Published June 10, 2004 in issue 0323 of The Hook

By MATCHMAKER

The Background

Brooklyn born and raised-- with the accent to prove it-- 33-year-old software engineer John said he was ready to find a good woman. "I'm looking for a fun, intelligent, active person to hang out with," he wrote. Since John is an avid softball player who at last count was on the roster for not one, not two, but three teams, Matchmaker figured an athletic girl might be a good bet to score a dating home run.

Enter Wendy, a 26-year-old Connecticut native who actually works in the athletic industry. Both Yankees, both fit as fiddles, both looking for love, what more could they ask for?

Apparently something...

The Date

John and Wendy met at Monsoon

Who arrived first?

Wendy: I got there first, which is unusual. (My friends teased me earlier that I would be second to arrive.) I people-watched on the patio and perused the wine list.

John: I arrived just at 6:30, maybe a minute or two afterwards. I had never been to Monsoon before, and didn't know where it was. The four people I asked all pointed me in different directions. So I actually looked at one of the signs on the Mall for where the stores are, and finally found it.

Were you nervous?

Wendy: A little bit-- I'd never been on a blind date before.

John: I was a little nervous being late, until I found the place, and saw her sitting outside at a table by herself... I asked if it was her, and she said yes, then I ran in and sat down.

When did you calm down?

Wendy: As soon as I saw him walk up.

John: Once I saw her smile, I figured everything was cool.

First impression?

Wendy: He was very friendly and easy to talk to. Physically not necessarily my type.

John: I did find her attractive from the start. Sometimes when you meet people for the first time, they have that "familiar" look, and I was trying to place it. I'm pretty bad with names, and I try to associate people with something/someone to help me out. As the evening went on, I stopped worrying about it and just enjoyed the conversation. I did notice she looked off while talking at times. I didn't know if that was nervousness or just how she was.

What was your date wearing?

Wendy: There was not much style to speak of. He was wearing shorts and an NYPD t-shirt, sneaks.

John: I was pretty impressed with her appearance. She definitely was better dressed than I was. She had a skirt and a nice dressy top on. I had a button-down polo shirt I was going to wear, but I like to drive with the windows down, and once I arrived, I noticed how humid it was, so at the last minute I changed into a T-shirt.

What did you order?

Wendy: We each had a glass of wine. I had the lemongrass, basil, and chicken stir fry.

John: I got a seafood dish, and we shared. She liked the sweet taste of mine, and so I offered her additional portions.

Wendy: The food was hot and spicy, great overall. It was tough to choose because there were many options. Monsoon is one of my favorite restaurants.

John: I was a little worried about Thai, but was very impressed with the unique taste. The service was very good.

How were your date's table manners?

Wendy: He was a gentleman.

John: She was very proper. I had to catch myself with my elbows on the table during the evening.

How about the conversation?

Wendy: We discussed a variety of different subjects: work, sports teams, growing up in the North. We didn't have a lot in common. Maybe six years is too much of an age difference.

John: We pretty much talked about anything, really didn't have a specific topic, and I was happy that the conversation kept rolling. We both like the Christmas holiday season and shopping for ourselves during that time.

Anything you particularly liked?

Wendy: He is pretty active, plays on a couple of different softball teams. He had been on a nine-mile hike the day before in 90-degree weather-- he deserves credit for that.

John: She has an interesting job at the University with the types of people she works with on a daily basis. Also she didn't try to "over" impress me or rub anything in. The playing field was totally level. She wasn't snobby or very opinionated, which is a turnoff for me.

Anything you didn't like?

Wendy: His manner of dress was similar to my father's-- not a turn-on.

John: Nothing I could see.

Was there flirting?

Wendy: No, there did not seem to be any real sparks between us.

John: I'm not sure there was any flirting. It was more of a friendly date to see if we had something in common.

Did anything strange happen?

Wendy: No.

John: We were sitting near the fountain, and there was a guy sitting close by making strange noises. Other than that, nothing out of the ordinary.

How was it towards the end?

Wendy: It was fine. We decided to talk a walk on the Downtown Mall and ended up getting ice cream from Chaps.

John: As the evening ended, we walked past Monsoon once again, and she was disappointed that they had colorful Christmas lights on in the trees right were we were sitting. Our dinner was 6:30 until about 8:00ish, so it probably wasn't dark enough for them to have been on for us.

How about the very end?

Wendy: He walked me to my car. There was a hug.

John: We walked for a while afterwards and then ended up at her car. She said she had a nice evening, and we did hug.

Would you see this person again?

Wendy: Perhaps in a friendly fashion. It was a pleasant experience, and he's a nice guy. Just a lack of chemistry, though.

John: We did exchange information, and I hope to see her again.

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

Wendy: 7

John: 8

No home run, but a game well played. And if there's a friendly re-match, Matchmaker will let you know...

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