Free Manslations by Jeff Mac Page B

ask guys out every ten minutes? It's good to be nervous. It makes him feel good knowing that you like him enough to get a little freaked. It helps him feel like a badass. Which is nice because he might be exactly as nervous as you are.
Chicken Out: Guys ask women out all the time. Yes, it's terrifying. That awful barfy sensation in your gut? Yeah, that's 100 percent normal. Don't let that deter you.

II. PRE-DATE
    So you've got a date. Your mission? Before the date, figure out what you're going to do together. (I know it would be so much easier to figure it out afterward, since by then you'd already know what you did, but unfortunately there's that whole space–time continuum thing to contend with.)
     
    When a man has to plan a date, he spends some time sweating this very thing just like you do. Where, when, what time? Here's how to get this thing moving in the right direction.
     
    Do
     
Google Him: Why not? Hey, the information is out there. Nothing wrong with doing a little recon. I'd stop short of hacking into his FBI file, but then again, what am I saying? If I had that kind of access or skill, I'd be all over it.
Plan to Go Wherever/Whenever You're Comfortable: Some people go nuts about the place/time of the date. Should we do a coffee date? A movie? Dinner? Is that too weird? Should we go out at dusk? Do people even say dusk anymore? What about the location—is a tractor pull too butch? Relax. Breathe. All that stuff that you're worrying about? It's all about the “meaning” of it, which, as you now know, will likely slip his attention entirely. Just pick something that you like where you can both determine whether or not you're having fun.
Have Some Ideas: Ideally, your pre-date conversation won't be too much “I don't know. What do you want to do? I don't know. What do you want to do?” Doesn't matter which one of you did the asking; it's everybody's job to figure this out. Be nice. If all you do is go along with whatever he wants you to do, either he'll get annoyed that he always has to think of everything, or he'll, like, love it. And you'll be with that guy.
    Don't
     
Worry about Your Shoes: Sadly, he will never notice that you are even wearing them. Unless you've just wrapped your feet in duct tape or raw cod or something, in which case, not great. In fact, an excellent indicator that you wore the right shoes is that he didn't notice them. Unless you're out with a foot fetishist. Or a gay man. Otherwise, yeah, your shoe choice might not matter to him.
Plan a Hell Date to “Test” Him: Don't plan to take him into some weird situation where you'll be comfortable and he will not, just to see if he can “handle it.” That's called “being a jerk.” Be nice.

III. ON THE DATE
    Look at you! You're here! You're out! You're on a date! Now, let's give you some pointers on how to not screw it all up and force everyone to go home wearing a mask and cape to hide their shame. (On the other hand, if you both want to go home wearing a mask and cape to… I don't know, play Phantom of the Opera ? Hey, your business, not mine.)
     
    Do
     
Eat Whatever You Feel Like: There was an article in the New York Times that revealed that women got more responses if they wrote that they liked steak in their online dating profile. The wrong conclusion? Steak makes men want to date you. No. Men don't give a crap what you order or eat on a date. Again, that's more “meaning” stuff. He's just not looking for it. Unless you're ordering the All-You-Can-Gorge, Conan-the-Barbarian plate of wings that comes with a bib and no silverware, you'll be fine. You know what doesn't look good? If you order a salad because some magazine told you to. That's just sad. Plus you'll be so hungry that you might not be able to…
Have a Good Time: Seems like an obvious one, but remember that you're trying to determine whether the two of you had fun together. (I mean… that is what you're doing, right? You're not dating him so that you can have a