This week the topic on my mind has been dating. After having just become FBO (FaceBook Official) this past week, I've honestly been unable to stop thinking about what all of this means, these youthful relationships and the losing and finding of dreams and passion and the sharing of life that is so necessary, be it among friends or "just friends" or girlfriend/boyfriends or long-term, extended Valentines. I don't know if opposite or similar attracts the most, or what the X-Factor is that attracts two people and makes checklists and desired qualities less than irrelevant. I do know that this has been a time of deep thinking, and I have learned several things that I think are important lessons for everyone.

1) You know those pink and white frosted and sprinkled animal cookies? No matter how good it sounds, do not buy a big bag of them and try and eat it in one night. Does this relate to dating? Absolutely. Does this relate to friendship? Definitely. Don't let someone you care about hurt themselves this way. It will make you feel like your insides are made out of pink and white frosting and little sprinkles have replaced your bloodcells and your skeleton is a tasty little cookie underneath it all and it makes you feel worse than watching Super Size Me after having just eaten a Mickey D's combo. And then you feel even more depressed because, somehow, in some sick and twisted part of your brain you still want some more...and those cookies are so very delicious...

2) Daniel once couldn't say "Massachusetts" for an entire day. He was seven but I still think it's funny.

3) There are no rules. Everyone, however, seems to have some advice on the subject of dating. There is good and bad advice and very, very bad advice. Honestly, though, no one really knows and I think we all know we don't really know, and even when someone thinks they know one should take this as a red flag because one DEFINITELY has no idea if one thinks it all understandable.

4) Despite the fact that there are no rules, you will break all of them. Even when you think you're doing something awesome, your girl will reveal to you later that you had it all wrong. And all there is left to do is bewilderedly accept that you will never understand.

There's a lot more to say but in the interest of protecting identities, aliases, date ideas and the like, I'll have to end this one off by saying:

5) When one is ice skating with one's date, it is SERIOUSLY not a good idea for both of you to close your eyes at the same time and skate down the whole side of the rink. You will run over someone and it will probably be a high schooler or a small boy whose mom will shriek and think about knocking you over. And cutting you.

That is all.