So
rioters bloc has requested a run down on Speed Dating. Check out her blog, I enjoy it muchly.
Maybe this run down will cause me to expose my blog to people in my life as it will save me from having to tell the same story over and over again. I am sick of telling it already. Mainly because I am shy and get embarrassed. Writing it down while sitting in my room my self is much easier.
So to set the scene, I went with my friends from school C and J. J god bless her drove. Luckily for me as I was adamant that liquid courage was required.
Don't ask what I was drinking. I was all they had and pretty rancid.
Oh and why I was there, I randomly decided to do a what is in my bag photo. Probably because for once there was no rubbish in my bag. I will show you what I mean one day. I don't really care about what people have in their bags but if you do this is for you. Enjoy.
Anyway, we drove around the city looking for a park for ages. We finally found one that would accommodate our after 10pm requirements and rushed to the venue, arriving five minutes after the 7.30pm start time. We were unsure whether 7.30pm meant, sit down and date at 7.30pm or stand around awkwardly for awhile then date. Turns out it was the latter.
So after standing around for a while just talking to my friends, another champers down the trap (seriously I rarely drink), we finally found the hosts, got our name badges and our score sheets. Not so surprisingly for Perth, there were two other girls there who we knew. N and H went to high school with us. Apart from stalking them on facebook, I don't think I have seen either of them since 2002. We sat down at a table for a while and had a rather awkward chat with a couple of guys and then we were split into boys and girls for our host speeches.
The way it worked was that the girls sat a table and the boys rotated to us. We all had numbers and our names on our badges. We had five minutes with each of the 18 guys. There was a warning bell at four minutes and then a final bell when it was time for the next date. The scorecard could be ripped in half. On one side we wrote our own notes (for the next day to jog our memories when we got out "matches") and on the other side we wrote next to the guy's name and number "date", "friend" or "no".
You need a bloody degree to figure this out, especially after a few drinks, but this is what it means. If either girl or guy picked "no", there was no match. If both picked "date", you get matched as a 'date" and if one picks "friend", or you both do, it's a "friend" match. So if if I wrote "date' and he wrote "friend", then it would only be a "friend" match. We got emailed our results and the contact details of our "friend" or "date" matches the next day. Sorry I am mixing my tenses here. I am even confusing myself.
Oddly enough, N and I shared a tiny little table for our dates. I would date the guys first and then they would shuffle the 20cms to the next seat and date her. It was a little unnerving for me having them stay so close. J and C decided it was hilarious and that N was getting my sloppy seconds. By the end of it I was introducing my dates to N.
So, eighteen dates is a lot. By the end, C gave up and told one of her dates she just wanted to go home. It was also very cramped and loud and there were only two breaks for toilet, food and drink refills. We did get a complimentary drink though. Five minutes goes very quickly. Especially if you are me and spend one of those five minute dates having a coughing fit and another laughing hyserically for no apparent reason. It would have been better if there were nine dates lasting ten minutes. It is also very tiring talking to strangers for nearly four hours. Yes, we finished at eleven fifteen. On a school night!!
The guys were all really nice and decent looking. I was also surprised at how attractive and nice most of the girls were too. Hmm, did I just diss myself? Back to the important stuff. There was a few standouts looks wise. My first date was gorgeous. Pity I stood him up for three of the five minutes while I waited for the very slow bartender (who was the best looking of the night). I only had one awkward conversation (which also involved the coughing fit) but that was one of last and I was so very tired. I think I just lost concentration for a while. Me being me even said at the end "So, nice to meet you. Sorry for the awkward conversation". That was actually the hardest part. The saying goodbye. It was like:
"Ok, nice to meet. Have a nice life".
"Oh and meet N, she is your next date".
And then my next date would come in and it would start all over again. Not before we frantically picked our preferences for the last date and scribbled down some note about them. Ie. J - painter, hot, inventions. M - loves to sweat. B - bunge knee, bogan. And back to the next date.
"Hi I am Fi".
"Yes, my name tag has been ripped in half to remove the "ona". That was a former date".
