This isn’t the typical article for Valentine’s Day. This year the Free Press decided to set two people up on a date at El Mezcal. The student body chose one male and one female from an original 12 candidates. It truly was a blind date as the winners, Natalie Edmondson and Anton Bovin had never met eachother. It was also the first date for both of them. Although a potentially awkward situation, the date seemed to go fairly well and even ended in a goodbye hug. Here are Natalie and Anton’s perspectives on what went on:
1.How well do you know this person?
Natalie: “I’ve never met him in my life, actually.”
Anton: “I don’t know her.”
2. Are you excited to go on this date?
Natalie: “Um, kind of nervous.”
Anton: “Apprehensive I suppose, and a little confused. It’ll be interesting.”
3. Will you be nervous?
Natalie: No answer.
Anton: “No. I don’t think… this is gonna sound cynical but I don’t think it’s really a good reason to get nervous.”
4. Do you think you would ever be interested in actually dating this person?
Natalie: “Um, well, probably not ’cause I’ve never met him before.”
Anton: “I don’t know her, so we shall see.”
5. Is this your first date?
Natalie: “ Yes it is, actually.
Anton: “Uh, yes actually.”
6. What would you want your first date to be like?
Natalie: “Umm, romantic and cute, I guess.”
Anton: ” Peaceful.”
7. Do you consider yourself picky when it comes to dating?
Natalie: ” Mmmm, not really. Not if they’re nice I guess.”
Anton: “Hmm no.”
8. What did you think when we first asked you to do this? What was your reaction?
Natalie: “I was kinda excited and then scared and then nervous.”
Anton: “Why, how was I picked for this? Umm, I thought it would be exciting.”
9. How well do you know the other people on the list?
Natalie: “I don’t know what guys were on it, actually.”
Anton: “I didn’t look at the males. I know Kristina Van Anne, but I haven’t met the others.”
10. Who did you most want to win?
Natalie: “Well, who were they? [I’d pick] Preston Newsome most definitely.”
Anton: “I don’t know, I didn’t really have an opinion given that I don’t know most of them.”
11. Would you have ever gone on a date normally?
Natalie: No answer.
Anton: “I don’t know. I probably would not have met her. “
Post date questions:
1. What was your perspective on the date?
Natalie: It was good. It was kind of awkward at first but then we got into conversation, but it was more like a bunch of small talk.
Anton: It was fun. Yeah.
2. Was it fun?
Natalie: Yeah it was. It was a good experience.
Anton:
3. What did the person do right on the date? What did the person do wrong?
Natalie: He did eye contact with me and kept the conversation going. Um, he wasn’t hungry.
Anton: Umm..hmm. She talked. Umm, I think that’s all you can do right really. No, I don’t know. Uh, given my vast experience, I don’t believe that there was anything wrong.
4. After meeting this person you want to go on another date with them? Why?
Natalie: Well probably… I don’t know what to say. Probably not, because we’re not really the same at all.
Anton: Um, I don’t know. It’s hard to decide. I’m not really ready to commit to anything. Maybe, maybe not.
5. After meeting them, were they what you expected?
Natalie: Uh, no. I had no idea what to expect. But he was cool. He was nice.
Anton: Um, well, it went better than I expected so, yes, I suppose yes.
6. If you didn’t want to go out with him, would you want to be friends?
Natalie: Yeah definitely. Being friends is good.
Anton: Mm. I don’t hang out much. Umm, maybe friends. Associates.
7. Was this what you wanted from a first date?
Natalie: Of course. Everything and more.
Anton: No answer.
8. Did you think it was a good date or a bad date? Why?
Natalie: It was definitely a good date.
Anton: Good. Uh, good on my entire scale of good dates. Uh yeah, it was fun.
9. Were there any awkward moments?
Natalie: Yes, a lot of them, but we pushed through them.
Anton: Uh, well, yeah. Sometimes I found myself with nothing to say and she carried the conversation; sometimes it went the other way I think.
10. What did you talk about?
Natalie: Well, first we talked about school and Encore and, oh, he can do this cool quarter trick with his hands. Then he taught me how to do it.
Anton: Oh, movies, school, uh mostly school because we don’t really know each other, Chicago, universities, uh yeah.
11. Did you learn anything interesting about this person?
Natalie: Yeah, he’s really, really smart.
Anton: Maybe. I don’t know. I don’t remember my conversations. She’s a nice person.
12. Do you have anything in common? How are you different?
Natalie: Nope. Well, he’s really smart. And I’m bubbly and he’s really laid-back.
Anton: We both like Chicago. Uh, Mexican food I supppose. And I don’t eat here much, I don’t like El Mezcal but I don’t know, more or less. Well, I’m a guy. We didn’t really talk enough to find many differences. Oh yeah, I can eat a lemon.
![After receiving advice from her students, orchestra director Judy Erpelding marks her music. Although the director normally makes the artistic decisions, Erpelding will often consult her students and hear their opinions on what sounds good and what they should try out. “[The students] are the heart of the program, not me,” Erpelding said. “I know they will carry that on and I will miss them. Making great music with them, being able to challenge them, taking their inspiration.”](https://www.fsfreepressonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/Roust_Erpelding_5_11_23-600x900.jpg)
