(as of October 2013) OkCupid got rid of their Journal feature, so moving all of my posts over to Blogger... My OkCupid profile is here... http://www.okcupid.com/profile/multipassionate

Thursday, April 8, 2010

What is the spark?

What is the spark?  What is connection?  What is clicking with someone?
The spark is wanting to write back to them before they've even written back to you.
The spark is being excited to see them come online.
The spark is finding even their so-so jokes and random comments really funny.
The spark is having intrusive thoughts about them all day (and night).
The spark is wanting to 'like' almost all of their Facebook posts.
The spark is realizing you get a silly little grin on your face whenever you think about them.
The spark is feeling happily anxious about the possibility of seeing them.
The spark is getting a tingle through your body when you spot them across the room.
The spark is not wanting the time to end when you're together.
The spark is fantasizing about future get-togethers.
The spark is fitting your schedule around them, rather than fitting them into your schedule.
The spark is feeling comfortable with them, like you've know each other forever.
The spark is sharing parts of yourself you normally keep hidden.
The spark is knowing that even from day one, you would help them out of any jam.
The spark is being at home in their arms.
The spark is having a list of reasons why it wouldn't work, but still wanting to be with them.
The spark is wanting them to be happy, even if that means being happy with someone else.

What makes a date a date?

What makes a one-on-one get-together into a 'date'?  In the last few weeks, I've been asked to get dinner or go out 'sometime' by 6 guys over Facebook messaging, and thus I've been thinking a lot lately about whether those outings would be 'dates'.
The obvious first requirement for a 'date' is that there be two people of the opposite sex (or the sex to which each is attracted).  In a good date, they would be also attracted especially to each other, but I've been on a few dates where I wasn't attracted to the guy (thankfully it's been very few of those!)  So attraction to each other is not a necessary condition for a 'date', but is it a sufficient condition?  I would argue that it's not - I've been out more than a few times one-on-one with guys where there was mutual attraction (and I'm talking about mental, emotional, etc attraction in addition to physical attraction), but yet those outings were not 'dates' in my mind - although perhaps they were 'dates' to the guys...
Which brings up the non-mutuality of the 'date'hood of an outing!  It's entirely possible for one person to think that an outing is a date and the other person not to - or for both of the directly involved parties to not think it's a date, but other outside parties to think that it is!
But anyway, back to what makes an outing into a 'date' for me... Asking for a one-on-one meeting after only seeing each other in group settings tends to imply 'date' - as well as using the 'date' phrases such as "we should go get coffee sometime".
One of my friends that I was talking to brought up the uncertainty and thus butterflies that often accompanies a date.  Does he like me?  Does she like me?  Is anything romantic going to happen?  Did I say the right thing, or was that totally stupid?  I think the uncertainty is closer to a necessary condition for a 'date' because if I'm certain (either that it's just friendship or that we're already together), then it's not a 'date' in my mind.
What makes a get-together into a 'date' for you?