"So, how are you".
"Good. Have you done this before".
"Are you having fun?"
"So, what do you do".
And then I would put off telling them what I do for as long as possible. Oddly most of them were tradies. Three were in IT and three were photographers. I am always awkward telling guys I am lawyer because they tend to get intimidated or put off. "Oh... A lawyer" they say. And because I work in "divorce law", it is not really the best conversation piece for a date, especially when you only have five minutes. I think I said my job was " yes very interesting and eye opening", "no it's not as hard as you think" and "just a job" about a million times. Not that I fancy dating only "professionals" but I probably should have gone to the "professionals" event next week as at least I would not of have such awkward conversations about my work.
Geez sorry I sound like a pompous snob. I am not like that at all. I promise. Ok, maybe a little bit.
My whole life I had encountered problems because I am too nice. This was no exception. Apart from one guy, I either listed "date" or "friend" for everyone. I ticked "friend" in a "you were nice to talk too but I would not want to date you kinda way". How we were going to be "friends", I did not even think about. I even ticked "friend" for Frenchy, the guy we swear was only there to find a wife so he could stay in the country and who was also a little creepy.
So after checking my email a million times yesterday, we finally got our matches. I must be a pretty friendly kind of girl because I got twelve matches. Eleven "friends' and one "date". J got one date and some friends and C got six friends. So I like totally won. J's date was T - hot, painter, inventions, so maybe she won in some people's eyes. Not that it is a competition.
And you know what? Miracle upon miracle, my "date" guy, D, was the guy I liked the most. The first thing I said to him was "Lucky Last" and the conversation just flowed so easily from there. N did point out though that D was her sloppy seconds as he was her first. We probably talked for about twenty minutes too as when the final bell rang we all sat around talking. This then had to be explained to N's date Frenchy, so our date sort of turned into a double. Then we compared notes and my friends started making fun of this one guy. I laughed and stated he was the guy with the weird hobby. D leaned across the table and whispered that we were talking about his friend. Oops. It obviously was not too bad though as he picked me.
So we got our matches with their emails and mobile numbers. Within three hours I had an email from one guy (which turned out to be generic as J got the same one) asking me if I would like to go dancing, to an art gallery or for coffee with him, as friends... Then I got a text
"Bonsoir "Fi", lookin forward 2 see if ur as geeky as u claim to be ;-)".
No name. You have probably already guessed who it was but I was little slow on the uptake. If it was D, I didn't want to dismiss him or be rude. I had also completely forgotten what I said to each guy and who I must of told I was a geek. So I replied.
""And how am I supposed to prove that to a mystery man?"
And then I realised if I clicked 'Show All" on my email, I could see the guys phone numbers and confirmed that it was my future foreign husband to be. Why oh why did I tick friend??? Too nice for my own good. I can't just flat out say "Not interested" and I have decided to fob him off until his visa expires next month. Nice ha. Such terrible terrible timing that I have come down with a deathly disease.
Anyway, I decided I would email D if he didn't email me by today. But he did. And he was very sweet and said he would call me tonight. Which he did. We are meeting for coffee (be still my beating heart, anyone can win me over with caffeine) and cake.
Problem being is that I have the bloody flu. And I sound like a frog. It is very attractive. He even accused me (I think jokingly but flu brain does not take stirring very well and took it literally) of putting it on to avoid him. So I told him, that no I was only doing that to Frenchy. Go figure? Fi flu brain is mental!! Anyway, I left it that I would let him know when I was feeling better and we would go out.
So that is that.
It really was a fun night and a great thing to do. So many laughs all around. I am glad I sucked it up and had the guts to go. I would totally recommend it to anyone who has the slightest inkling to try it out. We only live once right.
Oh and this is what I wore:
Now I need to figure out what appropriate coffee and cake attire is. I really need jeans. I want some Curvy Bettina Liano ones but don't want to spend $250 if they are going to be too big in a few weeks. Woe is me. Luckily big sis is in town so will get her to assist me. She does casual well. My casual repotoire comprises of frump and sloppy.
And time to pass out.
