How NOT to Lose a Girl in One Date

Since the title of this blog is “How to Lose a Girl in One Date,” I’ve decided that on Fridays, I will give some do’s and don’ts for getting and keeping a lady. Of course, this is my blog, so these may, in fact, be specific only to me, and if attempted with any other female, might fail spectacularly—if that happens, my sincere apologies for leading you astray. 
 

How to Ensure a Second Date: Tip #1

Don’t wait until the last minute to firm up plans.

So, I met this guy at happy hour not too long ago, and we had a great conversation, and seemed to have a lot in common. At the end of the night, he got my phone number, and after waiting the exact, right number of days--three--he called me. We made tentative plans to go out on Wednesday of the following week.

And then I didn’t hear back from him. On Tuesday night, I realized that although we said Wednesday, he never gave me a specific time, or a place. This being 2011, I texted him.

No response. I go to bed, thinking surely he will text back while I’m asleep.

Nope.

Fourteen hours later, he shoots off a casual, “Oh, I was thinking I’d pick you up at 6:30, dinner at seven, movie at eight. Sound good?”

No “Hey, sorry it took me so long, my phone died/my dog died/I was out building houses for the homeless until 3 AM” (Even if it’s a lie, it makes us feel better if you at least pretend to have a legitimate reason for forgetting about us, and not just that you forgot).

I responded that it sounded fine.

Him: Fine? Just fine? *Insert obnoxious emoticon here*

Me (in my head, naturally): Yes, just “fine.” Perhaps if this pronouncement was made more than twelve hours before our date, it might have been more than fine. But, as it stands, fine is all you get.

This may seem like I am being nitpicky, but I think that it’s simply polite to give a girl plenty of heads-up as to when she should expect you. Otherwise, it seems last minute, which makes her think that she’s not really up there on your list of important things to do.