Saturday, April 1, 2006, 07:10 PM
Nowadays a first date is usually a drink, after work or uni. This is a good first step because dinner is WAY too much commitment. With a drink, you can leave 10 minutes into it after you realise you can't bear to talk to this person ever again. You can't leave just after ordering the main course.
Things meander along & suddenly all the statistics of all the romance novels I've ever read flash through my mind. Is he 'THE ONE'?
- 100% of novels say that I should feel inexplicably 'drawn' to him.
- 70% of novels say I should like get into arguments because of our fiery passion lurking beneath the surface while the other 30% say that there will be complications so vast, the nothing short of obsessiveness with each other will pull you through.
Then realising, I've read way too many novels; I'm faced with two options: do I go or do I stay? Is it worth sticking around after 30 minutes of inane conversation for the slim possibility he might say something interesting? Or am I so interested that I want to play hard to get? And then I am at a loss, because despite numerous observations through novels (and yes, I do know it converges to a normal distribution after the sheer volume of novels I've read) not in any simulation was the hero or heroine an actuary.
However, I do know how to put off a guy completely after those 30 minutes of inane conversation:
- "Sorry, I have to dash off now, I need to study for my Institute of Actuaries exam in September"
- "Do you mind if I pull out my life table and compute your life expectancy because I'd prefer that my prospective partner outlives me."
Though I must confess, sometimes, when I've really hit it off with someone, I totally forget that I'm an actuary.
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( 3 / 225 )Saturday, April 1, 2006, 07:04 PM
Dating (and I mean socially, not back-dating policies) is an extremely scary thing. More so as an actuary then any other. Of course, when dating, the most common question is: "What do you do?" And when you say: "I'm studying Actuarial Studies" the prospective partner immediately steps back and looks a little stunned.
my computer science geek friend who reviewed what I wrote looked incredulous at this point but hey, we are soooooooo way up computer science geeks on the social ladder of things, and trust me, I know what I'm talking about being a computer science major as well
The most common replies are:
- "Oh wow, you must be smart!"
- "You must be really good at maths..."
- "What is an actuary?"
What on earth do I say to that?
- "No sorry, I'm actually failing and any modicum of intelligence I used to possess has disappeared after I face the textbook and try to memorise annuity formulas"
- "Good at maths? I quit my maths major and this is nothing like the beauty of pure mathematics, it's all a hack!"
So of course, you cast your eyes down, demurely modest and say "Oh, no not really!" and hopefully the prospective partner might actually believe you.
Honestly, just maybe, the real question is 'Who am I as an actuary?' I don't really know. After 3 painful long years all I know is that I'm not as smart as I used to think I was. I no longer have an interest in or have shown any real aptitude for mathematics. But I know that next time someone does ask me out and asks me "What do you do?" - I'll just say "Why don't you talk about you?"
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