Alex Ellis: fourth-year, College
Dream job: The Bachelor
Ideal first date: Zoom
Deal breakers: Hates Taylor Swift
Grace Seymour: second-year, College
Dream job: Queen
Ideal first date: Hike
Deal breakers: Cocky boy named Troy
The recent winter weather and COVID-19 restrictions have launched many students into a second-semester slump, longing to regain some sense of normalcy. Second-year College student Grace Seymour and fourth-year College student Alex Ellis sought some level of connection, albeit on Zoom, on the evening of Feb. 21. The two filled their conversation with reflections on their weekends and student life at the University this semester.
Unsure of what to expect from a blind set-up and a virtual convening, Alex described his thought process before meeting with Grace.
“I didn't know Grace beforehand, so I kind of had no clue what was going to happen,” Alex said. “Obviously you've got some caution, a little bit of anxiety, ‘cause you don’t actually know who the person is or what they may be like. Before the Zoom date, I had some time to kill. So I was kind of just thinking of A — What if this person was really bad and what will be my exit strategy? Or B — What’s just some other cool stuff I can get to know.”
Grace shared some similar sentiments before joining the Zoom date.
“We were texting a little bit before to figure out our plan and stuff,” Grace said. “And I felt like we had some good banter over text, so I expected that it was going to be pretty light-hearted, easygoing. And I could tell that he was like, kind of goofy already which made me a little bit more comfortable going into the date.”
Upon meeting, the two discovered mutual interests and discussed their commonalities.
“I didn't know him at all, so I didn't really know he was from London. We talked about that upbringing and his weird psycho boarding school — like not that psycho, but just the boarding schools in London that are kind of crazy and whatnot,” Grace said. The two bonded over their upbringings in big cities and their inability to drive, which they justified by agreeing that other students at the University are embarrassingly incapable of walking to places.
Grace also noted that the two share a love for Via-riding — a low-cost ride sharing platform — and additionally spent much of their conversation discussing food, specifically Alex’s culinary skills and his chef Instagram account.
“I think we both very quickly knew that we like to travel, which is pretty cool,” Alex said. “And she wants to go abroad, and I took a gap year, so traveling was quite a nice thing to talk about. We also spoke about our love of food and picked out a few other restaurants in town, which we think could be quite cool [to visit].”
When I asked about the details of the date that stood out, Grace noted that although Alex “arrived” to their Zoom date before she did, “he was a little bit hot at first — like in his actual temperature. He was sweating so we were really trying to figure out a fan situation for him. But then I think with time it got better.”
Meanwhile Alex observed, “It was pretty clear that we both like to [complain] about people, which was the only thing that was awkward, like just at first when you do the whole do-you-like-this-person-or-do-you-hate-this-guy thing. But we had a good time and a good laugh.”
While that statement may make it seem like they have a propensity for the negative, I gathered that it spoke more to the pair’s mutually sharp — and at times dark — senses of humor, which lent itself to their steady flow of banter.
Unlike previous Love Connection dates where the telling content or red flags may arise from funny food orders and awkward entrances, the most significant aspect of virtual dates is perhaps the simple willingness to go on one. While I couldn’t ask them about who paid the check or the nuances of their body language, I was most interested in how their date felt relative to COVID and isolation. The two confirmed their satisfaction when they experienced what many of us might be craving at this point in the pandemic — a rare and valuable opportunity to meet someone new.
“It's really nice just to talk to someone that you actually don't know at all and to hear someone's story and just connect with someone and have that spontaneity,” Grace said. “I feel like with Corona you are kind of just forced to only connect with the people you already have a connection with, so it's exciting to have that little spark of new connection that we're really missing during this time. And it’s nice just feeling like you vibe with someone, especially since we're not really meeting that many people and those acquaintances or first interactions with people are very much stunted right now.”
Alex added that “it's refreshing to meet new people who you wouldn't get to meet because of the restrictions. It's like a slice of normality in a chaotic world. And obviously it's a bit weird doing things on Zoom, you know if you have your technical problems, internet, WiFi, all that kind of stuff. But it definitely allows you to escape, not in the sense of a holiday, but it’s like a little oasis of interpersonal connection, which no one has had in I don’t know how long, almost a year.”
Not only did they appreciate simply connecting with someone new, but they each disclosed that they thought the other was “really cool.” When I inquired about a second date, Grace said she’d “be down to hit up some of the food spots he was talking about,” while Alex revealed he’s “thinking about Jack Brown’s, we might head over there.”
Finally, in terms of their experience with Love Connection, both said they would recommend the platform.
“I’ve already signed up a lot of my friends,” Alex assured me. Grace concluded, “I feel like it’s a great chance to meet people and get along with someone, and if you don’t [get along], then you have a funny story to tell, and maybe a new enemy, so it’s a win-win.”
Grace and Alex were able to go on an in-person, second date on the evening of Feb. 25 by sharing a Via ride to Jack Brown’s. The pair then enjoyed home-cooked pasta at Grace’s apartment this past Tuesday.
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