MONICA J.: 31 / ICU nurse
WHAT MAKES HER A CATCH: Her sunny disposition
HER INTERESTS: Football, travel, golfing
DAVID B.: 29 / sustainability analyst
WHAT MAKES HIM A CATCH: He’s a positive person.
HIS PERFECT MATCH: Someone adventurous and active
7 P.M. FLANDERS FIELD, HANOVER
BATTER UP
Monica My aunt actually filled out most of my application and picked my photos. I proofread her answers and approved. I figured it was something new to try.
David I was calm and excited. I went for my normal swim in the afternoon.
Monica I played my “Date Pregame” Spotify playlist while I got gussied up and had a little wine.
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David I sat down first, so they brought her over.
Monica He looked really nice and was taller than I expected. David is definitely more fit than who I’m used to dating.
David She was dressed nicely. I would say she came across as normal, no crazy hair or anything.
FROM THE OVEN
Monica He’s originally from the Czech Republic, is a chemical engineer, enjoys barbecuing, and sees taking care of himself physically as a way to help prevent psychological burnout. We talked a lot about travel, a little about our families, and work.
David We talked about work, pets, tattoos. We both had been to Peru so we talked about our travel there. Her experience travel nursing was particularly interesting.
Monica I started to feel really comfortable, like I wouldn’t need the pepper spray I had in my pocket. At one point I noticed we both use a little self-deprecating humor, which was reassuring.
David Monica is a cool and interesting person. After 20 minutes I think we both were having a good time. She had a really great laugh that helped the mood.
Monica The food was delicious. Although I opted for wine, they have a huge beer selection that I wouldn’t mind exploring in the future.
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David We had a poutine app, beer and wine, meat loaf and Bolognese. We talked about being adventurous with food, so we had a laugh when she ordered the Bolognese and specifically called out the boar and bison meat in the sauce.
Monica The date felt fairly platonic.
David Monica didn’t seem to want to speak about past dating experiences much or go into how she feels about certain things. I don’t want someone to rant about their ex, but getting to know the person on a deeper level is important for the romantic aspect.
JUST DESSERTS
Monica Before we even ordered, he said he wanted to go to the Crumbl next door afterward. He said he hadn’t tried a gourmet chain cookie place before. I’m always down for dessert and liked his company, so I was happy to go with him.
David She offered me a piece of the cookie in a way where I wasn’t sure if she was trying to feed me or hand it to me. So I asked if I was supposed to eat it out of her hand and she said something along the lines of, “No, we aren’t there yet.”
Monica After sampling our cookies, we slowly started to say goodnight. We hugged and agreed it was a nice evening and fun to try something new.
David We chatted a bit outside, hugged, and said goodbye.
SECOND DATE?
Monica He didn’t ask for my number so I doubt I’ll see him again.
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David Not romantically, but she was great conversation.
POST-MORTEM
Monica / B+
David / A-