Dating Dos & Don'ts

Here at BYU, it seems like they continually stress that people “date” and not “hang out.” After all, all our leaders want us to get married, right? Well, it’s interesting what to learn about people’s thoughts on dating. I’d like to share my thoughts (and pet peeves) about dating. Everything I write will (obviously) come from a guy’s perspective.

When on a date, guys should:

• Compliment his date on how nice she looks (I forget to do this more often than not—even though I am thinking it in my head).
• Open the door for his date (e.g., car, restaurant, apartment, etc.)
• Look her in the eyes when speaking (otherwise, you probably will give off the impression that you’re not interested)
• Cover the costs of dinner, an activity, etc.
• Make conversation

When on a date, girls should:

• Let the guy be a gentleman
• Give (at least) a hug at the end of the date
• If you are pretty short, then putting your hands underneath is fine
• If you are close to the guy’s height (w/in 4 in. or so), then put your arms around his neck
• Make conversation
• Open the guys car door when he’s walking around to his door (optional)
• A girl did this to me once, and I thought it was awesome; she definitely scored points with this simple act

When on a date, guys should not:

• Answer their phone (unless coordinating when on a group date)
• Pick their nose (I really hope nobody has done this)
• Brag (most girls don’t thinks it’s really cool how nice of a car you drive or how much money you make, etc.)
• Check out other girls (why are you on this date?!)
• Swear
• IMNSHO, it’s crude and show disrespect
• Keep it clean
• Give a crappy hug

When on a date, girls should not:

• Answer their cell phone! Turn the bloody phone off!
• Show some respect to the other person by not having conversations with other people while on a date.
• A guy may have his phone on when he is coordinating with the other guys (on a group date); otherwise, he too should turn off his phone
• If, you absolutely have to take a call, let you date know in advance
• Slam the car door
• Let the guy close the door for you; again, let him be a gentleman
• Give a crappy hug
• The whole one arm over and one arm under just plain sucks
• Give a side hug
• Who on earth ever thought this was appropriate on a date should be shot

Obviously, this list is just a short compilation of some ideas I just thought about. As mentioned above, one of my pet peeves is answering a cell phone a date. It’s pretty much a for sure thing to do for me never to ask you out again.

What are you thoughts on dating?

Ping Pong

Tonight, I had the fun opportunity to participate in a ping pong tourney sponsored by BYU. Who would have thought people at BYU took their ping pong so seriously? I mean, people were showing up in their athletic clothing, bringing paddles shielded in protective cases, etc. One guy was kind enough to inform me that the paddle I picked up at ShopKo was a “defensive” paddle because of the type of grip on it. He told me that if I really wanted a nice “offensive” paddle, I need to go for the thick, rubber paddles. They provide the better grip.

I am in no means bagging on these people. One reason for me signing up was just to see what walks of life I’d find there. If you didn’t think BYU had an international scene, you were wrong. They all showed up and were ready to play. In fact, I saw a bunch of my buddies there. One of them is the BYU Ping Pong Club President! I can’t say much to that since I’m an officer in the Foosball Club as well as another sports club on campus.

For those who care to know how I did, I made it past the first round, but was soundly defeated by a Russian lady. She was good; her ability to spin the ball is what got me.

Weekend Roadtrip

This weekend, I was reminded of the fragility of life. Nobody in this story dies, but one friend was seriously injured. This past weekend, BYU played UNLV in Las Vegas and a bunch of my friends decided to go down for the game. It was obviously a great game because we won 55-14 and they had a great time in Vegas. For whatever reason, they decided to travel back to Provo through the night, leaving around midnight (Sunday morning). Well, just 15 minutes from the final destination, they were involved in a multiple roll-over car accident (around 7 am). A friend had fallen asleep at the wheel for a brief moment and overcorrected. Witnesses say the SUV caught air (not sure how) and rolled several times. Three of my friends suffered from minor concussions and scrapes, but one friend was ejected from the vehicle (he wasn’t wearing his seat belt). He suffered from a shattered vertebrae, bruised lung, broken ribs, etc. Fortunately, he has stabilized and should be coming out of ICU today. It just goes to show that your life can change in an instant.

Something that my friends and I were discussing is the fact that many people choose to drive even though they are fatigued. I guess with guys it has to do with their ego. At least, I would say that’s my case. There have been times where I drove home extremely exhausted and I shouldn’t have, but I did because I thought I could handle it. Anyway, I’d like to hear what other people have to say about this. And remember, always wear your seatbelt. Having been in a rollover accident myself, I know of the safety this brings.

Job Interviews

Alright, so today I had a job interview and I think it went okay. Some of the people interviewing me asked pretty tough questions. It started kinda rough, but it got better as the day went along. I had the most fun with the partner. He kept me on my toes. He asked totally off-the-wall questions such as, “If you could gold medal in one Olympic sport, which would it be?” And then any time I responded to his question, he would try and turn my answer against me. From what fellow employees say, he’s probably the youngest person to make partner in such a few amount of years (six, I believe). Well, even if the interview didn’t go as well as I hoped, I did learn from it and hopefully I’ll perform better next week in NYC. At least the lunch was delicious. We ate at Nick and Stef’s Steakhouse, in case you’re wondering.