5:30 PM - THE BEGINNING
Spring may seem a long ways away, but at Main Street Magazine, love is in the air. We match two single UNH students to the best of our abilities, and now we're sending them out for a night on the town with cameras and recorders in tow. As we drive to pick up the lucky pair, we hope for the best. The date we've planned consists of bowling at Bowl-A-Rama, dinner at Friendly Toast, and coffee at the Licker Store. It was designed to be inexpensive yet interactive-there should be just enough entertainment to spark conversation yet enough down time to allow the dates to get to know each other.

6:50 PM - THE MEETING
Joe arrives at Laila's house dressed to impress, in a button down shirt and jeans. Laila is also dressed nicely in jeans and a dressy black shirt. Joe approaches the apartment with caution, clutching a bouquet of purple lillies. While nervous, he seems anxious to get the night started. Surrounded by a large support group of friends, Laila seems a little more sure of herself. Her entourage crowds the door, eager to meet the mystery date. The introduction goes pretty smoothly, but resembles one of those dating shows. Laila approves of the bouquet. "They're beautiful! You're a good blind date," she says with a smile.

7:05 PM - GETTING TO KNOW YOU On the car ride to Bowl-A-Rama, Joe and Laila take turns asking questions so they can get to learn more about each other. Joe is a Phi Kappa Sigma brother. He tells Laila that he had a lot of friends who were in the fraternity, so he decided to pledge as a freshman. He then asks Laila if she had ever considered sorority life.

Laila: I'd rather pledge a frat. I did try! Yeah, we used to hang out at Zeta a lot, and we asked them if we could pledge. They didn't really like the idea.
Joe: What else do you do?
Laila: Um, party!
Joe: Well, that's one thing we have in common.
Laila: Sweet!

7:45 PM - THE FIRST IMPRESSIONS: LAILA Arriving at Bowl-A-Rama, we encounter a large group of people bowling, apparently for a league of some sort. The dates are ushered down to a lane at the far end of the alley so as not to disrupt league-play. The alley itself appears to have been around for a long time. The walls are carpeted in gray with pastel stripes. This can only lend itself to the festive mood. The place vibrates with the intensity of bowlers working on their roll. After a game of bowling, where Joe proudly took home the higher score, we decide to take each of the dates aside and get an idea of what each of them are thinking.

MSM: What was your first impression of Joe?
Laila: Um, I thought he was really cute. He seemed a little shy at first, but obviously you know it's kind of weird just coming up to my apartment.
MSM: What are your expectations for the date?
Laila: I don't really have any.
MSM: What were you thinking before we came to get you?
Laila: I was just very excited to meet someone new and not know anything about them before I met them. But I don't know, whatever happens, happens I guess.
MSM: How do you think it's going so far?
Laila: I think it's going well. He seems like a really nice guy, and he seems really fun.
MSM: Have you ever been on a blind date before?
Laila: Nope. Never. That's why this was really interesting to do. Exciting.
MSM: What do you think of blind dates?
Laila: I love them! I always watch them. It's fun for people to go out there and meet other people they don't know at all, just to get experience from them.
MSM: Did you picture it being like one of those shows?
Laila: It sort of feels like it with the flashes and the tape recorder.

7:53 PM - THE FIRST IMPRESSIONS: JOE
MSM: What was your first impression?
Joe: She's beautiful. Extremely beautiful. Everything I could ask for in a girl, really. And then talking to her, she seemed really cool. I feel like I could get to know her really well.
MSM: What were your expectations for the date?
Joe: I don't know. To enjoy bowling and dinner and stuff.
MSM: What were you thinking before we picked you up?
Joe: I was kind of nervous. I heard she was really pretty, so that made me extra nervous. And I've never done anything where people would follow me around. I've always been pretty camera shy.
MSM: How do you think its going so far?
Joe: I'd say it's going pretty well.
MSM: Have you ever been on a blind date before?
Joe: No.
MSM: What do you think of blind dates?
Joe: If they were all like her, then I would like them a lot.
MSM: When you picture a blind date, what do you think of?
Joe: I actually thought of that show "Blind Date". I had to tell one of my teachers that I couldn't make a guest speaker tonight. I told him about the blind date, and said "it's just like the show 'Blind Date'", but he had no idea what I was talking about.
MSM: What did he say?
Joe: He's like, "well have fun, and tell me how it goes and how it works out."

