Thursday, September 13, 2007

Effie and Jesse and Speed dating

Although we have a small kitchen in our hotel room, we eat out often. Lunch is easy - with all of these city dwellers there are lots of places to have lunch, but not so many places for supper. As I mentioned before, there are lots of bar/grill type places, lots of brewery/cafes. Many of the lunch places close before suppertime, and what is left is often "high dollar" restaurants. Toby and I have walked all over the city looking for just the right place to eat. Sometimes we eat at the mall food court, sometimes something fancy, but most of the time we eat at the bar/grill places.

Last night we found one we really like. It did not have the rowdy crowd of after work drinkers. The food was good, the sports channels were on, and we had a nice time. The funny thing was that in one part of the restaurant they had a speed dating night going on. How very interesting! I am not sure how well this works, but I guess it is a good way to meet a person who is looking for someone to date. Our waitress, who reminded me very much of my niece, Nina, thought the whole thing was pretty funny. Toby and I watched a little, but not much. We wondered what people talked about in the few minutes of their "date". What would be the question you would ask first? Toby and I play-acted as if we were speed dating. It was silly, but funny. Toby kept asking me, "So, Lou, what is your favorite thing to do?' I replied I thought that was a stupid question, try again. AS soon as I said it, I realized that was not a good answer. It would have ended the "date" pretty darn quick. Either I am not very good at speed dating, or I am very good at it.

I got an email from Jesse last night. She sent me this link and said the article reminded her of me and her together. There were several things about the article that I knew were like us, but which things did she mean? Could it have been the part where the mom decided to go on the cross-country trip with her daughter or was it the part about the robust figure. Maybe it was the part about her mom being "open-minded." Here is an expert, but read the whole article:
But Avis Hotchkiss, Effie’s open-minded mother, refused to allow her daughter to embark upon this trip alone. But, instead of forbidding her daughter to make the trip, she joined her. A sidecar to accommodate Avis’ robust figure became a necessity, and she was nestled in for the long haul.

I think Jesse was right; the article does remind me of her and me. Since I cannot see Jesse speed dating, I think you boys out there need to beware. Jesse may just have to run over some guy to find herself a husband. - like Effie did.

9 comments:

Buck said...

Wow, Effie and Avis were bold beyond belief to do what they did, WHEN they did. If anything, the article severely understated the condition of our highways back in 1915. It's one thing for a woman to suit up and hit the interstates on her bike today, QUITE another thing to do it ... alone, or with another woman ... back in 1915. Too bad the Harley link in that article was dead...

Re: "Speed dating." I'm aware of the phenomenon, but I think it's pretty dumb. I don't think I want to be involved with someone who thought this was (is) a good idea.

Bag Blog said...

I don't know, Buck, the speed dating thing might not be such a bad idea. It would let you meet women in a good,safe enviroment. If the person was not to your liking, you could move on quickly, but if you did like them, maybe you could plan to meet again. I guess it would really determine what a person wanted out of the whole speed dating thing. And it was at a bar/grill; you could drink while visiting.

Buck said...

It would let you meet women in a good,safe enviroment.

I think that particular line of thought would be more attractive to women, as opposed to men. People of the female persuasion have a lot more concerns with safety (and rightly so) than men do. But then again, I never have been very good in bars (except for the "attitude adjustment" bits), or at "picking up" women, in general. Nearly ALL of the relationships I've been involved in have resulted from "being friends first." And maybe that's the way it should be...

Becky G said...

Gotta agree with Buck on the speed dating thing. Granted, the only speed dating episodes I've seen were in movies, but how well are you really going to get to know someone in such a short amount of time? Especially if you ask questions like "what do you like to do on the weekends?" What do they give you? Three minutes? The first three minutes I knew my ex, I thought he was a gift straight from Heaven. The first three minutes I knew the man I now wish I'd married, I thought he was a total loser.

IF, and that's a hypothetical if, I were to do speed dating, my top two questions would be:

1. How do you define sucess as a man?

2. Assuming we would never see each other again, what are the three most important things about yourself that you would want me to remember?

Anonymous said...

My one and only question would be "Are you a republican?"...if so, date over...done. Though I do like Becky's questions - very thought provoking and insightful.

Bag Blog said...

Catherine, now I know you are Craig's perfect match.

Bag Blog said...

Becky, I think your questions are good and interesting. It all really depends on your reason for speed dating. You made a good point in that first impressions are not always accuarate, but you also pointed out that even after knowing someone for a while, you can still make mistakes. That makes it sound like a no-win situation. So I still think the speed dating could be fun, it is non-commitial, and it could lead you to a nice relationship - all depends on your purpose.

As I watched the speed dating for a minute or two, I noticed this rather handsome guy talking to a rather dowdy lady. He was smiling and antimated and giving her lots of attention. I told Toby that watching people react with others is how I would judge people. If the guy had been bored with the ugly women and antimated with the pretty ones...that would have made an impression on me.

Cameron Sharpe said...

A great place to meet people indeed! This might lead to real life dating and possibly marriage! I have seen people who met through speed dating and got married!

Unknown said...

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