Time for New Hunting Ground?

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[caption id="attachment_2986" align="alignleft" width="302"] Photo Credit: www.stickmanweekly.com[/caption]

Often, women and men find themselves feeling like they go out and never find any quality leads for a potential partner. Maybe it's time to change things up a bit!

Sure, you and your girls probably go out to dinner every week to your favorite restaurants, but just because you love those places, doesn't mean good men do.

Maybe you are a guy who goes out to the same strip of bars every week. Look around the bar you are patronizing. Does it look like the place you would want your future wife dwelling?

Women, we encourage you to visit places that have a better mix of men and women. Try burger joints or steak houses. Also, you'll be more approachable, if you opt to eat at the bar or at high top tables. Sitting with your friends in a booth, isn't very welcoming. The less restricted you are the more approachable you are, so be sure to think of things you and your friends can do, besides eating out every weekend too!

Men, good women like bars just as much as you do, but make sure it's a quality bar. Popular sports bars are good, but bars that people come to just to smoke and drown their sorrows are not favorable places to meet women. Lounges are also a place you will find women looking to socialize, while staying in your element.

As the weekend draws near, we hope this helps!

Until next time, good luck!

One on One and Eight at Eight

Happy New Year!!! See What Our 2013 Was Like.

[caption id="attachment_2977" align="aligncenter" width="595"] Click to see our 2013 highlights animation![/caption]

Don't Just Make a Resolution, Take Action!

[caption id="attachment_2971" align="aligncenter" width="595"] Photo Credit: http://en.paperblog.com[/caption]

New Year's resolutions. Everyone makes them, but this New Year focus acting out your resolutions rather than simply stating or writing them down and never looking at them again.

We are in the business of love, so we are going to give you ways to make successful resolutions for your love life. Rather than saying "My New Year's resolution is to find love," make your resolution for 2014 being committed to doing a co-ed activity. Many singles need to work on themselves more, before they are ready to for love. That should be your focus. See our resolution ideas below.

Be more confident this year: This one is easier said than done, but that is why you are going to focus on certain acts that build your confidence. For instance, walking around in a really nice suit may do the trick for a man. Who cares if you have no where to go, if a suit is what you need to hold your head a little higher and put a little more pep in your step so be it.

For women make-up or heels may be your confidence booster. Get your make-up routine down so that you can throw it on at the spur of the moment. Not feeling pretty enough should never be an excuse to walk around feeling shy or for refusing to make eye contact with a hunk. The same goes for the heels. Don't walk around in flats, if you aren't going to feel your best.

These suggestions may seem silly or simple, but try it out. Make sure you feel like you are putting your best self forward every day and your confidence will go up. The trick is figuring out what makes you feel your best. Experiment with different clothing and hairstyles to know what works for you. If weight is the issue, join a gym. Make an effort to walk a mile a day, until that's easy then add a mile, then another and another. Sedentary people will see great results, resulting in more confidence!

Learn how to attract better people this year: This goes along with joining the gym and dressing the part. If you feel like you have been attracting more zeros than heroes lately, assess what it is you are not doing. Do you know someone who is similar to you, but getting different attention in the dating world? Go out with them and watch them. Is there a certain look they give? Are they more flirty than you? What about their posture? Body language gives important cues.

You don't have to completely change who you are but tweaking your mannerisms and the way you carry yourself ever so slightly could make a big change. Practice makes perfect so incorporate changes slowly and see what kind of results you get. We would suggests incorporating a soft touch into your flirting.  For both men and women, a soft touch to the arm saying excuse me with a smile will work. Men, hold her gaze and say hello, if she doesn't quickly look away. Women, hold his gaze with a flirty smile. If he is interested, he will say, "Hi." From there it's up to you to ask his name and get a conversation rolling. Be sure not to force it. A conversation should bounce back and forth.

This tip will likely help women a great deal, because only waiting for men to approach you all the time will almost surely bring out the duds, who have nothing to lose. The good guys get nervous. They know they are good or at least okay and they don't want to get their feelings hurt anymore than you do. Give them a hint you're interested.

