How many other fish are there really?

Us students here at Byu-Idaho exist and date in an atmosphere unlike that of any other I have ever seen. I hate it. It's so weird! Where else in the world is it okay to take a girl out for snow cones on Friday and another for ice cream on Saturday? Where else in the world is it okay to go on a group date with 37 other couples? Where else in the world do you read your scriptures and go to the temple with your significant other for a cheap date? Where else in the world does your church official offer ice cream sundays if you meet your date quota for the month??? Just plain weird if you ask me!

You know, you always hear about how you should "play the field." Play the field? Why? I don't even like baseball, let alone playing in a field! What am I supposed to do out there? It supposedly gives us a better knowledge of who else is on the horizon, or all those other so called "fishes in the sea" that we hear about so often. Maybe for others, but all it does for me is frustrates. Give me an amen if you're with me on this ladies and gentlemen!

It seems in my life it's either feast or famine. Either I can't get a girl to even turn her little ipod off long enough for me to ask her out or I can't seem to find time for all the girls that are dying for me to ask them out... Okay, that's never happened, but hypothetically speaking of course. It just seems weird to date so many people at once. I mean, doesn't it seem like you're cheating on these dates of yours? Are you ever afraid one of your other "fishies" might see you out with another girl or guy and never talk to you again? I am dag nabbit! Then say you do decide you want to settle down and go for one person in specific. What about all the other people you had stringing along? What about their feelings?? Argh!! Can you tell I'm bitter about past relationships? Not really, but just imagine!

I suppose I'm trying to say maybe the rest of the world isn't too far off on this one. If you start to like someone and you think it'll work out, why do you have to date everyone and their mother to find out that you really did like that first person after all? I just think all too often we spend too long out in the field chasing butterflies, when at the plate we just missed our chance at bat.

Ever wonder where the saying "other fish in the sea" came from?

http://www.phrases.org.uk/bulletin_board/20/messages/1232.html

How to kiss a stranger in 12 minutes...

So this is a little bizarre, but interesting. I doubt I could ever accomplish such a feat, but if this helps anyone out there, run with it! Who wouldn't mind finding a little special someone to kiss every 12 minutes for the rest of your life? Oh, and I do apologize for the brief swearing.

Pass the Beano please!

This world we live in is a mysterious one. Science has in store secrets to unanswered questions that we may never know. Questions like "why is the sky blue", "where do babies come from", what will happen with John and Kate plus 8", and... "do girls really fart"? Some would suggest urban myth. Tall tails you might say, along with the likes of the Abominable Snowman, Nessy, or even Big Foot,

It's shocking I know, rumors that girls do indeed suffer from occasional flatulence. Icky is the first word that comes to mind. Bizarre, the second. I suppose man wasn't meant to understand the complexities of the universe, nor the anatomy of the female prototype. But we shall not judge, nor shall we fear, but move forward boldly refusing to look back. Who knows, girls have the tendency to smell like flowers, I'm sure their gaseous poofs smell as fresh as a tropical Glade plug-in on an early spring morning. Sniff sniff, sigh... The best part of waking up, something for all of us "singles" of the world to look forward to.

Which brings me to my point of today's post. As guys and girls date, we slowly, day by day, become more and more able to be ourselves around our significant other. We begin to open up and share things we wouldn't share with just anybody... including said flatulence! So my question is, how long is long enough? How long must one wait to "be him or herself", good smells and bad smells alike, to make sure their mates don't take off sprinting for the door gasping for air? My opinion ladies is, HOLD it until marriage! Nothing says "I love you" like a surprise mushroom cloud under the sheets for that special man in your life! Then girls can you let em' loose. Just make sure your keep your Glade refills topped off and we'll all be happy men!

Are you a crockpot or a microwave?

I heard a friend talking the other day and he used an analogy that I found to be quite intriuging and pretty much spot on.

"You see, Donald, guys and girls, we're different. Guys are like microwaves and girls are like crock pots"

... Take a second, you know you're trying to figure it out. Nope not that... you dirty little! Think about it... and okay. So, basically my friend was trying to convey the difference between attraction and attraction times for guys and girls.

Crock pots - Wonderful inventions. They cook fantastic meals. Just plug and play. Incredibly long periods of time to cook. Bad for impatient people.

