The Hinge Experiment: Wait… I Have a Match!
Well, this is awkward.
When I was considering whether The Hinge Experiment™ had run its course, Hinge apparently heard me.
I got a match.
Her name is Airica.
And even more shocking?
We're already talking about meeting Sunday.
Steve the Iguana may have to unpack his bags. 🦎
From Zero Matches to Airica
My last Hinge update wasn't exactly optimistic.
My match queue was empty.
Matches: 0.
Conversations: 0.
Dates: 0.
Meanwhile, traffic to NielFlamm.com was doing considerably better than my dating life.
I was legitimately starting to wonder whether it was time to delete Hinge and move along. After all, there's only so much entertainment I can squeeze out of screenshots saying:
“No matches right now.”
Apparently, Hinge took that personally.
This morning, I liked one of Airica's pictures.
Five minutes later?
💋
Well, hello there.
A response!
From a human!
This changes everything.
Okay, probably not everything. Calm down, Niel.
And We Already Have Something in Common
I noticed that Airica had lived in Las Vegas.
I lived there for about ten years, so I immediately had something to ask about.
My opening wasn't Shakespeare:
“Good morning! Where did you live in Vegas? I lived there for 10 years…”
But I've already established during this experiment that I don't exactly spit mad game.
I'm more of a:
“Hello. Here is a relevant question based upon information you voluntarily provided. Would you care to discuss?”
kind of guy.
Somehow, despite this irresistible charm, the conversation continued.
And now we're making plans for Sunday.
Yes.
An actual day.
For an actual potential date.
With an actual person.
WHAT IS HAPPENING?
There Is One Small Issue
Airica is in Lexington, South Carolina.
That's about a 90-minute drive for me.
Some people might look at that and immediately say:
“Too far.”
I don't.
I like driving.
An hour and a half isn't exactly a commute I'd want to make every morning, but for an opportunity to meet someone I'm interested in?
That's manageable.
Besides, I've spent longer than 90 minutes scrolling through dating profiles with absolutely nothing to show for it.
At least this drive has a destination.
And if we meet and discover there's chemistry?
Then we figure out geography.
If we meet and discover there isn't?
I had a Sunday drive.
There are considerably worse outcomes.
Let's Not Get Ahead of Ourselves
If you've followed The Hinge Experiment, you already know I've learned this lesson.
A match isn't a date.
A conversation isn't a date.
Making plans for a date isn't even necessarily a date.
Until two human beings are physically sitting in the same place at the same time, I'm keeping the champagne firmly corked.
Actually, let's make that Coke Zero.
But this already feels different from some of my previous matches because we're actually discussing meeting.
That's what I've wanted all along.
I'm not looking for an eternal Hinge pen pal.
I'm not trying to collect matches.
I'm not interested in exchanging “Good morning!” messages until Social Security sends us both birthday cards.
Let's meet.
Have a conversation.
Laugh.
Eat something.
See whether we enjoy being around each other.
Dating apps are supposed to be the introduction—not the entire relationship.
So Much for Deleting Hinge
And here is perhaps the funniest part.
I was asking:
Is it time to delete the app?
Hinge apparently responded:
“Not so fast, Baldy.”
Fair enough.
The experiment gets an extension.
As of right now:
Matches: 1.
Active conversations: 1.
Potential Sunday dates: 1.
Distance: About 1½ hours.
Niel's expectations: Cautiously optimistic.
Steve the Iguana: Furious. 🦎
Sorry, Steve.
You're back on the bench.
At least until Sunday.
Because if this date actually happens, The Hinge Experiment will finally accomplish something I've been trying to make happen since I started it:
A date from a dating app.
What a concept.
Stay tuned.
This could get inter
esting.
