My wife, sister and I were talking about old dates, and I began to think about some of the past. I do not know what is was like in your high school, but in mine there were two types of people: single and serious. No in between. Like going 0 to 60 in one week. Or even one party. So in my senior year, I found it quite novel when my English teacher introduced us to the Dating Club.
Here are the basics to the club. Everyone that joined would write their name and phone number on a 5 x 8 notecard. Decorations were optional. Every Friday 2 or 3 participants would stand in front of the class board and throw a dart. You were then required to go on a date with your landed target (boys with girls and vica versa - we weren't too alternative). Rules: date must be at least 30 minutes long and you had to bring proof back. And we made it a little more interesting with cards like, 'Daily Double', 'Mystery Date', and the 'Datemeister' (where someone in class selected for you).
Of course I enjoyed this concept. A whole sea of fishes - or at least half a bulletin board worth. Some of these dates are still fond memories. I felt it my duty to not relegate dating to the mundane, like just going for breakfast at the diner (although I did do this once with a less than desirable choice), and be a little more creative. Some of my favorites:
- Buying pints of Ben & Jerry's ice cream (I got purple passion fruit sorbet - yum!!), and going out to the small local airport. We sat near the runway, watched the planes, ate ice cream and talked. We even 'liberated' some tire blocks as proof.
- I double dated with my brother and my date's younger sister to the mall for a photo scavenger hunt. Things went well, had a blast, until a mall cop threatened us for taking pics. I even dated (really dated) this gal for a while.
- My personal favorite. My good friend from Volleyball and I went one Sunday afternoon to a nursing home near us. The nurses gave us a list of residents to visit with. We just sat with 2 or 3 older folks and talked. About their families, their lives, the war, etc. And we topped it off with ice cream sundaes at Friendly's. I still get warm and fuzzies from this one.
Maybe I'll post some time about some of the other crazy dates - like asking a girl to a dance using a self-written sonnet (even with iambic pentameter). But for now, I think I'll fondly remember the Dating Club, and those nice half hours.
HRP
4 comments:
Of course you liked this "Dating Club"- it was the only way for you to possibly get a date!!!
Notice how the sister went willingly with me without having been assigned?
Who was the volleyball friend- Noah?
And was this Kaplow that instituted this? Sounds like something he would do with his vicarious desires.
Oh boy! Should we be questioning the recent upbringing of the dating club and these dates! Slightly alarming.
Also, don't tihnk I didn't put 2 and 2 together (to make 4 ;)) that you went on a date on Sunday to friendly's. Doing something good on Sunday is not negated by a trip to Friendly's.
Now, come on guys. Not so harsh. I didn't need the Dating Club to get dates. There were 2 or 3 other ones in High School. Remember Abby?
And the volleyball friend was Mel. Although I'm sure you could consider Noah and I went on casual dates considering all the stuff we did together.
And Adi - somethings are important for Sundays. And I hear you were there recently on a Sunday :)
There was a recent article in Aviation Week that said that DARPA and the Air Force were teaming up and issueing an RFP for a 6+ mach test vehicle that can land on its own power, will have composite propulsion systems including turbine and ram-scram.
Regarding The Deluge as in the name of your site. When I was at our Brussels meeting we went into the City, we were staying less than five miles from Waterloo, and had a large ballroom full of us finance types. I sat next to a banker from Warsaw and during the course of the evening The Deluge was a part of the conversation. He seemed quite surprised that someone out of Poland would have known about the books or even read them. Anyway, I am keen to go to Warsaw, or more particularly Krakrow.
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