Courting Disaster is Jackalope Ranch's weekly column of dating horror stories, observations, how-tos, and more by Katie Johnson. Names of ex-boyfriends, past hookups, and bad blind dates have been changed to protect the guilty.
A few weeks ago, I wrote about Nerd Wallet's recent conclusion that Phoenix is a great city for single women (debatable). While there were many not-so-fabulous comments to follow, there was one comment in particular that stuck with me.
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Well, Mr. Miller, it's men like you that give me and my slowly diminishing egg count hope. That's why I'm going to give some solid examples of how men can win serious brownie points.
3. Make a plan.
"All men I date must think they're Anthony Bourdain, because they make NO RESERVATIONS!" - A wise but frustrated single lady friend.
You want to start a date off on the right note? Make a plan for the evening. Don't just show up at her place with your dick in your hands and a dumb expression on your face.
Girls don't want you to know this, but they put their own behind-the-scenes planning into a date, from the outfit and the makeup to the amount of hair they remove.
So you when you make plans for a dates, even if it's something so simple as calling a restaurant and asking it to hold a table for you (a free service, I might add), it shows her that you're also excited. At the very least, it shows that you thought about the date and, potentially, about them.
2. Listen.
An elephant never forgets, but a jackass can't remember a single thing you said.
Girls love it when they realize you've been listening, and it's pretty easy to illustrate this to them. Just reference something they've said in the past or ask a follow-up question. If a girl tells you she loves a certain black-and-white movie and you find out that FilmBar is playing said movie on Friday night, connect the dots and make that shit happen. I guarantee that your chances of getting laid will increase tenfold.
1. Help a girl out.
You don't have to be a sugar daddy to impress a girl. In truth, if I had to choose between a guy who could pay to have something fixed and who could fix it himself, I'd go with the latter. Cars, kitchen appliances, hell, just some simple heavy lifting will give you the sex appeal of a goddamn Greek god.
Women like men who are handy and helpful. Even if you think she can physically lift that 15-pound box, offer to carry it for her. If you see a picture frame leaning against the wall of her apartment, offer to hang it up. Twice, I've had men come to pick me up, notice my empty trash can at the curb, and roll it back to the garage -- without even asking. It's a simple gesture but it wins serious points. So says my lipstick on their faces.
