the dating king

in my attempt to be "better" i'll share this story.

my flat mate is somewhat of a dating officianado. so he was recently sharing with me some insight into the apparently very complicated world of dating. i think he's planning to write a book. or take his show on the road.

(aside, i prefer the term "flatmate" to "roommate" b/c it is so much more accurate. unless we're speaking of college dorm rooms.)

excerpted from an email, reprinted with permission (of course):

"i think the key is to not ramp expectations up....

if you want what i think is the "rules" view, the key to snagging a "marriageable" man is to appear "busy and important". thus, you don't get back to him right away, you limit the length of the date, you don't make plans at the last minute, etc. im pretty sure multiple dates in the same weekend fall under the no-no category.

of course, i think you're also supposed to sleep with him by the third date, so..."

this struck me as so hilarious that i had to share.

appear busy? most folks i know actually are busy. important is probably more debateable.

is there an algorithm for this interaction? maybe we could write one and make lots of money.

so how long is too long? is there a too short? how long to wait before returning calls? how do emails factor into this? when does multiple dates become okay? ever?
what if the two people don't sleep together by the third date? or the thirtieth? do they explode in some sort of spontaneous combustion reaction?

the questions are overwhelming!