I got this from my friend who lives in South Dakota. Her whole family (and about 80% of the rest of the population) are farmers. If you've never had the honor of working on a farm, a REAL farm, trust me. This is pretty acturate! Them farmers is tough folk.
Plus, I've been traveling all week and my brain's too jumbled from all the turbulence to think of something witty to post.
~Recycled for your viewing pleasure~
Cheers!
A LETTER FROM A FARM KID,
Dear Ma and Pa,
I am well. Hope you are.
Tell Brother Walt and Brother Elmer the Marine Corps beats working for old man Minch by a mile. Tell them to join up quick before all of the places are filled.
I was restless at first because you got to stay in bed till nearly 6 AM but I am getting so I like to sleep late.
Tell Walt and Elmer all you do before breakfast is smooth your cot, and shine some things.No hogs to slop, feed to pitch, mash to mix, wood to split, fire to lay.Practically nothing.
Men got to shave but it is not so bad cause there's warm water.
Breakfast is strong on trimmings like fruit juice, cereal, eggs, bacon, etc., but kind of weak on chops, potatoes, ham, steak, fried eggplant, pie and other regular food. But tell Walt and Elmer you can always sit by the two city boys that live on coffee.Their food plus yours holds you till noon when you get fed again.
It's no wonder these city boys can't walk much. We go on "route marches," which the platoon sergeant says are long walks to harden us. If he thinks so, it's not my place to tell him different. (A "route march" is about as far as to our mailbox at home.) Then the city guys get sore feet and we all ride back in trucks.
This will kill Walt and Elmer with laughing. I keep getting medals for shooting but I don't know why. The bulls-eye is near as big as a chipmunk head and don't move, and it ain't shooting at you like the Higgett boys at home. All you got to do is lie there all comfortable and hit it.You don't even load your own cartridges.They come in boxes.
Then we have what they call hand-to-hand combat training. You get to wrestle with them city boys. I have to be real careful though, they break real easy. It ain't like fighting with that ole bull at home. I'm about the best they got in this except for that Tug Jordan from over in Silver Lake. I only beat him once. He joined up the same time as me, but I'm only 5'6" and 130 pounds and he's 6'8" and near 300 pounds dry.
Be sure to tell Walt and Elmer to hurry and join before other fellers get onto this setup and come stampeding in.
Your loving daughter,
Carol
Thursday, September 20, 2007
Friday, September 14, 2007
It's Friday- laugh, damn you, laugh!
It's FRIDAY!!! To celebrate I give you some funnies to start your weekend off right!
Top 11 excuses for NOT showing up to work....
“If it is all the same to you I won’t be coming in to work. The voices told me to clean all my guns today.”
“When I got up this morning I took two Ex-Lax in addition to my Prozac. I can’t get off the toilet, but I feel good about it.”
“I set half the clocks in my house ahead an hour and the other half back an hour Saturday and spent 18 hours in some kind of space-time continuum loop, reliving Sunday (right up until the explosion). I was able to exit the loop only by reversing the polarity of the power source exactly e*log(pi) for the clocks in the house while simultaneously rapping my dog on the snout with a rolled up New York Times. Accordingly, I will now be in late, or early.”
“I have to go in for a blood transfusion… My stigmata’s acting up again.”
“I can’t come in to work today because I’ll be stalking my previous boss, who fired me for not showing up for work. OK?"
“I have a rare case of 48-hour projectile leprosy but I know we have that deadline to meet, so if you really want me to come in…”
“I am stuck in the blood pressure machine down at the pharmacy.”
“Yes, I seem to have contracted some attention-deficit disorder and, hey, how about them Skins, huh? So, I won’t be able to, yes, could I help you? No, no, I’ll be sticking with Sprint, but thank you for calling.”
“I just found out that I was switched at birth. Legally, I shouldn’t come to work knowing my employee records may now contain false information."
“The psychiatrist said it was an excellent session. He even gave me this jaw restraint so I won’t bite things when I am startled.”
“Constipation has made me a walking time bomb and I have to keep my back to an open window.
Also, these were too funny not to share....
What's in a name anyway?
Top 11 excuses for NOT showing up to work....
“If it is all the same to you I won’t be coming in to work. The voices told me to clean all my guns today.”
“When I got up this morning I took two Ex-Lax in addition to my Prozac. I can’t get off the toilet, but I feel good about it.”
