Finding One’s Ideal
I perused fellow blogger MandyMae‘s page the other day, and lo’ and behold she produced a list of traits that the man of her dreams would possess. This reminded me of a conversation I had in an email about six years ago, in which a friend and I were comparing traits we found desirable in members of the opposite sex. Being but babes in the woods, mere children if you will, we knew very little of what it meant to find love. Our notion was that somewhere out there existed our ideal match, and the clearer our picture was of this ideal, the easier it would be to recognize him or her when they appeared in our life. Having decided this, we set to work describing our future wives in as much detail as possible. I slogged through my email outbox and found the original thread, so I can present unto you the list I concocted in 1997:
1. She’s a smartie. Not showy pseudo-intellectual or yap yap yap talkie smart, but a bright girl.
2. She is a logical person, but not a robot. Emotion is important too, but I think one’s path in life should be logic-based.
3. She’s tall, maybe 5’7 or so, and kinda’ thin.
4. She has a wonderfully cute face.
5. She’s an atheist, at the very least agnostic, and isn’t superstitious.
6. She is very confident in herself, but not cocky.
7. She is open-minded about sex; has maybe more than a little experience under her belt.
8. She’s honest and loyal.
9. She has a sense of humor, which includes the ability to laugh at herself, as well as all the awful things life throws in her way from time to time.
10. She’s modest.
11. She likes to read; she is probably an English major.
12. She’s a little bit quirky or eccentric and not terribly mainstream, but not on purpose.
13. She likes to eat almost everything, and will try anything at least once.
14. She is spontaneous, but not irresponsible.
15. She can tolerate movies, lots of movies, both new and old.
16. She stays up late, except on occasion.
17. She can handle the occasional sarcasm, and even dish out some of her own.
18. She likes to play board games, especially Scrabble, and card games, too.
19. She’s blonde, but not the pale sickly blonde. More surfer girl, less Barbie doll.
20. Above all else, her personality meshes well with mine, in some undefinable way that can never be communicated in list form.
Re-reading this list so many years later, I can’t help but laugh at my youthful naïveté. The odds of my even finding someone to match so specific and exacting criteria seem steeper than those of finding a unicorn on the moon, let alone those of convincing said ideal to go steady with me, as it is almost certain that I fall far short of whatever requirements one would find enumerated on her own list. Yet, find her I did, a few random traits notwithstanding.
I know by now you are asking– what if you go gay? Who would be your ideal guy? Let’s ask Quizilla, for they seem to know everything.
Thom: Design Doctor
Which Member from Queer Eye for the Straight Guy is your type?
And now we know.
So many requirements, and yet you found her! Amazing!
Thanks for the shout out. This post would have been better if you had a link to Barry Manilow’s “Mandy”. Just putting that out there. Also, glad you found your ideal.
Comment #1: For Pea, mm…if i am a guy, I would add one more item to the list, 21) it is recommended that she had had an affair with a married man; there are lessons to learn there.
comment #2: for MandyMoe, recycling huh, i have an article in mind that I think you should rea. I think recycling is over rated. but don’t take me wrong tho. if recycling is done right, it is worth a try, but the general public is not educated enough to know exactly what to do, sadly. Recycling is NOT merely an action, it is an attitude. hey, maybe i’ll write more on ur page, and got an address that I can mail you a hard copy of the article, too? Maybe you can read it and tell me what you think too.
I prefer 10CC’s song “I’m Mandy Fly Me” to Manilow’s nauseatingly sentimental song.
“I saw her walking on the water
As the sharks were coming for me
I felt Mandy pull me up give me the kiss of life
Just like the girl in Dr. No No No No”–10CC
Some folks still call me Mandy, by the way, which is the common dimunitive of my middle name “Marinda.” I’m not applying for the job of Peaspout’s dream girl (tee hee–I suffer from lack of logic, obviously), I just thought it might explain why I despise the Manilow song. Blech!
First off – I’ve also received “?” in response to “.” (what can I say, it’s a placeholder!). But the “%” was hilarious & now it just serves to confuse ppl.
1) Who doesn’t want to be smarter? 2) I’m too logical! (ask Trace!) 3) 5″2′. 4) Ask the beerholder. 5) Nope. 6) You tell me. 7) Don’t kiss & tell. ;) 8) Ridiculously. 9) Preach it. 10) See #7. 11) Yup. 12) Dunno if it’s intentional … 13) I don’t weight 250lbs for nothin! . 14) Yup. 15) Yup. 16) Only sometimes? 17) But mean sarcasm is funny! 18) Sorry – I’m a Taboo & Catchphrases girl – watchout! 19) Not even close. 20) Couldn’t say.
Unlike you, I don’t have a “perfect” partner – I just enjoy & accept the one tht finds me. You never find smthg when you’re lkg for it. Altho, I’ve heard Friendster is a grt place for lkg! Haha! ~PK
hey greg! for your last post you mentioned burgers but forgot to mention barney’s being simply sensational in berkeley!! mmm i crave barney’s!!! okay just giving you props from beantown. i’m glad you had fun in ny!
hey.. i fit some of these *gasp*
LOL ;)
i’d give anything to be 5’7!! *sob
Damn, #7 doesn’t work for me. Oh, well, otherwise I was perfect for you…lol
For my perfect man, see my earlier post. By the way, how are your doing? Great I hope!
Nice List!! You should have used the “driving and hitting pedestrians” analogy to explain that your dream girl doesn’t have to have all of those qualities. It was funny…I promise!! Where have you been? Miss ya!!
You really found a girl that fits (almost) all of those? Does she have a twin sister?
that’s a pretty long list. i dont know what i want but i’m sure, hopefully, i’ll recognize him when i do meet him. i’ve been known to go out with guys that totally are not what i think i want. no one wants an asshole but i keep finding myself getting involved with such types.. hahah.
i thought fizzy was your perfect woman! ;D
@Pink Glove, Who else do you think I am referring to when I say I found her, silly Pessi!
still trying to figure this one out myself…
@Peasprout, omg haha I didn’t really read it all haha
You seem to know what you want, which is a good thing, eh? :)
Hope you find her.. ^^
yea, i was at the berkeley game. the ghetto city is berkeley/oakland. it is NOT clean or pretty here. you obviously must be thinking about the CAMPUS, which is entirely different from the city.
and that’s a good list you have there. i think it might be a little bit hard… but good luck. there are a few great ladies out there. hopefully, one of them will be yours!
@Sleeping Cutie, Pretty sure I did!
@twinkilicious, People don’t really read things in their entirety, do they?
@Peasprout, haha! oops! you caught me. sorry. next time i will read it all and you can quiz me.
My man is Jai…
mine is the grooming guru – kyan
@Anonymous, My guy is Kyan. It’s so cool, b/c he is my favorite!