Intrapersonal mangos

Mangos topped with coconut rice, pumpkin, and syrup. This was the dessert that we had at the local thai food kitchen. Adrianne had publicly declared that she craved a certain Thai soup. Thankfully I have no relation to Tom Cruise, cuz this was mission possible. Anne was the helpful woman with a thick as curry accent. As I hung from the ceiling dangling by a cord, I spotted on the menu the soup that Adrianne had mentioned. As I packed up all my spy gear to leave, Anne commented that I was one of the best examples of a boyfriend, with the research I was doing. I just went along with it not to ruin Anne’s evening.

Duty called and before I was to pick up Adrianne, a home teachee of mine called for a blessing. After this wonderful experience I was left with no time to change back into my non prom attire, bowtie and all of course. As I forewarned Adrianne of the sitch, she conveyed to me that her brother-in-law asked if I would be able to assist in giving her older sister a blessing. That was a first for me on a date and I hope never to be a last.

Anne was so disappointed to hear that all we wanted was dessert. I fear that breaking her huge thai heart was not the most attractive thing for me to do, but isnt assertiveness also attractive?

Thai dessert + adriannes company = delirium of delight

Simplicity is king, especially when your dealing with exceptional people like Adrianne.

Translation: a turn around the block.

Conversation came easily throughout the evening.Like Jimmy Stewart, Adrianne too leads a wonderful life. On her list of whom she admires her parents are definitely contenders for the top spots followed in suit by more than half a dozen siblings. Cramming a mission and 3 months serving in a Nepal orphanage between her bachelors and a masters degrees have afforded her the fullest of lessons life has to offer.

Well, i’ll slip into my captain obvious suit as I start into my observation of the exceptional in Adrianne. Her sense of humor is definitely one, bedazzled with wonderfully pithy puns. Another flair for discovery of new places and people. However, my opinion is that there is a quality of hers that eclipses all the others -- her sense of self. Educational guru Howard Gardener slapped the label of intrapersonal (different from interpersonal) intelligence on this one. Amongst a slew of other things, people like Adrianne are intuitive and have an uncanny ability to decipher and articulate their reaction to just about well...everything worthwhile. (Turns out this makes for a great lawyer, great choice on the LSAT)

Merci Beaucoup for you time Adrianne!

Long time no type

January, February, and now almost March and only silence. With the completion of the original premise for the blog, momentum found the nearest window and escaped.

If I didn't care for you the reader, I might start an exhaustive list of excuses why this was.

However, excuses are like armpits, everybody has them and they stink. (I know there are so many holes to that theory, but I am going to go ahead and plow right through them since my momentum just found its way back in.)

As for the progression of my search for exceptional people, Im going to adapt exactly to the wonderful feedback given from you the readers(all two of you wonderful comment givers)

Improvement #1: include what in the world did we did on the date

Improvement #2: visuals will be abundant(dance floor being torn by the tie)

Of course that would be wonderfully ignorant of me to think those were the only improvements that could be made. Feel free to keep em coming and ill provide my best impersonation of a tossed salad, throwing something new in the mix.

Oh, and my life is an open book and I thought redecoration was in order.

My blog is getting some love!

Feedback numba 1:

Rudd, I love what your doing and reading about it. I would like to hear more about what you did on the date and if the girls approve even pictures!! I don't think you should have to take a girl out more than once...what if you really don't feel that spark? Don't feel obligated to ask the girl out again unless you really dig her. That's my little suggestions.

Feedback numba 2:

I second the motion on pictures! As well as not needing more than one date, b/c that would just lead a girl on if you didn't feel anything for her. I like the princess idea personally and I think going to different cities would definitely make it more adventurous. And if the dates don't turn out as great, then you've at least gotten familiar with a new place.

A goal is a dream with a deadline

I dont know if I stated it before in my blog but the reason that I do all of what you see if so that one day I can get married. It may not result from one of the exceptional ladies that I write about on the blog but most importantly it will only happen if I am actively dating. Friends have expressed that Im making things too complicated by setting a goal or missing the opportunity by focusing too much on my goal. If you feel this way too...TELL me about it and how you think I could change things so it would be that way.

Other friends expressed how they want to hear more about what we did on the date. You too? Tell me about.

One suggestion I had was to compare the next ten dates to any of the disney princesses. If you think that be great...diga me

Another ambitious suggestion would be to travel to other cities and see how many exceptional people I can meet there in a couple of days. Bad idea?....shoot a suggestion back.

