In Their Words is a chance for the participants of OHD to voice their reflections, critiques, and general feedback on their experience being a part of this crazy thing. For more info…read this.

Remember Lisa from Date #90: LARP Date? Here she is to answer some questions!

Going into the date, what were your thoughts/feelings towards participating in the project?

It seemed like it would be fun.

Why did you agree to go on this date?

Well, I got a private message from Evan asking me out on this date. After reading the message, I got the impression that he was interested in me. I definitely viewed him a little differently after that.

What did you want to take away from the experience?

At the time of our date, I was desperately seeking a boyfriend! Any male attention I got, I definitely wanted to develop into a relationship.

How much research did you do on Evan prior to the date?

I knew him from an improv class we took together a year prior. I didn't know much about his project, except that he had started it. We were already Facebook friends, so I could potentially follow his daily life if I wanted to!

What was your first impression of Evan?

Since I already knew him, I guess my first thoughts on upon meeting up for the date were "Yay, he's not dressed in all-black! We're both just as nervous to be dressed for this date in public!"

Did knowing about the project affect the date in your mind?

I sort of forgot about the other dates while we were on our date. He did mention that he had 10 more to go, but I heard him and disregarded it.

Care to share any confirmed/broken assumptions that you remember?

1. Vampire LARPing is taken very seriously, and everyone gets really into their characters and it will feel sort of scary. Not true! 2. Evan and I have very little in common, and he had a very "storybook" upbringing. Not true!

Do you recall any missteps that either you or Evan made during the date?

We both tried hard to dress the part for the Vampire LARP, but Evan went all out and got a serious set of fangs. It was difficult for people to understand him at times hahaha!

Was your impression of Evan by the end of the date different from your impression at the beginning?

We kissed, and at the time I was SO sure that he wanted to pursue something more serious with me. (Oh man, I was pretty naïve...)

Who paid for the date?

Evan

Did it matter to you who paid?

Yes.

Right after the date, how would you have summed up the experience?

I had a great time.

Now, over a year or two later, has that impression changed?

I definitely don't have romantic feelings for him anymore, but I don't regret the time I had on the date.

Did the date change your relationship with Evan?

The date itself didn't make stuff weird, but me confronting him about wanting to go out again, along with an additional conversation and no actual 2nd date made things weird. Also, seeing the live date was sort of hard for me.

How did you hope your relationship with Evan would change or evolve?

I was hoping it would blossom into something more serious, but when it didn't I was hoping that it wouldn't have gotten weird.

Does anything stand out for you from the date in particular?

During dinner before the LARP event, we talked about our fathers. I always think it is pretty great when I'm on a date and get to talk about some pretty deep stuff.

Pretend that this date was not part of the OHD project: How would it have been different?

I treated it like it was a non-OHD date anyway, so I don't know how it would've been different.

In the time since your date, have you found any significant romantic happiness?

I've dated a number of men since this date, but recently have decided to take a different approach to dating.

How would you relate or compare this date with your current dating life?

Back then I REALLY wanted a boyfriend, and right now I know I must focus on other things. I'm taking a more casual approach, so being in a relationship is not a top priority of mine.

What did you take away from this experience, if anything?

Dating in NYC can be awesome if you take things casually.

One last chance: Have anything else you want to say?

In Their Words is a chance for the participants of OHD to voice their reflections, critiques, and general feedback on their experience being a part of this crazy thing. For more info…read this.

Remember Elaine from Date #76: Tourist For A Day Date? Here she is to answer some questions and she has a lot of really valuable things to say about her experience!

Going into the date, what were your thoughts/feelings towards participating in the project?

