BLIND DATE CHALLENGE: Short meets tall: Andrenne and Charles

Blind Date Challenge

Andrenne is 22 years old. She's 5'2", petite, and athletic with straight blond hair and hazel eyes that sparkle behind her glasses. She likes writing stories, improving her tennis skills, following the health care debate, and occasionally cooking a new dish. She's a leasing consultant with a BA in philosophy and sociology from UVA. She says her best feature physically is her smile, mentally is her ability to communicate in writing, and emotionally is her ability to empathize. She works out and plays tennis, basketball, and other pick-up games. She's looking for a tall man who is stable, optimistic, and is not a homebody.

Charles is 23 years old, African American, athletic– and very tall at 6'4". He's a creative services producer (creating commercials) who studied at Virginia Tech. He's an avid reader who spends time browsing Barnes and Noble– particularly for science fiction– listening to NPR, and participating in community theater. He says people assume he's into sports because of his height, but due to a knee injury, he mostly sticks to biking. His best feature is his smile, and he's looking for someone with a great personality who engages him with interesting conversation.

The date begins at Charlottesville's Bel Rio in Belmont...

What did you do to get ready for the date?

Charles: I debated whether or not to go to the gym. Decided to squeeze it in, and it helped to calm my nerves. Other than that, not much.

Andrenne: I put on a nice outfit and reapplied my eyeliner.

How long did that take to get ready?

Andrenne: 10 minutes.

Charles: Shower at the gym was 10 minutes, getting dressed was another 10.

Did you get there first?

Charles: Yes. I'm normally horrible at punctuality, so even though I was downtown, I started heading to Bel Rio 15 minutes early. I arrived with plenty of time to spare.

What did you do while waiting?

 Charles: The waitress very kindly found a place for me to sit. At first I was going to sit there and pick my teeth or something, but then decided "what the hell!" and ordered a drink.

 

Were you nervous?

Andrenne: As I was driving over to Bel Rio, I started to get more nervous, especially when I thought I would be late because of a train.

Charles: Yeah, a little. I chatted with the waitress and sipped water while I waited.

 

What was your first impression of your date?

Andrenne: He was dressed pretty casually, and he seemed very personable; he immediately put me at ease.

Charles: I like a girl with glasses.

What was he/she wearing?

Charles: I'm horrible at this. She was dressed casually. She was wearing a black top, glasses, and a skirt of some kind. I think that was black, too. This might be completely wrong.

Andrenne: Blue button-up and khakis

Was he/she your type?

Andrenne: I don't really subscribe to the idea of types; I'm open to meeting a variety of people.

Charles: Yeah, but I always like to talk with someone to find out what they're into before I make that decision.

Did you order drinks?

Charles: I'd already had one, so I decided not to push it with another.

Andrenne: Yes, one drink each.

How was your meal? What did you order?

Andrenne: Delicious! I had steak and mashed potatoes.

Charles: Quite delectable. I ordered something I couldn't pronounce– paella, a seafood dish.

How were you date's table manners?

Charles: They were immaculate. I'm always self-conscious of how I eat because I know in comparison to most people, I have the finesses of a dump truck.

Andrenne: Totally acceptable. I don't have super great table manners myself, so I don't keep a close eye out for that kind of thing.

What did you talk about?

Andrenne: We discussed how much we like to travel, some different philosophical questions, and what we'd been reading lately.

Charles: Everything. Our college experiences, books, music, philosophy, and cooking. Little bit of movies. Time flew by.

How did the conversation flow?

Charles: Very nicely. The first hour I was nervous. The surprising thing about a blind date is you don't know anything about the other person, so you need to ask a ton of questions. Who would have thought it?

Andrenne: It kept flowing– and I didn't have to do much work to keep it that way either. Anytime there was a hint of silence, Charles was ready with another question. He was a great listener, but I think I maybe didn't get a chance to learn as much about him.

What did you find most interesting about your date?

Andrenne: His interest in making films.

Charles: She spent a summer studying abroad in France but ended up picketing with other French students the university she was supposed to be studying at.

What was the weirdest/most uncomfortable topic of conversation?

Charles: Sorry to disappoint. I don't think there was anything really uncomfortable.

Andrenne: I found it hard to believe that he was so interested in what type of philosophy I'd studied in college. Also, we ended the evening talking about prions, which are bad proteins in the brain.

Anything you didn't like about your date?

Andrenne: No.

Charles: C'mon!

What did you all have in common?

Charles: We both enjoy classical music and philosophy.

Andrenne: A creative drive, and apparently an interest in philosophy.

Did you feel any chemistry?

Andrenne: I didn't feel any romantic sparks, but I had a really good time. We stayed at Bel Rio for two hours, andI left in a good mood. I am open to seeing Charles again to see if feelings develop; if not I think he would probably be a great friend.

Charles: (Blush) maybe!

Any surprises?

Andrenne: He paid for the drinks, tax, and tip himself, which I wasn't expecting and really appreciated!

Charles: I was actually surprised she was closer to my age. Wasn't sure who I'd get matched up with. It's all good.

What was your favorite part of the date?

Andrenne: The ease of conversation and the feeling of leaving in a good mood.

Charles: Towards the end we started to click. The food was good. The waitress was nice. It was an all around fun night.

How did the date end?

Andrenne: We hugged.

Charles: We exchanged numbers and a somewhat poorly executed hug.

Would you go out again?

Andrenne: We've already set up a time to see a movie, Julie & Julia, early next week.

Charles: I don't want to kiss and tell, but (whisper) yeah, we've already made plans.

What actor/actress does your date remind you of?

Charles: Amanda Seyfried. (Yeah, I watched Mama Mia.)

Andrenne: None.

Rate the Date: 1-10

Charles: 8.

Andrenne: 8.

A second date! How'd that one go? Charles says it was "nice" and "much more more comfortable the second time around," but he's keeping his cards close... Any possibility of an ongoing romance? "We'll see," he says. And Matchmaker will be checking in on these two again...

#