The Guidelines

Dating is not my favorite thing. There are a lot of elements you can't control; it can be painful/awkward/dehumanizing; there's a lot of criticism that comes from people who should have no say or opinion on the matter. But the reality is, I want to find my own leading man, so I date.

Back in college, I came up with some guidelines for guys I date. I really am trying to not be too rigid, but a girl's got to have some standards. After much thought and introspection, here's what I came up with:

• He cannot wear a smaller size pants than me. Considering I am not an overly large person, I think this is a reasonable guideline. Plus, I like being reminded of "While You Were Sleeping" whenever this one comes up.
• He cannot have better hair than me. I would love to end up with a fella who I think is as dreamy as all get out. But when it all comes down to it, I prefer being the good-looking one in the relationship. He can have other great qualities, but if people are commenting on his lovely locks more than mine, I can't deal.
• He cannot wear more jewelry than me. Usually, like-minded people end up together. This guideline helps with that. If a guy has more metal in his face/ears or around his neck/fingers than I do, we probably aren't going to get along.

You may or may not agree with these guidelines, but so far, they've worked for me. Most of the guys I've dated for any amount of time have fallen within these.

What about you? If you're single, what guidelines do you have? If you've already found your someone special, what ones did you use? Did they work? What would you have changed?