Crouching Closely and Hamster Fireballs

Worst Date – Entry 11 

“Once upon a time, my roommate liked a boy. And sure, he was good looking, but the best word I can use to describe him is ‘thick.’ He just wasn't all there. She was ecstatic when he finally asked her on a date for a cold December evening.

About 30 minutes before he was supposed to pick her up, he calls and tells her he has a friend visiting from Utah State and that his friend needs a date as well. She runs straight into my room, and begs me to come. Now, I don't like this boy she's going out with, so it stands to reason that I won't like his friend. But after much pleading and convincing, I agree to go.

They knock and we open the door. There's my roommate's handsome, if thick-headed date, and standing next to him is... a 14-year-old boy? No, he just looks like a 14-year-old boy. He's 18 (still younger than me) and attending college. But I have a hard time believing it. Alright. Oh well. I'll just grin and bear it right? I'm sure he's nice, right?

As we walk out to the car, I come to realize that it's a tiny little pick-up truck, a bench seat for three in the front, and one of those side facing half seats in the back (taken up mostly by sub woofer). And there's another boy waiting inside. We still have to pick up his date. Somehow, I get stuck in the back, my head smashed into the ceiling and my neck twisted at an awkward angle. Then my date says ‘Can you sit up a little straighter? I'm going to have to sit on your lap.’ WHAT? I want to know who made the decision to take a 3-person truck on a 6-person date.

So we're driving around trying to find this last girls' house, and all we have is her house number and street. We drive around for at least 45 minutes and knock on two incorrect doors before her date decides to actually call her. Turns out she lives in a different city. When we finally pick up the last girl, my roommate also gets booted to the back, upon which my date starts complaining that my coat is too itchy for him to be near and that it's too crowded. So he hops in the bed of the truck. It's 10 PM on a freezing December night. Then he starts yelling that his ankles are cold, so he makes us stop at Wal-Mart so he can buy some long johns.

Our plan for the night was to go to a dance at UVU, and by the time we get there, there's only 20 minutes left in the dance. So we try to enjoy it, but my date keeps complaining that now he's too hot because of his long johns. We decide to go home after the 20 minutes of dancing (thank goodness) and I end scrunched up on the floor by my dates feet in the back seat of the truck.

As our dates drop us off at our apartment, my date says, ‘Well, that was awkward. Let's not do it again.’ Yeah. Let's not.”

Best Date –Entry K 

This, the best date, began with the fun-filled activity of rolling down huge hills in a giant, inflatable human hamster ball. At one point, while I was in the hamster ball, my date had the brilliant idea of turning himself into a ramp... it didn't go so well, but he got points for enthusiasm and creativity, for sure! After this first activity, the guys pulled out a cooler surprising us with a legit picnic! Good planning on their parts. The food was good, and it gave us all a good chance to talk and get to know each other more. Finally, as the grand finale to the date, the guys pulled out socks, a lighter, and rubbing alcohol which came into play. One of the guys had learned how to blow fire and wanted to teach us! He tied drenched alcohol socks to the end of a long stick, and lit it on fire. Then, after he demonstrated, we all took turns holding a little rubbing alcohol in our mouths, and then forcefully blowing it out in the direction of our homemade torch. It. Was. AWESOME! Not only was it a thoughtful date, but it also allowed me to do two things I had never done before! Not to mention the fact that I got some sweet pictures!