Getting back out there

After much silliness, I've decided it's time to tentatively start dating again, should I meet someone that doesn't suck. The trick, should I meet the non-sucker, will be to curb the impulsive nature and do something I've never been terribly good at, which is "taking it slow." I'm not even sure what the phrase means, to tell you the truth.

Jake has kindly offered to help me screen out the baddies, since I'm a wretched judge of character. We did a little exercise and came up with a good list.

Top 5 must-have characteristics:

smart
funny
independent/has his own life
employed
honest

Bonus points for goofy movie-lovers who can cook.

Jake lamented the fact that, although everyone has the same top five for the most part, so many people end up with "dumb, humorless, lying layabouts."

Top 5 must-not-have characteristics:

impotence
Mommy issues
flakiness
self-absorption
someone who's never had therapy of any kind (Jake pointed out that maybe this one shouldn't be an absolute, as some people manage to make it through childhood relatively unscathed. We'll see.)

There, now I have a handy little list to refer back to should I meet anyone remotely promising.