Ah. Never mind then. I used to have a very close friend at ZCSD.
I knew my wife’s brother through the local hashing club and he was having a party at his apartment. He asked me to come early to help him with the keg (I had a Dodge Dakota at the time and if a pickup truck is only good for one thing, it’s good for getting kegs for parties). I parked outside his apartment and this gorgeous brunette (Think Annette Benning crossed with Xena the Warrior Princess) was standing on the sidewalk looking up at the apartment windows. When she saw me, she asked “Oh, are you here for my brother’s party?”
I had one of those moments in my mind. My brain kept telling me Say something clever! Say something clever! and I managed to mumble “Uh, depends who your brother is” followed by a mental forehead slap. Things picked up a little later in the party where I actually became a bit more clever and engaging (maybe it was the beer), the high point of the night coming when I pulled my shirt up over the back of my shoulders and danced while covering my nipples (it was funny in context). She spent the next week or so telling everyone she knew how much fun she had and how funny I was but when anyone suggested that she and I should go out on a date, she said “Oh no, he’s the guy I’d always want at my parties, not the guy I want to date.” I was pretty smitten myself and after seeing her a couple times in groups, I asked her out.
I really figured out that I loved her when I drove down to French Lick, Indiana for a weekend and I spent the whole drive thinking about her. That Sunday night, we met back up at the hash and I told her that I loved her while she was sitting on my lap and I was sitting on the floor of the women’s room of the bar (again, context). Several months later, we discovered that we were pregnant and a couple months after that we were married. It will be 12 months this December. Just before we discovered that we were pregnant, she was actually considering breaking up with me because she really liked me but she couldn’t imagine a future with us together or me being a good father. Nowadays, she’s happy to tell people how wrong she was then.
I know many relationship success stories from people who met hashing. This group isn’t for everyone and they can get pretty wild at times, but it’s a social group that runs, drinks beer, and sings dirty songs. There is a certain instant chemistry that it cultivates somehow.
He chased me across a rapier fighting field a few times, trying to stab me in the eye with a rapier. Afterwards, he was working in the kitchen helping to prepare the evening’s dinner, and I was about to go home. A mutual friend twisted my arm to go help in the kitchen and we hit it off, chatted for a bit, and added each other on Facebook.
Two weeks later, I made some comment on Facebook about testing some medieval Indian recipes. He suggested I needed a tester, and he would be happy to help. A week later, he drove down two hours with his rapiers and a copy of Capo Ferro, we stabbed at each other, and then I made medieval Indian food. He proposed 3 weeks later, and we’re getting married in just over a month. 
I just remembered something I did like about meeting people on CL. I would place an ad, they would answer, and I would talk to them for a bit before exchanging pictures. It was a nice change of pace from going on places like POF and just instantly deciding based on a picture. However, because of my shallowness, I could talk to someone for days/weeks and they could have a great personality, but if they didn’t qualify in the looks department, fughettaboutit…
I also got my hubby on Craigslist by posting an ad. 
Pretty standard stuff. I was bartending The Sopranos Emmy party (9/9/2000) and she was reading Tarot Cards at the event. The bartender next to me knew I was into the S&M scene in L.A. and when he took a break to get a reading from her she told him she was considering trying work as a dominatrix. So I took her to a “scene” party and we started dating.
It will be 10 years in November (she did not become a dominatrix).
Cute footnote: On his way out of the party that night, Steven van Zandt slipped a $20 bill in my shirt pocket, the first time a celebrity had ever tipped me. A few years later, at the final Sopranos’ Emmy party, I told him he was the first celeb to have done so and that it was the night I met my wife. On his way out that night he slipped me a $100 (and gave me another hundie to give to my bartender partner that night). He may be known as Little Steven, but in my eyes he’s HUGE.
I was 36 and separated, she was 39 and divorced with four kids 14 through 19. She was a friend of a colleague of mine and ran a small chemical company. She and her sales manager met my colleague for lunch, and I had been invited to come along. We had an interesting lunch with a broad range of conversational topics, and I thought she was a dynamic, insightful person, and attractive. Her marital status did not come up.
A few months later, my colleague talked her into hosting a birthday party for another colleague, so we all got together there. At that point, knowing more about her, I really took an interest, and later asked my colleague what she thought about me asking the friend out. “Well, duh, about time!” was my colleague’s response, she and her friend having determined already that I would be appropriate dating material.
Dated for a year, lived together for a year, married 27 years as of two weeks ago. Eleven grandkids that, although not biologically related, were all born on my watch, so to speak, so I have always been their granddad and they give me great joy (and their parents are just fine, too!).
