I'm waiting for my cousin at the bar of a restaurant. I'm excited to see her. I look around and take in the scene.

A woman stops next to me looks at her blackberry, looks down the bar, looks in the dinner area, then back at her blackberry. One more glance down the bar....and YES! There he is.

She saunters over in her heels and sexy workday-turned-date night outfit. I'm impressed. I never meet dates in work outfits, I just don't feel like me.

Then - the handshake as he mumbles something about getting there early (he already has a drink to ease his nerves.) She smiles says something back and flips her hair over her shoulder.

She's trying to find a hook for her giant leather work bag while she flirts and makes obligatory online first date small talk. "How was your day? How about this weather?" Blah, blah, blech.

He's anxiously caressing his sweating bottle of beer and flipping a napkin over and over again. Finally she settles onto the tall stool delicately hooking her heels onto the bottom rung. She orders a drink takes the first sip and...

THEY'RE OFF!

Galloping down the excruciatingly bumpy road of online dating. I look for them during dinner with my cousin but they are gone. I wonder if they cut the date short after one drink because they don't feel anything, or if they did feel something and went for dinner somewhere else. Either way, I'll never know.

But I do know they met online because she is me and I am her, and that date is my date too. Except for right now.

Hooray for my online dating detox (3 weeks and counting). Next up - alcohol detox (post summer of course).