“I set half the clocks in my house ahead an hour and the other half back an hour Saturday and spent 18 hours in some kind of space-time continuum loop, reliving Sunday (right up until the explosion). I was able to exit the loop only by reversing the polarity of the power source exactly e*log(pi) for the clocks in the house while simultaneously rapping my dog on the snout with a rolled up New York Times. Accordingly, I will now be in late, or early.”
“I have to go in for a blood transfusion… My stigmata’s acting up again.”
“I can’t come in to work today because I’ll be stalking my previous boss, who fired me for not showing up for work. OK?"
“I have a rare case of 48-hour projectile leprosy but I know we have that deadline to meet, so if you really want me to come in…”
“I am stuck in the blood pressure machine down at the pharmacy.”
“Yes, I seem to have contracted some attention-deficit disorder and, hey, how about them Skins, huh? So, I won’t be able to, yes, could I help you? No, no, I’ll be sticking with Sprint, but thank you for calling.”
“I just found out that I was switched at birth. Legally, I shouldn’t come to work knowing my employee records may now contain false information."
“The psychiatrist said it was an excellent session. He even gave me this jaw restraint so I won’t bite things when I am startled.”
“Constipation has made me a walking time bomb and I have to keep my back to an open window.
Also, these were too funny not to share....
What's in a name anyway?
All aboard the Huyndai Express! I'm on the road (AGAIN) this week and will be back to the regularly scheduled programming on Sunday! Here's hoping you find laughter and cheer this weekend!
Musing....
You never know *who* you might run into in the blogging world. It's amazing to me that with the sheer number of bloggers out there that-without looking- I would run into one I know. But I did.....
How does that happen! Weird kharma? Or fate? Perhaps it was destiny? Maybe it was just plain old science. But I am still surprised to have come across this person as I traveled through the very crowded blogging universe. I mean really, people are pretty easy to find when you are deliberately looking for them(I learned this a few months ago when I was "found" on MySpace!) but what about when you're not looking?
Weird.
It also makes me much more cautious about what gets said on a blog. Nothing can be a secret if it's posted on the web!
How does that happen! Weird kharma? Or fate? Perhaps it was destiny? Maybe it was just plain old science. But I am still surprised to have come across this person as I traveled through the very crowded blogging universe. I mean really, people are pretty easy to find when you are deliberately looking for them(I learned this a few months ago when I was "found" on MySpace!) but what about when you're not looking?
Weird.
It also makes me much more cautious about what gets said on a blog. Nothing can be a secret if it's posted on the web!
Wednesday, September 12, 2007
News you can't use
I've come up with my own version of the "Darwin Awards" from today's top news articles...
ALLEN PARK, Mich. -- The body of a 41-year-old man was found in a wooded area next to a guillotine he built and used to kill himself, police said.
The man, from the Detroit suburb of Melvindale, was discovered Monday by workers from a shopping center near his home.
Allen Park Deputy Police Chief Dale Covert said the roughly six-foot tall guillotine was bolted to a tree and included a swing arm. Covert said police also found several store receipts detailing the materials used to assemble the device.
"I can't even tell you how long it must have taken him to construct," he said. "This man obviously was very determined to end his life."
Comments: OMG! How distraught must you be to BUILD A F-ing GUILLOTINE! And creative-- 2 snaps for thinking outside the box!!
FORT PIERCE, Fla. -- Police documents said a Fort Pierce teenager told detectives he allegedly killed his parents because he didn't want to disappoint them anymore.
According to documents released Tuesday, Jacob Brighton, 16, said he shot and killed his parents last month because he always felt like a disappointment to them. On the tape he says he did not have a job when his parents wanted him to, smoked marijuana and did not share the same "qualities or interests" as his father.
Comments: What disappointment they must have felt at the moment they realized their son was killing them. And how about just getting a job and not smoking marijuana. Didn't think of that did ya, genius. Hard to think straight through the haze?
NANUET, New York (AP) -- Stomping on garlic with your shoes on is apparently not the correct way to prepare food.
Dan Barreto, who sometimes ate at Great China Buffet, took this picture of garlic being stomped.
The Rockland County health department hit the Great China Buffet restaurant with two violations after someone took pictures of an employee stomping on a bowl of garlic with his boots in an alley.
The photographer alerted health inspectors.
"I go back there, and the guy's stepping on garlic," said Dan Barreto, who used to eat at the restaurant. "There he was just jumping up and down on it, smashing it up, having a good time."
The health department does not consider a person's shoe or boot a proper instrument to use in food preparation, senior public health sanitarian John Stoughton said Tuesday.
"It was a novel way to prepare food," he acknowledged.
