Sure, I'd expect to feel rejected if I asked the high school quarterback to prom. I wouldn't be surprised if Justin Timberlake rejected my marriage proposal. But getting rejected by Mr. Criagslist two weeks ago: now that was an unexpected blow.

I had no idea I could feel rejected from someone who posted an ad on Craigslist, accompanied by a visual of Richard Simmons. Who knew personal-ad-posters were in a position to be picky?

But, after I replied to his ad with a picture requesting to set up a date, I never heard back from him. Maybe he found someone better. Or, maybe his ad was an experiment just to see how many takers he could get. Maybe it was just an ego boost. Maybe it was just all a joke. Or ... maybe he didn't like what he saw.

Rejection bites. In fact, like one of those purse dogs who appear seemingly innocuous, then bite your hand when you try to show them some love, rejection comes in all shapes, sizes and breeds, and always sucks.

So not only can I not get a real date, but I can't even get a date from someone on Craigslist. Great. Predictably, I decided to Google the word 'rejection' (because an extended word search is how I handle most of my problems) to ease the pain. According to Wikipedia, the word "rejection" was first used in 1415, meaning "to throw back."

My Google search returned multiple pages with everything from whining bachelors on askmen.com complaining about how they can't find a wife, to articles on The Princeton Review's Web site telling fragile freshmen how to cope when their dream school waitlisted them. I even got directed to a salsa Web site, with an instructor giving advice to his students to not let fear of rejection get in the way of asking a partner to dance (it does take two to tango, after all), and some basketball Web site (rejection is a slang term for a shot block).

Anything and everything can get rejected. Business licenses, vital organs, med school applications, manuscripts, eyebrow rings. I'd like to conduct a survey on how many times humans and/or inanimate objects get rejected in a year, or even a day. Seeing all the ways I could get, and will get, rejected in the future reminded me I can't let myself get down due to minor set backs, because it will happen again (and again and again).

So, if you feel rejected by a real person, or someone you've never met, remember you're in good company. Everything has the potential of getting rejected: even breast implants. I learned not to be cocky; nothing's in the bag — not even some love from an aging, afroed, '80s fitness guru wannabe.

So, when people ask how my first dating experience on Craigslist that never was, was, let's just say it was a debacle.

Next week: The finale of being single in Seattle — why being single is like performance art.

[Reach columnist Erin Hicks at features@thedaily.washington.edu.]