Microwave ovens - Wonderful inventions. Cooks mediocre meals. Just press and play. Incredibly short periods of time to cook. Great for impatient people!

Let me rewind about 10 years... Ere ere ere ere, rewinding, ere ere.... ere ere ere. That's my rewinding sound... ere ere. Okay, so here we are in a middle school english class with little old middle school Donald, long bleach blonde toilet bowl haircut, jacked up pre-brace teeth, with the occasional cracking of the voice. Now, I wasn't much to look at, but I sure had a thing for this girl Amanda. For the longest time this girl had me wrapped around her little finger. I tried everything. I wrote the poems, picked the flowers, sent the notes, and did just about everything a poor little boy could do to catch the eye of his not so secret crush. Unfortunately for me Amanda could have cared less. To her I didn't even exist. Months went by and I finally convinced myself this Amanda wasn't so great after all, and I moved on. As it turned out, she had a change of heart too. This girl was all over me! Granted, I can't blame her, those were my sexy years... Fortunately I stood my ground and didn't give into her desires. Oh what a beautiful relationship we could have had if only we had the same cooking times.

Guys are fast to react and fast to fall. They see a girl that fancies their interest and they're hooked. All we really want is someone to hold... sigh... Girls weigh out their options, pull our hearts out, roll them in the dirt and write their names on them in magic marker so all other girls know that they've marked their territory. Just as we begin to learn to live without our hearts the girls come prancing back to us, dust our poor hearts off and try to pretend like nothing ever happened, all because now after so long they decide we're not so bad after all. Pshhh.

Guys - Good inventions, mediocre cooks, one glance is all it takes, incredibly short periods of time to hook.

Girls - Fantastic inventions, amazing cooks (in some cases), takes at least your first born child, incredibly long periods of time to hook, oh and a sharpie so she can write her name all over your heart!

Just another funny video!

I'm not sure if this is real, legit, dating video footage or not, but provides for great entertainment nonetheless. Everybody needs somebody, otherwise you apparently go crazy... like this guy. Seize the day!

Dates: the key to future happiness...

I want you to think for a moment. Think of a time when you went out on a date with a little crush of yours and the date went either A.) Fantastic, B.) Not too terrible, or C.) Terrible would be an absolute compliment! I'm sure many of you out there in the dating world can associate yourselves with at least one or maybe all three of our previous options. Hopefully more A's than C's, but if you're a guy and C's are your thing, right on brother, good luck in the millenium! But, if you're looking to improve those not so amazing dates with those special someone's in your life, take my words to heart. The date you take your date on can make or break your date. Hmm... I like that.

I've come to realize that a good date is one that offers an opportunity for conversation and interaction. It's so easy guys, to just say "dinner and movie"? Really though gentlemen, I know that men have a hard time thinking. It CAN cause sharp pains to run through the cerebral cortex. Especially if you do it for extended periods of time, buuut, I think that's a risk that we're just going to have to take. If we ever intend to find that future ball and chain, it's time to buck up and plan ahead. I heard once that a good date must follow the three P's. Planned out, Paid for, and uh, well I forget the third, but it was good. Girls really do appreciate it when they can see the time and effort we've put into an outing just for lil' ol' them. Think of it this way: The more you put into a date, the more you'll get out of it! Eh eh??

Make sure it's not too awkward either. Don't show her any of your "special" talents. Keep ex-girlfriends out of the conversation, be confident, and for heavens sakes just have a good time. It's when we overthink the situation that we really mess up what we probably could have had. Don't be afraid to try something new, be creative, and remember if you want to get to the fruit of the tree, sometimes you have to be willing to go out on a limb. Make it an experience she won't soon forget!

Oh, and guys, here's a few websites with some ideas that might get those gears churning

http://newsnet.byu.edu/story.cfm/7709

http://www.promotionalcodes.org.uk/344/30-frugal-date-ideas/

http://frugal.families.com/blog/top-100-creative-date-ideas-part-i

And LADIES, just for kicks and giggles, what do you think makes a great date? Also, if you have any past great/not so amazing date experiences that you wouldn't mind sharing, comment and let us know, that way we can learn from all those that have come before us!