Comments: "Huhhh Uh Uhh. Huhhh Uh Uhhh. Hey Beavis. Huhhh Uh Uhhh. He said instrument. Uhhh Uh Uhh.
Nyeah, Nhaahaa Nhaahaa. Instrument."
Ummm. Yeah. Real novel idea buddy. Thanks for making sure I never order garlic bread again.
HONOLULU -- A man accused of killing a pet pig may blame the pig as part of his defense.
Joseph Calarudda is charged with stabbing 300-pound "Porky" to death as its owners pleaded for him to stop.
Calarudda is going on trial this week for felony theft of livestock. One of his defenses may be that the pig was aggressive and dangerous.
Prosecutors said they hope to use video of Porky in a television commercial to show how peaceful he was around people. Porky also appeared in the ABC television series "Lost."
The trial could begin on Wednesday.
Comments: "Hey Ned- Shoooot! He's comin' right for us!"
The Pig's name was Porky? Really?
Well, pigs CAN be dangerous. Especially when they let fame and fortune go to their head. *Snicker* -Porky!-HA!
ALLEN PARK, Mich. -- The body of a 41-year-old man was found in a wooded area next to a guillotine he built and used to kill himself, police said.
The man, from the Detroit suburb of Melvindale, was discovered Monday by workers from a shopping center near his home.
Allen Park Deputy Police Chief Dale Covert said the roughly six-foot tall guillotine was bolted to a tree and included a swing arm. Covert said police also found several store receipts detailing the materials used to assemble the device.
"I can't even tell you how long it must have taken him to construct," he said. "This man obviously was very determined to end his life."
Comments: OMG! How distraught must you be to BUILD A F-ing GUILLOTINE! And creative-- 2 snaps for thinking outside the box!!
FORT PIERCE, Fla. -- Police documents said a Fort Pierce teenager told detectives he allegedly killed his parents because he didn't want to disappoint them anymore.
According to documents released Tuesday, Jacob Brighton, 16, said he shot and killed his parents last month because he always felt like a disappointment to them. On the tape he says he did not have a job when his parents wanted him to, smoked marijuana and did not share the same "qualities or interests" as his father.
Comments: What disappointment they must have felt at the moment they realized their son was killing them. And how about just getting a job and not smoking marijuana. Didn't think of that did ya, genius. Hard to think straight through the haze?
NANUET, New York (AP) -- Stomping on garlic with your shoes on is apparently not the correct way to prepare food.
Dan Barreto, who sometimes ate at Great China Buffet, took this picture of garlic being stomped.
The Rockland County health department hit the Great China Buffet restaurant with two violations after someone took pictures of an employee stomping on a bowl of garlic with his boots in an alley.
The photographer alerted health inspectors.
"I go back there, and the guy's stepping on garlic," said Dan Barreto, who used to eat at the restaurant. "There he was just jumping up and down on it, smashing it up, having a good time."
The health department does not consider a person's shoe or boot a proper instrument to use in food preparation, senior public health sanitarian John Stoughton said Tuesday.
"It was a novel way to prepare food," he acknowledged.
Comments: "Huhhh Uh Uhh. Huhhh Uh Uhhh. Hey Beavis. Huhhh Uh Uhhh. He said instrument. Uhhh Uh Uhh.
Nyeah, Nhaahaa Nhaahaa. Instrument."
Ummm. Yeah. Real novel idea buddy. Thanks for making sure I never order garlic bread again.
HONOLULU -- A man accused of killing a pet pig may blame the pig as part of his defense.
Joseph Calarudda is charged with stabbing 300-pound "Porky" to death as its owners pleaded for him to stop.
Calarudda is going on trial this week for felony theft of livestock. One of his defenses may be that the pig was aggressive and dangerous.
Prosecutors said they hope to use video of Porky in a television commercial to show how peaceful he was around people. Porky also appeared in the ABC television series "Lost."
The trial could begin on Wednesday.
Comments: "Hey Ned- Shoooot! He's comin' right for us!"
The Pig's name was Porky? Really?
Well, pigs CAN be dangerous. Especially when they let fame and fortune go to their head. *Snicker* -Porky!-HA!
Monday, September 10, 2007
Blending Families: Surviving the Step-Parent Role
by Jami Cameron
Taking on the task of helping raise a child who is not biologically yours can be a great experience, but can also be overwhelming. You are coming into a situation where a child sees you as an outsider, and may not be too happy with it. Until you came along, that child probably had fantasies of his/her parents reuniting, but you changed everything....
