SEATTLE, WASHINGTON AND DUBAI CALLING

Well, long distance dating is not a good thing in my match.com experience, so when I had an email from Seattle, Washington I first dismissed it although the profile was definitely very appealing and the gentleman’s photo very attractive. He was very persistent, however, and won me over because he offered to come to New York to see me after a week’s worth of email and telephoning back and forth.

He had a very interesting profile--is an extraordinarily well educated, professor of business, with a PH.D. degree. He had been professor in Australia for 9 years, Paris for 2 years, New Zealand for a while too. Brazil was also one of the countries in which he had taught. A very accomplished tennis player and devoted bridge player. Divorced with 5 well educated children. The emails and telephone calls flew back and forth for 6 weeks. Many plans regarding the future were tentatively (and maybe unwisely) made in anticipation of a wonderful and romantic meeting. Hopes and dreams were exchanged, and it is safe to say that when we met in Manhattan the anticipation was at a fever pitch.!!

We had a lovely time exploring New York together, watching the Wimbledon tennis finals together since the weather was beastly hot and humid. We went on a World Yacht cruise around Manhattan, completely with top notch dining and romantic dancing cheek to cheek. We saw our favorite movies together “La Vie en Rose” with Edith Piaff and “Gloomy Sunday” and because he is very scientifically oriented he wanted to see the Planetarium at the American Museum National Museum along with the Imax theater. We spent a great deal of time at the Steinway Showroom on 57th Street, looking at new grand pianos for him all the while he was entertaining me with his expert piano playing. He plays a medley of entertaining popular tunes, jazz and romantic ballads. Naturally I was enchanted and charmed. What woman does not enjoy being serenaded by an expert pianist!

We made elaborate plans to meet up in Greece and later on in Dubai where he is going to start a teaching assignment for about a year.

However, we may just have to settle for a solid and rewarding friendship and some exciting travel experiences together as it appears that the chemistry isn’t quite what we hoped it to be. We also have different ideas of where we eventually want to settle down. We definitely want to see each other in Dubai some time during the Fall when he has more vacation and time to spend with me.

It is generally speaking not such a good idea to long distance date as one easily enters into a state of fantasyland, generated by fervent hopes and dreams of the one and only. We all carry that dream, and telephone calls cannot always determine if the all important compatibility factor is met. It is always much better to meet up as soon as possible to get an idea of whether the connection is there. But we are in daily touch, and it feels good to be connected.

Meanwhile, I am preparing myself for a long and wonderful trip to my native Denmark followed by a week in Greece to visit my late husband’s relatives on the romantic island of Aegina. Here the Aegean magic is going to take over, and Greek food, long hours of exploring the joys of a Grecian holiday, rest and joining up with my daughter and her friends is awaiting and making the the summer perfect.

COUNTRY BOY AND CITY GIRL ARE NOW GREAT FRIENDS! AND CARPE DIEM, SEIZE THE MOMENT, EVERY DAY IS PRECIOUS.

The beginning of a budding romance was lovely and had great promises. Special times were had together; every single date was exquisite and deep conversations ensued both by telephone, email, IM messages and personal encounters. Dreams were shared and as time went along, it appeared that the dreams for the future were further apart than it originally seemed.

My friend in the country has plans of living a much more isolated life than I can envision for myself being a ‘people person.’ He seems to be much more content being alone that I could ever feel happy with. We have different ideas about how to spend our free time, and maybe he needs a lot more time to be feeling free and unattached since he hasn’t had that long a time to recuperate from his previous life.

Whatever the reasons are, I feel the deep need to have a steady person at my side. It is tough to be realistic, and it comes with a lot of sadness, but such is life. A great and supportive friendship is salvaged and hopefully this will sustain us in the times to come.

I put myself out there again in Match.com land again and several interesting contacts have happened. Too early to talk about. Spring is the time when one hopes to find somebody to spend lovely dates with, and fortunately the city is so enticing for dining out, walk hand in hand along the Hudson River, discovering the wonders in Central Park. It has never been lovelier.

