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Dating Triumphs and Tragedies
by Nicole Roberge

What is The Perfect Date?

A friend recently asked me what the best date I had been on was, and I truly had to take a moment…or a few…to think about it.  Because there have been some that have been special just because of the person I was with, and then some that were good because of the activity, but, not so great because of the person I was with.  I thought, “what makes the perfect date?”  I suppose it is the combination of being with that person whose company you enjoy and doing something enjoyable, but then again, I’ve always that it doesn’t matter what you do as long as you are spending time with someone you care about.  I’ve had a plethora of both kinds of dates, good and bad, just like we all have.

There was the recent date I went on that was mini-golfing.  I was so excited.  I hadn’t been mini-golfing in so long, but then it rained, so I was a bit bummed.  However, my date sent me a text message in the morning to let me know that he had found an indoor mini-golf course.  Now that shows thought and that he cared.  I couldn’t wait.  Until I got there and it seemed he was more interested in mini-golf than me.  It took a little fun out of the game.  In fact, I couldn’t wait for it to be over.

I’ve always enjoyed the dates where it doesn’t have to be some special activity, but it can be made special because of the person.  I was dating this one guy, “Jake,” who invited me over to his apartment and made dinner for me.  I’m not very risky when it comes to trying different foods, so I was a little nervous, but he knew that and actually made a great meal.  The fact that he went to all that effort of cooking a nice meal and something he knew I would like made it special, and a night alone just to hang out and get to know each other better makes it one of my favorite dates to this day.  Sometimes, you don’t need to do something adventurous—it’s the little things that count.

I was dating one guy, “Matt,” who I was absolutely enamored with, and the feeling was mutual.  I had gone up to Boston to spend a few days with him and most of the time was just spent hanging out, as it was winter, watching movies and playing with his dog.  One night, we decided to go out to dinner.  He hadn’t been feeling that great but thought he was okay.  He thought wrong.  Right before our meals were about to come, he said to me: “Can you them to go?  I’m going to be sick.”  Out he ran to his truck, where he was indeed sick, and I sheepishly asked the waitress to have our meals packaged to go, and then went and took him home.  Dates go awry sometimes, but that’s to be expected.  Things can’t always go perfectly.  Yes, I was looking forward to finally getting out of the apartment and going out to dinner with him, but things happen.  I was still happy to spend time with him, even if that time was spent nursing him back to health.

I guess this doesn’t count, because I went with my gay friend (aren’t they all?), but one of my favorite “dates’ was seeing Jenny Lewis perform at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles.  It was a memorable night for the company and for the show.  Now if next time, only I could find a straight guy to take me!  Any Jenny Lewis fans out there?

Ever go on that date that seems endless, but in a good way?  Granted, I’ve been on dates that seem endless in a bad way, but one particular one seemed like three dates combined into one, and was like a perfect day.  It was a first date, with a guy named “David,” and we met up for coffee where we talked and got to know each other first.  Then we walked around downtown and finally sat on a bench and talked some more.  Seeing that we had a lot in common and the date was going well, we went out to dinner.  After dinner, we went to a movie and then talked some more.  It was about an eight-hour date.  Some people say that’s bad, that you should limit your first date so that you don’t reveal everything about yourself at once.  But I say, who cares?  Because we did see each other again…and again.  That date was memorable because it seemed like we could talk forever and the conversation wouldn’t become dull.  That’s rare to find.  So when I found it, I held on to it.

Dating Triumphs and Tragedies is published every Sunday by Online Dating Magazine columnist Nicole Roberge. She can be reached at NicoleMRoberge@hotmail.com.