Fresh Ideas for a First Date

by Kristine Kern

Does anyone truly like to date? I mean, really get excited about sifting through potential candidates, sussing out neuroses, reading between the lines?

I’m not talking about the thrill and anticipation you might feel the day you’re going out with someone new. I’m talking about the nitty-gritty research involved in finding someone who intrigues you.

I suppose there are some people who enjoy the hunt. And others who are so confident (or delusional) that they don’t feel as if they’re opening themselves up to humiliation, pain, and suffering—along with sexual tension and the possibility of intense joy. But, by and large, I think, dating rates pretty far down the fun scale.

I should know. I’m one of the dating masses. And while I’m not so cynical as to say it sucks entirely, I would suggest that daters need all the help they can get.

That’s why I have my own “panel of experts,” my team of go-to people. They tell me when not to call him, when not to believe him, when to cut him a break. They soothe me when I’m freaking out. And I can’t tell you how many times they’ve pushed me back into the fray.