Dates part I

Valentine's Day is approaching, so over the next couple of days I'm going to talk about some of my favorite dates.

But before I can talk about dates, it's important that you understand Keith. Keith is a man with lots of ridiculous ideas - some of which are awesome and some of which are stupid. He seems to understand that he has to be really convincing/conniving when he pitches his ideas if he wants my support, as in the following example:

Keith: Guess what! I signed us up for a class!
Maryli: What are you talking about?
K: Yeah! A micro-computer coding class!
M: What are you talking about?
K: Like, you know, micro-computer database coding that they use in health care.
M: I still don't know what you're talking about, but I don't think that's really in our field...
K: You never know what could happen in this economy, and besides, you're looking for a job. I figured it couldn't hurt to make ourselves more marketable.
M: I guess you have a point, although I don't believe you.
K: What's not to believe? Health care will always be a thriving industry and they always need people who know about micro-computing.
M: Hmmm...that's true. Ok, but I hope this wasn't too expensive.
K: Psych! We're taking Spanish lessons.
M: Oh thank God. Awesome!

I think I would have agreed to Spanish lessons pretty easily, but it's probably best to pitch every idea with gusto just in case, right? Here are a few of his good* date** ideas...

*Some of these ideas might not actually be good for everyone or every situation.

**Jasper did come on some of these, but they were still pretty date-y.

Snowshoeing

Snowshoeing is awesome. Last winter (when winter was winterier) we rented snowshoes and hiked around the Appalachian Trail in the Northwest Corner of Connecticut. Jasper was really little, so we threw him in a carrier and brought him along. It was really nice to enjoy the snow and see interesting wildlife, including a bald eagle (we're pretty sure)!

After our big adventure we had dinner at the G.W. Tavern, which was not only amazing but also surprisingly kid friendly. The front rooms were ideal for a kid-less date, but they also had a large room in back where most of the families were seated. It was perfect, since we could enjoy the cozy atmosphere of the restaurant without feeling bad about our loud and/or messy baby.




Football Road Trip

A sports game can be a really good date. Even if you and your partner don't like sports, it's fun to dress up in team-themed costumes, drink cheap beer and soak it all up. So once upon a time, Keith and I decided that it would be funny to really get into football. After some meticulous but ultimately arbitrary calculations, we decided that the Jets would be our favorite team.

The Jets did well that year, so we decided to treat ourselves to a playoff game. The fact that said game was in Cincinnati didn't stop us! We hopped in the car on Friday after work, got to Cincinnati in time for the game, won the game, painted the town red, indulged in local traditions, and came back to CT in time for work on Monday. (Since we won the game, we decided to go to the next playoff game back home - the last game ever played at the old Meadowlands. I stole a seat as memorabilia.)

We had a great time, especially since I'd never been to a professional football game before. Everything was super-novel to me and hilariously funny. We didn't even have Jets merchandise, so Keith wore a green jacket with racing stripes and I wore my green "Livin' La Vida Loca" sweatshirt - truly die hard fans.  We also had a ton of laughs telling jokes and familiarizing ourselves with bad country music radio in the car, eating weirdo Cincinnati food, and looking for nightlife in a totally new city.

Obviously I wouldn't recommend this for everyone, but it was a good reminder that sometimes a good date can be about the entire process and not just the main event.

I'll be back with more hit dates tomorrow, followed by some bad date stories later this week. What were some of your favorite or most bizarre dates?