From what I've gleaned about the dating atmosphere right now, the smoke finally has begun to dissipate, after a hectic coming of age story for first-year students and a nostalgic back to the grind reunion for upperclassmen. Short beginning-of-the-year flings are beginning to fall apart and non-committal hookups are starting to lose their zest. It seems, from this dating expert's careful analysis, that our quiet Academical Village has become ripe for some honest-to-TJ - and Facebook - relationship style romance this fall.
But as a young, up-and-coming Cavalier, it's hard to know how to feel about this still-developing weather pattern. Should we be pushing for a wilder and crazier student body? Or is it good that we are becoming what some might deem slightly more mature with regards to emotions and the opposite sex?
Unfortunately, this question will be answered in many ways by many different people and my own opinion might only complicate things for any readers still contemplating their own judgments on the matter. Therefore, instead of leaning one way or the other, it is this columnist's decision that the best I can offer all you young hearts out there is an all-encompassing list of the pros and cons of being "committed."
Pro #1: Massages. Massages, in a nutshell, are pure awesome. Although there is the slight downer of having to reciprocate, I can honestly say that I would give a back rub to get a back rub any day of the week. Nothing beats going to class relaxed and ready to snooze for 50 or 75 minutes.
Con #1: Numbers. Anyone who has ever hung out with a small group of people knows that the dynamics of a group can drastically change with the addition or subtraction of one member. If multiple people in a group are in relationships, this further complicates matters by creating sub-groups for people to hang out with while in a larger group, namely their significant other. Not cool y'all. Not cool.
Pro #2: Meals. When you're single, it's pretty easy to fall into a diet of cereal, noodles, pizza and cookies. When in a relationship, however, both agents usually don't want to subject their squeeze to their usual diet. This leads to either better home-cooked food or more trips to eating establishments. Either way, your diet can become a lot tastier, albeit slightly more expensive.
Con #2: Corniness. Though it's always good for the sake of the relationship to be thoughtful and kind to whoever it might be that you're with at the time, this can also lead to an increasing number of mushy and downright whipped words and actions. As these become increasingly public, your rep and street cred could suffer irreparable damage. I'm not saying that staying hood is everything, but it's definitely not nothing.
Pro #3: Venting. When you're single, it can be difficult to decide who you know that would be willing to listen to you complain about how your roommate just broke your PS3 or how your econ TA is the worst teacher you've ever had. It's nice in such situations to have a boyfriend or girlfriend who, even if they're not really listening, will give you a few minutes to get things off your chest. Might be wise, though, to ration how much you let yourself complain to your partner on a regular basis. No one wants to date a Negative Nancy.
Con #3: Privacy. Even if you really enjoy hanging out with someone and it's never boring and they always make you laugh, smile, have fun, etc., alone time is always important to keeping yourself in the college groove and away from insanity. Sometimes, however, it can be hard to save this for yourself without offending the one you care about. Tread carefully.
Consider these pros and cons when deciding whether you want to become a part of this wave of exclusivity that's been hitting the 'ville as of late. You might think that that's a little too convenient. You might even think that I've shorted you some. But the world, my friends, works in a very mathematical fashion. Each one of those pros and cons is actually equal to slightly more than one pro and one con, so that when one sums the total value of cons and the total value of pros, it is discovered that both are equal to pi. Pi = Pi. Pros = Cons. Orange = Apple. Squirtle = Charmander. Thus, no matter what conclusion you might come to, I am certain that everything will work itself out in the long run. Maybe.
Andy's column runs biweekly Mondays. He can be reached at a.taylor@cavalierdaily.com.
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