There’s a reason why they call a date with someone you don’t know a Blind Date. You really have no idea what you’re going to get. Hopefully, if you were set up by a friend, you can have a little confidence that it won’t be a disaster, but too often you don’t even have a smidge of assurance to go on that this won’t be a complete disaster.
I went on a few blind dates in my single days – from Andy the normal accountant who was also quite boring, to Hyman (yes, that’s his real name) the gorgeous Puerto Rican who had amazing salsa moves, but pretty much no conversation skills, to Ernie the illegal Mexican immigrant who ate my dessert at dinner.
Some were successes, some were disasters. Below are my words of advice for those who are going to venture into the blind date world.
- Be careful who you let set you up. Ernie was my friend’s husband’s idea, and clearly he found humor more important in the match up than actually compatibility – or even a common language.
- Meet in a public area. This goes more for women, but you guys also never know what kind of creeps are out there. Telling someone you don’t know where you live is a BIG mistake.
- Keep it simple. Coffee is best. Maybe dinner, but definitely not dinner and a movie or anything which requires the whole evening. If it is good, you can always extend the date. If it is bad, you don’t want to have obligations.
- Always have an out. You’ve seen it on TV, and it works. Your date supposed to start at 7:00, so you arrange to have a friend call at 7:45. When that friend calls, you can either ignore the call or use it as an opportunity to get the heck out of dodge. Susie’s grandmother died. Dave broke up with his girlfriend. Whatever. There is a crisis and you are needed anywhere but on your date right now. Get off the phone and politely explain to your date that you have to go. And, no, it isn’t cruel – having to go through a mismatched date is bad for both of you. This works for men and women – I’ve been out with a guy who clearly had an out, too.
- Don’t expect anything. You don’t know what you’re going to get, so keep your expectations low. If it is really bad, you aren’t too disappointed, and you’ll survive the event. If it is good, you’ll be pleasantly surprise.
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