I like it fast… like Steve McQueen fast…

Last Thursday, in my recent anthropological quest to discover the dating rituals of other singles, I decided to attend a speed dating event at my favorite local bookstore and wine cafe. I thought that I would put my new flirting skills to work and see how they actually work in a real dating situation. Granted, I really don't believe that a speed date could be considered a "real dating situation," but none the less! If anything, I knew that I'd at least get a slight buzz from the Prosecco even if none of the speed dates left me light headed.

The evening began around 7pm with check-in. All participants were asked to arrive early to get settled and to scope out the dates. There were a total of 12 different stations set up around the cafe and the bookstore. As they checked-in, each woman was given a name tag, a number between 1 and 12 and a checklist sheet. The number told the woman what station she was assigned to and the checklist was used to record whether or not she considered the date to be a match or not. Each gentleman who checked-in was also given a name tag and checklist, but no number. The guys were to rotate through the stations as the girls sat and looked pretty at their assigned tables. The dates lasted about 5 minutes each - which was just enough time for each person to introduce his/herself and then see if the two of you could start a conversation that you would like to continue at another time.

The crowd at the bookstore was a very different crowd than normal and thus was buzzing with a completely different energy. The lights were turned low, and there were candles at each table. There was a great cheese spread and of course the Prosecco was delish! The crowd was extremely diverse, but one thing that seemed to be a common thread was that each person there seemed to work normal 9 to 5 hours and work in some sort of office environment. Also, everyone loved the bookstore, which of course was a hot topic of conversation during the dates. Overall, it was a like a meat market for the office worker intellectuals and slightly like being part of a National Geographic Special on city commuter love rituals.

I didn't find anyone at the event that I would consider a match. All the guys were really nice. They all made me laugh in their own way, especially the cute Asian man with the turtleneck and black suit, but it just wasn't fast enough for me. It was boring. Fun and not necessarily a wasted evening, but boring.

I don't care to know how fast a guy can make me smile or make me laugh I want to know how fast he can make me smile and laugh, and then talk me out of my clothes. The speed dating was all about sizing people up, especially for those who aren’t into dating. I, on the other hand, LOVE to date. I like getting ready, going out for drinks, and then hopefully ducking into a deserted (or not-so-deserted) doorway for an intense make-out session. You can keep your 12 dates in an hour at the bookstore - I wish you the best. I'll be drinking at the bar across the street with the cute sales rep from Penguin.

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