Funny, I don’t recall that sword he was found with being a rapier…
At church. She and her family had recently moved back to the area. Saw her walk in the door, waited until the service was over and then went over and introduced myself. That was nearly 30 years ago.
On a Buffy board. We were introduced by a mutual friend and hit it off. First chatting, then phone calls, then monumental phone bills, until she finally bit the bullet and flew to the opposite coast to meet me. We’ve been together better than 11 years, married for 9.
Awesome stories.
We met in grad school, probably this week 25 years ago actually, though neither of us remembers our first meeting. I was starting a Ph.D. program in math, she was in the second year of a master’s program. We were in two of the same classes (number theory and combinatorics), became friends over the next month or so, and after awhile things headed in an even better direction. Seems to be working out so far - I’d say we’re good for another few decades. 
Answered an add in the local gaming store, “GM looking for players,” placed by her fiance.
Its a long story.
But it’s 21 years this summer!
Sword’s a sword… 
Second all of this, but I want to add that if you’re female and have any science interests, SciConnectmay be the dating site for you. Imagine a whole lot of guys who were too busy getting advanced degrees or doing extensive research to date the mainstream way, that’s the core of SciConnect. If you’re a straight dude, there are fewer women than men there, but it’s certainly worth a look.
I met mine thanks (in a roundabout sort of way) to the Dope.
I read the entire The Ongoing Online Dating Advice Thread while trying to wrap my head around the whole online dating phenomenon. People participating in the thread would often post links to their profiles to solicit advice but I wasn’t willing to sign up for anything to view them. I did find it mildly frustrating that I was unable to browse - I was unable to see for myself the kinds of complaints people had about dating profiles in general. Then one day I clicked on something at Plenty of Fish. I was able to see everything there without signing up.
I spent about 20 minutes surfing around - enough to see exactly what the complaints were about. One person really stood out, however. We had many things in common, and in addition he was involved with a number of things I’ve always wanted to do but haven’t yet. I couldn’t get him out of my mind but I wasn’t interested in dating anyone. I thought about contacting him anyway, but was afraid that may be annoying or insulting. I asked Robot Arm what he would think if he got a “I don’t want to date you but I think you’re cool” message and he it would depend on a few factors, but that he could be receptive… I signed up for POF and sent the message.
That was in early December, and we communicated almost daily via email while occasionally getting together for dinner. In early summer he started inviting me over for dinner on weekends. In mid-July we went to see Peter Murphy together, after spending the day hanging out in the city. He kissed me in that concert, and the rest is history. It was kind of sudden and a bit unexpected, and I still don’t think I’m entirely datable (in the process of working out some health issues that took me out of commission for awhile) but he’s all-in and I think he’s wonderful. We spend the majority of our free time together.
He jokes about us writing the best POF success story ever. The “Hi, I’m not interested in dating you…” story.
Met Czarcasm at Orycon liked what I saw, stayed away 'cause he was married and had a child. Kept meeting him at different groups that I was interested in. I got up enough courage to talk to him more as friend with common interests. Ran into him again at Westercon without wife or child, he told me that his wife ran off to England with a “wandering minstrel” and that his daughter was with the grandparents and that he was helping his wife by claiming the child was his even tho he met her when she was 6 months preggers.
Both Czarcasm and I stayed after the convention as part of the clean up crew. We started dating. He moved in with me. He got a divorce. Married 3 months later. Just celebrated 26 years together.
We still go to Orycon. We started dragging our son along since birth, Kid Czarcasm is now 24 and still going to conventions, he’s at Kumoricon this weekend. Must be in the genes.
Small correction-the child was 6 months old when I first met my first wife.
Campground at SoCal Renaissance Pleasure Faire opening weekend 24 years ago. He chatted me up while I was unloading my car and suggested I look for him during the festival. I did, but never saw him again during the run.
9 months later I accidentally met him again at the house of a friend of a friend. He chatted me up again and asked for my number. I gave it to him but said he could call but I might not answer. He called, I answered, and we’ve recently celebrated our 22nd anniversary.
I was really only interested in sex at the time, but he was persistent. Still is, too.
On a college semester abroad in London. She was one of my fellow students and led, as a class project, a walking tour of Sir Christopher Wren’s churches from after the Great Fire of London. I thought, “Wow - she’s smart, cute and loves history! I’ve got to get to know her better.” We dated off and on for four years, lived together for about a year, and have now been married just over 23 years.