Blind Date: James and Crystal, both in their 60s, find common ground on a Zoom date

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.

It’s time for another installment of our ever-popular Blind Date series!

I’ve been pairing single readers up for nearly three years, and I’ve always wanted to match a couple that wasn’t in their 20s or 30s, typically the most prominent dating age bracket. We’re thrilled to have Axios readers of all ages and I want this series to reflect that. I finally got the chance to make that happen!

Let’s meet this month’s participants.

First, we’ve got James.

He’s 68 and enjoys hiking, live music, photography, and walking. He’s a recently retired photographer and artist who had a long career in the corporate IT world. He’s looking to meet someone who’s open-minded and active.

Then there’s Crystal.

She’s 67, is semi-retired, and loves walking in the park, traveling, and watching movies. She’s looking for someone who is kind, quick-witted, and content with where he is in life. He should be open to experiencing all that Charlotte has to offer, including dancing and the arts.

Due to ongoing Covid concerns and our participants’ comfort levels, we opted to set these two up virtually.

Here’s how it went.

Responses have been edited lightly for length and clarity.

How do you typically meet your dates?

James: I’ve dated both on and offline over the years, and actually Crystal and I are both on the same online dating service.

I don’t remember if I’ve ever come across her profile, I kind of doubt it, but it’s possible.

Crystal: I’ve signed up with a couple of the senior dating sites online, but without a whole lot of success.

You just don’t know who’s telling the truth and who isn’t. It’s kind of hard to gauge a person.

How did you feel about participating in this blind date setup?

James: I consider it an investment.

You’re not going to meet anyone unless you put yourself out there in some way, shape, or form.

With the pandemic, it’s more difficult to do that than it would be under normal circumstances, so I thought I’d avail myself of the service if it’s being offered.

Crystal: Nervous! (laughs). People of my generation, we’re just not used to that kind of thing.

But once I had made the commitment with you I was like, “Okay, you gotta see this through. You gotta do it!”

Have you been dating during the pandemic?

James: I’ve met a few women through the online dating platform.

Everyone’s very nice, but as I was describing to a friend this morning, I just haven’t met someone I can really envision myself with.

Crystal: No, not at the moment. It seems to have become a lot harder because of the pandemic.

Was the idea of a Zoom first date more or less appealing than meeting in person?

James: A little bit of both.

It was more appealing because I was in my space at home.

In some ways, it was less appealing because we could only see each other’s heads and shoulders.

But it was appealing that I could see a little bit of her home. Not enough to be intrusive, but you can get somewhat of a feel for someone by looking at their environment.

Crystal: It was less appealing. I really would prefer to meet someone in person.

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

James: It was a 10.

We talked very comfortably, very freely.

We seem to have quite a bit in common, which is not unusual. We’re the same age and are both African American, a lot of the cultural things are going to be very similar.

We share a lot of like same likes, which is a very good platform for starting conversations.

I was very, very comfortable. She was very pleasant and easy to talk to.

Crystal: I’d definitely say it was a 10.

We have so much in common. It was kind of like our lives are parallel to each other in a lot of ways.

I was amazed, actually, by how much we had in common.

Knowing that it’s hard to judge a connection from a computer screen, on a scale of 1-10, how would you rate your chemistry?

James: Yeah, that’s that’s hard to say. And it’s a very subjective thing, too. But from what I can tell, I would probably say seven or eight.

Crystal: I’d say maybe a seven. I’m not good at doing the online thing, so I’m withholding the higher rating until we get to meet in person.

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

James: I’d say a 10. I thoroughly enjoyed myself.

Crystal: I’d say it was a 10. It turned out better than I ever imagined.

So, how did you leave it?

James: I thought she was wonderful.

We exchanged numbers and we agreed that when she has time, because she’s working so she’s busier than me, she would send me a text and we’d touch base and find a mutually agreeable place where we could get together outside.

Crystal: We’ve been texting. We’re planning to meet in person in the upcoming week.

We’re looking for a place where we can eat outside. We’d feel a little safer with that. We’re going to try breakfast or a coffee meeting.

I used our 30 best breakfast spots guide to send them some suggestions. Everyone at Axios Charlotte is sending good vibes their way!

PARTICIPATE: Want the chance to get matched?

Tell us about yourself in this quick Axios Blind Date Survey.

To see past installments of the series, click here. 

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