8:10 PM - LEAVING THE ARCADE
The arcade at the bowling alley is almost empty. Joe and Laila have played skee-ball, banged up their virtual vehicles in a car race, and played air hockey. There is a friendly competition going on, each determined to come out with the higher score in every game. Most of the time Joe came out on top.

Joe, commenting that he has never been to an arcade with a girl before, is still ready to playfully poke at Laila about her lack of video game skills.

Joe: I think I showed Laila who's boss.
Laila: I don't think so.
She playfully hits him in the arm.

8:30 PM - THE MID-POINT
We are congratulating ourselves-Joe and Laila get along. There are no awkward silences, and they also seem to have the mutual attraction that is needed for a successful date. They are flirty in a playful way. There are definitely some sparks.

Dinner at the Friendly Toast seemed to be a good choice. The atmosphere was indeed friendly yet laid-back at the same time. Joe and Laila were able to get comfortable in a booth and enjoy more casual conversation. They were also enjoyed the decor of the restaurant, which consists of walls covered with random objects such as old high school biology charts.

9:45 PM - THE CLOSING REMARKS: JOE
After bowling, the arcade, and dinner at the Friendly Toast, we decide to bring the two dates to the Licker Store for some coffee. We let them chat for a little while on their own, then it was time to find out how each of them thought the date went.
MSM: What's your impression of her now?
Joe: She's great. She is a great catch. She is very funny, very easy-going, and very beautiful.
MSM: How do you think the date went overall?
Joe: It was pretty fun. Bowling was fun, except I completely killed her. And I've never brought a girl to an arcade before. It was a little weird being in an arcade with a girl, and just have a date. I got to know her really well. I would definitely like to hang out with her again.
MSM: What was your favorite thing on the date?
Joe: I think this. Coffee right now when we are a lot more relaxed and a little more comfortable with each other. We are laughing and having good conversations. It's good.
MSM: Was there anything that was awkward?
Joe: Having people take pictures of us. And the arcade was a little awkward. I've never brought a girl to an arcade before, so I didn't know how to act. Like, when I go to an arcade I'm with the guys, and we're like, "let's go play this, let's go play this", and we are competitive and its kind of fun.
MSM: How is it different with a girl?
Joe: Well, because girls aren't good at video games, so obviously I am going to win, and I felt bad, you know?
MSM: What do you think the highlights of the date were?
Joe: Well, she seemed to like the flowers that I brought her. That was good. During dinner I got to know her really well, and beating her 94-45 in bowling: that was good. And getting lost in Portsmouth, that was fun too.
MSM: So what do you think of blind dates now?
Joe: They'd be great if they were all like her.
MSM: Do you think you guys will hang out again?
Joe: Yeah. Yeah, we will.
MSM: What was running through your mind through most of the date?
Joe: To try and act natural, and trying to forget about the tape recorder and the people watching. That's what was going through my mind. And I was able to sometimes, I guess. I just focused on her. (laughs) Yeah, she's hot.

9:55 PM - THE CLOSING REMARKS: LAILA
MSM: What is your impression of him now?
Laila: I still think he's really cute. He's such a sweetheart, and he's really fun.
MSM: How do you think the date went?
Laila: It was fun to go bowling. It was something very relaxing. And then the arcade and dinner, and just coming here to end it all, it was very relaxing. It wasn't like I was nervous, though of course I was.
MSM: What was your favorite part of the date?
Laila: Getting comfortable with one another when bowling. That was the first time we really got to relax.
MSM: Was there anything awkward about the date?
Laila: I don't think so. We were comfortable.
MSM: What were the highlights of the date?
Laila: Competing. Yeah, having our little competitions, like bowling, even though it wasn't much of a competition because I was losing big time. And then at the arcade, playing all of the games together. And getting to know him.
MSM: What were you thinking through most of the date?
Laila: How lucky I was that Casie knows my type. And that she didn't pick a complete opposite from me, so I would feel like I couldn't talk to him. I feel like if she chose a lot of other people on this campus, it would have been completely different and awkward.
MSM: Do you think you guys will hang out again?
Laila: Yeah, I think we will. I hope so. It was fun, so yeah. I'm sure now that I know who he is, I'll see him like everywhere, so I hope so.
MSM: What do you think of blind dates now?
Laila: I think they are great. I think everyone should go on them. People should just go for it.

10:05 PM - THE END
So is love really in the air? Maybe not yet, but we can safely say there is a solid flurry of "like". Joe walks Laila to her door and gives her goodnight kiss on the cheek, but not without first exchanging phone numbers for a future date. As Joe walks back to the car, we catch a glimpse of some type of victory dance. The date has been a success.