If anyone has been through adolescence then you are probably familiar with the party game 7 minutes in the closet. For those who have been living in a closet, the game goes something like this. Usually the backdrop is a party that is unsupervised. Meaning parents are out of town. There may or may not be drinking. It starts as a game of spin the bottle then the two participants, usually reluctantly are placed in a closet or other small space for 7 whole minutes. After the 7 minutes they are released into a crowd of anxious observers who are dying to get the scoop on what happened in the closet. And what did happen? Well this is left to great debate. Some just stand in awkward silence, some giggle and chat, others go for it and kiss or make out. Sometimes you will start up a friendship with the person you’ve emerged from the closet with. Sometimes a boy/girl friend. Sometimes you will never speak to that person again.
Flash forward 15 years and you have the grown up version…8 Minute Dating!! Like its younger counterpart 7 minutes in the closet, 8 minute dating starts with pre selecting the men that are paired up with you. If this is done by a spin the bottle technique by the people who put on the event, I'm not sure. You sit across from the pre determined man for 8 minutes. And like 7 minutes in the closet, it’s strange and weird and sometimes awkward. You make small talk. You may sit in silence. You do not however kiss or make out. Score one for 7 minutes in the closet.
In the 8 minutes that you are sitting across from the person you try to determine when you walk out if you will want to be this person’s friend, or possibly girlfriend, or never speak to them again. Sound familiar? You are not in the comfort of someone’s private house. You are exposed in a restaurant or lounge at a popular restaurant or bar, where the drinks are more expensive and not as strong.
7 minutes-2, 8 minutes-0.
The range of men that you meet are way better than you get in high school and also you get plenty of time to converse with all the men and women in between the breaks at 8 minute dating events so your not limited to the guys that are set across from you at a table. All in all 8 minute dating events are a great way to meet a lot of people, both men and women in a grown up setting. And for those 8 minutes that you do get to sit across from different men, you are transported back into your youth and a friends coat closet with the awkwardness of putting your best self forward, 8 minutes at a time.
As for me, I think we should have events like 8 minute dating, but with a closet. That would be interesting and who knows what would happen with 8 minutes in a closet!!

A question has plagued me for a while, even more so re-entering the dating world. Which sex has it easier when it comes to meeting someone? Do women have it easier? Or do men have it easier? This question has caused quite the debate amongst those who have been asked. And I’m the type of person who asks anyone at any time.
I started my question with a basic who has it harder? The response, not surprisingly was split even down gender lines. Men thought that they had it harder and women thought they had it harder. Fair enough, I guess. But when asked why they think that their sex has it harder than the opposite sex, the responses were not that different. In fact it seems to be a mass agreement between the sexes.
Women who seem to think they have it harder than their male counterparts tend to think that they have higher standards when it comes to the men they meet. They are pickier when it comes to choosing the man for them. Men are in agreement that women’s standards are so high and that makes it difficult for men to approach women.
Well if both men and women think that it is harder for them to meet the opposite sex then what would happen if men took a chance and women put aside their standards of first impressions and took a chance? Wouldn’t everyone be a lot happier, or at least they would all be dating which would mean they would be having a good time or having a good time retelling the stories.
The chances that the perfect mate will approach you at a bar, bookstore, or anywhere else are quite slim. But the chance you might meet someone who is cool enough to get you out and about and who knows what else might come of it is pretty good. For both men and women.
My sidebar to this before I leave up to you to discuss among yourselves is this. Men and women looking for a hook-up don’t count. I am talking about dating, not sex. I think that women could probably get sex close to whenever she wants, if that is what she is looking for. I don’t know too many women who would get turned away from a one night stand. Furthermore I don’t know of many men who would get turned down from women for a relationship, provided the basics are met and he’s not a total idiot. Of course there are exceptions to every rule.
But my question to you is this: Who indeed has it harder when it comes to meeting someone? With all of the different ways there is to meet someone. Who has it harder? And why?—Okay discuss…

After a break up the single most important thing are your friends. They rally around like cheerleaders at a pep rally. You take their advice as gospel. Clinging to every word and hope that they have. Making a mental list in your head so when they leave and you’re alone, you still have their words getting you through.
Your friends will pick you up, dust you off and take you out despite the fact you would rather curl up and die. They are relentless in their pursuit to cheer you up and getting you back to somewhere near normal. They are invaluable at a time like this.
Most of us have heard the usual tag lines that people say after a break-up. "There are other fish in the sea." “Take this time to find yourself." "It wasn't meant to be." "You don’t need him." These are all things that we actually really know. Yet somehow takes on different meaning when said by a friend. I mean we all know that we will eventually bounce back and go fishing for those other fish. In my case I’ve found myself, many times and in fact know what I want. We all know that if it was meant to be it'd be and we are truly better off without the person who broke our hearts. And yes in fact you will find someone who deserves you. The list goes on and on. Usually what is said is directly related to if the person is in a relationship or single themselves.
Other singles sort have a look of panic and tend to be more get up and go. Brush it off in a, you don’t need him type manner. They now realize that another line has been dropped into the fishing pond and are now after the same fish as you. Friends that are in relationships tend to look at the picture a bit bigger.
My favorite comment was said by a friend who is a mere 2 weeks older than I am, yet unlike myself in a very committed relationship. At the news of my break-up she had told me that "It's not too late." It had never dawned at me at the ripe old age of 28 that my time might be up for finding my better half. That in fact it may be too late for me. My parents had been high school sweethearts and even my younger sister and high school best friend was in a relationship. Had I indeed hit my peak? And was all I had looking forward to was awkward first dates and a life of what ifs?
Ahh, Nope. I feel that at 28 (4 days and I'll be 29) that my peak has yet to begin. My past relationships although failed as relationships, have succeeded in doing a couple of things. One help me figure out what I do want and don’t want in a relationship and two realize that its in fact NOT TOO LATE!!!