Meanwhile possibilities of doing some modeling work is waiting around the corner, and my daughter’s great art opening is happening tomorrow. It seems that it is turning out to be a media event. My children are my joy and pride, and having them nearby and my dear friends to go out with make me feel very lucky.

COUNTRY BOY MEETS CITY GIRL!

My special friend with the roses is coming in to town next Sunday, April 22nd. By then Central Park should be at its most lovely and since he is a pretty avid hiker, I plan to show him all the beautiful areas of Central Park. I am trying to get tickets to "Romeo and Juliet," New York City Ballet which is a world premiere since the Danish artist Per Kirkebye has designed the background Thursday night I met one of the ballet's super stars, the Danish dancer par excellence Nikolaj Hubbe at a fund raising event in one of the Chelsea areas' many art galleries. He happens to be a distant relative of mine on my mother's side, and I have met him several times before. Since he is dancing in "Romeo and Juliet" I thought it was a wonderful idea to get tickets for the two of us at the State Theater, and my friend definitely agreed, although he probably prefers the opera.

We have decided to celebrate his upcoming birthday with an opera and dinner near the Lincoln Center area.

Meanwhile he greets me every morning on the computer with his cheerful jokes and at night we have lots of laughs when he calls me. We are getting to know each other really well. No question about it, we both have a serious case of Spring Fever.

I still get a lot of mail from women who are interested in hearing about my life and who consider me inspirational. I answer them all, as a matter of fact I answer just about all my email. It is strange how many lovely women have written me and are looking for answers to their dilemna how to find suitable men. It is not easy, but I think with persistence and a certain amount of energy it should be able for everybody to find a suitable partner.

Easter in New York

The weather in New York around Easter time is not as pleasant and suitable for the traditional Easter Parade on Fifth Avenue as could be hoped, but the magnolias, cherry blooms and myriad of flowers are making New York a magical place to see for the many visitors.

My gentleman friend with the roses invited me to take a long drive in the countryside where he lives in order to show me all the historical sights of the region. We had a lovely lunch and dinner, and we found lots of time to learn about each other: our taste for food music, literature, culture, movies, television, politics, travel and adventures, and most importantly lifestyle. The emails, text messages and telephone calls fly back and forth daily, providing us both with a sense of what we both are doing during the week. The key word is definitely “caution” and taking the relationship really slowly. “One Day at a Time.” I like that; I recall the line from a song from “South Pacific,” the musical, “Getting to Know You.”

Plans for future dates include walking in Central Park when the bloom is really out in full force, and also perhaps going to the Metropolitan Opera, which is a favorite for both of us.

Meanwhile, I get constant letters from about 3 to 4 women who now almost have become friends. Although I’ve never met them, they report from time to time about their romances to me, and I like that. It is really interesting to observe the impact that Match.com has had on these women’s lives.

People keep calling me, reporting that they have seen my commercial. The latest call was from my cousin in Canada who reported that she and her husband had spotted me on television in Florida while vacationing! I am almost surprised that they recognized me in the evening gown. Life is good because Spring is coming. Romance is also in the air!

Romantic meetings in New York. Spring is in the air!

Spring has almost sprung in New York, and all it takes is one day of 70 degrees and the outdoor restaurants roll out its sidewalk café furniture. Couples are hanging out enjoying to shed all the heavy winter stuff. It makes your heart beat a little faster ….

A couple of weeks I had my third date with the friend who sent roses on Valentine’s Day.

He invited me to go and see an art exhibition together. We met at a little café and had coffee together first and then we proceeded to go to the art exhibition together. It was studied in great details by both of us and seemed to greatly interest us both.

Afterwards he invited me to lunch at a little café nearby on the water. I love anything near the water having been born there, and he seemed to enjoy himself immensely.

We had an intriguing discussion about our lives, and it was good to get to know each other that much more. We have both led fascinating lives and share a great many views and interests. We are both world travelers and seem to enjoy each others’ company.

Afterwards we walked across Manhattan, exploring all the neighborhoods as we walked along. Then we ended up in Chelsea and headed back up to Grand Central where he took the train back home. A great day which I enjoyed very much.

We are still communicating on the computer a lot sending messages back and forth and through the phone too.

