Domenic
First-year College student
What extracurriculars do you participate in?
Nothing at the moment really. I signed up for a bunch of things early in the year, but then the college workload got the best of me and I had to set those aside. I’m looking forward to joining fencing, martial arts clubs and taking a more active role in the ACM [Association for Computing Machinery].
What do you like to do in your free time?
When I’m hanging out in the dorm, you can usually find me playing video games (I’m currently addicted to Team Fortress 2), trying to install Linux or practicing bass guitar. I also play a lot of Settlers Of Catan (think Risk meets Monopoly) with the rest of my hall.
What are the physical and personality attributes you are looking for in a date?
Physical appearance is not that important to me, but it is important for me to be able to tell someone does care about themselves and their body. It’s a side effect of my mom being a personal trainer. I’d like to be with someone who is a bit of a nerd, and I like strong, outgoing personalities.
What are your religious affiliations?
None. I wish I could be religious, but I simply don’t have any faith to believe in anything. I believe in the power of religion, and I don’t want to muck that up by having my lack of faith tarnish its name.
What are your favorite TV shows?
Essentially the entire Adult Swim lineup. “It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia” is another favorite of mine, partly because I grew up near Philly.
What are your favorite movies and actors?
“The Dark Knight,” “Shoot ‘Em Up,” “Spaceballs,” “Manos: The Hands of Fate,” “Kung Fu Hustle,” “Kung Pow: [Enter the Fist],” “Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle” and “Shaun of the Dead.”
What music do you like?
Metal, progressive rock and techno are my bread and butter. Favorite bands include Megadeth, Black Sabbath, Trivium, Coheed and Cambria, Basshunter, Rush and Iron Maiden. Absolute favorite band of all time for me is The Mars Volta.
What’s your favorite food?
Thai and Chinese food. I love spicy food with a passion, and all the bland stuff O-Hill and Newcomb serve drives me nuts. Nothing can beat a nice, juicy filet mignon though.
What are your favorite books and authors?
My two favorite books are “Nuklear Age” by Brian Clevinger and “House of Leaves” by Mark Z. Danielewski. Some favorite authors are Max Brooks, Alan Moore and Douglas Adams.
Describe your ideal date.
We go out to a nice meal at Lemongrass, where we both poke fun at our waiter and I order something too spicy and have a burnt mouth the rest of the night. Then we go to the Downtown Mall to see a movie, but get caught in the rain and end up soaked by the time we sit down. Afterward, we discuss the movie as we walk back to the Lawn, and watch the storm clouds disappear over our heads as intoxicated first-years streak by on our way home. The best dates are never perfect, but that’s what makes them great.
What are your deal breakers?
An unhealthy obsession with Johnny Depp or Korean pop singers. I’ve had bad experiences with those before. No smokers either, I can’t stand the smell.
Are you outgoing or shy?
A bit of both. I’m initially shy, but very outgoing once I get to know people.
What do you want to do when you graduate?
Graduate school at MIT, then after that I would love to get a job with Marshall or Ampeg and design the electronics for amplifiers.
Where do you see yourself in 10 years?
I would love to move out of the East Coast; I’ve spent my whole life here. Probably somewhere in California, that’s where the good tech jobs are anyway. That or a foreign country like China or Japan.
If you were a member of the circus, who would you be and why?
World’s Strongest Man. I’d get a sweet mustache, leopard-skin loincloth and all the ridiculously oversized dumbbells I could need!
Describe yourself in one sentence.
I’m verbose.
Sydney
Third-year College student
What extracurriculars do you participate in?
Undergraduate Research, Brown College Governance Board.
What do you like to do in your free time?
Read, listen to music, hang out with friends.
What are the physical and personality attributes you are looking for in a date?
I prefer slender guys. I like clever guys with a great sense of humor. Being brunette and tolerating my bad jokes are pluses. Sarcasm is also good.
What are your religious affiliations?
Agnostic/Nonreligious.
What are your favorite TV shows?
“Good Eats” and “Project Runway.”
What are your favorite movies and actors?
Favorite Movies: “Brazil,” “No Country for Old Men,” “Closer,” “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas,” “The Lives of Others.”
Favorite Actors: Morgan Freeman, because I like his soothing voice. On the same note, Michael Caine.
What music do you like?
I mostly listen to rock and some rap and electronic music. Some of my favorite bands/artists are Girl Talk, Hot Chip, King Crimson, Kanye West, the Pixies, the Police, Rickie Lee Jones, Voxtrot and Wilco.
