The Rules for Setting Up Your Friends
Blind dates: They're the butt of comedians' jokes, a nightmare when you're single or perhaps - and we wouldn't hold our breath on this one - how some meet their true love. When friends want to play matchmaker for their single buddies, there are a few rules of thumb that can ensure the dates will be successful...or at least won't completely suck. First, start with the obvious. Don't pair two people who seemingly have nothing at all in common. If you even have the tiniest hunch that things could go really, really bad between the two (perhaps they have very different political or religious views and are both outspoken about them), then be sure that even if you do set them up with the best intentions that they won't run into one another frequently after the date. Be sure you know both of them well enough to know a bit about them - don't set up a friend of a friend who you've never met with your sister, for example.