Speed Dating

I did a crazy thing this weekend: I went to a Speed Dating Event!

I don’t know what prompted me to do that, except to say that I’ve always been curious about them. The email I got announcing the event said this was to be the last one ever – so that probably had something to do with my decision to go, too. Not that I believe them; what they really meant was that the coordinator is quitting and this event was her last one. I know they will find another coordinator soon, and there will be other events after that.

But, Friday evening saw me going in the front door at Platinum Jaxx and heading up the stairs to the balcony bar promptly at 7:30. I had been a little (oh, all right, more than just a little) nervous about it all day, so had gone on a nice long 2-hour walk with my friend Elizabeth beforehand. That helped a lot, because by the time 7:30 rolled around, all I could really think about was how sore my feet were and how much I was looking forward to going home and snuggling with my kids.

The event actually wasn’t all that bad. It was smaller than I expected with only 4 guys and about 6 girls – but this is Alaska, I guess. The odds are stacked in that direction.

They had the room set up with tables along the walls, each table having a number corresponding to the name tags they handed out. Each lady was to sit at her table, and the men were to make the rounds each time a bell sounded.

The first guy to sit at my table was very nice. He spoke right up and asked questions without having to be prompted. Turns out he is retired Air Force, has 2 grown kids and a grandson. We got in to talking, actually, so when the bell sounded – he actually got an annoyed look on his face! Not a bad start, I thought.

The second guy to sit at my table was also nice, and coincidentally enough works at a company where I worked for 12 years! We had some common ground which gave us something to talk about. It wasn’t as easy going as with the first guy, but was pleasant at least.

The third guy was a complete dud. He was very soft spoken, so I could barely hear him. He wasn’t outgoing at all, so I had to ask all the questions – to which he responded with two- or three-word sentences. It was not comfortable or easy going at all.

The fourth and final guy was very nice, although about 10 years younger than I am. He introduced himself as being from Costa Rica, so we got to talking about his homeland and the vacation I took over there several years ago. He was a really fun guy, and I could actually see myself hanging out with him.

I have to laugh at myself however: the best connection I made that night was with one of the coordinators! She came over to talk to me in between guys and we ended up laughing and having a great time.

Oh well, it was a fun two hours – and then I did go home and snuggle with my kids.