Hot or Not?
©2002 JimCavalier.com

I recently posted my picture to HotOrNot.com. I have to admit, there was a certain vain curiosity as to how I would rate compared to my brothers in arms on the internet. I honestly have no idea. Since I don't currently have a girlfriend, I figured a little market research wouldn't hurt. I went the full route and signed up for the "Meet Me" option as well. You never know.

I've been going to Hot or Not for a little over a year. For the uninitiated, Hot or Not is a site where people post pictures of themselves for others to rate on a scale of 1 to 10. I admit, it's fun. Some rather unique conversations have arisen when perusing the gallery with friends. We would debate on the rating, even arguing over what number to give based on any number of bizarre criteria.(For the record, pictures with your boyfriend, wedding pictures with the ex edited out and picture with children, even not your own, tend to lower the scores among my friends. Not that any of them are a such "great catch".) One of the other reasons I would go there was to see how my tastes compared to the general population. I have, at times, been known to find unconventional looks very attractive. I cite my "Sandra Bernhard" phase in college as a prime example.

Also, most of my friends are women. Most of them are married or in serious relationships that make them relatively unavailable for movies, etc. Understandbly so. I figured it would be interesting to post a picture and profile just to see what happens.

The hardest part of posting in the Meet Me section is writing the profile for others to read. There is a 250 character limit and it's very difficult to try to sum up what I'm about, which is currently filling this website, and what I'm looking for in that tiny of a space. Also, I wanted to be honest, but there were some decisions to be made. For example, I own a pair of rollerblades. I don't recall the last time I wore them, or where they actually are. BUT, I did manage to remain upright and actually move while wearing them. Stopping was iffy, but I enjoyed it none the less. So should I list that? Also, I used to be a stand-up comedian. I haven't been on stage in quite some time, although I'm writing a new act and hoping to get back into it. Is that a fair keyword? Also. I have a deep held belief that hunting season should include mimes. Just try summing that up in 3 words or less. (I H8T Mimes?) Although, the first woman I see on there with the keyword "Carrot Top Sucks" get a dozen roses and a box of chocolates. Just because.

So at first, I started with a rather wordy introduction that left me almost no space to try to get across that I was looking for "pen pals" and maybe a "movie buddy". I'm certainly available for dating, but I'm not on some great girlfriend search, either. Mom hints about me getting married, I just want someone to discuss the shape of the world with. The second revision, seems better. The basic stats on me, and an invite for pen pals with a sense of humor. I'll probably change it again in a week or so. I have no idea what to say on there, it's like approaching a woman while I'm out. I don't have a "rap". I'm just me.

Well, after a week of voting, I was surprised that I rated a 7.8 (79 votes). It was quite the ego boost. It's not like I get up every morning, look in the mirror, and say "Oh yeah, I'd fuck me." But it's nice to be appreciated. Then the rating began to drop. At 102 votes, it had fallen to 7. It turns out, that a rather petty person who knows me has been "spamming" my page repeatedly voting "1" on my picture. Showing the difference in our intelligence, I did a little reseach in the logs from my site, and found that this person is doing it from the office where I used to work. Funny, some people are so ugly on the inside, it doesn't matter what they look like on the outside.

Here's the current sitrep...