I was both nervous & excited but also tired. Our date took place more than two years ago so I'd like to preface everything I say by saying that my memory of the date is definitely somewhat compromised. That said, I do remember that I was a mix of both slightly nervous and excited to go on the date. I had found Evan through OkCupid & thought the project sounded intriguing and a new take on a tried and true subject. I was especially drawn in to his personality that came through in his writing & the article that he wrote for The Good Men project. To quote myself, in an embarrassingly earnest email I wrote to Evan after our date, "I was taken by surprise by the tragedy in your life but also with the optimistic and commendable way that you moved forward from it. I've never experienced anything like that in my life and not only did you seem to grow as a person from that, but also as a writer (not to mention comedian), and I was incredibly moved by not just your story but also your storytelling (as a[n aspiring] writer myself)." Unfortunately, the morning of our date I had a little journey ahead of me & wasn't quite in the best of moods, being tired & feeling a little unwell. Additionally, I had stupidly not refreshed my memory of the details of the project & that article I had read a month earlier & went ahead to the date in a weird mood. This turned out to be a poor decision.

Why did you agree to go on this date?

It both seemed like fun & an interesting experience. 

What did you want to take away from the experience?

I had zero expectations that this date would lead to romance (which ultimately help doom the date), but I did hope to have a nice time & possibly make a new friend.

What was your first impression of Evan?

My first impression was that he was kind, as he went out of his way to pick up a little NYC subway map that I had dropped on the street. Otherwise, I thought he was pretty low-key.

How did knowing about the project affect the date in your mind?

I sort of set up a barrier in my head, keeping the project in mind at all times, while still somehow forgetting that I should really be putting my best foot forward as my actions would undoubtedly be scrutinized to excess. I assumed there would be zero chance for romance, especially after hearing how invested he had been in some other girls, but thought that this would be a noteworthy experience (except it turned out to be noteworthy for all the wrong reasons).

Care to share any confirmed/broken assumptions that you remember?

I had assumed that Evan (like some other girls have said I believe) would be funnier and more outgoing. I feel that I'm a better writer than conversationalist a lot of the time, & think that he is also, if not to the same extent. But I felt sort of like I was waiting for him to take the lead more & I ended up overcompensating (in all the wrong ways of course).

Do you recall any missteps that either you or Evan made during the date?

Where do I begin? I was his worst date, so there's only so many missteps [I] can list. I came to the date on a morning I was having a not great day, at a time in my life when I was unemployed & living at home with my parents. I felt like a failure & probably didn't have the confidence to suitably sustain a 10-hour long date at that time in my life. I was undoubtedly awkward in both my behavior and speech and definitely not flirty (which, though my confidence and general personality traits have improved immensely since the two years since the date, I still feel is something I just don't do well). There were multiple times I had thoughts or questions that I did not properly formulate and they came out garbled. I also didn't deliver eye contact throughout the date, another thing that I attribute to my lack of confidence at the time & a general flaw I have worked on. I also tend to talk too much to fill gaps of silence so there are no lulls in the conversation, which led to a couple instances of what I thought were innocuous moments of chatter but that Evan perceived as me being either anxious or weird. One example was me asking about him planning on taking the coffee into the Bodies exhibit (I had assumed you couldn't so I wanted to make sure he didn't waste his money, but he thought the question was weird) & another was the admission at the Cloisters. I am a huge proponent of the arts. At the time, I was unemployed & so, paid half the price of admission. I in no way meant to knock anyone who paid full price if they could afford it--I simply was grateful that they had a system to make art accessible to people of all financial backgrounds. Evan took this as me being cheap and/or gaming the system. Now that I am employed & have a good job, I make sure that I fully support the arts in whatever capacity I can. As far as the tourist aspect was concerned, I was definitely very excited to see things in NYC I hadn't previously. Prior to the date I had outlined the attractions I was most interested in seeing. Though I probably should have been more flexible on the date, I had been very excited to see the items I had run by Evan. This was yet another instance that he mistook as my apathy & he felt he was "pulling teeth" & leading the date. I was also definitely open to suggestion (in instances where I didn't have a clear-cut preference on what to do) but this openness was taken as indifference. Finally, all of the above were things that I had recognized in being Evan's worst date & reflected in my embarrassing email to him after the fact (basically apologizing for my behavior & saying that I wanted to be friends). One thing that did take me completely by surprise was that, more than two years later, when I finally read his recap of the date (which he offered to not show me out of courtesy), how I ate was completely repulsive to him. I've always been a fidgeter, picking at beer bottle labels & such, but I never really thought I was a gross eater. The language he used to describe my eating habits was appalling & I was disgusted reading it. To respond to it in any capacity, I used the toast to scoop up my eggs, & I ate the crust off the pizza before the rest. Sure, I fidget a lot, but I wouldn't necessarily say that I play with my food. I always eat everything, but I have a certain order in which I eat it. This was probably not the best course of action, eating greasy finger food in a particular way on a first date, but I felt that the Evan was unfair in his description of me doing so. I always wash my hands after a meal (& I took offense that he lied to hope to get me to do so) & I never waste food. I'm glad that he put this on my radar though, so I can be more careful in the future for people with sensitive sensibilities and pet peeves. As far as Evan is concerned, after our date he commented that I wasn't flirty and cited the instance that I didn't laugh at his jokes, which, he said, even if they were dumb, you do when you want to flirt with someone. As far as I recall, Evan was categorically unfunny. There were numerous instances where I thought I was being clever & cracking jokes (such as the "first lady" we saw at Bodies not looking like Michelle Obama) & I remember him not responding in the slightest. He said I was hard to read but I could easily say the same of him. He felt like he was leading the date but I was really open to many things, & every time I didn't express a clear "yes" in favor of being open it seemed like he got more & more distant. I didn't find him an especially easygoing date. After my email, he said, "One of my weaknesses is that if I come up against low energy, I tend to take that on. I never want to force anyone to do anything they don't want to do and as soon as I sensed hesitation from you, I became less enthusiastic about those things too. It's a shitty cycle because I'm sure that all you needed was a tiny bit more encouragement from me and would have been fine. Unfortunately, our weaknesses fed into each other." I feel that that's not only accurate but also an understatement. I think we just had very mixed up signals the entire day.

