Blind Dates

Recently one of our Hillsidenites had a successful blind date...this brought back my memories of my two not so successful experiences of the blind date type...

I was a focused youth, so while in school and working at Freelance Farm, I did not date; my time, money and energy was spent on either my classes or my horses...which is exactly how it should be by the way. When I finally quit working at the barn and got a "real job", my co-workers felt that I needed a boyfriend; I was the only one at work who was not married and for some reason this was an issue.

Now I hadn't been at this job long, but I was highly motivated, so it didn't take me long to work up from data entry to assistant accountant and then to office manager/assistant accountant. Anyone with sense would have seen I was ambitious and keen. One day the Payroll Clerk decided it made sense to set me up with her son. He was younger than me, but not by much, so I agreed; I figured the Payroll clerk knew me well enough by this time. I was wrong.

Payroll Clerk's son picked me up at my condo, in his ancient sedan and we went to a movie...I think...I don't actually remember what we did. He looked like he was too young to even need to shave. It was creepy. I remember feeling like I was this kids mother. He may only have been 3 or 4 years younger than me...but he was as Christine K would say "daft". He was content to live in his parent's basement and to work at the grocery store...not that there is anything wrong with that when you are young...but he had no ambition to move beyond this, and key goals included buying a new video game. Seriously, I was trying hard to find some ray of hope or ambition in this kid, but nada. Not a clever brain cell in his grey matter. Couldn't hold a conversation that wasn't about video games or his job. I swear his mom set us up to try to help motivate him, otherwise I have no idea what she was thinking. At least that date ended very obviously with no chance of a second. Seeing mom the next day was awkward...but then she was about as daft as the son.

Blind date number two was set up by the people in the office next door. He was a former employee that was now self employed. This one sounded good on paper: smart, ambitious, nice, lived in his own townhouse and made very good money and picked his own work hours.

He picked me up and my place, and we likely went for dinner...maybe a movie? I used to wear skirts a lot back then, and I remember i was wearing something somewhat short (above the knees, but safe to sit down in short...something I would feel ok wearing to the office), and I think it made him very uncomfortable! I remember he was decent looking, and he didn't do anything wrong...he just lacked any interesting qualities or spark. Trying to make conversation was exhausting which seemed odd as he was obviously a somewhat worldly person. I thought maybe he was nervous, and I figured he was a nice, successful guy, so I SHOULD like him...so I went on date #2. He invited me to his place and made dinner. I dressed more conservatively. I just remember sitting on the edge of his sofa, in his insanely clean house, feeling SOOO out of place as he talked about wanting to buy a house with someone, have kids, go to church on Sundays and live a normal average life. He thought that I owned a horse was "cute"....likely figuring it was a phase I would move past when I started popping out babies. My mom would have liked him, but can you imagine me in that role? He attempted a good night kiss...it was awkward and sloppy and sealed the door that there would be no date #3. I just wanted to get back to my happy little condo! Money definitely cannot buy charisma, and being smart doesn't guarantee someone a personality.

Blind dates are such an odd concept...really they should be a good idea of the setter upper knows both people, but I think sometimes people just want to play match maker and figure the right age and right gender is enough...or maybe it is just some cruel joke played by unhappy married people on their carefree single friends...

Karen