Dating is awkward; there’s no getting around it. But just because it’s uncomfortable doesn’t mean you should make it even worse by talking about your mom or lamenting over the lack of parking spots at the restaurant. America’s Top Matchmaker Janis Spindel gives her six ways to ruin a first date, and by avoiding them, you just might get the next-day-call. Janis’s Quickest Ways to Ruin Your Date with Conversation 1. Talk on your cell phone. Don’t check to see if you have a new message. Don’t try to find out who called you earlier. Don’t text a message. And for the love of God, don’t answer your cell phone if it happens to ring! The best place for your cell phone is in your bag, with the power off. 2. Complain. Don’t complain about your roommate, your mother, your car, the weather – anything! Your date is an adult. He understands that life is full of good things and bad things. Tonight he wants to hear about good things. Now, I’m not saying you should spend the night bragging about how great you are. Avoid lines like, “My boss just told me how great I was and all my friends agree!” For the first date, you want to walk down the middle of the road. Don’t talk about the worst things in your life and don’t be so cheerful that it’s self-centered. 3. Check your makeup at the table. As far as your date is concerned, you look beautiful … until you start fussing about it. If you must freshen up, go to the restroom but now every five minutes. And remember what I said before: There’s no need to go over the top. Don’t return from the bathroom looking like a completely different person from when you left. 4. Freak out if he teases you about something. There’s a big difference between cruelty and a joke. If you tell a funny story about getting lost on a vacation, he may kid you later about your sense of direction. Roll with it. The fact that he feels comfortable enough to make a little joke around you is a good sign.