Who paid for the date?

Shared the cost.

Did it matter to you who paid?

We mostly split the cost, except for him paying for the Bodies exhibit (I hadn't expected it to be so much & was unemployed at the time), & me paying for coffee. However, he made a big deal in his writing about paying for the Bodies exhibit (even though I felt very poorly about the whole thing) & neglected to mention that I paid for the coffee.

Right after the date, how would you have summed up the experience?

That was fun.

Now, over a year or two later, has that impression changed?

Reading Evan's recap only made me feel worse, which I thought was impossible to do (after I took a lot of responsibility for the date going poorly).

Did the date change your relationship with Evan?

I have no relationship with Evan.

How did you hope your relationship with Evan would change or evolve?

I did hope to make a new friend or at least acquaintance, which has not been the case. C'est la vie.

Pretend that this date was not part of the OHD project: How would it have been different?

Even though I probably would have been awkward & not that confident, I would have allowed myself to be more invested in the date & more present.

In the time since your date, have you found any significant romantic happiness?

It's slightly better yet still unfulfilling.

How would you relate or compare this date with your current dating life?

I honestly thought it was just an "ok" date but obviously it has proven to be worse than that. Lucky for Evan that he had so many great dates--girls don't have it as easy!

Did you learn anything about yourself from participating in OHD?

I learned that I had many "dating flaws" but that I am ultimately somewhat self-aware in this regard. I also learned that my eating habits can turn off men :)

What did you take away from this experience, if anything?

I took away the immediate realization that I need to be more present, focused, confident & flirty on dates. I believe that this has served me well. I have also just recently taken note that I should be more careful with my food quirks :)

One last chance: Have anything else you want to say?

In Their Words is a chance for the participants of OHD to voice their reflections, critiques, and general feedback on their experience being a part of this crazy thing. For more info…read this.

Remember Donna from Date #75: Celebrity Date? Here she is to answer some questions!

Going into the date, what were your thoughts/feelings towards participating in the project?

It seemed like it would be fun.

Why did you agree to go on this date?

No great reason, just seemed like fun.

What did you want to take away from the experience?

