"I'm nervous about my blind date, help!"

You Said:
"I'm going on a blind date, and I'm such a mess! I�m so nervous he won�t like me. As if things won't already be awkward, my mother is driving us to a caf�. How do I introduce myself if I'm sitting in the passenger seat, and he's going to be in the back? This is going to be a disaster!"

We Say:
Eeek! Blind dates can be sooooo tortuous -- especially if he doesn't end up being exactly what you were hoping for! Coming from a seasoned vet, here are some things to remember when handling this sticky sitch:

There will be awkward silences. It's normal for your conversations to be like a rollercoaster. You'll start out slow, kinda inhibited, and then all of a sudden, you're rip-roarin' your way through your favorite movies and how you both just love-love-love the new Aqualung album. Seconds later, you'll have another pause, wondering if you'll ever have anything to talk about again. But you're just getting to know him, so don't be too anxious to fill the awkward silences with random stories about how your cat died. It could turn him off.

Be yourself�and recognize that he's trying to be himself, too. It's a blind date, which means someone else saw something between you two, so there may not be an instant attraction. Settle into the date, and after a while, you may begin to see something you didn't catch at first sight.

Act confident. Even if you're still feeling shy on the inside, if you act confident on the outside (by wearing something you feel good in and chatting about things you�re interested in) the emotional aspects of it tend to follow.

Oh! P.S. If you're sittin' in the front seat when your Mom picks him up, rather than having her honk the horn for him to come out, go ring the doorbell. This way, you can have your own first moment without the Moms listenin' in. Plus, he'll think you're super secure and cool. Good luck!

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