What if I were to make asking all the way to a third date mandatory on my part?

Im all ears...

Finish Line!

Amanda, aside from being exceptional was also the 16th girl thus completing the original goal of going on 16 dates. Please dont read back too far because then youll also find that the original time frame ended 3 months ago, but good things take time.

In order to apply to any of the disciplines within the school of communications it was required that a journalism class be taken. If you havent been able to tell already, writing would be on the top 5 of my enjoy list and so naturally I thought, "Wonderful! a class after my own heart."

The second week revealed that the writing I did and the writing required in journalism would not be considered two peas in a pod. Plant my words and flowers will grow because that is what they are:flowery. Plant journalistic writing and what do you get? Nothing, simply because these are the cold hard facts. To write journalistically, the who, what, where, when and how must be identified. Then the journalist must assert what is most news worthy and write their piece accordingly. This is a talent that I dont have.

Amanda would make a smashing reporter. She is exceptionally assertive. It isnt that this was the lot she was delt in life, but is something that she enjoys doing. Not that she looks for them or creates them, but when she finds herself with a dilemma or problem identifying the immediate factors and making a decision comes instinctively. Example: being the one to ask Amanda out, I naturally pay for what I plan to do. Well I did my research and when we got there the prices were something different. A dollar more than I had in cash to be exact. Sheepishly I told Amanda id go find an atm lickity split. To this she said "no, Ive got it." Later on in the evening she told me that in that situation she had run through the possible options to my thoughtlessness and her covering it would have been the best option. She has a BMW for a brain, the ultimate thinking machine. And the list goes on...

Amanda thank you much for your time and dollar:) I owe you a lot more than that in the perspective you gave me.

OH WAIT, THERE IS MORE!

To everyone that is reading: gratitude fills my...well I hope it would be my blog. All of these posts are getting oftly lonely with all those comment boxes empty. The reason to have one of these fancy dancy blogs is so that I could get some o dat interaction.

Now that Ive completed the original goal, I need to set another one. I promise I didnt procrastinate so that this would happen right around the new year. So lay your comments on me! I like them just like my peanut butter on my pbj's...nice and thick!

One in a million dining experience

French poodle skirts with plush red booths. Slick haired johnnies "cutting up the rug" on the checkered dance floor to the blaring jukebox. Heaping hamburgers with crispy onion rings topped with cheese. Fresh banana splits with everything and the cherry on top. A slice of the musical "Grease" served every half hour--Ed Debevic's, the one in a million dinning experience.

Unfortunately the closest Ed Debevics is in Chicago ruling out of the options for Rachel and I. However, the date did take place on Turkey Day morning which would be the day that most houses turn into restaurants, feeding dozens of family and friends. If only those cooking would sing and dance, then Ed Debevics would be on the endangered restaurant list.

Rachel you see is a lot like Ed Debevics, exceptionally fun. (Dont worry Ill expound rather than leave it to a three letter word, ironically Rachel prefers some three letter words:) Conversation with Rachel is one of the most complete ab work outs with all the laughing that goes into it. With Rachel she can be perfectly at ease in a tense situation. Explanation: We decided to ride bikes along the beach that morning. Holiday mornings are a great time for biker bobs to storm the paths as well. While riding along, we'd hear a menacing "Coming up on your left!" Move it or lose it is what comes to mind when you do a little reading between the lines. Rachel never took a swing at them, making them careen off into the sand, or was even phased by this. She's definitely has got one up on me. Rachel even leads a secret life, I mean is that not the role model for fun!?

If Rachel were a dining experience, it would definitely be one in a million. No doubt about it, laughter is pretty much delicious for anyones attitude. Rachel, thanks so much for your time spent with me, especially on such an important holiday to the restaurant business:) Please sign me up for some more o dat fun.

Appreciate

In the world of finance-where that world is well never know- the best investment that one can make is a house. Houses are useful for plenty of things like eating, sleeping, playing, storing, building and the list goes on. It would make sense then that all houses of similar sizes would be the same price across the nation right? Wrong. To explain this mystery we welcome our guest:appreciation. The ability for something to become more valuable by just sitting there. Lazy money I would say. Reasons for homes to appreciate deal a lot with how valuable the property becomes to the market(you and me). This value has a lot to do with perception and little to do with mathematics.

When someone says "I feel appreciated" they are stating that you made them feel of value. Of course everyone is of infinite worth (see "strait shooter" post) but their "cool factor" is often based on the perception of others. If only WE could be the ones to decide how cool we really are.

