The New Girl story still has legs

While I’m on the topic of dating: I’m still getting linked to from other blogs about the New Girl story. From some pretty big names in the blogosphere, no less — Asparagirl has just linked to the story, driving my hits up once again. I’m going to have to pay my Web hosting company a little extra money this month, but it’s nothing that 15 minutes of accordion playing on a good night couldn’t fix.

I’m also still getting lots of nice emails from strangers sending their condolences, offering free beer and wishing me well in general. Thanks, everybody!

Some of you have been asking if I’ve seen or heard from New Girl. Here’s the latest:

• She’s been seen about town, but not at her usual haunts. What with all the negative press she’s been getting from local LiveJournals in the wake of my story, she hasn’t set foot in any of the local haunts for some time.
• Someone mentioned that she was crashing on the couch of a fellow member of Cocaine Anonymous, but got tossed out a few days later.
• When she has no place to crash, she often checks herself into the psych ward of a local hospital. She treats it as if it were a cleaner, if quirkier, free youth hostel (remember, we have universal medicare here in Canada) and uses a paperback copy of Girl, Interrupted as a guide for “acting the part”.
• The cops seem to be very interested in finding her. Apparently, she’s got a court date for a fraud case. She was also somehow involved in a party that got busted, and when the cops questioned her, she gave them the name and address of her Cocaine Anonymous sponsor as her own.
• I recently got email from her, and have added her to the “blocked” list. Really, New Girl, what makes you think I want to hear anything you have to say?
• New Girl has a fan! In the comments section of another blog, a woman who somehow confused feminism with vengeance has this to say:
  

  There’s only “injury” here because the “victim” had his/her own expectations of the duper. I’ve known better dupers than the one he met – I see no need for moral outrage. The only people they “injure” are people who want something from them, and don’t get it [or don’t get it back once they give it]. And pointing out double standards between the sexes is not a “man-vs-woman” thing, it’s just an individual opinion thing. Oh but sorry to interrupt the flow of the moral condemnation for “bad behaviour”. I realize that’s important to some of you… so please… resume the ‘tsk tsk’ talk n’ the public flogging of this evil spidery deceitful wench… I’ll piss off.

  Sorry Joey I hadn’t seen your last post. I’m glad you’re starting to see that I wasn’t “relishing in your pain” [you were a hypothetical stranger when I first commented] but rather simply taking issue with this woman [or anyone] being tarred n’ feathered online for doing what seemed [from your own account] like little more than masterfully lying to you about her identity and *not* living up to your romantic expectations [annoying yet somewhat benign in and of itself]. It seemed to me a double standard to condemn her as some kind of harpy, since… when men do the same as her, it’s passed off as mere “bad boy” behaviour. As for her criminal record and “bad behaviour” – I still feel that’s for the law to decide, not rumour mills and virtual stoning [which is what is happening – even if her ID is withheld]. I don’t know this woman. Hell – *you* don’t know this woman either by what you describe. And me – I was simply uncomfortable with the idea that I was expected to fall in line and throw another rock at her. I admire her guts and her obvious talent – that doesn’t mean I’m glad she hurt you. I see you as partly to blame for your own situation – that also doesn’t mean I think you “deserved” it and it also doesn’t mean I’m glad she hurt you. Brief – more personal responsibility – less rock throwing.

  I never “relished” in Joey’s pain – I merely celebrated power in un-expected places. You think the world owes you the “truth”?

  I won’t link to the comments directly, because they’re from someone else’s blog, and I don’t want to start scrapping there. Blogs are people’s homes on the Web, and you don’t bring fights to other people’s homes.

  As for New Girl’s one and only fan, a little advice: when you live in a moral vaccuum, you cannot help but suck. Make good on your promise and piss off, willya?

• I didn’t even know there was such a thing as Cocaine Anonymous. Did you?