Date Lab Is he just good
at first dates? Kate Swiencki, 44, massage therapist Andrew Orens, 41, home improvement contractor
How you’re D.C. … Kate: Read the news all the time. Andrew: I know a lot about the city’s history and the history of its monuments. I love to tour the city and take advantage of all the culture it has to offer. I’m classically educated with an engineering degree and an MBA.
How you’re not D.C. …
Kate: Like Marie Osmond, I’m a little bit country, too. Oh, and I don’t like the Redskins.
Andrew: I’m equally comfortable mingling with an upscale Kennedy Center crowd or getting dirty on a blue- collar construction site.
interviews by Christina breda antoniades
7:30 p.m., Annie’s Paramount Steakhouse, Dupont Circle andrew: I was excited. When I walked in, I must have had a clueless look on my face, because they knew exactly who I was and what I was there for. They showed me to my seat. Kate: I was a little nervous. A lot of my friends were giving me advice [such as], “Don’t say anything too personal.” I’m more an open person, so I was thinking, I’d better be more reserved than I normally am. andrew: They walked her over and introduced us. She’s 5-9, very nice hair, very attractive. And she had a presence about her. She exudes a self- confidence, and she seemed really happy to be there. Kate: He was tall, [and] I liked the way he looked. It was a good first impression. [But] I felt a little
She likes beer, hockey and guns, and prefers her men confident
and spontaneous. Sound like the date for you? Apply at washingtonpost. com/datelab. Find out whom else we’re looking for at
facebook.com/datelab and on Twitter @datelab.
8 The WashingTon PosT Magazine | June 13, 2010
awkward. I kind of sat down and was trying to figure out what to do with my coat and umbrella and purse. I was thinking, “I need a drink, but I don’t know what I want.” It was unusual for me to feel so discombobulated. But he just sat and waited for me to get my act together. Then we started talking right away. andrew: I think things started off very well. I hate starting off with job interview-type questions, but you have to find out about each other: What do you do, how many brothers and sisters do you have, where are you from? We had a natural rapport. Kate: We ordered drinks right away, and the waiter suggested the calamari, which we both enjoyed. He has a civil engineering degree, but he always had a talent for building, and that’s something I like. I’ve had a varied career; I have advanced degrees. [But] I’ve always wanted to go in the direction of finding something I love to do, and I’ve found it. We talked about how we’re both really happy where we are — it’s not so much what you’ve done but where you are now.
Brag a little … Kate: I like and appreciate change, plus I cook a great chicken potpie. Andrew: I cook, I can fix things, I’m good with my hands, I’m well educated, I have financial expertise, I’m well traveled, I’m a good conversationalist, and I have an eclectic collection of experiences.
your type … Kate: I like blue-collar intellectuals; a guy who can fix things but analyze things, too. Tall, dark and friendly. Andrew: Tall, slender or athletic, intelligent, confident and outgoing, adventurous, beautiful — inside and out — able to laugh at herself, low- maintenance.
andrew: She’s got a twin sister, and she made the comment that her sister is her soul mate. She’s very close with her family, and I really liked that. And we talked a lot about traveling. She’d been to quite a few states, did a little bit of international traveling, lived in several places up and down the East Coast. Kate: He lived in Antarctica for six months. He had all these interesting experiences. [But] he wasn’t bragging, which is good. I don’t like pretentious travel people. andrew: As long as someone has a passion, that’s all that matters. She’s very adventurous. [And] she’s a very
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106 |
Page 107 |
Page 108 |
Page 109 |
Page 110 |
Page 111 |
Page 112 |
Page 113 |
Page 114 |
Page 115 |
Page 116 |
Page 117 |
Page 118 |
Page 119 |
Page 120 |
Page 121 |
Page 122 |
Page 123 |
Page 124 |
Page 125 |
Page 126 |
Page 127 |
Page 128 |
Page 129 |
Page 130 |
Page 131 |
Page 132 |
Page 133 |
Page 134 |
Page 135 |
Page 136 |
Page 137 |
Page 138 |
Page 139 |
Page 140 |
Page 141 |
Page 142 |
Page 143 |
Page 144 |
Page 145 |
Page 146 |
Page 147 |
Page 148 |
Page 149 |
Page 150 |
Page 151 |
Page 152 |
Page 153 |
Page 154 |
Page 155 |
Page 156 |
Page 157 |
Page 158