Speed Dating aka My Sign Is "No Entry"

[Chernabog]

So I did speed dating last nite, and haven't gotten my responses yet (they'll be available after 10pm tonite), but wanted to see what you guys thought about it and whether any of you have done it.

Here's a reprint of what happened (from the gay club on that other board)

Ok so I tried this speed dating thing last nite through a site www.hurrydate.com ... LOL I have to wait 24 hours (i.e. tonite) to see if I got any matches, since you do the "yes" and "no" thing online (i.e. to see if you got a match).

It was sort of funny since I am casually dating this guy Andrew and he said he was doing the speed date event and invited me along too. (We are not serious at all, we are just having fun till someone better comes along, and Andrew has a porn star body, so I'm having fun while I can). So it was a little odd -- sort of a "speed date" date. LOL. Andrew almost got cold feet before it started, and wanted to buy me TWO dinners if we left before it began. I told him if we did the speed dating, then he'd just have to buy me ONE dinner afterwards. OK so yeah I guess that's all a little odd. ANYWAY, back to the speed dating thing...

Here's how it worked -- there were 16 guys at Fubar (bad bad bad venue, it was supposed to be at the Abbey but the Abbey flaked out and Fubar was available... sort of. Chi Chi La Rue, that evil porn star directing drag queen c*nt was spinning later in the evening, and she couldn't wait for the last 20 minutes to not have her music on FULL GODDAMN BLAST, so it was hard to hear people in the end. I am so annoyed at her.) Fubar is not the best location for this sort of thing.

Anyhow, at first it was ok before Chi Chi showed up. Everyone got a name tag with a number. You also got a "scorecard" (basically a sheet of numbers with a "Y" and a "N" next to it). You sit across from someone, you talk for 4 minutes to get a feel for them, and then the whistle blows from the "host" and people switch tables. It sort of got messed up because people were a little tipsy towards the end (or they were just plain stupid) and then Chi Chi came with her LOUD MUSIC and it became SCREAMING at each other to hear. So there were probably one or two people I didn't end up meeting.

So yeah, you talk to them for a few minutes and get a feel for what they are like. There were 4-ish people that I put "yes" to, that seemed pretty cool. The other people were either not attractive or bizarre. You aren't supposed to put a "yes" to someone you think you are gonna instantly marry (cuz that would be wierd in and of itself), just someone you'd like to meet again for a real date.

So afterwards you go online, enter your scorecard, and if both people said "yes" then it gives you the email of that person. If one person said "yes" and the other said "no", I dont think it exchanges information (you arent allowed to exchange information there at the event).

Andrew was a little self conscious and afterwards wondered who put "yes" to him (even if he put "no" to them), but I thought that was not a good way of looking at it. YOU are weeding out THEM, not the other way around. It isn't a chance to see "who likes me even if I don't like them, and why did they reject me even though I don't like them anyway". That would make me nuts. If they got a good impression of you and you of them, you match, great. If not, why would you want to be with someone who put "no" to you or that you put "no" to????

So anyway, I went back to Andrew's (after he bought me dinner, lol) and we got on the computer and entered scores. We'll see what happens after tonite! I'd say overall it was an interesting evening, definitely something to talk about....

Anyway, I didn't know anyone who has tried this thing before (everyone I talked to seemed to know OF it but hadn't actually DONE it). Just wanted to post my experience and see if anyone had any feedback. Has anyone here tried this or know anyone that has? Good/bad experience?

As a side note, it was funny to go to a speed dating event on a dinner/sleepover "date" but hey, I'm all into new experiences.

[Gemini Cricket]

I think it sounds cool. I would totally try it. You know, just for fun.

[SzczerbiakManiac]

I didn't know there was gay speed dating, cool.
May I ask how much it cost?

[Chernabog]

It cost $37 for the live date thing. If you subscribe to the website (creating a profile is free, but being a subscriber costs like 10-20 bucks a month, no way jose), then you get a 25% discount on the face to face events.

[Kevy Baby]

I just think "Fubar" is a GREAT name for a bar!

[innerSpaceman]

I can barely keep up 4 minutes of conversation on a real date with one person, so I don't see this format working for me.



Of course, I say this before desperation sets in ..... not due for at least 2 more months.

[Chernabog]

Originally Posted by innerSpaceman

Of course, I say this before desperation sets in ..... not due for at least 2 more months.

What??? I am so not desperate! Did you miss the part about me sleeping over at Andrew's last night?? jeeeeeeeez.

And you can keep it up for 4 minutes iSm.... I've seen you! (Conversation, that is.)

[innerSpaceman]

Um, Mr. Paranoid ... i was not referring to You as desperate, but myself. Geez, you're the most successful date-getter I have ever known. Hahahaha, went to speed-dating on a date!

And I didn't mean to imply that speed-dating is only for the desperate ... just that it would be a desperate measure for me .... and that I expect to resort to desperate measures, oh, sometime this Fall perhaps.

[Capt Jack]

I've talked to a few folks who've done the hetero version. they've gotten one or two dates out of it and one fairly short term yet fairly serious relationship as well. the "issues" dont show up right away and from my understanding, they werent all that upset about "yeah, its time to go our separate ways" because they really had little invested.

it sounds interesting and at least short term entertaining, but not sure I could do it.

[Chernabog]

Originally Posted by innerSpaceman

Um, Mr. Paranoid ... i was not referring to You as desperate, but myself.

hahah I know you were referring to yourself, I just couldn't resist

Hey it is worth trying, what do you have to lose besides a few bucks and an hour and a half? I don't think it is a sign of complete desperation -- after all you have a better chance (imho) of someone who wants to date than some random cute guy at a bar and whatnot...

OH -- and I got two matches from the thing when I went to check the site yesterday, so I emailed those people. Basically on the site it shows you "Matches" (you both said yes) "Missed Matches" (you said no and he said yes... I guess if you want to reconsider) and "Maybe Matches" (people you didn't put anything down for / didn't meet) We shall see what happens, I might get a real date or two out of it after all!