Halloween

Many of you attended a party or two during Halloween weekend. If you met someone you found interesting and would like to see him again, how do you follow up? Do you Facebook friend him, call him, or wait until he makes contact?

There are many “rules” for dating protocol here, created mostly for the sake of keeping a guy interested. I’m not a big fan of rules. I prefer taking chances. After all, risk can equal reward, right? Here are a few things to bear in mind when deciding whether to make the next move.

First, consider how you left things with your love interest. Did he say he would call you, or did you agree to more firm plans? If you parted ways by leaving him your phone number, it’s up to him to call. But don’t sit around and wait for it---keep attending networking mixers and online dating. Keeping yourself busy helps you keep your perspective. Remember, even if you liked him, there are plenty of other guys out there if he isn't for you.

Are you looking to impress someone you just met, or looking for a way to meet someone new? Halloween is a great time to mix it up a little and try something different. After all, when is a better time to show off your creativity with a fabulous costume?

If you're looking for new date ideas, or places to meet other singles this time of year, here are some suggestions:

Go on a hayride. There are plenty of romantic activities to take part in this month, and a great one is the old-fashioned hayride. Usually during Halloween, they are themed to be scary---a good excuse to cling to each other in the dark. Check your local listings to see where they are offered. If this isn't an option because you're an urban dweller, check out a local haunted house.

Fall is here, and with it are many seasonal first date options. Unlike, say, the winter holidays, Halloween is relatively secular and celebrated by most, so it's less of a sticky subject. And almost everyone loves a fall harvest celebration.

When choosing a seasonal activity for a date, particularly a first date, it's important, as always, to be aware of safety issues. A well-populated city ghost tour is one thing; a trip to a cemetery at midnight is quite another. However, one benefit of fall activities is that many of them actually occur during the day on weekends. A pumpkin-carving festival certainly makes more of an impression than the standard coffee or lunch date.

Fall harvest celebrations often mean one or both of two things: food and the outdoors. Thus, it's not unreasonable to ask your date about any associated problems. For example, are they allergic to apples? Will a hayride make them miserable? You might feel silly asking, but overlooking something like that could mean the difference between a great time and a really long day.

It's amazing how much a little red plastic cup can say about you, without you even realizing it.

A good deal of my regular clientele are folks in their 20s and 30s. They fall into two groups (with a little overlap): The Settled Down (focused on career or already with kids) and the Livin' It Up (single/never married, working for the weekend, still partying a bit). If we're going to get really stereotypical, members of the two groups prefer to date their own kind. The Settlers prefer to date other Settlers and the Livins prefer to date other Livins.

Problem is, there's a large group of Livins who are dying to become Settlers. They party, but they look forward to the day when they can just chill out on a Friday night and watch a movie with their One and Only Love. And the only way to achieve that dream is to either a) Date a Settler or b) Date another Livin' that's dying to become a Settler.