Getting Lucky

By David Perloff
Photos by Brevin Blach

Dating can be a crapshoot. Blind dating can give you the scratchers. To maximize the potential for good fortune on this afternoon’s St. Patty’s-themed, would-be romantic adventure, PacificSD asked Loren and Oliver to dress in green. And in case channeling leprechauns doesn’t lead the daters to a pot of gold or make them feel lucky at love, your friendly neighborhood magazine is providing the brave duo with scratchers-instant lottery tickets, not (STDs).

Before the blind date begins at Dublin Square Irish Pub & Grill in the Gaslamp, let’s meet the players.

PacificSD: Where are you from and where do you live now?
LOREN: I’m from Poway and currently live there.
OLIVER: From Sausalito, California, and live in North Pacific Beach currently.

What do you do for a living?
LOREN: I’m the salon coordinator and social media director at Ciao Bella Hair and Body Salon in Rancho Bernardo.
OLIVER: I play professional paintball-yes, there is such a thing-and am part owner of the Rubicon Deli in Mission Beach.

Why are you going on a blind date in a magazine?
LOREN: It reminds me of Old World Italian customs of arranged courtships. Statistics show that the old tradition of matchmaking has been proven to work.
OLIVER: It’s hard for me to say no to anything.

What makes you a good catch?
LOREN: I have a great sense of humor, I love to experiment with culinary arts and entertainment. Also, I mix a killer cocktail.
OLIVER: I was raised by an amazing mother who has made me into a very unique and loving individual.

What are you looking for in a date?
LOREN: I don’t have a type per se. But he does need to feed my comedic ego.
OLIVER: Physically, a beautiful face is the most important thing to me. Having a well-rounded, down-toearth, care-free personality is what really does it for me.

What’s your biggest fear?
LOREN: Falling in love and having him cheat on me.
OLIVER: Not being successful.

What’s your sign, religion or spiritual belief system, if any?
LOREN: Well, I was an Aries, but now I have no idea since the signs have changed. I’m having an identity crisis. I don’t claim a religion, but I am a very spiritual person.
OLIVER: Virgo. No religion, but if I had to choose, I’d be Hindu or a Buddhist.

Fill in the blanks: In general, the people I date are “blank” and “blank.”
LOREN: Successful and engaging.
OLIVER: Idiots and I’m glad I dated them because it’s a learning process.

What’s your favorite thing about yourself?
LOREN: My physical features and sense of humor.
OLIVER: I like my capability to be put into any situation and come out with success.

What do you like least about yourself?
LOREN: My lack of wanting to take a risk.
OLIVER: I have lousy selfcontrol.

How and why did your last relationship end?
LOREN: We were living together, and things just weren’t working out; we wanted different things in life. He’s a great guy; he just wasn’t right for me.
OLIVER: I was too young.

Loren and Oliver meet at Dublin Square and take a seat by the fireplace before doublin’ up on shots. Does whiskey equal frisky? Fingers crossed, we’re taking the risky!

Irish You Were Here

Searching for the ‘lover in ‘clover’

As Oliver and Lauren sit together in an Old World living room atmosphere at Dublin Square, they appear to be getting along well. Both are smiling and laughing as they drink their fancy whiskey shots ($34 per shot-thank you, Dublin Square!) and enjoy hearty Irish appetizers.

After getting acquainted for about an hour, the two step outside for the quick walk over to another of downtown’s favorite Irish pubs, The Field, on Fifth Avenue. Always concerned for the comfort of our blind daters, PacificSD provides them with protective green eyewear for the walk.

Inside The Field, the couple grabs a table by the bar and orders a round of drinks before being split for mid-date interviews.

PacificSD: How’s it going so far?
LOREN: Really good. We have the same values, he’s really funny, he’s really cute. We’re just having, like, a really fun time.
OLIVER: So far, so good. It’s just interesting being on a blind date, you know. It’s one of those things I’ve never done, so it’s good to get it under your belt.

What was your first impression of your date?
LOREN: Very cute, love his haircut. I work in the industry, so that’s the first thing I notice-definitely the hair, always.
OLIVER: She’s a sweetheart, you know? I mean, I like every type of woman, I really do, but she’s not one that I would probably pursue right away. But, actually, she’s growing on me a little bit. She’s a good conversationalist and she’s bright.

How was Dublin Square?
LOREN: The food was great; the atmosphere was really fun. We had a shot of Jameson Reserve, which was really good. We also had shots that looked like the Irish flag. We ate a shepherds pie thing and a cheese platter. I enjoyed all of their food.
OLIVER: I liked the whole ambiance there. The sofas were intimate, it had some nice reserves of alcohols and whiskeys and stuff like that, and I like looking at that stuff. Great little motif. We had the cheese plate, a couple off-the-wall shots-I think it was an Irish flag that they had-and we had some reserve Jameson, which was very nice. And we had some sort of braised beef appetizer that was very nice, on some nice French bread.

