Planning the ideal date

Step-by-step tips for planning a great Valentine's Day

For those of you out there prone to leave Valentine's Day planning up to the last minutes, take heart. You are not alone.

Trust me, there are countless guys out there who have better things to do than worry about impressing the ladies. For some it's watching TV, for others it's laundry, and for a sad few it's designing a personal website, the like of which God has not yet seen.

Of course, those guys are called slobs, but that's not the point. The point is that there are scores of young men just like you who have no idea what the heck would make a woman feel special, let along win her over so that she would think of adopting you as her "one and only."

That's why I'm here" to help you out. Believe me, I've been uninvolved for 24 straight Valentine's Days, and I've had my share of both good and bad Valentine's Day dates. (Sure, most were bad, but those are now classified as "learning experiences.")

Therefore, allow me to offer a few suggestions on what you can do with your time besides taking that special someone out for a wonderful dinner at Zippy's followed by a few games of Tekken 3 at the the local Fun Factory. We'll begin with the basic definition of romance.

Webster's Ninth New College Dictionary defines the verb "to romance" as trying to influence to curry favor by lavishing personal attention, gifts, or flattery.

But let's get a few things straight: romance is NOT offering to open her bottle of beer. Neither is it taking her side in a Sand Island barfight or showing up at her doorstep with a brand-new box of condoms handing out of your pants pocket.

Romance being going out of your way to make the other person feel special. It involves (and I know I'm going to lose a few of you with this one) effort on your part.

This will involve making some changes:

• First, stop trying to get down her pants; put your mind on higher things, like getting her to feel good about herself. There are 364 days in the year (365 if you count next year's leap day) to be sleazy. Let this one be different.
  
  
• Second, dress better than you usually do. Get a nice haircut, put on some slacks, and wear an aloha shirt. Think of this as a sort of interview. If your skills are good enough, you might just get the job.
  
  
• Third, be willing to expand your range of date actions beyond the bare minimum "going Dutch" dinner and a movie. You have a brain in your head that can invent 30 million different reasons for why you couldn't turn in your chemistry homework on time. Can't you think of something new to do on a date?
  
  
• Dinner (complete with table, chair, and candles) on the beach
  
  
• Zoo, dinner, and IMAX
  
  
• Write an essay about everything you like about her, and read it to her in the Japanese Gardens
  
  
• Make pottery at Fire It Up (it's near Diamond Head) and etch something mushy into it.

In any case, no matter what you decide to do, take into consideration the fact that the other person has to spend the entire evening with you. It is definitely to your advantage to make the date as interesting as possible.