Date Lab

West Coast trendy, meet West Coast crunchy

7:30 p.m., Lauriol Plaza, Dupont Circle

Keith: I got to the restaurant first, and they sat me at a table. About five minutes later, Jolaina came over. She was tall and, I would say, curvy. Very natural in regards to her style. Attractive, [but] probably not somebody I would usually talk to. I'd date someone a little more fit. Somebody with longer hair, a little more made up, that does the manicure-pedicure once a week, gets their hair done regularly.

Jolaina: You know when you just walk up to something and it looks all wrong? His outfit looked completely out of place. I typically don't go for guys in hats. And I don't think it's appropriate to wear hats in restaurants. His shirt was big on him and half tucked in. The watch was bulky with a red band. Kind of flashy, I guess. [But] we established the California connection fairly quickly. He's from Oakland; I'm from Los Angeles.

Keith: She's been in D.C. a little longer than I have, so it was interesting to get her perspective. She said it's a great work city but not a great social city. Myself, I'd say it's a very, very social city if you're a networking type of person. There is some commonality between us: She said she taught a spinning class, and being a mountain bike rider I found that interesting. The conversation was really free-flowing. There was hardly any pauses.

Jolaina: I can see the similarities: being from California, very active, working out, whether it's running or biking. He coached a little girls' basketball team, so there was some community involvement there, which was really nice. The conversation was decent. But I kind of felt like he was a bit younger than me. [His] was just a very young style.

Keith: We took pictures [for Date Lab]. I probably enjoyed it more than she did. [She] was more, I'm only taking pictures because I was asked to. For me, it was like, Let's try to take the most creative pictures we can.

Jolaina: We left at around 10 or 10:30. Normally, I start work [the next day] around 3 a.m., so I was ready to go. We walked for a block or two and chatted while I looked for a taxi.

Keith: I asked her for her number, and we hugged. I would rate the date a 4 [out of 5], just because of the fact that we were able to conversate. I don't think the physical attraction was there, but there was an interest in her as a friend. I sensed that she probably looked at it the same way.

Jolaina: I'd give it a 3, because it was a fine time, nothing tragic. [But] I didn't feel it was a love connection. I really couldn't see past the hat, the shirt and the watch. Maybe he's just into another style that I'm not aware of.

Interviews by Elizabeth Chang

Update: After being asked for an update, Keith called Joliana. She reports an "enjoyable convo."

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