A surprise in every box!

I have deemed that life is like a box of Cracker Jacks. There's a surprise in every box. Screw the box of chocolates, Forrest Gump. I think Cracker Jacks are more fitting. Tonight's late-night surprise is an email from some guy who read something I posted on CL last week that I had pretty much forgotten about. I guess I sounded a little cynical or despondent - I basically resigned myself to not look for a real relationship with anyone off CL. Platonic? Sure... Something more? Fuhgeddaboudit. It honestly feels like looking for a needle in a shit-laced haystack. God, do you blame me? Cheaters galore, people only interested in one part of the anatomy - what the hell is wrong with people? I have been asking myself that way too much for the last couple of days. Read a few days of rants and raves, or men seeking women and you might come to agree with me. Fun, eh? There is that dim view of humanity again. Anyway, so the surprise in the box is that this guy: 1. sends a picture (and he's not bad looking at all); 2. comes across as normal; and 3. is a law student. Like I recently was but no longer am. So we can relate, somewhat. Yes, I know you love my little 3-bullet lists by now ;) So I send a letter back in the same tone I'm using now - conversational, kinda fun. It's just me, who I am, and it often "sounds" the way I speak in real life. Do I expect anything from this dude? Honestly, no. My expectations are low, but I do remain hopeful. I just hope I haven't wasted the electrons to send a picture. Why am I feeling this way? This town is so racially charged, and I'm not white. He is a relatively good looking dude that is either white or falls into the grouping as being white or white enough (Middle Eastern, light skinned Indians). While there are nice, normal cosmopolitan people that are open to having friends or even -gasp- dating someone outside their race, the sad truth is that most people don't. The black-white divide in this country is just getting deeper. Part of it is due to black nationalism, and part of it's due to the increased self-segregation caused by white flight to the suburbs. In my opinion. I won't get started on that subject. Anyway, I'm not an ugly gal. I have been admired by black and white people. And others... But the racial thing makes me sick. And to read the amount of racist crap that spews out of people's keyboards on CL is depressing. Granted, to see people order up a white, petite female makes me glad in one sense, because: 1. I can self-censor and not have to do the fruitless email dance; 2. I know who I need to avoid; and 3. why would I want to hook up with someone who would teach kids that racist crap anyway? I almost married a guy who was solely into black women. He's black, and yet he relegates himself only to black women. Uh, ok. Love knows no color... and I'm not pure black. My family is like the United Nations. I want my kids to be as open as I am and to not know color when it comes to love. Anyway, I'm waaaaay off topic. So, it's nice to receive an email from the guy, who is (by his own word) just looking for someone to casually hang out with and occasionally make plans. That's cool. But I expect him to see me and then either disappear without a trace or tell me (as I asked) if he isn't going to talk to me again because he didn't like what he saw in the picture. So far, that has happened twice - except the guys haven't given me the courtesy of saying so. And these people bitch on CL about others playing games.... well, so much for walking the walk. Should anyone even wonder why, when guys are like that, I wouldn't be serious about looking for love on that thing? I'll let him prove me wrong. I hope he does. But the beauty of low expectations is that disappointment is minimal, and most people on CL are not worth the hurt feelings. Even if he does disappoint, hope does spring eternal. And I still have my Blind Date adventure tonight. Another surprise in the box, just waiting to be opened!