often and found that we had many commonalties and areas of compatibility.  Neither of us watches television and we like the same “art house” movies.  He enjoys cooking for his “woman” and I love being cooked for.  Best of all, we could really “communicate.”  While all this made me feel good, I was still faced with another Saturday night alone.

But knowing that I could attract the attention of men around the world was just the boost I needed to hang in there, hoping that someone from my part of the world would notice and contact me.  Still, weeks went by and the only “action” I was getting was from men in every place but Southern California.  I even received an e-mail from one of the “Frozen Chosen,” who offered me a ticket on Alaska Airlines and a parka.  Last I heard, they still have a shortage of women there.

Yesterday, I received an e-mail from “BornInBrooklyn.”  When I saw his screen name, I thought “here we go again.”  But, much to my surprise, he wrote, “Hi Sharon, I saw your profile, you sound interesting, and we both live in Irvine.  Please check out my profile and get back to me at (949) 555-1234 if you want to meet a Nice Jewish Boy from Brooklyn.  Henry.” 

I’m looking forward to next Saturday night.