No settling this year: Who has the time to settle? Relationships and marriage are hard. Don't settle for someone mediocre. Come up with a list of traits you didn't like about your ex's and do not spend more than a month figuring out if your new sweeties possess them or not. You only have one life to live. Weed out the rift raft quickly! Make this your resolution and the quality of your relationships should go up significantly this year.

Be more positive this year: Have you ever heard the saying, "You can't live a positive life with a negative mind?" No one wants to be around someone who is always negative. Learn how to be positive this year and positivity will find you. Positivity changes your perspective for the better and can greatly improve your chances of finding love. If you are an arguer by nature, learn how to let small things go. Is it worth ending a relationship because he doesn't take out the trash or because she doesn't like washing dishes? Relationships are about compromise. Positivity will allow you to find happy medians when you and your sweetie have different views.

Those are our suggestions for your New Year's resolutions. Hopefully, they will help some of you find and keep love.

Until next year, good luck!

One on One and Eight at Eight

"I Want to Date Younger" - Bat in Your League

[caption id="attachment_2962" align="aligncenter" width="595"] This is a fitness transformation photo (no relation to dating younger), but which version of him do you think a younger woman would prefer?
Photo credit: lifelevel10.extremebodyshaping.com[/caption]

Lots of men want to date younger women. They spend a majority of their younger years building wealth and becoming successful, then one day it hits them that they have no family to share all they have accomplished with. This happens to women as well, but less often due to their biological clocks. Usually, women who were busy in their younger years want a family at 40, while men suddenly want one in their 50s. This causes men to desire much younger women because women their age are done having children.

Today we are going to give men looking to date younger a few tips. If you are a really attractive older man with a killer personality who wants children, you could possibly date a woman 20 or more years your junior successfully. If you are an older man who wants to date younger, but you look like a traditional grandparent it will be much more difficult. This doesn't mean there is nothing you can do to make yourself more appealing to younger women.

Style is a BIG part of dating younger. If you dress like a grandfather, all she will see when she looks at you is her dear grandpa not a sexy man. There's nothing wrong with dating as a grandpa, but you don't have to look like one. Pick up a GQ magazine or thumb through some men's fashion catalogues for modern style ideas. You've got to compete with the men her age. Join a gym or get a trainer to get you in shape. Also, don't forget to invest in a good hairdresser to cover those grays and bring your hairstyle up to date.

It's all a matter of batting in your league. Brad Pitt is in his 50s and there are 20 somethings who would love to date him! He is fashion forward and in great shape. If Brad were out of shape and dressed like he was stuck in the 80s, the reach of his sex appeal would likely shorten a bit. Not saying you have to look like him, but at least try your best to get in shape and dress the part.

*This advice applies to women looking to date younger as well.

Good luck finding Mrs. Right!

One on One and Eight at Eight

Single Jingle Mingle Recap!

Johnny's Hideaway was overflowing with single Atlantans last night! It was definitely a night to remember as we danced the night away Sinatra style. The ladies of Eight at Eight and One on One were in their usual red dresses, so singles would know who to ask, when they wanted to be introduced to someone.

This was one of the few public events we hold, which added a twist for the matchmakers as they tried to pick up on who would be a good match for each other. With close to 200 singles, introductions were no easy feat, but several connections were made and the team is eagerly waiting to hear how they panned out!

We were excited to see many singles participating in our ugly sweater contest. The participants are below. The ugliest sweater won $100!

[caption id="attachment_2932" align="alignnone" width="595"] Not quite a sweater, but great effort from a handsome gentleman.[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2933" align="alignnone" width="595"] Cute ladies![/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2934" align="alignnone" width="595"] He actually wore the sweater for fun, but we wanted him to be in the contest.[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2931" align="alignnone" width="595"] Runner up and President Sarah Kathryn Smith![/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2935" align="alignnone" width="595"] WINNER! This ugly sweater really shined. There was a full gold confetti border and confetti back.[/caption]

If you could not make this fantastic event, we have a few photos for you below.



