april 25th

whatever happened to dates? in middle school, a date consisted of our parents driving us to the movies, sharing a popcorn and maybe a soda, then getting picked up at the end of the movie. in high school, we figured things out. we learned how to get over our nerves and ask the pretty girl/cute boy out; we went to the movies followed by the classy trip to the diner. but now in college, dates have become like this rare breed of dog, that only comes out for shows and newspaper articles. maybe i've just been misled by all my chick lit, flicks, and tv, but i have this idea of what a date should be, and it doesn't include a late-night phone call, that burrito place, or a midnight drive. well, okay, maybe a midnight drive, but it better be going somewhere other than wegman's. it's like in college we lower our standards of what a date should be, and settle for dinner at plum tree followed by the latest downloaded movie from dc++. but does the wild world of dating get that much better after college? or is it too much like going back to high school?

now i'll admit, i'm not the best person to be talking about dating, seeing that i've never been on a real date before (at least what i would consider a date), but i've been in enough fuzzy relationships, and have witnessed plenty of functional and dysfunctional relationships to know what i want. call me a romantic, but i want to be asked out in more words than just "let's go out," i want to be picked up at my front door, not just called from downstairs; i want flowers and chocolates, not a handful of stolen napkins and mints. i want that awkward moment at the end of the night when you're paused at your door, wondering if you should go in for a kiss, or if he'll go in for a kiss, but what if you bump heads or he's a bad kisser? is there a piece of cheese stuck in your teeth? is that chili he ate still in his breath? did he have fun? should you invite him in? is this going anywhere? and where are my keys?

yes, i'm a romantic. yes, i'm an idealist. but is there anything really wrong with that? should i feel bad because i have these high ideals of what my perfect date would be? am i being too unrealistic? am i asking for too much? i think not.