Reply To This Post
There was a time when I could say in all seriousness that the first and foremost reason that I didn't have a girlfriend was simply that I didn't know any girls. That is to say, there were no females with whom I spent any amount of time. The gender ratio of my immediate group of close friends has ebbed and flowed in the years since, peaking at something like 3/4 female, but seems to have reached a stable equilibrium roughly in line with the world as a whole. It's about 50/50 nowadays, which only makes sense, since nearly all my close friends are couples now. (Please don't read that last statement as an endorsement of the heteronormative paradigm.)
I also have a great deal more experience in observing other people's relationships than I have in being in a relationship myself, which any scientist will assure you is a much more reliable source of information.
I like to think that I have a pretty good understanding of women in general. At the same time, I recognize that, from a biological standpoint, at least "understanding women" is a lot more difficult than "understanding men." I can no longer recall the relevant figures, but there's a lot more active genetic code on the X chromosome than on the Y, which means that the ways in which men are different from women are much more predictable than the the ways in which one woman is different from another.
But, in any case, years of being around women without a fixed agenda has given me some useful knowledge.
I have at least a rudimentary understanding of how women's clothing sizes work, as well as the trends in sizing as it relates to specific retail chains.
I can, as necessary, make most necessary drug store/gas station purchases without complaint, embarrassment or needlessly specific instructions.
I have a borderline inappropriate wealth of knowledge and secondhand opinions on the various contraceptive options currently on the market.
I've developed a pretty good feel for when a problem being given voice is asking for a solution, or at least advice, and when to just respond with commiseration.
I can give a sincere opinion on your new haircut or shoes, or I can give a positive opinion. I usually know which to give.
I'm Dan. I'm probably free this Friday.
- Location: Suburban Minneapolis
- it's NOT ok to contact this poster with services or other commercial interests
 | |
No comments:
Post a Comment