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Cherpse! Joe and Ed

Find out how Joe and Ed's blind date went...

Joe Drakeley, Oriel, Physics, 2nd Year

We met at the steps of the Ashmolean which is surprisingly ominous at night, despite it only being 7.30pm. I hadn’t anticipated how cold it would be so almost froze waiting for him to arrive. When he showed up we said our hellos and agreed to walk to Freud in Jericho. On the walk we properly introduced ourselves with all the usual boring questions so it was nice to get those out of the way and it turned out we had a mutual friend which was interesting. We arrived at Freud and found it was closed so decided to enter a pub across the road which for the life of me I cannot remember the name of. We sat down, ordered a drink and talked about our respective lives, all in all a very standard first date. We only stayed for one drink, then walked back to central Oxford together and said our goodbyes.

First impressions:
He seemed really smiley and friendly, though not my usual type.

Did it meet your expectations:
I know it’s very cliche to say for this but I didn’t really have any expectations for this date as it was very last minute.

What was the highlight:
I wouldn’t say there was a particular highlight, maybe it was the fact that he was so friendly.

Most embarrassing moment:
When I walked into the pub and the barman didn’t hear me say hello back to him and called me out for being rude.

Describe the date in three words:
Short, quiet, chill.

Is a second date on the cards:
Probably not as we are very different people.

Ed Buxton, Jesus, German and Linguistics, 4th Year

I—unsurprisingly, as my friends would say—was the one running slightly late, so was spared the fearful pacing up and down the Ashmolean steps wondering whether I would be stood up. I went for the handshake, immediately asking myself: y tho? Hey ho. He suggested Freud so we had a decent walk for the start of a date, making classic small talk such as commenting on how cold it was (we were both in thin jackets, and it was, in fact, cold), complaining about the mountains of work awaiting us on our desks, and desperately trying to think of mutual friends (or acquaintances: anyone really) we might have. Freud was shut, so a few paces on and it was Jude the Obscure, Jericho which rescued us from the cold and provided a roof over our heads for the date. Nice G&T, decent chat, but I’m not sure if the spark was there for me.

First impressions:
Cool sense of style – rocking a black turtle neck, denim jacket, ripped jeans and shiny black Chelsea boots.

Did it meet up to expectations?
My only fear was being stood up, so yes!

What was the highlight?
Sitting opposite such a stylishly dressed guy for like 40 minutes plus, tbh.

What was the most embarrassing moment? Asking what his surname was for the inevitable Facebook stalk (yes I waited till the end at least…) and him responding that I wouldn’t need it for the Cherwell write-up.

Describe the date in three words:
Chill, chill, chill.

Is a second date on the cards?
Probably not, but I wouldn’t mind seeing that outfit again…

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