Nothing in particular; a pleasant day/evening.

What was your first impression of Evan?

Very sweet well dressed and gentlemanly.

Right after the date, how would you have summed up the experience?

I had a great time.

Did the date change your relationship with Evan?

In Their Words is a chance for the participants of OHD to voice their reflections, critiques, and general feedback on their experience being a part of this crazy thing. For more info…read this.

Remember Lindsey from Date #52: Blind Date? Here she is to answer some questions!

Going into the date, what were your thoughts/feelings towards participating in the project?

I wasn't all that clear on the details of the project until we spoke about it on the date. The date was initially proposed to me as my friend's friend needing someone to meet up with. So that seemed like fun to meet someone new, without any pressures or worries.

Why did you agree to go on this date?

No great reason, just seemed like fun.

What did you want to take away from the experience?

A new friend.

How would you rate your expectations going into the date?

Since I knew nothing about Evan, other than he knew a good friend of mine, I was just hoping to meet and share an evening with someone fun and interesting. 

What was your first impression of Evan?

My first impression of Evan was that he seemed kind and considerate about choosing where to meet.

How did knowing about the project affect the date in your mind?

Knowing about the project as the date continued kind of took a lot of pressure off. Sometimes on dates when you really hit it off, it can almost become daunting, the whole, 'I think I really like this guy, I hope he likes me too. Will he want to see me again?', etc. And even though it felt like we had some pretty great chemistry, in my head it didn't matter because I was just helping Evan with this project. A project he was only halfway through, and something I had no interest in getting wrapped up in. So it allowed me to have a really great night out. And I came out of it more confident to take chances with dating.

Care to share any confirmed/broken assumptions that you remember?

I didn't have any since I did not know about Evan or the project.

Do you recall any missteps that either you or Evan made during the date?

At the time I wasn't living in the city, which stinks when you're dating in the city. So feeling like Cinderella with having to catch the last train wasn't the best on my part. Evan kissed me in the restaurant which was super sweet, but I was self conscious of the people sitting around us. On the other hand, as soon as we leave out on the sidewalk beside a closed park, I pull him in to kiss. In front of everyone passing by in the freezing cold. Not the best idea, but also not the worst.

Right after the date, how would you have summed up the experience?

I had a great time.

How did you hope your relationship with Evan would change or evolve?

Seeing as how I did not know [Evan] at all, I didn't necessarily hope for much more than making a new friendship.

Does anything stand out for you from the date in particular?

As of now, this was the first and only blind date. I never thought I'd go on one.

Pretend that this date was not part of the OHD project: How would it have been different?

Well, I probably would have wanted to go on more dates with Evan.

How would you relate or compare this date with your current dating life?

While I've always considered myself an outgoing person, this date and learning about the project helped put some of the silly little fears I may have had about dating new people into perspective.

Did you learn anything about yourself from participating in OHD?

Yes. It was great practice for my own dating skills.

What did you take away from this experience, if anything?

In Their Words is a chance for the participants of OHD to voice their reflections, critiques, and general feedback on their experience being a part of this crazy thing. For more info…read this.

Remember Kira from Date #44: Hookah Bar Date? Here she is to answer some questions!

Going into the date, what were your thoughts/feelings towards participating in the project?

I wasn't worried.

Why did you agree to go on this date?

No great reason, just seemed like fun.

What did you want to take away from the experience?

A blog post about me / our date; a free meal/event.

What was your first impression of Evan?

Evan looked like his pictures. I thought he was going to speak with more confidence than he did.

How did knowing about the project affect the date in your mind?

Looking back on it I could have "tried harder." Knowing that nothing could come out of the date I didn't present my best self. I felt I didn't have to.

Right after the date, how would you have summed up the experience?

Eh...

Did the date change your relationship with Evan?

No difference.

How did you hope your relationship with Evan would change or evolve?

I wasn't hoping for anything.

Does anything stand out for you from the date in particular?

I'd rather not go into it.

Do you wish anything had gone differently?

Yes, of course I do however I don't feel like elaborating.