The bad news isn’t over yet – you have one ex-spouse who, more times than not, has a bitter taste in his/her mouth over the marriage and the role you will play in their child’s life.
Add all of these issues up, multiply that by the age of the child, and more than likely, you have a lot of work ahead of you. Don’t worry, you can do this. You owe it to yourself and to your spouse.
You Are Not My Mother/Father.
Anytime you start a family, there is a period of adjustment. The first months of your marriage and new step-parenting role will be the hardest. Everyone involved is learning more about each other – house habits, likes and dislikes, discipline ideas, etc. – which can be a lot to digest in such a short time. When faced with this situation, many in a family may lash out or grow impatient with one another, especially step-children.
While you are not biologically the child’s parent, you do play a very important parenting role in his life. Over time, hopefully the other parent will realize this, but don’t count your eggs before they hatch.
Here are a few suggestions for what to do when faced with hard situations:
The other parent is saying bad things about you (or their ex). This sort of thing is mean, and can break a person’s heart – especially if they are trying so hard to be a good step-parent. Don’t feed into this. The only reason why the other parent is doing this is to get back at the spouse, and ruin your relationship with their child. They are very insecure, and possibly didn’t want the divorce to begin with. Bottom line – the child will get to know you, and as they become older, will understand what the other parent is doing. It kills you now, but it will get better. Ignore the ugly words from the ex, and be sure to correct misinformation the child tells you that their parent said. Don’t say anything terrible about the other parent, take the high road. A good way to give the correction is “I understand that your mom/dad may think that about me, but that is not who I am. You know that. I love you and would never hurt you. They have a right to their opinion.” Always end the conversation with “your mother/father loves you a lot.” It may kill you to stick up for the ex-spouse, but it shows the child that you don’t have ill will towards the person they love.
And a few things to avoid all together:
Don’t ever fight with the ex. When things get heated, it may be your disposition to confront the other person. If that person happens to be the ex of your spouse, don’t do it. This can only lead to bigger problems in the future. Grit your teeth and bear it. Keep in mind that you aren’t required to have contact with them, so don’t.
Don’t ever say “I hate you”. No matter how hard it is to deal with your step-child, no matter how bad they are – never, never, never tell them you hate them. Not only will you sound like a 5 year old, but you can’t take that back once it’s been said.
Don’t ask them to call you mom. It isn’t your place to request a title to be called. If they decide to call you mom, that is their choice to make, not yours.
Don’t put your spouse in the middle. Any sort of riff in a family comes with its stress, but don’t make your spouse fight for you. Your relationship with his son or daughter is just that – yours. You can discuss the difficulties or issues and get his insight, but don’t make him fight your battles. This will only be an added stress, and possibly cause distance in your relationship.
There aren’t any black and white “this is the way to blending a family” rules. Everyone’s situation is unique. The only thing they have in common is they are divorced and are starting a new family including their child from the previous marriage. Nothing in life comes easy, and this is one situation that can take years to change.
Perseverance, hope, faith and love are the only qualities that can make blending a family a great experience. You have to want things to change, and work at changing them. Nothing comes easy, but when you see your step-child’s eyes light up at something you said, or you get a kiss on the cheek – it is the best feeling in the world – and it’s worth all the pain you have gone through to finally arrive at that happy place.
by Jami Cameron
Taking on the task of helping raise a child who is not biologically yours can be a great experience, but can also be overwhelming. You are coming into a situation where a child sees you as an outsider, and may not be too happy with it. Until you came along, that child probably had fantasies of his/her parents reuniting, but you changed everything....
The bad news isn’t over yet – you have one ex-spouse who, more times than not, has a bitter taste in his/her mouth over the marriage and the role you will play in their child’s life.
Add all of these issues up, multiply that by the age of the child, and more than likely, you have a lot of work ahead of you. Don’t worry, you can do this. You owe it to yourself and to your spouse.
You Are Not My Mother/Father.
Anytime you start a family, there is a period of adjustment. The first months of your marriage and new step-parenting role will be the hardest. Everyone involved is learning more about each other – house habits, likes and dislikes, discipline ideas, etc. – which can be a lot to digest in such a short time. When faced with this situation, many in a family may lash out or grow impatient with one another, especially step-children.
While you are not biologically the child’s parent, you do play a very important parenting role in his life. Over time, hopefully the other parent will realize this, but don’t count your eggs before they hatch.