It is fun to be a match.com “poster girl.” The television commercial must have reached a lot of people because I find it amazing that so many are coming up to me saying: ”Aren’t you that woman from the commercial in the evening gown singing? Lots of people have heard my radio commercial. Still, others tell me, “Kirsten, every time I open my email, your picture pops up.” And others will say: “Yes, I saw your ad in a magazine.” On the little café that I sit at in Chelsea writing my newspaper articles and my weekly blogs, I have become very well known and people unknown to me greet me . Now they want me to write a review of the food of the café, and I am happy to oblige.

The weekend brought offers of dinner in San Francisco, lunch in Los Angeles, men who invited me to let them know if I happened to be in their towns. Not to mention a gentleman from UK who is vacationing in Florida and who was hoping that I could join him there.

Another crazy invitation. A date that I met some months ago, (we just had two dates in a New Jersey restaurant) emailed me that he was flying to Las Vegas and would I come along? When I inquired as to what in the world I would be doing in Las Vegas, he said: "Getting married!" He claims that I am his dream woman. Well, I take it as a nice compliment and I am flattered, but it is hard to take things like that seriously.

A big surprise came along: a persistent Japanese suitor who was adamant that I consider accepting a ticket to visit him in Japan. He had spent considerable amount of years in New York and Washington, D.C. and wanted a Westernized wife. He even called me from Japan to convince me. I have never dated a Japanese man before, especially because I am a reasonably tall woman, and for that reason probably do not attract Asian men; it is a bit too exotic of a romance for me also.

Probably, it is my adventurous profile with the crocodile catching logo on the ITSOKAYTOLOOK.com site that captivates these brave men to approach me. It is wildly flattering to me of course and I am appreciating the interest.

DAYLIGHT SAVINGS TIME…THAT DELICIOUS GIFT OF 60 PRECIOUS MINUTES!

As every minute becomes more and more precious with age, I choose to make the best use of this extra hour by spending it with a good friend of mine attending an evening performance called FAGAALA at Brooklyn Academy of Music, also affectionately known as BAM. It is a powerful dance theater piece which has toured extensively through Africa, Europe, the U.S., Asia and Australia and is the passionate response of two choreographers, one from Senegal and one from Japan – to genocide.

My friend, Valerie, is a talented photographer who is responsible for having photographed me for my first composite card which I use for modeling. She got the tickets and had a last minute cancellation so she called me knowing that I am a good sport for anything cultural in New York City. I trust her judgment implicitly. I will probably hang out that extra hour with her afterwards having a glass of wine somewhere nearby, toasting to match.com and the incredible impact that it has had on my life, trying to talk her into writing up her profile as well.

I, in turn, am going to tell her about my fabulous video documentary which has just hit the IT’S OKAY TO LOOK website. I have had a few days to judge the initial response of the video documentary. And here’s a recap…

My best response was from my daughter who works in the creative industry of television, film, movies and fine arts. She is a celebrity make-up artist as well as an up-and-coming painter “just-about-to-burst-on-the-New York Art Scene in a really big way” - fine artist and social commentator, having taken up a whole new direction than her much more conservative mother who paints good and realistic portraits of an international clientele, children as well as dogs, landscapes, etc. She told me that the video made her burst into tears at the sight of her late father whom she adored who was “co-starring” with me (via many treasured photos from our lives together).

My son’s comments were also complimentary, but of a more practical note:
“I wonder if the pictures of Dad might scare suitors away.” Hopefully, people will realize by viewing part 2 that I am now ready to move on to a new and different life, hopefully starting a whole new life.

My daughter’s friends’ comments (listed below) ran the gamut from a diverse group of people in various professions:

“Absolutely beautifully done and as a producer, I am sure that they did it on a shoestring. You would never know – Danishbeauty22 is just a terrific subject. Forget those other ladies, I want to go out with her!"

"Oh, I loved those videos! It made me very emotional."

"I hope to inspire my daughters the way your mom inspires you! (You have her smile by the way) She is so beautiful!"

"Really, really great! What a woman, very cool. Helen Mirren and now your Mom."

Another wrote: "Senior babes rule. Your mother is very beautiful. It is quite apparent that her spirit and elegance were passed to you."

"It made me cry!"

