couple dates

the other night mil and i had dinner with a couple of new friends. the fellow is a guy who works with me in my lab, and the girlfriend is interested in possibly going into social work -- and starting a course at my school this summer. it's interesting how the process of making new "couple friends" can be a lot like dating... will my guy like him? will i like her? what if she's a b*tch? what if we have nothing to talk about? in fact, this process might actually be more difficult than dating since there are four people to please instead of just two. alternatively, one might might argue that there's less at stake (i.e., little to no chance that you will end up seeing the other couple naked at the end of the evening). but, then again, if you're like me, the number of people who are worth a coveted week-night, let alone a weekend-night, is awfully short -- and for good reason. if i'm going to sacrifice my very limited socializing hours with new folks, those folks better be damn cool. fortunately, in this case, these new folks passed the bar.

mil and i have established a pretty rigorous screening process for potential couple-dates, including several pre-dinner/brunch/whathaveyou discussions debating pros and cons of proposed couple. if the proposer only knows one member of the couple, the proposer must establish in sufficient detail how unique and likeable that individual really is. it may seem like a lot of work for an evening out, but it's well worth it...