Here are a few suggestions for what to do when faced with hard situations:
The other parent is saying bad things about you (or their ex). This sort of thing is mean, and can break a person’s heart – especially if they are trying so hard to be a good step-parent. Don’t feed into this. The only reason why the other parent is doing this is to get back at the spouse, and ruin your relationship with their child. They are very insecure, and possibly didn’t want the divorce to begin with. Bottom line – the child will get to know you, and as they become older, will understand what the other parent is doing. It kills you now, but it will get better. Ignore the ugly words from the ex, and be sure to correct misinformation the child tells you that their parent said. Don’t say anything terrible about the other parent, take the high road. A good way to give the correction is “I understand that your mom/dad may think that about me, but that is not who I am. You know that. I love you and would never hurt you. They have a right to their opinion.” Always end the conversation with “your mother/father loves you a lot.” It may kill you to stick up for the ex-spouse, but it shows the child that you don’t have ill will towards the person they love.
And a few things to avoid all together:
Don’t ever fight with the ex. When things get heated, it may be your disposition to confront the other person. If that person happens to be the ex of your spouse, don’t do it. This can only lead to bigger problems in the future. Grit your teeth and bear it. Keep in mind that you aren’t required to have contact with them, so don’t.
Don’t ever say “I hate you”. No matter how hard it is to deal with your step-child, no matter how bad they are – never, never, never tell them you hate them. Not only will you sound like a 5 year old, but you can’t take that back once it’s been said.
Don’t ask them to call you mom. It isn’t your place to request a title to be called. If they decide to call you mom, that is their choice to make, not yours.
Don’t put your spouse in the middle. Any sort of riff in a family comes with its stress, but don’t make your spouse fight for you. Your relationship with his son or daughter is just that – yours. You can discuss the difficulties or issues and get his insight, but don’t make him fight your battles. This will only be an added stress, and possibly cause distance in your relationship.
There aren’t any black and white “this is the way to blending a family” rules. Everyone’s situation is unique. The only thing they have in common is they are divorced and are starting a new family including their child from the previous marriage. Nothing in life comes easy, and this is one situation that can take years to change.
Perseverance, hope, faith and love are the only qualities that can make blending a family a great experience. You have to want things to change, and work at changing them. Nothing comes easy, but when you see your step-child’s eyes light up at something you said, or you get a kiss on the cheek – it is the best feeling in the world – and it’s worth all the pain you have gone through to finally arrive at that happy place.
Sunday, September 9, 2007
Endless Love
I am truly inspired! I witnessed this weekend something that I just wasn't sold on anymore. The concept? That love can endure. It can thrive even after hurt, anger, time and space. If tended properly it can even flourish.
This weekend I had the honor of being in the wedding of my two best friends in Denver. I have known both the bride and groom for over 14 years and have weathered many hardships with them both. I met them first as a couple in an explosive relationship. It involved many nights where the bride would end up on my doorstep because they'd had a fight and she was moving out. We even once caught the groom with his "hand in the cookie jar" so to speak. They stayed together through several years of this but finally broke up.
While the bride moved to Denver, the groom stayed behind and we became very close friends. It felt strange at first, listening to the bride talk about her new love interest, the groom talking about his and as time went on (4 years actually) I almost got used to them being apart.
But, as life would have it, a day came when the bride, while visiting me, would run into the groom and they would hit it off again immediately.
Fast forward 4 more years to last night. The wedding. The groom blubbered worse than I did and the bride was glowing. These two are truly happy and in love. They've been together- off and on- for 16 years and they still can't get enough of each other. It made my heart smile to see it.
I've been a little jaded lately about whether love can really endure. Since my divorce, I've wondered if people are destined to cycle through partners their whole life and if love is just fleeting, at best. I sure hope not. And after this weekend, I'm open to the possibility of endless love. And I'm also hopeful of it's promise.
This weekend I had the honor of being in the wedding of my two best friends in Denver. I have known both the bride and groom for over 14 years and have weathered many hardships with them both. I met them first as a couple in an explosive relationship. It involved many nights where the bride would end up on my doorstep because they'd had a fight and she was moving out. We even once caught the groom with his "hand in the cookie jar" so to speak. They stayed together through several years of this but finally broke up.
While the bride moved to Denver, the groom stayed behind and we became very close friends. It felt strange at first, listening to the bride talk about her new love interest, the groom talking about his and as time went on (4 years actually) I almost got used to them being apart.
But, as life would have it, a day came when the bride, while visiting me, would run into the groom and they would hit it off again immediately.