"Hmm, an attractive, vibrant fearless, sexy woman in her 70’s. No surprise to me, she is YOUR MOM. It runs in the family."

"Tell your Mom, we are rooting for her."

"Thanks for sending this. She seems like a very strong woman and it’s great to see someone like her putting it out there. When we see something like this, it reaffirms the wonderfulness of the human spirit because, let’s face it, so much around us these days is doing the exact opposite."

And to the more descriptively put quote:

"Yay for your mom, the kick ass diva of the New Millennium RIGHT ON GIRL you go!!!!!"

As I close this lengthy blog, I cannot help thinking of what my formidable, brilliant mother-in-law (author of a book on Black Greek pottery and a PhD) who lives in Athens and in her young days a teacher at Miss Porter’s Finishing School would think of her daughter-in-law being called “The Kick Ass Diva of the New Millennium.” It is going to be tough to live up to that name!. Sincere thanks to Fred (the Director), Alex and Bruce for the fine, sensitive and discreet job they did on the documentary!

Videotaping a documentary about my life - and Valentine's Day related happenings.

The big event since the last blog post happened was when Fred Golding, an Academy Award nominated producer called me up about videotaping a documentary of me to be used for the match.com website. It will be posted soon on the site.

We agreed that for starters it would be a good thing to come to SCANDINAVIA HOUSE, a Scandinavian Cultural Center in NYC, to videotape me while I wore my “journalist hat” while attending a press preview of the opening of the Swedish Silver Exhibition which is going to be up until May 2007. They promised to be discreet, but how discreet can a television crew of 3 be trailing me around the showcases, causing quite a bit of stir and amusement from the president and vice president?. (I have worked there in the past). Fred, Alex, the video photographer, and Bruce, the co-producer, stayed with me about two hours.

The next day, the day before Valentine’s Day, they showed up as agreed at my apartment at 10 o’clock sharp. Here they followed me around as I pointed out my portraits, watercolors and the stories behind them. They took a good deal of time with me, interviewing me about my life, coming to this country, my previous life with my husband, who is now deceased, and about my children.

At about 11 o’clock they took a brief break. In a very short time, Fred was back, sprinting up the stairs, telling Alex to start up the camera again because someone was going to knock on the door. It turned out to be a messenger delivering a DOZEN LONG STEMMED BEAUTIFUL RED ROSES!!! I had no idea who could be behind that. It turned out to be from a nice gentleman who took me out the Saturday before! I was touched by this thoughtfulness needless to say, so the crew videotaped me putting the roses in a vase and also calling him up and thanking him for his thoughtfulness. I did not actually have a Valentine’s date, but he thoughtfully invited me out for a full day the following Saturday to enjoy the countryside of Cold Spring and Bear Mountains.

I took the train out and hiked the mountains for a couple of hours with him followed by lunch at a French restaurant in picturesque Cold Spring. We also visited the various cute little stores on Main Street and enjoyed the sight of the gorgeous mountains. The evening’s finale was a fireside cocktail hour and a cozy dinner at the Hudson House in Cold Spring. It was a most enjoyable day in the country and the weather was glorious!

The “winks” and emails come flying in fast and furious, but fortunately at a manageable pace. Before the campaign I had these visions of being hopelessly flooded with mail, but thank goodness I get about 5-6 a day, sometimes more, sometimes less…

Still it is the younger men that dominate the mail, and most of them are very far away and not suitable for dating. I even had a Danish man from Denmark email me. Still I get a fair amount of mail from other women, telling me how much they enjoy reading my blogs and my profile. I have apparently been very inspirational to them. I am thankful for that input. I keep receiving emails from an Asian woman in Singapore who updates me on the ways of Asian dating rituals. (Actually, they are not much different from those of New York). She mentioned having dates at the famous RAFFLES HOTEL, world renown hotel where my husband and I and our daughter were about 10 years ago. Fun to hear about that!

Also, a good number of people and friends have called me to let me know that they have seen my commercial on television or heard the radio commercial.

Match.com sent the tv commercial to me in a DVD which I have now gotten copied and mailed out to my modeling agencies. Hopefully, it should result in some more work for me!