[caption id="attachment_2941" align="alignnone" width="595"] They were really grooving![/caption]



[caption id="attachment_2954" align="alignnone" width="480"] Get down, get down![/caption]



[caption id="attachment_2937" align="alignnone" width="595"] The end![/caption]

Would you like to attend our next holiday event? We are planning our next holiday party for February, in celebration of Valentine's Day! Like us on Facebook to stay in the loop.

Don't forget Eight at Eight throws weekly dinner parties for singles in Atlanta, DC, Chicago and New York.

Happy Holidays,

Eight at Eight and One on One

How to Have a Not So Lonely Holiday

The winter holidays are coming up quickly. Hanukkah ends today, Christmas is up next, the day after Christmas Kwanzaa begins, then the new year will be here, before you know it!

No matter which holiday you choose to celebrate, singles often suffer feelings of loneliness during the holiday season. Even if you are surrounded by family members, many times they'll make jokes about your singleness or ask when you are going to bring someone home for the holidays. Laugh it off and don't let these things get to you. The main way to have a lonely holiday is by thinking of it constantly. "Another year alone on Christmas..." "Another year without anyone to kiss at midnight on New Year's Eve..." Thoughts like this are not helpful and only making you feel more lonely.

Instead, do things you love to do. If you enjoy the outdoors, bundle up and take a peaceful hike on  a trail you have been meaning to try out. Love movies? Pop some popcorn, grab your favorite movie treats and have a movie night. The movies you choose don't have to relate to a holiday. Pick a few movies you have really been wanting to see, so you can have something to look forward to. Of course, not thinking about your loneliness is easier said than done. The key is to be active or engaged in something that takes your mind off of it. If you have family or friends you can spend time with try to plan activities with them, even if it's just a night of playing boardgames, while  drinking and laughing together.

The holidays are a great time to meet people. Usually, there are several singles mixers and other holiday events that you could attend to meet someone special. Think of the holidays as a time to meet someone, rather than a time to be lonely. Bowling alleys, bars, some retail stores, ice skating rinks, and a few other attractions are open on holidays. There is a lot more to do than mope around at home on the holidays. Get in the holiday spirit and enjoy your free time to do things you enjoy this holiday season.

We came across two insightful articles about surviving the holidays, enjoy!:

http://www.baggagereclaim.co.uk/44-tips-for-surviving-christmasthe-holidays-whether-youre-single-in-a-relationship-no-contact-or-broken-hearted/

http://www.askmen.com/money/body_and_mind_100/108_better_living.html

Warm regards,

One on One and Eight at Eight 

How a Second Date Should Differ from Your First

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You made it through the first date and she accepted your request for a second one. Way to go! Now it's time to figure out if you really have chemistry. First-date chemistry is hardly ever based on much more than physical attraction. On your second date, you both will be more comfortable and more of your true personalities will come through.

DO NOT do a dinner date again. This time do something more active so you can see more personality from your date. Dinner is similar to an interview. You're just covering basic information to make sure you want to see her again. Your second date should help you get to know if her personality fits what you want. For instance, if you are an outdoorsy guy, ask her on a date to do something like fishing or hiking, then have a nice picnic. If a love of outdoors is a trait you really want in your partner, it's better to see it, rather than her telling you she "loves the outdoors."

Taking a class together is always a fun idea, especially if she mentions an interest in something in particular. Pottery classes, cooking classes, and painting classes are all fun  to do together. When going on active dates, you're making memories and learning about each other. Is she impatient with the instructor (uh oh!)? Is she gentle with the clay? Does she put your chopping skills to shame or are you going to need to offer to do the cooking?

What you learn about her will differ based on what activity you choose, but you will still learn much more about your date by doing things with her and seeing her in a state where she doesn't feel confined to generic dinner conversation.  Active dates will allow her to learn about you too, allowing you both to determine if you are a good match.

The weekend is right around the corner. Make this date a fun one!

Until next time, good luck!

One on One and Eight at Eight