On Dating

I've been feeling lately a distinct lack of originality in dates. Disclaimer: I have not BEEN on any dates recently, but that doesn't mean I don't hear about the dating adventures of people I know. Anyways, I thought I'd put together a list of things to do on dates. This is not a comprehensive list, mind you, because I excluded anything that I didn't think I'd personally like to do.

A note before the list: I'm old fashioned. I think it's the man's perrogative to ask the woman out. When he does this, he should plan ahead what they'll be doing and when they'll be doing it. Then he should call her and tell her the plan and only then ask if she'll be available to go with him. Surprises are fine, but let her know what kind of clothing to wear (should she dress up? dress warm? Plan on her clothes getting dirty?) When on the date, the guy should have follow-up activities to proceed to if the date is going well (if not, he can end it after the main/first activity and it's all good). Also keep in mind that you don't have to spend much money to have a good time and going in groups can help elimate awkward moments.

Old standbys:

• Dinner (more fun is a picnic)
• Movie (more fun is a drive-in)
• Concert
• Watch Sports
• Watch comedy (stand-up - the cleaner the better)
• Theater

Better Ideas:

• Laser Tag
• Play a sport
• Dancing
• Service project (can be more fun if it's a little secret thing for someone you both know)
• Prank somebody/something (don't do anything illegal or too mean though)
• Go to a fair or festival
• Shooting/skating/mini golf/bowling/frisbee golf
• Museum/art gallery/aquarium/zoo
• Hiking (not a long or hard hike though, and have a destination in mind)

Creative Ideas (these can be the most fun, but you run the risk of it getting awkward or lame if you don’t know the person well):

• Bigger/better
• Scavenger hunt
• Geocaching (bring something to leave for the next person)
• Make something (paper mache, pottery, finger painting, sidewalk chalk...)
• Science experiments (rockets, oobleck)
• Color/write something together
• Cook (experimental is best - make pizza, decorate cookies, make an exotic dish neither of you have ever had before)
• Make a video (music video would be fun!)
• Star-gazing (only on a clear, warm night and have some constellations to look for)
• Bad weather? Snow sculpture, sledding, puddle-jumping

Little Extras (these will make for short dates w/o other activities)

• Sand castles
• Fly kites
• Board games
• Take pictures