February 10, 2010 From Staff

The best of the best
    "I think the best date I went on started out kind of a bummer. He wanted to take me bowling but the alley in Brunswick was too packed and he didn't know if we should stay or not so we ended up leaving because of how packed it was and the wait time was too late. So we walked on the pier for about two or three hours just talking – him picking at me for being afraid of zombies (which is a real fear) and when he dropped me of at home we shared our first kiss at my door step."

    "He picked me up around 5 p.m. because that’s when he got off of work. For once I wasn’t donning the attire of a tomboy. Sure, my hair was still a naturally curly but tangled mess when he came in to pick me up, but he waited patiently for me. He never once commented on us being late, and didn’t even glance at his watch or the clock on the wall.
    A single Anna Rose (a soft, pink colored rose we grew in our backyard) waited for me when I was ready. We went to get something to eat, and for once I got to pick where. He told me I looked stunning, opened the door for me and paid for the meal. He laughed at every nonsensical joke I made, and listened with a patient ear as I went through my day – from an art project at school to the daunting task of deciding what to wear.
    We went to a movie, which had a sad ending. He cried, and I cried. When we got home, he walked me to the door. To this day, he’s my first love – my sweetheart-of-a-father."

    "My best Valentine’s date ever would have to be the year I was living in Atlanta and my girlfriend was in Macon. Valentine’s Day fell in the middle of the week, but we had plans for me to drive down after work and take her out to dinner realizing I would just have to be tired the next day.
    However, I devised a little scheme a couple of weeks in advance. While visiting her one weekend, I came up with a reason for me to use the key to her apartment while she was working one Saturday morning. So I had a copy made while I had it. About a week or two before V-Day, I talked with my boss and arranged to work some extra hours on other days so I could leave at lunch on Valentine’s Day. I drove down to Macon, parked my car where she wouldn’t see it, and let myself in her apartment to start working on dinner.
    I had music, candles and flowers set up when she walked in from work. Dinner was almost ready when she walked in the door.
    She was speechless. She was expecting a hectic evening after a busy day of work. Instead, she came home to the smell of a delicious dinner that was just about ready to eat. We had shrimp scampi, garlic toast, Caesar salad, and a fresh out of the oven brownie with vanilla ice cream for dessert. It went over well."

    "I would have to say my 'best date' would have to be my date to London I took when I was studying abroad my sophomore year in college. Me and my “free-spirited, music lovin’ hippie-boy” left Harlaxton and took the train to London.
    It might sound crazy, but the train ride to start that day was one of the best memories of my life to date. We just listened to music (sharing his earbuds to his iPod of course) and sat hand in hand enjoying the tunes and each other’s company. From there we of course did the touristy cool things like touring the British Museum and enjoying a sweet dinner at a local restaurant. The one downfall to the whole day was that we attempted (for my third time on a trip to London) with no success to go into Westminster Abby, of which I still have only seen the outside. I believe there was a wedding taking place or some holy holiday. Other than that the date was absolutely perfect. And Mr. “free-spirited, music lovin’ hippie-boy” is still at the top of my list."

The not-so-great
    "In college we had these things called 'Pick a Dates' where roommates would pick dates for each other. We had a small campus of like 500 people. My date and I had a pretty good time four-wheeling in the mud on this big group date our dorm wing was on. At least until she and I and another couple were talking about cars. I offhandedly mentioned something about naming my car after a ship on Star Trek; to which she looked at me and said, "Minus 500 points."
    She went on to explain that all her dates get points and she never tells them when they gain them, only when they loose them. After that she said, "You know, we don't have to spend the whole date together." Then ignored me the rest of the day."

    "I don’t really know if I have a worst date. With few exceptions, I always seem to be single when this time of year rolls around. So, almost every Valentine’s Day is a depressing reminder that I have no one and am all alone. I usually lock myself in my room, listen to sad music with the lights off and cry myself to sleep.
    Okay, not really. Single Awareness Day isn’t really a big deal to me. This year, it’s a reminder of how much money I’m saving by not having to buy a gift. And I can spend all Sunday afternoon watching the Daytona 500 without having to worry about squeezing in V-Day plans while hoping I don’t miss any of the race.
    Plus, I won’t be getting guilt-tripped into thinking I’m doing something wrong by watching the biggest NASCAR race of the year. So I say all that to say this: I can’t say I’ve ever had a bad Valentine’s experience. I mean, I’m sure somewhere along the line in elementary school I didn’t get a Valentine from some little girl I had a crush on, but I moved on with life. If I’m with somebody, we do something fun and it’s enjoyable. If I’m not with someone, it’s just another day. Except this year, it happens to be the 500. And part of me is glad I’m free to watch it without interruption."

    "A group of my friends decided to head to Savannah in style. The decked-out limo arrived a little late, but I really didn’t care at that point. The ride to Savannah was perfect as one of my best friends and I shared a glass of red wine, but when we finally got there, we scattered. We went from a group of 20 or so to my small group of four (myself, the fiancé and another couple). On our way down to River Street to catch the fireworks, we ran into a group of people we knew.
    What followed is continuously debated and has since become the stuff of legends in our circle of friends, but that’s besides the point. What matters is that an argument broke out between the other couple. To be honest, I thought it was a good thing no one had any real weapons (though the verbal argument was not only hilarious in hind sight but emotionally slicing).
    It was the greatest nothing fight I’ve ever witnessed, but at the time I couldn’t really laugh about it. Instead, my date and I swapped dates. I went with the other guy, and the fiancé went with the other girl in an attempt to neutralize the situation. We watched the fireworks apart, but when they were nearly done the other couple made up. The rest of the night went off without a hitch. The running joke of our group is to keep her away from red wine."

    "I would have to say the time that I went on a date with 'The Patriots fan.' The date itself was pretty normal: dinner and drinks to get acquainted. The problem was, I am a huge Indianapolis Colts fan. He was a New England Patriots lover. This is a recipe for disaster. By the end of the date, after several rounds about how much I hate the Patriots and everything about them and how Tom Brady is a jerk, and he talking about how Manning chokes under pressure, I was pretty fired up about football and the guy I was sitting across from.
    I told him I appreciated the meal and drinks, but no Colts fan could seriously date a die-hard Patriots fan. Basically, he would have to fear for his life if we dated during football season. We decided to part ways after just one date."

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