Continuing my trend of asking love-related questions...
As a result of having seen the 40 Year Old Virgin a few too many times now, I've signed up for a Speed Dating session this coming week. The premise is that you get to talk with 8 different women for 8 minutes each. I was just wondering if anyone on here had tried anything like this before, and if so, if they had any advice for how to go about it. As always, any input is appreciated.
You believe me, don't you? Please believe what I just said...
My buddy signed up for one of these not too long ago, but he wasn't too complimentary of the whole process when it was over. The problem, for him, was that the vast majority of women who were involved were not---err---remotely attractive? He had planned to do something to stick out, like chomp on a cigar and never take it out of his mouth while speaking, but he never bothered going through with it as these ladies were all thirty or forty-somethings, and probably desperate.
In any case, my advice is find as reputable an organization as you possibly can (if such a thing exists) and don't take it too seriously. There's absolutely no point trying to make a deep connection with someone in eight minutes so you may as well just try to make the interactions as fun as possible. Avoid answering questions directly, such as where are you from("I dunno, Spain?") and what do you do ("I test mattresses"), as it is nearly impossible to create flirtation soberly responding to boring queries in a style usually reserved for job interviews or police interrogations.
Though, I haven't actually DONE this. I'm just adpating my general pickup philosophy to this situation. So yeah, ignore me, heh.
I've actually done this, and it can be fun if you just have the attitude that you're going to have a good time and not take it too seriously.
My experience was through Hurrydate, so I knew the age range of the women that would be there. I'm assuming you will have an idea as well. The women that were there I found attractive, so you're not necessarily going to run into the situation that HMD's friend did.
My event was held at a local pub; again I'm assuming yours is as well. Dress casually yet sharp, don't overdue it. You can order a drink before the event starts, if you don't drink and you're really nervous about that you can ask for a sprite in a cocktail glass or something along those lines, and you'll blend in no problem.
You'll be given a scorecard (for lack of a better word), and a number: after each 8 minute date, you'll want to write down the girl's number and her name. At the end of the evening, you'll check off who you'd like to talk to some more. The organizers will then send you the e-mail addresses of the girls who also said they'd like to talk to you. Take the time to write down the name and number: you don't want to get a match with girl #10 and call her Cindy when her name is Janet. I did this, and it really sucks.
Finally, just be yourself. The time goes surprisingly fast, so if one of you makes things uncomfortable, you'll be plucked away from the situation soon enough. Good ice breakers include "So what made you decide to try this?". Don't make any mention of the other guys she's talked to; you only have eight minutes so spend that time getting to know the basics of her and telling her about you.
So, to summarize: Dress right Be yourself Show up a few minutes early to get a drink Take the time to write the girl's name next to her number Be yourself Have a conversation like you would if the two of you happened to be on a subway Don't make any mention of the other guys Be Yourself and Have Fun!
Remember, you're not trying to find a girlfriend on this night. You're just trying to spark interest.
Good luck and have fun! If you're not too embarrassed when the night is over, I hope you'll post what happened
I've heard mixed reports. I only know females who have done it though. One HATED it. It was the reverse of Hogan's situation. She thought all the guys were pathetic. Consequently, she had a terrible time and selected the bar man as her potential match at the end of the night. Another female friend has been to a few and generally enjoyed it, but she's pretty laid back. She did say alot of the guys she talked to couldn't believe the difference between her just talking normally and the structured question list of some of the women. Apparently there were a few who asked: who are you, what do you do, what are your plans for the future, can you provide for me, if you were a fruit, what sort of fruit would you be type questions.
I'd say if you were going to do it, don't do anything unusual to attract attention\stand out, just be yourself and don't take it too seriously and don't get rotten drunk. If worst comes to worst, you spend 64 minutes talking to women you'll never see again.
The event was last night and went surprisingly well. I knew the ages of the women going in (23-35), and surprisingly, they were all attractive. There were a few awkward moments, but overall, the 8 minutes felt way too short to ever get to that point with most of the women. I fear that I may have come off too bland, but now that I know what I'm getting into, I can work on strategy for the next time I decide to do one of these. Overall, it was fun, and I'd recommend it for an evening out and chance to meet other people.
You believe me, don't you? Please believe what I just said...
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