Dating? Here's some advice on first dates from the book "How to Survive Dating" (Hundreds of Heads Books, www.hundredsofheads.com, $13.95), straight from people who've done it:

“Pay attention: if she talks about her ex-boyfriend at all during the first date, it means she is not over him. And believe me, life is too short to be constantly compared to a hard-bodied Olympic swimmer who ‘just didn’t know how to commit.’”

— Frank, Berkeley Heights, N.J.

“The worst place for a date is either a noisy place or the movies (you just met her and you can’t talk for two hours?), or someplace where bad habits are revealed — like, if you had a gambling or betting problem and went to the racetrack or a casino.”

—H.P., San Jose, Calif.

“Try a breakfast/brunch/lunch date, instead of an evening date. That way, you have easy escape routes built right in. My first date — a blind date — with my wife was for breakfast. Also, it’s not too expensive. So I treated, which comes across as nice and chivalrous, and that helped me make a good impression on her.”

—J.W., Rochester, N.Y.

“On the first date, never take her to an expensive place. They’ll expect it in the future and you end up spending a lot of money. On first dates, I don’t take them to dinner. We usually have drinks. I’m kind of a cheap guy.”

“Turn off the cell phone. I went on a date just recently with a guy who didn’t turn his cell phone off and it kept ringing throughout the meal. It was just his friends checking in and he was like, ‘Hey, I’m out on a date. What are you doing?’ I’m like, hello. Needless to say, we’re didn’t date after that.”

— Amberly Coy, El Cajon, Calif.

“If she’s wearing a ‘born again’ pin or some sort of really political pin when you pick her up, don’t even bother with the date. You can imagine that she’ll start pushing her religion or her politics on you pretty soon.”

Hundreds of Heads Books’ survival guides offer the wisdom of the masses by assembling the experiences and advice of hundreds of people who have gone through life’s biggest challenges and have insight to share. Visit www.hundredsofheads.com to share your advice or get more information.