Pretend that this date was not part of the OHD project: How would it have been different?

I don't think it would have went any different.

How would you relate or compare this date with your current dating life?

I've found a much better match.

Did you learn anything about yourself from participating in OHD?

I did learn some things about myself and my dating life. I don't want to share but it was for the best.

How would you compare Evan's overall impression of the date to your own?

In Their Words is a chance for the participants of OHD to voice their reflections, critiques, and general feedback on their experience being a part of this crazy thing. For more info…read this.

Remember Mikaela from Date #32: Shooting Range Date and Date #40: Build Something Date? Here she is to answer some questions!

Going into the date, what were your thoughts/feelings towards participating in the project?

It seemed like it would be fun.

Why did you agree to go on this date?

No great reason, just seemed like fun.

What did you want to take away from the experience?

A pleasant day/evening.

How much research did you do on Evan prior to the date?

I met [him] in person first, so I didn't really have to do any homework.

What was your first impression of Evan?

Hipster-ish? Can't recall.

How did knowing about the project affect the date in your mind?

Not really. I liked hanging out with Evan previously, but wasn't necessarily romantically interested. Figured I'd be a pal & help this cat out with his project.

Do you recall any missteps that either you or Evan made during the date?

Well, he had grown a mustache for Movember at the time of our [second] date. It was sort of unappealing.

Right after the date, how would you have summed up the experience?

That was fun.

Did the date change your relationship with Evan?

No difference.

How did you hope your relationship with Evan would change or evolve?

I had no expectations.

Pretend that this date was not part of the OHD project: How would it have been different?

I don't think it would have been different.

How would you relate or compare this date with your current dating life?

No mustaches.

Did you learn anything about yourself from participating in OHD?

Evan is not my soulmate. That sounded harsh, but yeah.

What did you take away from this experience, if anything?

Not sure, it was a while ago. But, it was certainly an interesting exploration of modern dating life. Definitely got an informative & insightful look at dating from a dude's perspective. Way better than that "Jake" column in Cosmo.

One last chance: Have anything else you want to say?

In Their Words is a chance for the participants of OHD to voice their reflections, critiques, and general feedback on their experience being a part of this crazy thing. For more info…read this.

Remember Rita from Date #9: Comedy Date? She was one of only three dates who didn't know about the project when we went out. Here she is to answer some questions!

Going into the date, what were your thoughts/feelings towards participating in the project?

I didn't know. I was getting prepped up to go on the date! I was nervous like any other date, but I had no idea it was going to be written about later, of course.

Why did you agree to go on this date?

I asked Evan! I'd really been let down by a guy a couple of months prior, so I'd turned to OKCupid to go on a few dates and throw myself back out there. I asked Evan out through that website. He found a day for us to go see a show at UCB.

How would you rate your expectations going into the date?

I had no idea about OHD, again, so my expectations were pretty normal, though I remember that our online profiles had some really high match, which I know doesn't mean much but I figured, Hey, at least we'll have similar values. I loved comedy and I was glad to go on a date with someone who also appreciated comedy.

How much research did you do on Evan prior to the date?

I think I stalked Evan just through his OKCupid profile, which is where I found him. I'd just started a new job and I was really busy, so I don't think I had time for any usual Googling ... though I try to avoid that if possible; makes you so stressed out when you already know something....

What was your first impression of Evan?

I thought he was attractive. Close to my type. Nerd-handsome. I felt bad that I was late. I'm usually very punctual. I felt bad he arrived so much earlier than I did. He was pretty easy to be on a date with from the start—comfortable, calm—though I didn't feel any sort of "spark" from the beginning.

How did knowing about the project affect the date in your mind?

So I'll try to answer this question tailored to me, since I didn't know about the project! Had I known, I would have been very self-conscious and probably wouldn't have agreed to go on the date. That being said, this was a REALLY surreal/fascinating thing for me. I remember that Evan contacted me after the date—maybe a couple of months after?—and I was surprised. I know our date hadn't been incredible (we didn't even kiss at the end), but I didn't think it was terrible, either. I kinda just assumed we both didn't contact each other because there wasn't really a spark. I would have gone out with Evan again had he asked.