What’s the most attractive thing your date has done so far?
LOREN: Definitely his humor, because we’re kind of on the same page with that. And that’s kind of hard to find in a guy nowadays.
Either they’re too serious or just a dick, you know? They’re too cool, theyíre douche bags, whatever, but he’s just really easygoing.
OLIVER: She’s just kinda got a little funny, witty little attitude, and I kind of like that, you know? She works in a salon, so she’s that type of girl. She’s very hip, and it’s pretty attractive.

Rate your date, physically, on a scale from one to 10.
LOREN: Honestly, a 10. I’ve dated some really homely looking guys.
OLIVER: For looks, she’s maybe, honestly, probably like a seven in terms of looks. I’m kind of peculiar when it comes to looks. I’m just not really into her style of girl, you know? She’s a little, kinda, bleach-blonde little tiny girl. I don’t know, I just kind of don’t really go after those.

How about for personality?
LOREN: Oh, he’s a 10 for sure.
OLIVER: She’s got a great personality. Her compatibility with me is nice. We’ve been chatting nonstop and haven’t had a dull moment. So, I give her a nine.

Are you feeling lucky?
LOREN: Very lucky. It’s not every day you get to go on a blind date with someone.
OLIVER: I always feel lucky, no matter what I do.

Would you like to kiss your date right now?
LOREN: I would, but I’m sick and I donít want to get him sick.
OLIVER: I’m not really too big of a kisser in public. Nice behind closed doors, but that’s it.

Does your date want to kiss you?
LOREN: Probably.
OLIVER: I don’t know, you have to ask her. I mean, I’m sure she’d like to. We can do a little make-out session, but it’s too early in the night.

The Field of Dreams

Hoping to strike it rich at an Irish bar
fter the mid-date debriefings at The Field in the Gaslamp, Loren and Ollie try to get lucky by scratching off instant lottery tickets. As their entrées arrive, the couple is finally left alone to enjoy the rest of their date away from the camera. PacificSD calls the next day to see what we missed.

PacificSD: Overall, how was the date?
LOREN: Overall, the date was great. I couldn’t have asked for a better blind date. Very cute and funny.
OLIVER: It was a great experience, overall. I think everyone needs to have a blind date once in their life.

How was The Field?
LOREN: Neat place. I love that all the employees are actually from Ireland; it really enhanced the experience. I had a shot of Jameson, along with a Ketel and soda. For dinner, we split a sausage roll, wedge salad with a steak and mashed potatoes-best 2 a.m.
leftovers a girl could ask for.
OLIVER: Great amount of detail there, all the way up to the Irish employees that served us. Conversation was good at this point,
because we had suddenly become friends after a few shots. We did the typical date thing to do and shared two items, the wedge salad and a nice hearty steak.

You played instant lottery. What happened?
LOREN: What do you think happened? We lost!
OLIVER: We won $17,000 and flew straight to Vegas to get married.

Were you expecting to win?
LOREN: Hell no, I never expect to win anything!
OLIVER: Always expect to win.

What was the best part of the date?
LOREN: Well, the fact that we got to eat and drink on the house-even if the date sucked, he didn’t have to pay, and I wouldn’t feel bad about wasting his money.
OLIVER: She was actually pretty cool and, more importantly, we just sat back and laughed at what a funny thing a blind date is, let alone one where you are not in control.

Worst part?
LOREN: I had a coughing attack at dinner that made my eyes water so bad my fake lashes came off. I lost them and tried to find them, because I love me some tranny lashes.
OLIVER: She had a coughing attack-wasn’t that bad, but if you had to ask, that’s what it was. Literally went on for 15 minutes.

Describe any romantic connection between yourself and your date.
LOREN: Doesn’t alcohol make everything romantic?
OLIVER: I think she grabbed my butt when I went to the bathroom, but I couldn’t figure out if my napkin just slipped off my lap.

What happened after the magazine crew left you two alone?
LOREN: We chilled at The Field for a bit and had another shot. After, we parted ways. I attempted to get sober before round two of the night with my girls. We tried to meet up, but we were in different parts of downtown.
OLIVER: Well, she wanted to go change out of the green attire, and you can’t ever argue when a girl wants to change. I went to visit my husband at Syrah and had wine. I’m not gay, it’s just on my Facebook status, and we now live in the day and age when whatever it reads on Facebook is true. He approved of my date. That’s the beauty of our relationship-we don’t care who else we are with.

Was there a kiss or romantic moment?
LOREN: I didn’t kiss him, only because I was sick, but we did exchange numbers.
OLIVER: No, but we almost hugged.

Will there be a second date?
LOREN: People go on second dates in this town?
OLIVER: If she has a classy lady for my husband.

What would have made you feel luckier?
LOREN: Having a four-leaf clover.
OLIVER: If PacificSD didn’t give us faulty scratchers.

Write a limerick about your date.
LOREN: Feed me Jameson and expect me to write five lines for you? I can barely write one.
OLIVER: What a date. It was absolute fate. Maybe next date we will mate. Wait, is that rude? Maybe we will just eat some food.

The moral of the story: The search for love won’t yield gold every time, but if you don’t take chances, you may never find that proverbial pot. So, if you have an itch, scratch it, but beware:

Luck can’t always be a lady. Sometimes, it’s another guy’s husband, waiting at the end of a non-gay rainbow.