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Seven minutes.
At times, it felt like an eternity. At times, it was like a blink.
But that was all the time I had to get to know someone when I went speed dating.
You heard me right.
I am not ashamed to admit it. For some reason, there's a stigma attached to speed dating, but it's no different than dealing with an online dating service - except with speed dating, you actually see your potential date up close and in person (as frightening as that can be for both parties).
My first attempt was thanks to the good people at Hurry Date, a company that specializes in online and speed dating. Seemed harmless enough. Head up to the Seminole Hard Rock Casino complex in Hollywood, Fla., spend about 45 minutes there at Murphy's Law, get a complimentary drink and meet some ladies.
I decided to go, and bring a friend - a single woman who volunteered to try it out with me. Why, if I was trying to meet potential dates, would I bring a woman, you ask? Well, consider it strategy. This way, when it was our turn to meet for seven minutes, we could debrief one another about our competition. Smart, right?
After I signed in, I walked around, got my drink, and ended up running into an apparent veteran speed dater.
''How are you doing? This your first time?'' he asked.
''Yeah, it is,'' I replied. ``Yours too?''
''Nah,'' he said with a sniff. ``I've done this about six times. It's always a crapshoot. Been a while since I struck gold.''
I was a bit startled. Had I just fallen into some kind of speed dating trap? Was I going to end up like this guy?
Before I could respond, this guy, who appeared to be quite a bit older than the 25-35 age range set by HurryDate, proclaimed, ``Looks like we have some talent here tonight.''
Now, I was stunned. Did he really just refer to the women here as ''talent''? Was I in the wrong place? Was this an "American Idol" audition?
''There are some good-looking women here, yes,'' I replied.
''So, what's with that woman that came in with you? Is she high maintenance? Low maintenance? What's her story?'' he asked.
The more this guy opened his mouth, the more I realized my odds of a successful speed date were increasing. I quickly informed him that my friend was just a ''nice lady'' I volunteer with and I really didn't know ``her story.''
''So what do you think? Should we keep checking things out, or should we go around and mingle?'' he asked.
Mingle, I said, then quickly sought my friend at the bar.
Needless to say, the rest of the evening was not as eventful. Speed dating is tougher than it looks. After about five or six ''mini dates,'' you get a bit tired asking and answering the same questions. (Except for the woman who asked what my favorite board game was. True!)
Something I picked up on during the night: If you see someone interesting before the speed dating begins, grab the chair one seat to her left. This way when you move clockwise every seven minutes, she will end up as your last date of the evening. When the final seven minutes is up, you can continue the conversation past the allotted time, and perhaps into the evening.
That strategy worked on my second speed dating adventure. I ended up going to for Chinese food with my final speed date and her friend, and eventually scheduled an actual date.
After I picked her up, she told me all about her many medical ailments. When the conversation turned to music, she informed me that the song "Let's Get Retarded" by the Black Eye Peas was insensitive and derogatory.
``I thought it was called `Let's Get It Started,'" I said.
''Still, that band has no morals,'' she said.
At least the sushi place where we got dinner was pretty good.
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