(non)Adventures in vanilla dating

Despite my best efforts, I have not yet lined up any more dates other than my last.

And by ‘best efforts’, I mean ‘I invited men who I thought were even marginally interesting to go out with me’. That number is not high, but it’s more than zero and is a huge departure from my normal process where I won’t meet anyone until I genuinely and absolutely think there is real potential. Dating immersion, yo!

When I suggested a meeting to one, he balked and it turns out that the app I’m using showed me as being closer to … Continue Reading

Loves: 11
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Post vanilla date action

Trying to date takes up all of my writerly energy (not even dating, just trying to date).

I’m not sure why that is really.

It’s not like I’m spending hours a day thinking up witty replies to stellar messages. Most of the emails that land in my inbox are about the same level of lame one liner as I’ve already mentioned in this post. I’m not even bothering to reply to those.

I did indeed ask my last vanilla date if he wanted to have a kissing date:

“Thanks so much for coming to meet me. Who knew a Continue Reading

Loves: 4
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My first vanilla date

His introductory email was thoughtful and articulate. He’d not only read my profile, but he had also looked through my many Q&A responses and his note referenced both.

He was 6’2, a little younger than me, no photos.

I suggested we meet after a few exchanges. This must be a new record for me. My new strategy: ‘Dating immersion’. I didn’t ask for a photo. To be honest, I forgot.

He was nervous he said (I do love it when they say that out loud, I do), and half an hour before our date he texted that he was going … Continue Reading

Loves: 13
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Vanilla dating site: So how’s that workin’ out for ya?

If nothing else, putting a profile up on a vanilla dating site allows me the luxury of realising that online dating is online dating and the ratio of ‘oh FFS’ to ‘well, hello!’ in my inbox is probably going to be much the same as kink sites at about 1000 to 1.

I’ve not put anything about D/s in my profile, though there is a hint there for someone who might pick it up, but the site has Q&A for their matching algorithm and I’ve been completely forthright in the very explicit questions that are asked there (e.g. “Would you … Continue Reading

Loves: 7
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Singledom(me)

There are a number of vanilla blogs* I read, written by women of 40+ who are single and dating. Sex bloggers. Good ones. And by that I mean that they write well, are smart, funny, open, honest and raw.

There is a hugely stark contrast between all of them and me in that they are all prolific daters, are on multiple dating sites, are very sex-focussed, are delighted to have casual sex/open to late night booty calls/will happily have sex with men at first meeting.

I am envious of their freedom and their enjoyment of sex just for the physical … Continue Reading

Loves: 8
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Submissive, but not YOUR submissive

It gets stated a lot and it’s perfectly true: dominants should not expect random submissives to submit to them right out of the gate simply because they’ve slapped a label on themselves. When a dominant oversteps, a common form of pushback sounds like “I may be submissive, but I’m not YOUR submissive”, and fair enough.

When I am corresponding with a submissive man, I don’t expect him to submit to me.

But…

I’m a strong opinionated woman and I want things done my way. Even in the early stages. And if he can’t or won’t go along, I’m not interested … Continue Reading

Loves: 12
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Safety rules

Staying safe is a product of any number of things, and obviously this applies especially in the world of BDSM-related dating where it can be even easier for dangerous people to hide behind a veil of D/s type activities.

I’ve written before that newbies should do as I say, not as I do because what I SAY about safety actually makes a lot more objective sense than what I DO.

The reasons for that are many but the bottom line is that I trust my judgement. I feel like I am calling upon the gods of vengeance in saying … Continue Reading

Loves: 10
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