Parts of... Da List

I was watching Reaper and one of the characters, Ben, pulled out a list and started listing the qualities and characteristics he sought in a woman. Nothing new nor earth shattering about this. However, his requests of piercing blue eyes and a love of Mixed Martial Arts caused me to think of how MY list has changed over the years.

Ahh.. the first list I recall was in high school. I had a hang up on a particular girl at the time. She was everything I envisioned in perfection. Very smart, musically inclined, nice big brown eyes and developed (I liked all shapes even back then).

Please allow me to sidebar here… So how did I show this girl my appreciation? Like a school boy I spent the better half of our freshman year teasing her about her weight gain. Yes, I did call her the “f” word to her face. Not just once, but multiple times. I was just teasing, because I truly liked her the way she was, but didn’t exactly know how to communicate this to her. Thus, when a little maturity set in, I was already getting the silent treatment.

Fast forward to our sophomore year and I don’t recall when I apologized but I did for we were on speaking terms and I.. err.. I was not let off that easily. Through out high school, I came into a number of different kinds of sweaters. Some old, some second hand. Each was very very different from the others. There was the white Izod tennis sweater, the “puke” yellow wool one, a Kelly green v-neck and a few others I can’t or prefer not to recall. These sweaters did not escape the attention of the lady as she dubbed said sweaters a part of “Jamal’s Ugly Sweater Collection”. This was a running joke for her (I wasn’t laughing.. I liked almost all my sweaters) for two years. Over the last couple years we drifted apart running in different circles yet she remained what my original list was based on.

I digress…

From there the list has changed at various points. The “after” high school list included things like having her own car, swearing properly and fun to be around. A few years later, early 20’s subtracted the car (it’s an assumption at this point) and added the love of sports and had her own place. Also she had to like hamburgers. I was truly simple back in those days. She didn’t even have to like my music or need to drive a stick shift. Shortly after my first real girlfriend, I added the oddball, must get along with parents and siblings. Yeah, there’s a story there and if you offer me the right drink, you’ll get it.

Mid 20’s come and the list has been beefed up as I feel I am older and much more in tune with my true needs. Thus, a woman who understands wine and another language make the list as does the less “make-up is better” rule. I have come to realize.. I am just not a fan of someone who has to put on her face everyday and won’t go out in public without it. Nah, it’s just not for me. The swearing has been removed from the list and replaced with flirtatious. Yeah, a woman who could make me blush on the sly was first added then. Sure, I added politics (liberals only) and a love for various types of music (yeah, now you had to deal with my music), but this still remained a pretty similar list from high school days.

Late 20’s saw marriage… and quick divorce. This led to a lot of alone time and soul searching. My soul searching taught me I needed to add a woman who can cook to my list. Oooh how I missed a decent home cooked meal. The creativity and conversations which sprung up from meals… and umm.. I truly hate tipping. I tip properly, but I don’t care for having to do it. This is also the time when travel pops up. Indeed, she must like to travel beyond the boundaries of the great nation of Texas. We have added to the list “no salad only eaters”. As in, the woman who only eats tiny meals once or twice a day.. nooo way. That’s not to say she needs to eat the same junk as I, but please, the I have to watch my figure/weight comments every meal… no, that had to go.

Since then… well, certainly there have been additions and subtractions from my little list. Accents get bonuses as well as the ability to enjoy a good laugh often. I dropped the total liberal requirement in favor of anything not conservative and give another bonus to stick shift drivers (or willingness to learn how). The ability to communicate shot to the top of my list (look back at my other blog entries and you will get the point) as did the wanting/ability to show new things.

There are a ton of other things on the list I am not going to bore you with. Needless to say, its going to be interesting to see what ends up happening. Oh, as of this week’s episode, it looks like Ben might have find the woman on his list.