One of the most popular things to do in San Francisco is dating.

Sure, most people say that they love to hike, bike and camp but if you look at actual time spent it would appear that searching for love (or lust) is the number one past-time.

America’s greatest past-time

Most conversations with friends (and even randomers you get chatting to at bus stops) revolve around dating- how dates went,  where the good date spots are, which dating sites you’re on, the weirdos you’ve met.

Even if you’re in a relationship, it’s a fun thing to talk about. Couples like to live vicariously through the escapades of their single friends. I’ve even heard of some people, married no less, taking this interest to an extreme level of voyeurism. See an example of this weirdness below and in this article from NY Mag.

Stolen from my friend Gaz’s FB page

What’s unfortunate for me, is that I’m not a great dater. That’s not to say I’m not a great date – I like to think I can do the witty, scintillating conversations like a pro. I just don’t go on a lot of dates. I’m on all the sites, but I get bored and drop off after a few messages.

As such, I’m a bit out of practice with the whole scene and I find first dates slightly harrowing. My SF single friends are so good at it, they take it all in their stride, no stress, great attitudes and breeze through the evening coming out the other side smiling.

I, on the other hand, am a bit of a stressball – fussing about what to wear, where to go, who pays for what, where do I sit…

And what happens when I become stressed? Healthy eating goes out the window and, for better or for worse, I turn to alcohol for comfort and courage.

So you can see why a first date might be a challenge for my 100 Healthy Days.

And I’m sorry to say I failed.

I was so busy in work so that I didn’t eat lunch, I was then too busy getting ready to eat beforehand to eat dinner, then I rushed to get there because I was late, so I was dehydrated and gulped down my wine. And then I gulped down the second one. And then I actually necked the third one as we had to leave.

I’m such a classy date.

I then got home relatively late and was starved so I dived onto the left-over Irish soda bread Venessa had made the night before. As well as some amazing chocolate covered blueberries that had been left out.

This was all over chats with Lysbet who had been out on a date as well. Sometimes this is the most fun thing about dating. The chats with your friends afterwards.

So, all in all, a 100 Healthy Days in SF failure.

But I got to go on a lovely date, with a lovely guy, so that was a win!

Sometimes you’ve got to take the good with the bad. 😉