Fast forward 4 more years to last night. The wedding. The groom blubbered worse than I did and the bride was glowing. These two are truly happy and in love. They've been together- off and on- for 16 years and they still can't get enough of each other. It made my heart smile to see it.
I've been a little jaded lately about whether love can really endure. Since my divorce, I've wondered if people are destined to cycle through partners their whole life and if love is just fleeting, at best. I sure hope not. And after this weekend, I'm open to the possibility of endless love. And I'm also hopeful of it's promise.
Wednesday, September 5, 2007
Chester Cheetah's WMD
Harry Callahan: I know what you're thinking. "Did he fire six shots or only five?" Well, to tell you the truth, in all this excitement I kind of lost track myself. But being as this is a .44 Magnum, the most powerful handgun in the world, and would blow your head clean off, you've got to ask yourself a question: Do I feel lucky? Well, do ya, punk?
Iowan accused of Cheeto attack
Police report: Evidence includes Cheeto dust
By Associated Press
Published: September 4, 2007
A man has been charged with a cheesy snack attack on his dad, police said.The weapon? A bag of Cheetos.Patrick Hamman, 22, of Des Moines, was arrested on a charge of domestic assault after he threw a bag of Cheetos at his father, Michael Hamman, hitting him in the face Sunday night.The bag hit his father’s glasses, causing a cut to the bridge of his nose, police said.The police report said “Michael’s T-shirt was also covered in Cheeto dust.”Police said Patrick, who lives with his father, admitted that he was on methamphetamine at the time of the argument.
Iowan accused of Cheeto attack
Police report: Evidence includes Cheeto dust
By Associated Press
Published: September 4, 2007
A man has been charged with a cheesy snack attack on his dad, police said.The weapon? A bag of Cheetos.Patrick Hamman, 22, of Des Moines, was arrested on a charge of domestic assault after he threw a bag of Cheetos at his father, Michael Hamman, hitting him in the face Sunday night.The bag hit his father’s glasses, causing a cut to the bridge of his nose, police said.The police report said “Michael’s T-shirt was also covered in Cheeto dust.”Police said Patrick, who lives with his father, admitted that he was on methamphetamine at the time of the argument.
Tuesday, September 4, 2007
Don't cha wish your girlfriend was HOT like me?
The only thing I have to say about this is:
DUHHHHH!
Men want hot women, study confirmsStory Highlights
Dating study: Men base their decisions mostly on physical attractiveness
Men are much less choosy than women
Women are aware of the importance of their own attractiveness to men
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Science is confirming what most women know: When given the choice for a mate, men go for good looks.
In the dating game, men know what they want.
And guys won't be surprised to learn that women are much choosier about partners than they are.
"Just because people say they're looking for a particular set of characteristics in a mate, someone like themselves, doesn't mean that is what they'll end up choosing," Peter M. Todd, of the cognitive science program at Indiana University, Bloomington, said in a telephone interview.
Researchers led by Todd report in Tuesday's edition of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences that their study found humans were similar to most other mammals, "following Darwin's principle of choosy females and competitive males, even if humans say something different."
Their study involved 26 men and 20 women in Munich, Germany.
Participants ranged in age from 26 to their early 40s and took part in "speed dating," short meetings of three to seven minutes in which people chat, then move on to meet another dater. Afterward, participants check off the people they'd like to meet again, and dates can be arranged between pairs who select one another.
Speed dating let researchers look at a lot of mate choices in a short time, Todd said.
In the study, participants were asked before the session to fill out a questionnaire about what they were looking for in a mate, listing such categories as wealth and status, family commitment, physical appearance, healthiness and attractiveness.
After the session, the researchers compared what the participants said they were looking for with the people they actually chose to ask for another date.
Men's choices did not reflect their stated preferences, the researchers concluded. Instead, men appeared to base their decisions mostly on the women's physical attractiveness.
The men also appeared to be much less choosy. Men tended to select nearly every woman above a certain minimum attractiveness threshold, Todd said.
Women's actual choices, like men's, did not reflect their stated preferences, but they made more discriminating choices, the researchers found.
The scientists said women were aware of the importance of their own attractiveness to men, and adjusted their expectations to select the more desirable guys.
"Women made offers to men who had overall qualities that were on a par with the women's self-rated attractiveness. They didn't greatly overshoot their attractiveness," Todd said, "because part of the goal for women is to choose men who would stay with them"
But, he added, "they didn't go lower. They knew what they could get and aimed for that level."
So, it turns out, the women's attractiveness influenced the choices of the men and the women
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