Blind Date: Blake and Madison chat for hours, make plans for an in-person meetup

Our Blind Date series is proudly presented by Criswell & Criswell Plastic Surgery. Husband and wife team, Drs. Bryan and Kara Criswell, know how important it is to find someone who brings out your best features. Here’s to finding the Criswell to your Criswell.

Due to COVID-19, I’m still sending our blind daters “out” using Zoom. But that doesn’t make the dates any less enjoyable! If you’d like to be considered for an upcoming date (I’m hoping to return to in-person dates shortly) then fill out this quick survey.

Responses have been edited lightly for clarity.

Let’s meet this month’s daters, shall we?

First up, we have Blake. He’s 26 and works as a senior purchasing analyst.

• He loves running, getting outside, reading, hiking, and golf. He’s also studying to get his MBA.
• He describes himself as an active person who loves to try new things and see new places.

His ideal match: Blake’s looking for someone equally as adventurous as he is. Also, someone who is driven, independent, close with her family, and happy to stay in and chill on the couch with Netflix occasionally.

Then there’s Madison. She’s 26 and works as a project manager.

• She loves working out, Sudoku, napping, and trying new breweries.
• She describes herself as a bubbly, hard-working, optimistic, independent woman.

Her ideal match: Madison’s looking for someone who’s driven and likes to get out and explore, but also values a night in on the couch. He also needs to have a sense of humor.

These two seemed to be on the same page about what they’re looking for in a partner, so they felt like a match to me.

Here’s how the date went:

What has dating been like for you throughout the pandemic?

Madison: I went on a couple of dates in the fall. One of them was on Zoom, and I actually really enjoyed that. Obviously because of the social distancing part for safety reasons, but also, you’re at home. If you don’t click, you can just get off the computer.

Blake: I went on a couple of dates here and there, but nothing virtual.

How were you meeting your dates in the “Before Times”?

Madison: I was using dating apps like Bumble and Hinge. But most of my actual relationships came through meeting people through my friends. I haven’t had much luck with dating apps. They’re challenging, because you’re trying to follow up with people, keep a conversation going, and figure out your schedules. It can definitely feel like another job.

Blake: I was using Hinge, but in a passive way. That’s really the only app I’ve used. But I was also meeting friends of friends.

Was the concept of a virtual date appealing to you?

Madison: I think there are pros and cons, but it’s nice being able to be at home in a comfortable and safe space. You don’t have to worry about parking or if the date is awkward before your dinner has even arrived at the table. I wasn’t upset it was on Zoom.

Blake: It was definitely less appealing than an in-person date, but I think it just adds to the story. It’s kinda cool that I’d never been on a blind date before, let alone a virtual blind date.

On a scale of 1-10, how would you rate your conversation?

Madison: I’d say an 8 or 9. The conversation flowed easily and we were able to connect on a lot of different points. We had shared interests, too. It was definitely a nice conversation.

Blake: I’d say probably an 8 or 9. I mean, there were no real breaks in the conversation. It felt really easy to talk to her and it flowed well from one thing to the next.

Keeping in mind that it’s hard to gauge chemistry through a computer screen, on a scale of 1-10 how would you rate yours?

Madison: I’d probably give it an 8. I’d definitely like to meet him in person so I can get a better reading. I’ll say this, I definitely wasn’t upset with who you chose for me.

Blake:  I’d say an 8 or 9. I think we hit it off, but yeah, it’s kind of hard to gauge through a computer screen so that’s another reason to be excited to meet her in person.

Walk us through the date. What was it like?

Madison: We talked for about two hours. Actually, we were talking so much it took us both about an hour to fully make it through our meals. Yeah, I think it went pretty well. He asked for my number afterward.

Blake: We talked until about eight o’clock. We were laughing because we were talking so much it took us over an hour to eat our dinner. I even said at like seven or so, “Jeez, I don’t remember the last time it took me an hour to eat my dinner.”

We started off with a basic conversation, you know, work, family, that kind of stuff. Then we were like, “Okay, it’s after work. Work is done, so let’s not talk about it.” So then we talked about what we do for fun, different things around town.

On a scale of 1-10, how would you rate the date overall?

Madison: I’d say an 8 or 9. We talked about running and doing some more races after the pandemic, so it was cool to see he wants to be active and competitive since that’s what I’m into as well.

He’s getting his MBA, and I enjoyed hearing that. That he has goals he’s working on.

Blake: I want to say an 8 or 9 again. I honestly can’t think of anything that went wrong with it. I had some weird lighting situation happening at the beginning with my camera (laughs) but other than that it went off without a hitch.

At the end, when I was like, “Can I get your phone number?” I was even more nervous asking because it was through Zoom. I felt a little more on edge.

I don’t think I’d have done anything differently though. It was pretty awesome. I’m glad I signed up for this.

[Editor’s note: Shameless plug … sign up here for a chance to be on our next blind date!]

How did you leave it? Do you hope to meet up in person?

Madison: Yeah, I’d like to. He texted me after the date and I told him I was out of town this weekend, so we’ll see what happens when I’m back in town.

Blake: So I got her number, and we texted after the date and she said she’d be out of town this weekend but she’d be up for something when she gets back so we’ll see!

Update

Blake and Madison met for lunch yesterday and have plans to meet up again. Woohoo! Bring on the Axios-themed wedding. I’m ready for it.

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