So there you are on a first date which often feels like an interview from your academic resume by your siblings. The fact is that rarely anything earth shattering is going to be revealed on your first or second meeting.  I am amused thinking of the convenience and efficiency if the cards were placed on the table revealing everyone’s  baggage and so early on you can make the determination of whether or not you might want to invest  in another three months in the courtship ritual. Granted it takes away the chance of falling in love and then perhaps those Jokers aren’t as much as a stumbling block as you might have otherwise thought.

However for me, that hasn’t been the case during those first meetings. You sit across the table as you hear the yadi yadi catching every third word or so and wondering, ‘is this someone I want to kiss?’ C’mon, you know you all have thought that as he/she is recanting that funny story from their younger days.  While making this determination you hear the yadi yadi yadi and may miss some good nuggets of substantive information that reveal the person’s character. And seriously, isn’t that the most important thing (of course, after an initial determination of kissability)?