Dan In Real Life responses

I think when my parents say, “do as I say, not as I do” it’s mostly because in the best case scenario, they’d want me to not have to learn something the hard way like they did. Most of the time, the only reason my parents go back on their own word is because it’s not an issue that can easily be adjusted by that point in their lives.

Dating is such a different thing for everyone, especially at the rate people mature. I can’t really speak for anyone else, but my own experiences with dating have been really interesting. It took me a while to realize the kinds of people that are best for me to be around, but high school really helped with that. From 8th grade to the present, my idea of dating has been on the approach of, “I really like to spend time with you and I want to grow with you and be involved with your life more than anyone else because I think you’re just that stellar to be around.”


Whether or not someone can fall in love with someone in three days or three minutes is solely based on the way each person’s presences interact together. The balance between love and infatuation is such a difficult place to be because most people will sign off their love for someone as infatuation at the drop of the dime. Does infatuation turn to love? Is it the other way around? Is it actually something with a concrete answer?


I’m definitely a sucker for freckles and big ears when it comes to being physically attracted to someone.


When I was a kid, I was always hiding under the bathroom sink behind the cabinet doors. That was a solid spot to be in, but the very best has always been just hiding under a blanket. Even as a 6 year old I was small enough and knew how to contort my body to make any of my pointy elbows and knees just look like folds in the blanket.


Well-traveled people certainly have seen more and have absorbed more of the world we share. Small bits of their knowledge has a way of leaking into every conversation whether they mean to or not. I’ve met few boring people who have traveled all over. Even if I don’t always like what they have to say, there’s no doubt that their stories are attention grabbing saviors that add to the magic of going places.


I like the idea of there being different soulmates for different things. For some there might just be friendship soulmates, and then there are people who are THE soulmate. Whether or not it has romantic intentions varies. I have people that I know I belong around. It’s hard to explain, but in these moments I’ve never been more sure of anything in the world. The warm, pulling feeling I get when I’m around them is on a much deeper level than just enjoying someone’s company. When I share space with “the soulmate people,” there seems to be a blank space in time where everything is the way it should be. Every moment in my life has led me up to this perfect oasis moment with these people I’ve invested so much of myself into.


My perfect day happened a little earlier this week and I’ve been begging for another one ever since. It was nothing extravagant, but it had been a good end note on the day as a whole. My friend and I drove to her house, not too far from my own. From there we piled into the car with her family, including the dog, and we went to the Seoul Market. That place is it’s own little adventure as it is, and the people I was with just made it even more enjoyable. It’s hard for me to be close friends with people who don’t know how to have a good time in a grocery store. We picked up the uncommon ingredients and hit a few more stores. Joni Mitchell played on the radio and the windows were down. I sat quietly in the backseat while mother and daughter discussed whatever they could pick from thin air. We got home, my friend showed me one of her favorite movies and I was completely invested in it while she fell asleep, completely at ease with knowing I don’t require her constant attention. Pretty soon I found myself dozing off under a knitted blanket right next to my best friend. The way their ceiling skylight let the shafts of sunshine into the wood paneled living room has some kind of sentimental effect on me. That moment was like being in a painting or a valued photograph and I’ll never forget it even though it was so plain. We woke up at the same time and it was dark out. The smells of dinner flooded the room and the only time I’d ever felt that same amount of comfort was in my own home.


“If you were words on a page, you’d be fine print.” Is my pickup line of choice.


My getaway vacation home would definitely have to be isolated somewhere. I love to be cut off from the hectic everyday life. I’d love to see the Outer Banks in North Carolina again, but I’d like to be somewhere with lots of trees and a forest. Upstate New York comes to mind.


Bowling is a sport that I loathe with a passion. I’m not horrible at it, but it’s definitely something I would never spend a dime on. My old neighborhood friends and I like to get together every few months or so and they get a good laugh when they see the look on my face when they suggest bowling...for fun...