Care to share any confirmed/broken assumptions that you remember?

I wish I remembered more. It's funny: The date wasn't nearly as momentous for me as was the aftermath. So it's been nearly three years, I think, since we went out! So it's weird that something I didn't realize was important was going to become important. I went on maybe 5 dates with different guys during that time period, and I don't really remember much from those dates, or too too much about the guys after, but then again I wasn't keeping a journal of the dates/being blogged about. I remember that Evan was indeed smart and worldly. That was nice, though intimidating—I'd never really traveled, and I grew up in the Midwest, and I was a little insecure and felt like I maybe wasn't educated enough, or something. I don't know. You know how you feel silly on dates sometimes. I maybe, not sure why, but probably because he said he did improv, expected Evan to be a little more outright funny? Like in-your-face funny. But he was much more my speed (I'm not obviously funny, but sometimes once you get to know me, I think I'm ...amusing...? ha) and really just set me at ease. He was funny and obviously clever, but not over the top at all.

Do you recall any missteps that either you or Evan made during the date?

Hm. I'd just changed jobs and because of a direct-deposit error, I was really, really broke. I shouldn't have been going out on a date. I was so relieved we were just going to a dive bar and UCB, so I wouldn't have to spend too much money—things were kinda dark, ha ha. That's a misstep I made, was probably not owning up to it. But it was funny to read Evan talking about how I insisted on paying in the blog post. That's SO me. I showed the post to a few friends (I told them the story and they BEGGED; I was really sort of embarrassed about it). Anyway, they all laughed when it got to that part, I always pay and often pay for others (and for a period in my life, I frequently found myself with, like, $4 in my savings account because of it). This made me laugh (kinda dark laugh, but still a laugh): from Evan's post about our date: "She asked if he was my only sibling. You’d think it obligatory, but I didn’t ask about her siblings in return. What a dope." Why that's funny—it's weird that I brought up siblings anyway, because it DOES invite that question typically, and it's funny that Evan remembered that he didn't ask. My younger brother actually died when I was 11, so siblings are a really touchy/traumatic thing for me, that I don't handle well in conversation usually (humor is my defense mechanism, so I usually try to make it into some sort of weird, very dark joke...like I'm doing right now). Hm, what else? When Evan first blogged about this date, it didn't include bits about the other girl, "Ariana" (not sure if that's her real name). But then when I found the blog again while I was cleaning out my internet bookmarks, I noticed that was added—he was mentioning how he'd texted Ariana during our date and then met up with her afterward. That made me feel sort of weird, even though it was three years later and I'm really a confident person. It's just never good to feel second best, or not appreciated? Even when you DO feel confident about yourself, and happy with yourself, I think that it's probably important to be honest and open when your feelings are hurt. This did hurt my feelings—not significantly, but it just made me feel inadequate/not funny enough/wonder what I didn't have that Ariana did. Anyway, I didn't dwell on it long. I also thought it was funny that Evan wrote that he knew the chances of anything happening with me were really slim before we'd met up...it made me wonder what sort of vibe I gave off on my online profile that made that seem the situation. Evan was a nice person to date. We had a pleasant evening together. We got a long. I would have gone out with him again. And had I not been broke, I would have suggested getting a drink with him after! Ha. I wonder if my stress about that, about money, made me seem like less fun that I actually was. It was surreal and actually really interesting to read about our date, but it made me seem like a LITTLE less energetic/fun than I think I really am? (Normally I wouldn't be ending the night that early; I would have been suggesting another drink, another comedy show...I assume I was worried because of money and because I'd just started a new job and didn't want to fuck it up.)

Was your impression of the project by the end of the date different from your impression at the beginning?

