Tolerant, Magnanimous Me
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Raising to an art form the biting of the tongue
In celebration of the many opportunities I’ve had recently to roll my eyes, but did not. At least not in such a way that anyone could see me.
Kids here do this thing. And by kids I mean teenagers who are of dating age (16 and older). To ask someone on a date, you can’t just call them up and make the invitation. Oh, no. You have to do a creative invitation. Something cute. Like filling helium balloons with slips of paper that spell out the message and the asker’s name.
That’s step one. The person being asked must now reply in a creative way. Again, the cuter the better. Such as cutting out a dozen paper snowflakes, writing poetic devotions on them and suspending them from the trees in the inviter’s yard. I don’t know how long this goes on. Hopefully they outgrow it by college. There are lots of things I hope they outgrow by college.
Such high expectations! I mean, mess up the reply and you’re hosed before the night even begins. You didn’t color coordinate the balloons! No goodnight kiss for you, Ruprecht. I guess it could be worse. They could be asking by text message.
It took a year, but I figured out that I’m never going to like the boys that Girl 16 dates. I am okay with this. It’s her future husband’s problem, not mine. Hopefully many years in the future.
December 26th, 2008 at 2:00 pm
Between us girls, I’m never going to like the boys she dates either and I’ve only met one of them. It’s just something about gir16. If you find yourself in need I have a gunny sack and some rope and I can be there tomorrow. You know my number. And by the way, the invitation thing - Gay- not that there’s anything wrong with that. Does this make me magnanimous somehow? Let me know.
December 28th, 2008 at 7:10 pm
Rofl. As you say, at least it’s not via text or MSN. I do think there is a degree of innocence about it which is quite fetching … but you’d never catch me sending amorous balloon-borne messages over the fences.
December 29th, 2008 at 12:28 am
If it were me then, but now, I’d have never gotten a date. That’s all too much hard work (and for mine, focused on the wrong people - shouldn’t there be offerings to the parents of the prospective date?!?!?!).
Hang on, when I was that age I didn’t have all that to do and STILL couldn’t get a date. Hmmm…
December 31st, 2008 at 12:22 pm
Molk, maybe it was the light saber hanging from your waist.
How is 2009 looking from where you stand?
December 31st, 2008 at 12:27 pm
Yes Joe, let’s blame it on the geek in me…
Right now, 2009 looks early - but that’s only because I am up to phone a software support line in the US because something over here at work isn’t working… what a glamorous life I lead, up at 4am on New Years Day after going to bed at 10pm on NYE because I’d been up trying to fix something for the last 36 hours. Yay geek.
December 31st, 2008 at 12:36 pm
What’s the software? Chances are good that I’ve written about it. (It doesn’t mean I can help. Just curious.) I’m a tech writer and work with a few of the big enterprise software companies.
So not only did geekiness not get you a date, but it deprives you of sleep! What’s the payoff?
December 31st, 2008 at 12:38 pm
Samson, it would have made you magnanimous, but for the offer of rope and a gunny sack. I may yet take you up on that, though.
January 2nd, 2009 at 1:41 pm
wow, really? people have to go through so much just to ask out a person? it would really be bad if he/she gets rejected…