It doesn't seem barely two days ago I signed up for speed dating and before I knew it, Wednesday 27th January soon came around and so did the butterflies and nerves!
I got home from work, attempted to make a chicken sandwich (which I struggled to finish) For anyone that doesn't know me, food is normally no obstacle. (I'm not an overweight guy, but I'm sure this will all catch up with more sooner than later!) Registration for the event started at 7.30PM sharp, and it was already 7.10PM as I checked my watch every minute, just in case time was going to skip a few extra minutes just to keep me on my toes.
I'm walking distance from the train station and got a taxi from there. It gave me time to get my thoughts together, mainly those filled with nerves and attempting to remind myself of the positives - that either way it was all about the experience!
The taxi journey (which normally takes no longer than 5mins) seemed to take an eternity! Every traffic light purposely halting on red just to make me sweat it out a little bit longer. I arrived at the venue - a nightclub, which I've been to a number of times, so I already knew the layout which was a bonus! I walked upstairs, expecting to see red balloons with their company logo all over them attached to chairs and some form of cheesy American greeting, but instead it was..pretty basic!
A nice welcome greeting from both of the hosts, I received my sticker with my name and number '6' written on it, then it was time to kill 20mins at the bar before the 'Speed Dating' began at 8PM. I'm not being big headed here, but I like to think I can speak to most people without the harm of being embarrsed or feeling like an idiot - but the other guys there didn't appreciate me trying to make small talk at the bar with them, when they wanted to clearly point out that they were there solely for the Women. I was too, but I was trying to break the ice a bit. After all, we were all there for the same reason!
8PM soon rolled around, and after the Women were seated the Men were told to sit at the same table number as what's on your stickers. I was opposite my first date, now the age group for tonight's event was 23-39, I'm 27. Majority of the people there were late 20's early 30's so an ideal mix! I managed to feel at ease almost instantly and 3mins passed so quick, I barely had time to make a note of the ladies number and if I wanted to tick 'yes' 'no' or 'friend' before being moved on to the next date.
The night was going well, I was at ease, took a break off the beer and went with water. First impressions are everything, especially at these events - so cutting down the beer intake was essential. As you 'date' 13 Women in an hour! That's some going! It wasn't many dates before I came across a Woman I was instantly intrigued about. We didn't even wait for the buzzer to go before we started chatting and 3mins barely seemed like 3secs. We discussed music, she loves Paramore, 30 Seconds To Mars & Frank Turner for starters! Now that's quite a mix straight away and took a sip of water as I didn't want her to see my chin hit the floor. She told me how she loves duvet days and just chilling out watching DVD's back to back. Now that's an ideal weekend right there!
We took a break for 15mins once we were about half way around the room. Time to get a breather and refill before facing 'Round 2'. Some of the guys were still quite nervous as we swapped stories / observations at the bar. Once we had 'dated' everyone, It was encouraged that we stayed for a while, caught up with our potential matches before heading home.
It was like being back at a high school disco. The guys one side, the ladies on the other. I was feeling quite confident after having a fun night meeting everyone and decided to seek out #8 and see if we could continue our conversation from earlier. It seemed I waited a little bit too long and she left with her mates shortly after, but did ask for my name again and scribbled something on to her scorecard.
A few of tonight's crowd remained after the hosts left and it strangly felt like we'd known each other for ages. Swapping stories, job roles and generally enjoying each others company! I got a taxi home and rather keenly clicked on my Internet browser and logged on to the dating website to update my results from the night. I clicked 'yes' for #8 and now the waiting game begins....
THURSDAY 28TH JANUARY: ( 8 P.M.)
I check my e-mail and find out that i have a 'match'. It won't tell me who, as they direct me to the weblink at the bottom of the e-mail to find out more! I immediately click the link and anxiously await for the page to load. A huge grin is on my face because #8 also ticked me as a 'yes'. This now means we can view each others profile and only our e-mail addresses are given out. I decide to e-mail her straight away, not to ask her out, but just a follow up e-mail from last night and commenting on a few topics of discussion. I click send and wonder if I'll get a reply....
FRIDAY 29TH JANUARY: (11.58 PM)
I'm out tonight with some work colleagues when my phone vibrates, I've got a new e-mail and it's not another newsletter from 'Play.com' telling me about their amazing deals on blu ray discs. Instead #8 has replied to my e-mail telling me she also had a great time, even though it was short and 3mins wasn't enough! Now the problem with Blackberry's is that you can e-mail straight from your phone. To avoid sounding like an idiot (I have had a few beers by now) I result in turning the phone off to avoid sending any awkward e-mails I might regret later and opt to wait until the morning.
SATURDAY 30TH JANUARY: (10.00AM)
After breakfast, I load up my 'hotmail' account and re-read her email. I respond with a few things I'm doing this weekend, starting with a duvet morning, watching a few films and enjoying a Saturday morning lay-in! I also ask her if she is free to meet up during the week and instead of suggesting the usual 'let's go for coffee / movie' approach, ask her if she'd like to go to a local comedy club night. There's nobody famous, but you get 3 comedians per event and I've heard great feedback from friends.
No reply yet, but I'm not going to be my usual paranoid self. If she'd like to meet then great, if not, the whole experience has been plesant!. I've experienced something I'd never do normally, and I'd def. sign up for another - but I'd leave it for a couple of months first.
January has already been a crazy filled month:
*Speed Dating,
*Tried 'Haggis' for the first time! (Not as bad as I was expecting!)
*Found not 1 but 2 suitable rooms to move in to as our current landlord has given us a months notice. A lot of stress, but after we all realised we couldn't all share a house together - finding an empty 7 bed was never going to happen, but the whole experience was an eye opener, and I'm all set to move out at the end of February.
That's all for now, Experience #2 will be revealed shortly...
No comments:
Post a Comment