How it began, the sequel...continued

I'm not sure exactly what I expected when I signed up for HELL, but I know I didn't expect to find myself standing on Broadway watching the Parade of the Freaks. I filled out my profile, which included a summary of "me," and wrote some things in boxes that asked stuff like: I spend a lot of time thinking about...and Six things I cannot live without are...and What I'm doing with my life right now...I took some tests and answered some questions (I think the tests and questions are what the HELL geeks use to "match" you up with people they think you're, well, a good match with. Certainly, they do not take your actual profile into consideration.) What I did not do was post a photo. Call me paranoid, but I can't imagine having an actual photo on one of these web sites can possibly be a good idea. Once, when I was browsing, I recognized a photo of a man who had once worked for me. His name was disguised, of course, but there was no mistaking his picture. When I read his profile, I thought, "God! What a pathetic loser! How could I have been disappointed when this sad, empty shell of a man quit our company to go to work for the government? What had I been thinking??" And I didn't want someone recognizing me and thinking those same things. Because no matter how together you are, there's always going to be somebody who thinks you're a loser...And nowhere is that sad fact more apparent than on an online dating site. People will usually be pretty nice when you're standing there right in front of them, but when you're just a profile...just an idea...they can get pretty nasty. Yeah, the Internet brings out the worst in us for sure. That it may also bring out the best in us is a concept to be explored...But not yet.

--Ina