First Date
Everyone has to appreciate the difficulty of first dates. You meet someone, you exchange numbers and then after a few txts/phone convo’s you’re faced with the somewhat daunting process of arranging the formal meet known as the first date. Being the guy, I realise that I could spend forever going back n forth with a girl about where to go- all the while at the end of the day she’s going to make me pick anyway. Now here’s the first date dilemma:
You want to go somewhere that’s fun, that shows off your strong points and keeps her involved all the while trying not to look like you’re trying too hard (trying too hard= desperate. Desperate= A firm hug/hand shake good night and no return phone call). Dinner and a movie? Done to death- though scary movies always work well- but movies should be a second date, or something spontaneously improvised off the first. No, you save the coffee dates for the girl you barely remember from the bar- for the same reason that if you don’t remember her too well, chances are she doesn’t remember you either. Coffee dates are safe, they don’t require at big time commitment and if things go well you pull out your plan B from your back pocket and hit up the bowling alley/crab shack/sushi place/movie theater around the corner. Remember you both want to have fun on this date, so do something that appeals to your playful side aswell as her’s.
So I’m wracking my brain for somewhere to go that’s a) fun b) somewhat original (familiar is boring) c) not too expensive and task oriented incase conversation drops and I don’t get hit with the awkward conversation demerit… ah the joy of first dates… SO it hits me. MINI GOLF. Who doesn’t like mini golf? No one I would want to date. Well, after googling mini-golf in vancouver it seems that the only decent indoor minigolfing around is all the way in castlefun park… in abbotsford. BUT, this place has arcades, go-karts, batting cages and a dance-dance-revolution machine to keep things interesting. Granted, the conversation on the ride over will be a long one, so I go equipped with road games and word association tests to pass the time. If you ever want to memorize some of those “What type of person are you?” tests they haveall over the place on facebook, they work because 1. Everyone’s favorite topic is themselves and 2. It transfers over that you understand them well (You will if you pay attention) and 3. You’re smart and interesting. So again, arranging a castlefun park adventure does take a little effort to put any fears of abduction out of the girl`s head- she`d be crazy to COMPLETELY trust you to drive her all the way out to abbotsford on a first date- but fortunately and unfortunately for guys most girls ARE a little crazy that way.
So after a few laughs in the car on the way, we get to castlefun park. Hit with two choices on whether you want undersea or jungle themes, you choose ball colour- If you choose blue, you`re setting yourself up for a blue balls joke- if not out loud its probably in her head- just warning you now. At this point I kinda regretted not bringing a portable ipod player or something that plays music because it is dead quiet in these courses- it might help keep things on the up and up- though pulling a `boom box` out on the first date takes a lot of confidence and a good sense of humor to pull off. Some dates might not be so appreciative. Well, at the outset, to keep things interesting I like to put a little wager on the match, something like winner chooses the loser`s halloween costume, winner pays for dessert, or my personal favorite, play a kiss per hole- Its win-win really, the winner collects at a time of their choosing. That game takes a little feeling out of the other person though- but the date should be going well by this point and the goal at the end of it is a kiss right? So why not 18? It definitely makes the kiss at the end of the night less awkward, after all- she owes you one.
So after a rousing game of minigolf, a few arcade games (air hockey is my all time fav), and possibly a black eye from the batting cages its time to go cause I`m either starving or exhausted. The ride home is long, try to keep some great convo topics stowed away so you leave things on a high note. Stop by for dessert if you didn`t spend too long at minigolf- there`s a milestones just down the highway or do your homework and find a deathbychocolate or whatever. After its all said and done, you take her back home, walk her back to the door or linger in the car if its too cold and remind her she owes you a kiss, and if you`re cheeky, stop mid way in to your lean and jokingly tell her you`ve actually changed your mind and think you`ll hang onto it, “kissing at the door is so cliche” i say with a smile- which at that point she laughs, pulling me in and kisses me soundly. All in all a good night I`d say. First Date is over, now to the second… and as I drive home in the car I wonder to myself… “What the hell are we going to do then?” *sigh* Til next time.
;)
