The Flake

The 30 Dates Challenge officially began a week ago, on Facebook, when I posted the following status ….

Right, so may be stitching myself up completely with this post, buuuuut …. Have decided to make the most of my last few months being single in my twenties, by setting myself the challenge of going on 30 dates before my 30th! This is where you guys come in …. I am pretty picky, and would hope that my friends would only actually set me up with nice, normal guys! So, if you know someone single (preferably over 25 to save the inevitable cougar jokes!), who lives around Reading / London, and would be up for dinner or a drink, let me know! Preferably no nutters 🙂 

The response from my friends was overwhelming.  A fair few called me nuts! One called me ‘desperate’.  But for the most part, my female friends were really excited by the idea.  Within hours, I was getting emails with date suggestions.

Within the first day, I had 2 dates lined up, and three more in the pipeline.  The next day, I received a text from a random number, quoting a friend’s name and telling me he was up for my ‘quest.’  One of my managers at work described it as ‘The Apprentice meets a Princess searching for a suitor.’

A married man I used to work with sent me a vile message, offering to blindfold me, so he could qualify as a blind date for me.  A work colleague tried to set me up with someone in my own building (I politely turned down the date …. the challenge needs to be properly blind dates!  Not people I know asking me out because they know I have to say yes!)

Within hours, friends were demanding I write a blog.  That I Tweet about my dates.  That I apply for the C4 program ‘First Dates’. (all of which I have done!)

You see, the thing about being single and almost thirty, is that whilst very few of my friends are single, an awful lot of them are excited about living vicariously through my single life!

And so the 30 Dates blog and @30Dates Twitter were born!

A week on …. and Date One was actually schedule for tonight.  Which introduces the third character in the 30 Dates drama.

Introducing ‘The Flake’.

As I told him, when we scheduled him in as my Date Number One, he would be setting the bar for the other 29 dates to meet.  He had a clean canvas.  Could choose any date he wanted, and it would be original.

Turns out he hasn’t set the bar overly high! As after a couple of Facebook messages (he was recommended by an old schoolmate who was particularly excited by my challenge), he flaked on me!  I’ve sent three Facebook messages since.  He’s read every single one.  And he’s ignored them!

And so, ironically, I’ve started this challenge to get over being ignored by a boy …. only to be ignored by a boy!

Which makes ‘The Flake’ Date Number 1.1.

Let’s hope Date 1 Attempt Number 2  (which is tomorrow) goes a bit better.  I’ll wait to meet him before giving him his official name!

(Also have dates booked in for Saturday lunch, Sunday evening, and a possibility of a date this Thursday evening!!!)

Miss Twenty-Nine xxx