by Laurette Escobar

Created on: March 20, 2007   Last Updated: April 23, 2007

Oh Lord have mercy! Dating...geez can you think of another social interaction where the stakes are high and the possibility of rejection is as well? The only thing worse would be crashing a party at Buckingham Palace. I applaud those of you who can go into a dating situation, especially a blind date, with a truly positive attitude.

First let's look at on-line dating. There is a type of on-line dating where a bunch of strangers ask you specific questions and based on your answers give feedback sieved from one level to another. Then they take another you, a you compatible with you, and send you off on your merry way. Then there is the type of on-line dating where it's basically just hook-up central. You have very little info, maybe you get a photo, and these sites are usually free. I personally believe they're in cahoots with the hourly motel industry and they get a cut of the action.

The worst thing that has happened to dating in my opinion is speed dating. Seriously are we all just that busy? I don't think so. I think we just ran out of ideas. Bars are no place to look for love. Grocery stores? Maybe, but we've all become so closed off from one another it might appear creepy if a man struck up a conversation over sausages with a woman at the butcher's. Maybe it is. But where else? Church? Now there's an idea. But I have found most of the men who go to church are dragged there by their wives or girlfriends.

So enter speed dating. You don't have to spend a whole lot of time with this person. Just ask basic questions and try not to appear too lost. But how do you do that? Most people need some warm up time, some time to size up the situation and pick and choose what they want to reveal. Is five minutes enough? Is fifteen? So confusing.

So taking all of that into consideration for your average work-a-day woman it's a pretty big field. However for the independent, professional woman it's not narrow enough. Let's face it CEO-ettes are a lot harder to please than the administrative assistants who fetch their coffee.

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