Tag Archives: George Washington

Celebrating our weird preoccupations: L and all the President’s Men

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S, D, and I aren’t big fans of the traditional Valentines Day. Believe it or not, this has nothing to do with the fact that we’re single. Back in high school and college, boyfriends or not, S and I would get together with six of our closest friends and host a little gathering called Februarium. Brought to us by our incredible friend E, Februarium basically was a time for us to share romantic reflections on everything from our first kiss to our favorite food to how we’d spend the perfect day–between gulps of wine and mouthfuls of cards and sugar. Basically, we were doing Galentines Day long before Leslie Knope (which is just another reason we should be BFFs with Amy Poehler!) 

galentines day

Image via Bustle.com

So while you won’t find any of us singing the praises of Vday, we did want to celebrate G-DAY (short for Galentines for all of you slow folks) here on the blog. So we decided to take a break from spilling the beans about our dates, and instead spill the beans about ourselves a bit, by telling you some of the weird things that matter a disproportionate deal to us when choosing friends or partners. And, how we assess those things on dates. This is a dating blog after all, so we can’t ignore the existence of men entirely.

We’ll start with my weird little obsession with asking the following question:

Who are the 3 best presidents and why?

Sorry I’m not sorry that this is the most DC-esque question a gal could ask. While I hate to be a cliche, I’ve learned that a date’s answer to this question illuminates so many things that matter to me.

1) Their general understanding/knowledge of American history and politics-If you couldn’t tell from previous posts, I am an unabashed nerd when it comes to history. I could debate Victorian England gender mores for hours, and diagram the critical battles of WWI. If I’m going to be spending time with a guy, I need to know that he has a basic knowledge of important events and people in his own country over the past 250 years or so. So, if a guy can’t come up with the names of three Presidents or incorrectly lists presidents named “Jim Beam” or “Peyton Manning”, I am not sure that a) I could respect him or b) that we’d have a ton in common.

2) Their values-There are “wrong” answers to this question. For example, if someone says, “Andrew Jackson, because I hate Native Americans,” then they are pretty much done for. Same thing if a guy lists Ronald Reagan as a favorite. I’m an unapologetic progressive, and in my opinion, Ronald Reagan was one of the worst people things to happen to poor and working class Americans this century. Actually, I’m gonna go ahead and say that guys lose major points for listing any Republican president (post reconstruction, of course) at all. On the other hand, a guy can win big points for extolling Lyndon Johnson’s domestic achievements, i.e. passing the Civil Rights Act, the Great Society, etc. Nothing turns me on the like VISTA program.

3) Their critical thinking skills-I am an self-admitted overly-analytical person. I want to know the reason behind everything, even when there are no reasons to be found. 

have cake eat it too

Via quickmeme.com

So, I want to know a guy who can back his thoughts up with some reasons or evidence. Sadly, many Americans cite George Washington as their favorite President, but when you ask why, they can’t give you a reason. (PS: He won the war is not an acceptable answer in my book. First of all, he did that BEFORE he was President. Second of all, there were several non military moves responsible for our defeat of the British.) That said, I am not going to write off anyone who says George Washington, but I expect them to back it up with some facts (i.e., I really love term limits?).

4) Their ability to make a quick, clear decision-“What? Um? I don’t know? That’s just such a hard question…” There is nothing less sexy than asking a guy a seemingly innocuous question and having him agonize for 20 minutes over his answer (unless his answer includes Reagan, or W, or some other offensive conservative. Then the answer IS actually less sexy than watching him agonize). This is not a REAL test dude. I know you might feel pressure because I’m judging you so hardcore on your answers, but I’m also judging you hardcore on the WAY you answer. So, show me you can make a hypothetical decision. Because if you can’t, then I’m gonna worry about your real life ability to make decisions. 

At the end of the day, I also really appreciate any answer that shows a sense of humor. Any guy who can make me laugh, through his answers or even by making fun of me for asking the question, wins the biggest points I can award.

HAPPY GALENTINES WEEKEND FRIENDS! And stay turned as D and S discuss their quirky tests/not tests in the next couple days…

Message Monday: Pop Quiz

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I officially reactivated my OKC profile last night. I had disabled it since the beginning of the summer, so I could focus on just dating the fine specimens that I found on Jdate. Hahah! Just kidding y’all. I disabled it because I wanted a break from getting incessant messages from Future (and Current) Serial Killers of America (FSKA), and being propositioned like a hooker.

But it’s been a month since my last fling, and I have some more free time on the horizon, so I thought it was time to reactive the ol’ profile. 

And thank god I did! Three minutes after reactivating, I received this gem:

message monday quiz 9-29-2013

Let me begin with the positive.

1) He used “you’re” correctly, which is quite a feat on OKC– a Wild, Wild West when it comes to  you’re/your usage. (Though telling the difference between you and you’re seems to be significantly less challenging for men than telling the difference between their, there, and they’re.)

2) This is better than “hi.” I mean, the dude knows how to keep it interesting.

Now, on to the negative:

1) Um, it’s a little too interesting. First of all, the first question required some deep thought for me, and, after about 5 minutes, I concluded my most prized possession was my television. I don’t think that’s the answer this guy was looking for. But, like George Washington, I cannot tell a lie:

2) How are these “security” questions? I thought security questions were things like, “What is your mother’s maiden name?” Or those horrible little unreadable boxes with meaningless letters strung together you have to fill out when signing up for something, to ensure you aren’t a criminal computer bot. Not sure how knowing my opinion on peanut butter and jelly will allow this guy to figure out if I’m a sociopath trying to steal his  bank information.

3) Puh-leez. I can name more than 7 countries that have 4 letters:

Iran

Iraq

Togo

Laos

Fiji

Mali

Oman

Cuba

Point is, this guy was cute enough, but not cute enough to merit a return message that took as much energy to craft as a college midterm. I can’t even imagine going on a date with this guy without bringing an Atlas and CD-ROM Encyclopedia Britannica, just so I can keep up. Also, I have a strong suspicion he might be a distant cousin of one of S’s virtual suitors, who, in case you haven’t heard, is in MENSA.

But who knows? This may be the best message I get this week. So seriously, if you know some more four letter countries, holler at me. Clearly, I need to impress this guy.