Romancing Via Text- The New Frontier

So, I thought it was absurd when two box office superstars released the movie "You've Got Mail?" Really, Tom Hanks? You've Oscars on your mantelpiece and yet you create such non-sense? A romantic comedy (as it must be, if Meg Ryan is involved), the flick remakes a classic (and superior) film, "Shop Around the Corner". Tis the tale of two competing workplace foes who unknowingly meet and fall in love via chat rooms and instant messaging. At the time, the entire concept seemed absurd. Whatever happened to the quaint notion of boy-meets-girl IN PERSON? Live, flesh and blood encounters? In the age of technology, convenience is key, the first date foregone in favor of a text message leading to a pre-nup. There is an instant gratification mentality which leads the general population to use mass means of technology in the place of face-to-face interaction.
And I too, it seems, have fallen prey to this curse.

Unknowingly, it appears I have stumbled into a text-mance, one which was not sought out and ultimately leaves me a bit perplexed. The man tis nearly a stranger, a friend of friends seeking to do this struggling actress a favor by housing her in his abode as she seeks new lines of employment. In the process, messages have begun to fly from one iphone to the next, rapid pace word exchange for hours on end. Witty banter abounds as we each try to outcharm one another with hilarious puns and daily anecdotes. What began as a speedy means of communication has turned into a techno-first date, but can one truly decifer their emotions via words on a screen? I have yet to meet this fellow, to encounter his person in the flesh and discover whether this repartee can tranlate from screen to being. After all, I highly doubt that I am as endearing when dealt with live, so their is a high liklihood this delimma works both ways. And there are other seemingly minute factors which can lead to major amorous issues. For instance, what if he's stinky? Until the iphone comes out with smell-o-text, I cannot possibly know whether or not his pheramones are to my liking. Does he spit when he talks? How tall is he? And more nerve-racking: what if I disappoint? There are too many variables in this text-mance situation. Therefore, I decree, tis best to wait and see.

The scenario I envision? Myself on the couch, host in bed in the next room, us clicking away a mile a minute on our tele-touch screens, trying to recreate the playful patter which has become second nature. Or I will dsicover he's mute. I suppose a text-mance romance is better than a no-mance romance.