Well, if we consider the end of the date when I found out about the project weeks later, I will say my impression of the date itself changed. It was REALLY weird. I called a couple of girlfriends, freaked out. Their opinions ranged from being furious for me to being really amused. They all like to tease me about this line, which I found particularly mortifying, ha ha! It makes me laugh now: "I hadn’t noticed her body at the restaurant, but as we walked down the street, I could see how good she looked. Really though, I was taken aback. I simply did not get a good look at her while sitting at dinner."

Right after the date, how would you have summed up the experience?

That was fun.

Now, over a year or two later, has that impression changed?

SO: I was kinda mad about the blog at first, because I felt a little...invaded? And like someone had tricked me. BUT I do think it was kinda cool/valuable to hear about what I'm like on a date! And it's been a fun laugh when I've shown friends. 

Did the date change your relationship with Evan?

No difference.

How did you hope your relationship with Evan would change or evolve?

Hm! Well, I didn't know he had plans to go on a hundred dates, so before I went into the date, I was hopeful that I might meet someone who I really got along with and who I could continue to date.

Does anything stand out for you from the date in particular?

I remember thinking that even though I really loved comedy, and I really love improv and standup, I probably shouldn't go on another first date to a comedy club again. It gets so awkward at points: you're always watching to see when the other person laughs! And, sometimes, the comedy is just NOT good. Luckily on this night it was good. But it's so much nicer to see comedy when you're with close friends who you can relax around...and when you've got a few beers in you.

Do you wish anything had gone differently?

I wish I'd known about the project. I wish we'd had another drink or two after the comedy show so we could have gotten to know each other better.

Pretend that this date was not part of the OHD project: How would it have been different?

Ha! No pretending necessary. Though I can imagine this maybe was weird for Evan to disguise? Maybe he would have acted differently? I don't know.

How would you relate or compare this date with your current dating life?

I've been in a relationship since a couple of months after I went out with Evan. It's the kind of relationship where you meet and you go crazy. So that's nice. It's nice after going on that-was-nice-but-no-sparks dates for a while...it's nice to meet someone who just GETS you and makes you feel comfortable instantly.

Did you learn anything about yourself from participating in OHD?

Hm. In the blog post, I seemed more nervous than I thought I normally seem.

One last chance: Have anything else you want to say?

In Their Words is a chance for the participants of OHD to voice their reflections, critiques, and general feedback on their experience being a part of this crazy thing. For more info…read this.

Remember Emma from Date #45: Cooking Dinner Date? Here she is to answer some questions!

Going into the date, what were your thoughts/feelings towards participating in the project?

As [Evan] knew, I was in a long term relationship, so dating was very new and in NY, kind of painful. Thought it would be fun to see what it was about with someone I'm comfortable with, but still don't know extremely well. 

Why did you agree to go on this date?

No great reason, just seemed like fun. Not sure if [Evan] picked up on this, but I'm always down to try something new and enjoy good company. 

What did you want to take away from the experience?

A pleasant day/evening. Getting a chance to know each other better.

How would you rate your expectations going into the date?

I didn't really have any... I don't really like to think ahead and make expectations, kind of just like to roll with it...

How much research did you do on Evan prior to the date?

Maybe looked at [his] facebook and checked out the blog?

How did knowing about the project affect the date in your mind?

Even though it was technically a date, I wasn't sure if [Evan was] generally interested in me. Our date dynamic [was] different than women whom [he'd] just met, at least from my POV.

Care to share any confirmed/broken assumptions that you remember?

Didn't have any...

Was your impression of the project by the end of the date different from your impression at the beginning?

Not really. The only thing I remember asking way back when was how [Evan could] manage to kind of date a few women. Seems exhausting!

Was your impression of Evan by the end of the date different from your impression at the beginning?

Nope.

Right after the date, how would you have summed up the experience?

I had a great time.

Did the date change your relationship with Evan?

It didn't really change how much we hang out, but we know each other a little better and are better friends.

Pretend that this date was not part of the OHD project: How would it have been different?

I would have maybe analyzed it more. I tend to overthink things, but since I knew [Evan was] going on many dates, I didn't overthink this date. 

What did you take away from this experience, if anything?