Date Lab: The last 10 minutes seal this blind date’s fate

About the daters ...

Brag a little ...

(Courtesy of the daters)

More from Date Lab

Read previous stories and fill out an application

Ken: I am not only young-looking, but I am also very active (i.e. walking, dancing, hiking, kayaking) and young at heart for my age. People of all ages think of me as the “nice guy,” a real gentleman. Can converse for hours with just about anyone in any setting.

Laraine: I’m fun, down-to-earth, can converse on many topics, am curious, have the capacity to be intimate, I “own my [stuff]” most of the time. I like to take care of a man that I’m with. And I’ve acquired a certain amount of wisdom that comes with having gone through life up to this point.

Your type ...

Ken: In her 50s-60s and attractive but not necessarily a beauty queen. Physically active and loves to dance and be out in nature, loves to travel and is an upbeat and happy person.

Laraine: A sense of humor that makes me laugh (our humor needs to be compatible). Bright, comfortable in his own skin and with his accomplishments in life. Able to relax. Interested in the world at large and contributing to it in a positive way.

Interests to share ...

Ken: Dancing, walking, hiking, traveling, music.

Laraine:  Walking, hiking, live music, eating great food in all kinds of restaurants, movies and great conversation.

How you hope s/he’s different ...

Ken: Brings new experiences and interests to the relationship.

Laraine: Very masculine energy. Calmer than I am in the face of the unknown and emergencies. Knows about things that I don’t know. More decisive than I am

About the date ...

7:30 p.m., Grapeseed, Bethesda

Laraine: [I was] probably more nervous than excited. I think because I’ve done so much of Match.com, I don’t really get excited anymore. I get more, “All right, let’s just see what happens.” And I try to bring my best self to the table.

Ken: I spent the day doing relaxing things. I went for a walk. I’m writing my memoirs, so I worked on that. I got [to the restaurant] at 7:20.

Laraine: I got there at 7:25. They took me over to him. He was attractive. My first hit was that he was a good guy, somebody that I would be comfortable with.

Ken: When she walked in, I thought, This is great. She’s very attractive. She told me later she was 60; I would have guessed early 50s.

Laraine: He stood up, he was a gentleman. He went to give me a hug, but I kind of put my hand out. I felt a little reserved at that moment. But it was friendly.

Ken: I’m a hugger kind of guy. I didn’t read anything more into it, but I’m a little bit more friendly in that respect. Initially, I ordered a glass of wine, and she ordered bottled water. We talked a little bit about how [Date Lab] may have picked us, what our jobs are. I’m in a more technical field; she does massage. So very different realms of occupations. She does meditation, which I’ve thought about in the past. That’s one of the things I’d like to talk to her about more.

Laraine: I’m a massage therapist, and I teach meditation incorporations. The conversation flowed very easily. He’s an interactive conversationalist. We talked about his kids, my kids, some past relationship stuff. I’m a big walker and hiker, and so is he, so that was one thing we had in common.