Experimental Dater Two – Fader

I was about to say good things come in pairs …. but that would probably be the worst suggestion on a blog about making the most of being single!

What I was trying to say was …having introduced the first male Experimental Dater, it only seemed right to introduce one of the girls too!

Find out why she’s called ‘Fader‘ below!

Blog Name – Fader

Twitter Account – @Fader30Dates

Age – Just turned 30. Still look 12. This is not a good thing; offers of romance are rarely age-appropriate.

Location – South West England

Relationship Status – Single for three interesting years

Sexuality – Straight female

Religion – Atheist

Height – 5’6”

Body Type – Distressed sausage. Trying to become less so

Job – Secondary teaching

Education – Postgrad teacher training; half a Masters

Hobbies – Writing, cheese, turning old things into new things, sweating at the gym. Camping, walking and surfing all feature very often in my life, all year round.

Ideal Partner – Tall, messy-haired, skinny rockstar with a non-existent bum squeezed into an impossible pair of jeans. Think Russell Brand’s equally verbose, yet less hairy/toothy little brother. I need somebody clever with a good command of banter, unafraid to tell me to shut up and who can render me outraged, yet charmed, in a single sentence. Most of all I need him to be patient and kind, but not needy; he should have his own life and his own independence. Putting all his eggs in my proverbial basket will terrify me and make me run away.

Longest Relationship – Seven years. We got together aged 19 and simply grew apart.

Why do you think you’re single? – It takes me a long time to stop seeing somebody as a stranger, and before that happens I’ve generally put a stop to things as they’ve already asked me “where’s it going?” and I don’t feel it’s fair to maintain things when I can’t answer. I know what it feels like to love somebody and I refuse to enter into something unless it’s right, which includes any flings or owt like that. Friends say I’m picky. I’m not; I just need to feel that elusive connection.

Good Relationship Traits – I’m very laid back, low maintenance, and I take about ten minutes to get ready. I will give a chap space, but equally I will move mountains if someone I really care about needs me to. I really like fun things so I think I’m fairly interesting to spend time with.

Bad Relationship Traits – It takes me a very long time to “let someone in”. I am guilty of being a serial fader: six dates in, I’ll get cold feet and call everything off. And when I’ve felt enough to take the plunge, it’s because I REALLY feel something: as equally as I can fade, I can go from 0-60 in terms of feelings in a very short time!

How would you describe the way you date? – Rarely say no to a date – I have a “might as well!” philosophy – but in quite a few dates I haven’t found someone who excites me enough. I might go on three or four dates with a chap and still have no idea whether I fancy him or not. So then I fade, and the whole thing starts again!

Which Experiments will you be taking part in?  I’ll be starting with Education.

What do you find most attractive in a date? – The ability to laugh at themselves, at situations, and at me (in a banter sense). A healthy appetite for food and fun.

What do you find least attractive in a date? – Humourlessness, sweeping ill-informed opinions, flat ambivalence to the world and all in it

Best Ever Date – It should stand alone as a reason to write for this blog that I genuinely don’t have a “Best Date”. I’ve only ever done the standard lunch/drinks/dinner…apart from the one I’m about to detail below!

Worst Ever Date – The time I walked – and I use the term loosely, as I will explain – around the beautiful gardens of Stourhead with a teacher from Chippenham who was a genuine contender for the Most Boring Man In The World award. It was a shame, as he seemed quite interesting on the Generic Online Dating Site I met him on. He made no attempt to pay for EVEN HIS OWN entry fee, so I paid for both of us. We then marched round Stourhead, which was beautiful, as though his life depended on it. We did a lap of the lake/hilly terrain in about 40 minutes. I am no dawdler, nor am I the type who stops and looks at every little thing, but it should have been a bit more leisurely and appreciative of the surroundings than it was. I felt as though I was training for the bloody Royal Marines. Moreover, he actually congratulated me on being a fast walker! We stopped so we could have an asthma attack – sorry, a cup of tea – and he graciously bought mine. When I thanked him, he said “not like it was expensive!” Nice. He had nothing funny or original to say for himself whatsoever.

Celebrity Crushes – Adam Brody (Seth from the OC) in both body and mind. It’s OK: he’s 34 in real life. Others include Lancelot from BBC’s Merlin, Joseph Gordon Levitt, Paolo Nutini, Alex Turner, Damien Molony, Ben Barnes, and Harry Styles Aged 31.

Fader applied to take part in the Dating Experiments by emailing me at thirtydates@hotmail.com.

If you’re up for embracing your singledom, and having some fun over the next few months, please either email me, or tweet me @30Dates.

Miss Twenty-Nine xxx