MARK THOMPSON > 31
Computer and network technician
FAVORITE ACTIVITY I’ve made it a habit to scope out the latest nerd-herds in the Northeast, Anime Boston and ConnectiCon specifically.
LAST THING HE READ The Hunger Games trilogy
LEIGH WARREN > 30
Project manager for a state agency
PERFECT MATE He’d look like Dean Cain and be a professional baseball catcher.
LAST THING SHE READ The Devil in the White City
8:30 P.M. HARU SUSHI, BOSTON
> READY?
LEIGH I had been at a wedding all day, so I barely had time to stop at home, change quickly, and head into Boston.
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MARK I just tried to relax on the ride into the city. I was more calm than nervous, very low-level anxiety.
LEIGH I was there about 10 minutes early and he arrived about 15 minutes late.
MARK There was traffic.
> INTRODUCTIONS
LEIGH I thought he was the host of the restaurant coming to tell me that the table was ready, because he was wearing a shirt and a tie with no jacket or coat.
MARK She was cute, definitely. “Wow, cool” was my first impression.
LEIGH I really couldn’t get past the tie! I had been at a wedding all day with people who were not as dressed up.
MARK The first thing I found was that she doesn’t eat red meat.
LEIGH I discovered that he’s really into comic books.
MARK She finished in the last year the whole Harry Potter series, and we both had a big disdain for how much they cut out of the movies. And we share an intense hatred of The Twilight Saga.
LEIGH Oddly enough, we both really like the original Iron Chef (with subtitles!).
> DEAL BREAKER?
MARK She’s a big, big Red Sox fan. I’m not as much — I’m one of those ones who will follow them religiously when they’re in the playoffs. I find it’s usually a disappointment.
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LEIGH The one real deal breaker was when I was talking about my recent trip to Chicago. I mentioned I saw the Cubs play the White Sox at US Cellular Field, and he didn’t know that both teams are from Chicago.
> PARTING WAYS
MARK It ended up being like a three-hour talk with a friend I had never met before.
LEIGH Mark was kind and offered to walk me to my car.
MARK We actually both parked in the same garage, so she said goodbye when she got off at her level.
> POST-MORTEM
MARK A
LEIGH Through dinner it was probably an A-, but I think it dropped a letter grade every 15 minutes that passed afterward.
> ANOTHER DATE?
MARK I hope so. It’s up to her now, since I gave her my number.
LEIGH Probably not. I think we’re each better suited for someone who has more similar interests. — Compiled by Andrew Doerfler
GO ON A BLIND DATE. WE’LL PICK UP THE TAB. Fill out an application at boston.com/cupid.