I want a woman who I can give a banana to....

No not that banana. Get your mind out of the gutter.
Let me explain. Many moons ago when I was dating Winnie* I read something about how a person can mail just about anything as long as it has postage on it. It doesn't have to be in a box or an envelope. So I started to think what could I send Winnie* that would be very odd and make her think, what the heck is that, when she opened her mail box. After some searching I found a nice plastic banana. I put her address, a stamp and a cute little notes about being bananas about her on it. Put it in the big blue mail box down the road and waited. Of course she was surprised and I further solidified my great guyness. Now some might think with the great banana event of 2000, she would have been mine and we would have lived happily ever after. Not so much...
I was thinking about the banana today. I don't know what brought it to mind but I remember I have a spare banana. It is sitting down in my room of life supplies. A room where, if I need something, but don't know what I need, I go look in. Oddly, I always find just what I need. However, I have never used the spare banana that I bought just in case I messed up on the first one. I don't know the etiquette of such a thing, but some day I would like to send the other banana to a woman. Well, not necessarily the banana, but I want to have such strong feelings that I would do something like that without think, what will she think. I want to show someone all those great guyness things that I think about all the time. I want to have someone to think about when I don't have anything to think about.
Looking ahead, banana at the ready, with WONDER...
Kevin

Things That Make Me Smile...

* Kids saying hi to me in the hall
* Small victories
* Random smiley faces
* Thoughts of summer adventures
* A freshly cut lawn
* Silly notes that I sometimes intercept between students
* Knowing more about something than people realize I know
* 3PM on Thursdays
* Meat instead of meet
* Lists of things to do
* Photographs
* Bus rides with kids
* Quality quotes
* People leaving comments on my blog (OK, this one hasn't happened very often)
* Waiting for something to happen
* Finding out something I said stuck
* Being flirted with
* Thinking
* Onomonopoiea (such a fun word to say)
* Having no idea how to spell many words in the english language, including Onomonopoiea
* Google and the amazing ability for it to find how to spell a word like Onomonopoiea, even if I start it with an A
* Looking ahead with WONDER
~Kevin

A Few Thoughts...

1. Does anyone read what I write here. I have a total of one comment since I have started this thing. I wonder if people just pass through and read and then move on.
2. Are my standards too high for the potential Mrs. Arnold*. A friend called tonight and asked my feelings about Watson*. I have no feelings for the woman. Nothing. She doesnt even come close to a woman I would have feelings for. I want the feeling that I had with Winnie* and Said Woman*. It is so rare to find those feelings. Am I looking for too much?
3. Life is going pretty well at the moment excluding the whole potential Mrs. Arnold* thing. Professionaly I am in a position that many people would like to be. I have many friends and have a pretty good family. Sometimes I forget how blessed I am.
4. Summer 2006... What will come of it?
5. I have noticed I have been using ... A lot more lately. I am guessing this could become annoying to readers.
6. After this week, the school year will be half way finished. Time does seem to speed up as I get older.
7. I need some excitement in my life. Something to look forward to. Life is very good, but I want to think, "I cannot wait until..."
8. See I told you I am using ... too much.
Looking ahead with WONDER...
Kevin

The Trifecta

It is so simple. A great answer to the occasional question, what do I want in a future wife...
1. She must be unique but not strange
2. She must have confidence but no ego
3. And the sum of us together must be greater than the two of us apart
I have to admit that I like giving this answer, mostly because it surprises people. They expect an answer such as she has to be pretty, have a good job, come from a good family... but when I give this answer the person usually doesn't know what to say. With that said, the answer is extremely honest. The women that I have been significantly attracted to have all had these qualities. Let me explain...
1. I want my future wife to have something special about her. It can be anything. The other night when I ran into Becky on the streets of Louisville I knew she was something special. Her strong belief in her religion made her special. Said Woman* was special because of where she worked. Probably the most supportive and special working environment I have ever witnessed. Winnie* was special because of her unsuspecting athleticism and her intelligence. Anything can make a woman special.
2. I want my future wife to have confidence. Said Woman* and Winnie* did this perfectly. They may have questioned themselves, but they knew what they wanted and went after it. And Becky certainly had it to talk to complete strangers about religion on New Years Eve.
3. And finally I want the sum of us together to be greater than us apart. This is the most recent addition to the trifecta and the hardest one to measure. To be honest I don't know if this part of the Trifecta was true with either Winnie* or Said Woman*. However I believe the potential was there.
I don't know how I measure the Trifecta. I just know when a woman has it. I get a feeling in my gut. I also know when a woman doesn't have it. Watson* (the new years eve woman) doesn't have it. She is a nice person and even asked if I would be interested in her. But she is not even close and I knew it instantly.
Sometimes I wonder if the Trifecta is holding me back. I could have a lot of fun with Watson*. But without the Trifecta it just doesn't feel right.
I know one thing for sure, if I do find a woman who meets the Trifecta, I will be a very lucky and happy man.
Looking ahead for the Trifecta with WONDER...
Kevin

Little Things...

Sometimes little things in life affect me in a big way. Things that don't necessarily surprise me, they just make me more aware of something.
After several hours of work I finished the letter for Said Woman.* A friend, my resident proofreader, even said it was a good letter and he has a masters in English. I sent it off and being the nice guy that I am I sent an email to Said Woman* letting her know it should be showing up in the mail. As I expected I got an email back thanking me for the time and making a bit of small talk. I hit the little X on the email and it closed. I looked down at the list of other emails I had to read, and it caught my eye. Said Woman* had changed her last name on her email account. There it was, proof that she was married. I knew she was, it wasn't a surprise, I had heard a lot of the details from a friend. But still with all that knowledge it was still a blow. Not a huge blow, but it made me think. So I sat there, looking at the name, surrounded by kids. But I soon got up and headed off with a smile on my face.
Looking ahead still smiling with WONDER

A Good Time Was Had By All, Mostly

So new years 2005-06 has came and gone and I must say it was a pretty good night. Ten people, 2 hotel rooms, much hilarity. One particular woman in out party, lets call her Watson*, was hitting on me. Now I am not the person to get hit on often. Well not in the blatantly I want sex sort of way like last night. She soon discovered I was not hitting back and moved onto another single male in the party. As we were leaving our area of entertainment, heading to the sort of restaurant that you go to after drinking, the people in my then smaller group (including the women) asked why I didn't have a one night stand. The men said she was very "doable" and the women agreed. My answer was something like she didn't do it for me. They asked "why, it's just a one night stand." After repeated questioning I started to say (twice actually) if I want sex I can get it (which I can) but both times stopped myself. So on our way to the late night meal I got ahead of the group by about a half of block. At an intersection a young lady (Becky, her real name) in a group of 3 people said, "Can I ask you a question?" I pretty much knew what the question was going to be about god, but I said yes and stopped. Scott shortly joined and we had a very nice conversation. I believe we made Becky and her crew's night. They said no one would stop and talk with them. For whatever reason I enjoyed the little added adventure to the trip to the first meal of the new year. It was a highlight of my new years celebration. So, when we were walking away I said to Scott quite loudly, "Becky is the reason why I would not sleep with Watson*" It's not a religion thing, its a quality thing. I am not going to ignore The Trifecta (still to be explained in a future post) for Watson* who doesn't even come close to it when there are Beckys out there that so easily fit into it.
Of course this morning Watson* and her guy du-jor had the all too common second thoughts and had to spend the morning together. Once he got the chance, he made his get away as quick as he could. I was vindicated once again.
Looking with Wonder for the Trifecta woman I know is out there....
Kevin