Also, I still think a "poke" sounds dirty

So I just thought of this novel idea of something I should do. Stay home one night here or there. Oh, and stop spending money like I have unlimited amounts of it. Also, stop eating like a madwoman. And start getting more than six hours of sleep on weeknights. All right; that is actually four things, but mind you, ALL of them would be excellent ideas. I think the whirlwind that is [insert name of new friend who might not want his name in yet another place on the Internet here] has worn off on me. New Friend is the visiting San Francisco resident who borrowed a good friend of mine's home (as well as his friends) during a Craig's List-enabled housing swap. New Friend has seemingly boundless energy and optimism, but "There's a problem with partying every night," he said. "You never get anything done." Word.

I don't know that you could consider everything I've been keeping busy with lately partying (I'm guessing dinner at a suburban Olive Garden tonight doesn't count as such), but I am broke and tired and my house is a mess either way. I don't know what happened to the hermit who used to live here, but somebody really needs to clean up after her.

What I'm saying is I've been turning on my home computer far less frequently than usual lately, and when I do, I'm having a hard time formulating my thoughts into any sort of detailed and cohesive post. Maybe Facebook is spoiling me. Yes, I caved and signed up. And while it hasn't sucked me in with the full force of time-wasting capacity that I feared it might, I'll admit I'm enjoying it more than I thought. Who knew I could keep so well up-to-date on the goings-on in everyone's life based on a one-line Facebook status update? In fact, I'm thinking of switching my blog to all Facebook Status format. "Stefanie is tired." "Stefanie is off to kick some air at the gym." "Stefanie has realized that after a while, all Lean Cuisines taste the same." Except wait. That is what Twitter is for, isn't it? Lord help me, don't tell me I'm about to jump on that bandwagon, too.

Incidentally, did you try to friend me on Facebook and get no reply? Because two people did whom I do not know, which either means my memory is failing me and I've somehow forgotten the names and faces of two of my mere 100 classmates at my old high school, or someone I know only through an Internet alias has sought to penetrate the "real name, first and last" divide. If it's the latter, I do apologize. Clue me in and I'll likely click that "Confirm" button for you.

Speaking of strangers-or-not on the Internet, this latest venture in online date-finding continues to amuse and confound. At the moment, there is a man in my "New Matches" list who might compel me to click the "Show Interest" button, except that he has reserved his photo for after Stage 1 of the hoops and whistles this site requires, meaning I cannot see his face. And his stats align suspiciously closely to those of a long-ago meMarmony match who has already rejected me twice. Yes, twice. What's that our esteemed president once said? "Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me... You can't get fooled again!" Minneapolis is a rather large town, but it feels smaller and smaller all the time. Can there really be two 6'2", hazel-eyed small business owners with the same first name, both of whom identify as "Spiritual but not religious," have no kids but want some, and claim to drink only about once a week? Ordinarily I'd say "perhaps," but given how this city's been shrinking lately, I don't know that I want to take that chance.

Meanwhile, I am finally in e-mail communication with the man whose profile prompted me to pony up for membership in the first place. And while we haven't actually met yet, I'd like to remain cautiously optimistic, if for no other reason than my need to believe my gut is something besides squashy and useless. Can my instincts just once serve me well for a change? I have already learned that Mr. Arty-Looking IT Guy lives in my own neighborhood, and while The Neighborhood Giant taught me that geographic convenience isn't everything, it is still a start, wouldn't you say? Wish me luck.