marathon man and fuzzy dating math.

okay, now for the good news. i did make a connection with someone else online. he's a wee bit older than the men i usually go for (okay, he's 36... which is about 12 years older than what i average). but he seems silly (in a good way), has excellent email presence, is witty, charming, and appears to have actually read my profile (which i put a lot of work into). he brings out my relaxed and cheeky side, which is no small feat in the middle of finals.

and he offers up interesting things to do. for example, when i asked game boy about good places in his neighborhood he couldn't name any! nada. that must mean something... i just don't know what. marathon man, on the other hand, proposed two awesome places in my neighborhood, one of which happens to be one of my very favorites: dive 75. he gets major points for that, right?

so the age thing. it kind of scares me. i don't know why... but, maybe because i've always felt younger than my age. not so much immature as less experienced. *shrug* but, i'm trying to challenge myself to step outside of my comfort zone by breaking old habits, like dating different iterations of ex-boyfriends, escapism, and running away at the slightest hint of discomfort. in fact, i'm considering making 2007 the year of strategically placed "yesses." (i don't think i could say yes to everybody... baby steps, you know). we'll have to see how bold i'm feeling in the new year.

so how old is too old? and how young is too young? well, my good friend melanie posed this answer, which i absolutely love. your range is the determined by the following formulas:

the youngest you can go: ( [your age] / 2 ) + 7 (for example: 26/2 + 7 = 20)
the oldest you can go: ( [your age] - 7 ) * 2 (for example: (26 - 7) * 2 = 38)

enjoy!