Brian
Year: First
Major: Undecided, possibly Music, German or Media Studies
Hometown: Charlottesville
Ideal Date: Creative people with interesting minds are very attractive. I’m not very into wild partying and I’m not a drinker, so I would hope that she’s not terrible wild.
What makes you a good catch? I’m very creative and artistic and I am a fantastic baker and amateur chef. I made a solemn promise to be the nicest person that I could possible be, and I keep my promises.
Favorite pick-up line: “Hey baby, I was chicken you out from across the room, and dayum grill, you are barbeCUTE! You are seriously on fire!”
Catherine
Year: First
Major: Undecided but leaning towards Philosophy or English
Hometown: Richmond
Ideal Date: Funny, quirky, athletic, but intellectually inclined and politically aware
What makes you a good catch? I’m down to earth and like to have deep conversations. I’m interested in a lot of different things, so it’s easy to find common ground with me. I’m definitely a compassionate person.
Favorite pick-up line: “Can I have yo numba? Can I have it? Can I? Can I?”
Brian and Catherine met at the Rotunda at 7 p.m. and went to Revolutionary Soup.
Brian: I’ve never been on a date before in my life. All my attempts to ask people out never resulted in anything, so I decided to fill out the survey and see if dating is a magical experience that will change my life.
Catherine: When I found out that I was chosen, I was sort of hesitant, but I thought I would go for it and see what happened. When I told my friends about it they were excited to see what happened.
Brian: I was nervous for the date. I waved my expectations out of my head because I thought it would be better. Expectations can make or break something.
Catherine: I had been on a couple blind dates before but not one where I couldn’t look them up on Facebook. One of my previous blind dates went well, but I didn’t know how this one would go.
Brian: I got to the Rotunda about 10 minutes early. I sat there and enjoyed the view of the Lawn and the cool air. She arrived about five to six minutes early.
Catherine: He was standing at the top of the steps waiting for me. I asked if he was Brian and he said, “Yes, you must be Catherine.”
Brian: She was really pretty. The best part of the date was seeing her for the first time. I was a little nervous so it was awkward I think. We had some lines of small talk and then decided to go to Rev Soup.
Catherine: From my first impression, I kind of knew that it wasn’t going to go well. He was very formal when he talked, and we seemed very different.
Brian: I felt like she wasn’t taking it seriously from the beginning. She shot down all of my conversation starters, which was pretty awkward.
Catherine: He asked me if I had anything I wanted to do and I said no so then we decided to get soup. On the way over there he almost got hit by a car. We were at a crosswalk, and the car didn’t stop until it nearly hit him. Then he told me that he wasn’t afraid of death.
Brian: When we got to dinner we talked about pretty typical stuff like sports, hobbies, music and our potential majors. The conversation was pretty stop-and-start. She didn’t seem very enthusiastic.
Catherine: We didn’t really have much in common. He had never been on a date before, and he didn’t even know what rush was.
Brian: I felt like I was doing most of the talking. I tried to ratchet it down to give her a chance to speak, but that just resulted in more silence.
Catherine: Conversation was stilted. He told a lot of puns which I didn’t really get, and he asked me about my SAT scores, which made me slightly uncomfortable. I told him my critical reasoning and writing scores, but I didn’t ask him about his.
Brian: Both of us being first-years was pretty much the only thing we had in common. She’s a horseback rider, and I play tennis — so I suggested we play tennis on horseback. That didn’t go over too well.
Catherine: I couldn’t really tell if he was trying to flirt, but I don’t think so. I wasn’t trying to.
Brian: I tried to flirt a couple times, but I know nothing about flirting so it probably didn’t come off as flirting anyway. I didn’t sense any from her — it seemed like she was just going through the motions of a date and not really into it.
Catherine: Once he finished his food we talked for about five minutes, and then I asked if he wanted to leave. I said I had to meet up with a friend, and we shook hands.
Brian: I studied handshaking technique for a little while. You should put your right foot first and then move it to give off an impression of power. Typically, right-handed people are more favored by society.
Catherine: I would give the date a five. He seems like a nice guy, but I have no interest in pursuing him romantically. The food was really good though and he paid for my meal, which was really nice.
Brian: My heart wants to rate the date a seven, but I have to give it a six. There wasn’t any warmth or feeling, but it was slightly better than average. It’s very unlikely that we’ll speak again.
Catherine: We didn’t exchange numbers; I tried to look him up on Facebook, but I don’t think he has one. I would probably wave if we passed each other and be friendly, but I don’t want to continue seeing him.
Brian: I feel like dating is a learning experience and this didn’t go terribly badly. If I saw her again, I think we would say “hi” and keep walking, which is better than her attacking me because she had a totally horrible time.
Read More
Days on the Lawn gives newly admitted Class of 2028 a taste of Grounds
By Miriella Jiffar and Mia Tan | YesterdayThe annual spring program invites newly admitted students and their families to experience information sessions, resource fairs and tours around Grounds.
The weight of saying “I love you”
By Mai Hukuoka | 3 days agoWhile grand gestures can't fully describe the weight of love, that doesn't mean love has to be small. Love can, and should, feel heavy.
Cooking, my mother’s love language
By Emilie Kim | 5 days agoDespite our different temperaments, my mother and I understand each other perfectly through the language of food.
