Blind date

It has happened again: two innocent students – hand picked by The Pitt News – step up to… It has happened again: two innocent students – hand picked by The Pitt News – step up to the proverbial dating pool to test the blind date waters. This time 19-year-old freshman Dana Robertie and 20-year-old junior Brett Wiewiora proved themselves worthy.

Wiewiora: sensitive model with a wild side

As secretary of the Campus Women’s Organization, Wiewiora is a sensitive man with a wild side. One of the few men in the club, he has always had an interest in feminist politics and upon coming to Pitt he sought out the group. Of course, it isn’t all sense and sensitivity. He posed in his skivvies in the Campus Women’s Organization’s retaliation to the “University Society for the Finer Things Women of Pitt Calendar,” “The Finer-er Things” – his creation. One of the important aspects Wiewiora looks for in a woman is shamelessness.

“Life is a big opportunity to have a good time. You can’t live it worrying about what people think – it ruins the moment,” Wiewiora said.

Robertie: victim of her friends’ persistence

Like Wiewiora, this is Robertie’s first blind date. It wasn’t exactly her idea – her friends filled out the entry form for her, to push her out on the dating scene. She’s on the tall side, and it’s important that she doesn’t tower over her date, so men pushing 6 feet have the edge for her. Strike one for Wiewiora, but he made up for it with his personality.

“He was nice and normal, which was a relief,” she said in a follow-up interview after the date.

First impressions: Finesse conditions just for you …

Initially, Wiewiora was also a bit nervous about his date.

“Since this is for entertainment purposes, you aren’t going to set me up with some ultra-conservative girl, are you?” he asked upon hearing he was selected.

Prior to the date, the lucky couple discovered that they had mutual friends; one of Robertie’s hall mates is involved with CWO. Upon meeting each other they saw that they had another thing in common – long, beautiful hair. This helped ease the tension and keep conversation flowing during dinner before the comics took the stage the date’s destination: The Improv in Homestead.

The date: I like to take long walks on the beach …

Thankfully, Mr. Sensitive and his date found Jim Norton’s offensive, vulgar comedy hilarious. As he expounded on penises and the war in Iraq, they didn’t bat an eye at the raunchy and racy jokes made by the frequent guest to Comedy Central’s “The Colin Quinn Show.”

“I was about to piss myself,” Wiewiora said.

“It was hilarious. I had tears in my eyes,” Robertie said. “I had been to a comedy show in New York, but it was nothing like this.”

The date didn’t end upon their arrival at the Schenley Quad a little before 10 p.m. Since it was a beautiful night, they took a walk around Oakland that extended the date until about 1 a.m.

The aftermath: We can always exchange conditioning tips …

No digits or saliva were exchanged, but for Robertie this doesn’t pose a problem and the possibility of a second date lies in Wiewiora’s hands.

In this case, friends know best. Robertie was generally pleased with the result of her friends’ persistence at getting her a date.

“I wouldn’t be against one; he knows my friends, so he can get a hold of me. There are only a few weeks of school left, though, so I don’t know what the point would be,” said the freshman who plans to return home for the summer.

As for Wiewiora, he says, “I don’t think there will be a second date. I’m not about the romantic pressure of dating and I’m not sure there was a romantic connection. Plus, I think I am a little too crazy for her.”

Despite the fact Wiewiora is uncertain about the “romantic pressure of dating,” it would be advantageous to note that he completed his blind date application himself, without any assistance from his friends.

The two did have complimentary comments to say about each other, though, so perhaps a friendship will ensue. If not, Robertie can always check out “The Finer-er Things Calendar” to catch a glimpse of sexy pin-ups of the man who took her on her first blind date.