Blind Date: the aftermath

Last night, tens of singletons fell in love. We followed them in our live blog but eventually got tired and went to bed because the rain had soaked through to our socks. Luckily the rest of the Tab team were made of hardier stuff. Here’s how their dates went.

Deputy Debate Editor, Charlotte went on a date with Jerry, a fresher Engineer from Jesus.

We met at: The Bath House.

My first impression was: Relief and happiness: he was fun and talkative, and hence I would not be spending the evening in silence, awkwardly posing questions along the lines of “So… what exactly is it you like about building bridges?”. Success.

We drank: I drank absurd amounts of Disoronno and lemonade. He was on the Soda water as he had a tennis match against Oxford the next day. I can only guess at how annoying I must have become as the night went on.

We talked about: As an icebreaker, I listed everyone I knew from Jesus, expecting a response of enthusiastic recognition. Unfortunately I had forgotten that Jesus is the size of a small country. We later had the classic conversation concerning how much more work he does than me. I also remember a semi aggressive debate about the relative merits of Life and Fez.

How it went: Very well. He was great fun and I would definitely spend more time with him. We did, however, have a conversation in the Cindies queue about how marrying young is weird, so perhaps no wedding bells on the horizon yet.

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Theatre Editor Will dated Chloe, a second-year NatSci from Pembroke.

We met at: The Maypole

My first impression was:  Mixed. My heart sank when I realised she was both a Nat Sci and a rower. She had never even been to the Maypole or to the ADC: it is a credit to her that she offered fairly amusing conversation despite these handicaps. She also came with a dateless friend, ensuring that I got good value for money.

We drank: I had gin. She went for the misleadingly-advertised “£3 Cocktail” that the Maypole was offering for the night.

We talked about: Which one of the two girls I was talking to was actually her. The time she set her ex-boyfriend’s post on fire (an interesting opening gambit). Whether I could face-swap her with her friend for the picture on the Tab (answer: no).  Her dubious experiences with perfectly-formed Norwegian rowers. National stereotypes.

How it went: It was OK. We just stood by the bar throughout the evening, which made for a pleasingly fluid experience, and meant that I actually spent a fair amount of time talking to other people’s dates. One of her friends asked me for my autograph when she heard I was writing for The Tab, which was an effective ego trip.

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Contributing Editor Harry went on a date with Ling, a third year Medic at Christ’s.

We met at: Cambridge Brew House.

My first impression: Well dressed and friendly.

We drank: Whole pints.

We talked about: The Tab. How much she loved cutting up a corpse in Medicine and the sensuous experience of using a scalpel on human flesh.

How it went: Sexy vibes were killed by paranoia. Supermarkliu, of Internet and restraining order fame, seemed to be following us and live-tweeted the event for the whole evening. We searched the pub and couldn’t find him: much like the fleeting celebrity Mark enjoyed in the summer of 2010, he had vanished. Cyberstalking and dates don’t mix. Unfortunately, I was so lost in her gaze (imagine an erotic Demon Headmaster) that I forgot to take a picture.

@tabcambridge Followed @HShukman after he met his date outside Christs. Nice little Asian girl. Let’s see how they do. #ragblinddate

— Mark Liu (@supermarkliu) February 11, 2014

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Deputy Features Editor Isobel dated Jean-Loup, a Physics student doing an MPhil at Clare Hall.

We met at: Pembroke Porters’ Lodge.

My first impression was: Oooh la la. Salut Monsieur Jean-Loup. Voulez-vous me montrer votre tour Eiffel?

We drank: in each other’s sweet nothings and a couple of pints of Peroni.

We talked about: What and where the fuck Clare Hall was, his saxophone funk band, the trials and tribulations of learning languages. Did I mention this was all in French?

How it went: Très très bien. Sadly Cindie’s wasn’t his scene and so we parted ways after the pub. He has however, promised to audition for the Pembroke June Event.

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Writer Adrian went on a date with Bethany, an EDE fresher from Jesus.

We met at: The Cambridge Brew House. Based on the logo’s font I think it’s a trendy anti-pub.

My first impression was: She had made more effort than me, appearance-wise.

We drank: She drank an ‘ale’. I said I didn’t drink, before making a joke about how I do drink fluids, just not alcohol. She laughed politely.

We talked about: Euthanasia, dog euthanasia, Iraq, Ikea, Poundland, cannabis, sharks (men who prey on younger women), sharks (the animals), and the view I have of Jesus College from my room. We held the same opinion on the death penalty – which was a nice bit of common ground to establish early on – though sadly we disagreed when it came to whether all humans have an intrinsic value from birth (classic).

How it went: She said she’d bribed for someone funny, which threw me a bit. In fact I didn’t say anything funny for about ten minutes after that. Despite this, it went pretty well. We hugged when the date ended and are now Facebook friends. As well as real life friends, I guess.