Tuesday, August 15, 2006

Date Lab

A social experiment?? Sign me up! The Washington Post's Date Lab has me incredibly intrigued. Maybe it's the thought of being interviewed for the paper that got me, but I want to participate in this. It appears to be an effort by the paper to pair two single strangers and pay for their date in exchange for their thoughts on the evening to be printed later on. Normally, the idea of a publicized blind date would be terrifying to me, but I think the brief fame it would bring, in addition to the free meal, would make it worth it.

The only requirements are that you must live in the Washington, DC area (um, do I count?), be willing to be interviewed and have your picture published, and you must not be a paper employee. Here is the application questionnaire for anyone interested.

Now, since I won't be applying anytime soon since I will be beyond busy in a few weeks (and hey, the blind date idea is still a little scary to me) I'll post my answers here:

Quick-what's the first thing you do when you get up in the morning? Duh, I groan and then reset my alarm. No wait, I throw on my silk robe over top my lingerie and make breakfast.

What's the last book you read? Straight Up & Dirty by Stephanie Klein. Pam cooking spray will never be looked at the same again.

What's the last song you couldn't get out of your head? "Auto Pilot" Queens of the Stone Age

If you could have any superpower, which one would you want? Why? Maybe to be invisible.

What's the first drink you'd order in a bar? Gin and Tonic

In what ways would you say you are very D.C.?Tough question. I'm hot?

In what ways aren't you? EASY- I don't care what people do for a living. I hate small talk.

Most singletons say they want to meet someone funny. But what's your idea of funny? I like someone who is a quick thinker and witty. Someone who catches on quick to what I'm laughing at whether it's a a scene that reminds me of a movie or the conversation we just heard a snippet of. Random humor is essential. You must be able to laugh at everything.

What hobbies/interests/outlooks/passions would you hope to share with your date? I can't imagine it working with someone who didn't have some interest in music. And a non-tv watcher would probably get the boot, too, and I'm not ashamed to say it. It would help if he likes to cook and clean and pick up my drycleaning.

In your world, what features or characteristics would normally rule someone out as a dating possibility? I won't lie, it would be difficult to date someone much shorter than me, but only bc it makes me feel like a giant and not in the "but she's a hott model" way. BO would be a negative, as would someone who chews.

I didn't answer every question for length reasons, but I am impressed with the types of questions asked. I would feel confident that The Post would set me up with someone good...has anyone else tried this?

16 comments:

Beth said...

I haven't tried it...but it is a cute idea. I guess I'd rather be on the matchmaker side of it and get to sift through all the applications. Your answers were informative yet succinct. It would definitely be interesting to see who they'd put you with.

NotCarrie said...

Hahaha, Just realized that I bet my "I hate small talk" part would not get me a match up for this;)

Beth said...

Hey, you never know! There's probably some charming chap out there who shares the same sentiments. I actually went the to WaPo and read some of the other stories from people they set up. One of the couples is getting married! How crazy is that!

NotMiranda said...

Interesting indeed. I hadn't heard of this but may have to check that app out ; )

NotCarrie said...

Maybe once things settle down I'll at least apply. Hmmmmm! I would be so nervous, I just know it.

marisa said...

You should totally go for it - and then tell me what happens! I'll try anything at least once in this whole dating... thing. If only they had something like this on the West Coast.

Unknown said...

Thats awesome, cant wait to hear how it turns out!

jo said...

this sounds interesting. but the non annonymity of it all will probably freak me out. hold up... you don't like someone who chews?? so then how does the poor boy eat? haha!

ryc: thanks for liking the nicknames... i've had more weird nicknames for guys in the past. now it's just that if he's only a cameo in my life episode, then i don't bother giving nicknames.

Dizzie said...

I don't live in the DC area... man, how fair is this???? Can't they do like an international-date-experiment? I'm so signing up for that!

DCVita said...

Interesting questions! cute and funny answers :) Wonder how well it will match up. Keep us 'post'ed..haha.

Anonymous said...

Ugh. I hate small talk too.

Who doesn't?

Chuckles said...

Well, I am a sucker for public humiliation so I am totally signing up.

Washington Cube said...

There's another D.C. blogger out there (can't remember her name,) who is pending a set-up date with the Post. From what I have been following, they do seem to make some effort to have a few matching points between girl and guy, and not trying to treat it as a joke like the tv show "Blind Date."

Whine Girl said...

I like the new thing some of the cities have going on... where you meet up for activities with several singles. I haven't tried it, but it sounds like a lot of fun.

Ashburnite said...

you should totally do it! And the questions are suprisingly good. Normally, they ask "where do you see yourself in 5 years," "what do you do in your free time," pointless stuff like that. These seem to be more in-depth and tell a lot more about who you are, as opposed to what you do.

Alejandra Ramos said...

I'm the "other DC blogger" that Cube mentioned. I filled it out and they claim to have matched me...Haven't gone on the date, yet, but I've been writing about the whole process in the blog.