What’s your favorite food?
Pho, which is a Vietnamese beef-noodle soup.
What are your favorite books/authors?
Some of my favorite books are “The Sun Also Rises,” “The Great Gatsby,” “Crime and Punishment,” “Ender’s Game.” In general, I tend to like post-WWI American and 19th-century Russian literature.
Describe your ideal date.
It doesn’t really matter as long as the conversation is good. Since I’m an astronomy major, though, I’m going to go ahead and say stargazing would be awesome.
What are your deal breakers?
Fat. Or dumb.
Are you outgoing or shy?
Outgoing.
What do you want to do when you graduate?
Go to grad school.
Where do you see yourself in 10 years?
Hopefully not still in grad school.
If you were a member of the circus, who would you be and why?
The elephant because that would be awesome and I have no redeemable circus talents.
Describe yourself in one sentence.
I’ve been described as both endearingly awkward and a vicious ho.
Date: Friday, October 31
Time: 5:30 p.m.
Location: Lemongrass
Domenic: We went to Lemongrass to eat. I guess it’s kind of like the cliché spot to go to because it’s in every article.
Sydney: He was there first, and I noticed him standing outside Lemongrass, and I figured it was him, and I was right.
Domenic: I have no estimation of time. For some reason, I thought it would take like 40 minutes to get from McCormick to Lemongrass. Not really.
Sydney: We both took the menu, even though I usually just get the same thing. I got curry and got the 10-spicy [level], but he was kind of a wuss. So we talked about that for a while.
Domenic: I was really happy when we ordered food because she got the 10-spicy. I didn’t want to order something spicy and break some sort of date convention. She and her dad have jalapeno eating competitions though, so I couldn’t really stand up to that.
Sydney: We had a lot in common. He’s an engineer and I’m an astronomy and physics major, so I guess a lot of the physics classes we take are the same. And we’re actually in the same computer science class, as it turns out. It was kind of funny, and we just never noticed one another because it’s a fairly big class.
Domenic: We got over the initial awkwardness of a blind date pretty quickly, which was good. There were never any awkward pauses or anything.
Sydney: He was a first-year, which was kind of weird, and a little bit shorter than me, so that was interesting, I guess. It was kind of a turn-off. I generally prefer people taller than me, and I don’t know, the first-year thing was a little weird.
Domenic: I thought she was really nice and someone I’d like to get to know.
Sydney: We were there for about an hour. I had been spending the whole day working on Hauntings, so I was kind of pressed for time and tired after barking orders all day. So when I got there, I did things like order dessert for two before I was like, oh wait, I’m not supposed to do that.
Domenic: We got mango sticky rice for dessert. It wasn’t very good. It was strange — kind of good, kind of bad, kind of made you want to throw up after.
Sydney: I was kind of a glutton with dessert, but I thought it was good.
Domenic: I had been looking at the fried ice cream and told her after, and she was like, “Why didn’t you say anything?” I think I was a bit too quiet. She was talking a whole lot, and I didn’t want to screw anything up because I say a lot of outrageous things.
Sydney: He seemed like he might have been a little on edge. I think he was a lot more nervous than I was. I was more in it for the fun factor instead of the connection factor.
Domenic: I actually went to Hauntings later that night.
Sydney: He walked me to the door after dinner. Aside from “bye,” I don’t think he said anything particularly interesting. But I think he recognized me when he stopped by Hauntings later that night, even though I was covered in makeup and, OK, I was dressed as a fairy.
Domenic: She was a reason I went. I told her I’d go see her. She was covered in makeup and goo though, and was holding some sort of stuffed cat in her hands.
Sydney: I think he’d be a good friend. I think it’s mainly the height and age difference. He didn’t seem to have a bad time though. I hope I didn’t unnerve him too much.
Domenic: I didn’t ask her enough questions all night. That’s my biggest regret. On Monday, I’m actually going to ask her out again. Plus, that follows the three-day rule.
Sydney: He seems like a really nice kid.
Where they are now: Domenic and Sydney sit next to each other in class now and once watched a live webcam of puppies together. Still, he ended up not asking her out. “When we met up in class on Monday, I dunno, the feeling just wasn’t there,” Domenic wrote in an e-mail. They’re not Facebook friends yet, but Sydney anticipates this happening sometime in the future.
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