Katie did an exceptional job at making me feel appreciated. Although the activities that we did catered to my interests, they were the "cherry on top" for her too. Tying bow ties, entertainment system demonstrations, ice cream pit stops, and bocci balls smeared in glow stick juice. I could do no wrong in her view. What I had to say and wanted to do was never uninteresting or embarrassing. She spoke about her family and what she admired about them which appreciated them in my eyes. She appreciates all types of music and never turns ones away because it could be "weird".

It truly takes a wonderful person to find the value in others. Thank you so much for your time katie. Youll never be accused of being that mother whose children yell "you dont appreciate me!"

Maximum Security

I am sure that everyone has at least seen some kind of movie that depicted a heist of something with an incomprehensible value. One of my personal favorites is any of the Oceans movies. (This also might tell a lot about our society that there are so many movies with robberies taking place?) Innumerable traps of unpredictable lasers, silent alarms with hidden trip wires, and decoys that are replicated with even the most minute details are set in place to thwart the experienced thieves.

Hawaii has at least one well kept gem. Sharisse. The test wasnt dodging lasers or tricking cameras but interviews with two gatekeepers/father figures. To clarify, Sharisse did not instigate either of these. They took it upon themselves. There was no intimidation tactics used of course, just plain ole soul searching questions. My verbal agility proved to be up to snuff cuz I made it to the actual one-on-one conversation.

Sharisse is an exceptionally thoughtful person. Thoughtful as to the learning opportunities available to her and the effect she chooses for them to have on her. Thoughtful as to giving her attention to those who never even directly ask for it. Thoughtful as to children and the little wonders that they are. Thoughtful as to how her decisions will effect those she loves. And in my opinion the most important, thoughtful to Heavenly Fathers desire for her life and her service to others. There is no doubt in my mind our personal worth increases as we point out the worth of others. I find it funny to think that in the eternal skeem of things, we're all of infinite worth and those that recognize this most are not to be put in maximum security, but maximum access. Thank you so much for your time and lessons taught Sharisse!

Tenacious Tuner

Symphonies are modern day miracles. I know that this is quite the statement but so many seemingly superfluous elements are combined in order to generate a myriad of emotions within the audience (call it a geek alert if you'd like ) Instruments must be meticulously tuned, the rhythm or count that requires attention or stuck like unto a suction cup,and the cut-co knife precision of first chair violinist showing the way.
Caitlin is a violinist with the makings of a first chair or concertmaster. This position is also the one that the rest of the symphony members tune their instruments to. After meeting her, I know that I'm trying to tune my life to follow the trail she's blazing. Caitlin is exceptional in the ability she has to make and work towards worthy goals. Example: with no extensive running experience, she thought it would be a great idea to do a marathon. The kicker for me was that the morning after our date she ran 20 miles as planning. So many good reasons to have changed that to a different day.
What an incredible feeling of satisfaction will echo in the thoughts of those who spent their lives in the realization of worthy goals! Thank you Caitlin for your attuning me to the good life.

Listen to rudyardas Playlist

Where did they all come from?

What phenomenal people I have the privilege to meet!

In fear that this phrase might be understood as cliche, let me expound on the latest example in my life. Brittany is the friend of a friend that I had in college, Heidi. If Heidi were a medical supply she would definitely be a cotton ball because she is so kind and careful with all she meets, not to mention pure. Heidi described Brittany "one of the best people that I know." When I repeated this to Brittany... she reminded me of how kind Heidi is to everyone.

Brittany is classy, but don't be surprised when she pulls out a little sass of her bag o tricks. Evidence to this point: Heidi asked her if she would be willing to participate and she agreed. I called Brittany shortly thereafter to find out when would work best for her HECTIC schedule. (Brittany is an exceptional planner) Of course the first time you talk to someone you would like to know the basics about them: where did you grow up? How many siblings do you have? What cut of diamond do you prefer? Basic stuff. Well, in the middle of my questions, Brittany interjects with, " wait a minute! why are you asking me these questions now? What is the date for then?" What sass sea bass!

Most exceptional about Brittany is her dedication. In my mind there is no question that her family is priceless to her. The amount of time she dedicates to spending with them shows that. She is ever expansive in the responsibilities she takes on at her job, and dedication is what enables her to do that. Most importantly, she has an ARDENT desire to study and ponder upon the words of the modern day prophets because of her tremendous dedication to make her will and Heavenly Fathers will one in the same. Thank you so much for your example, it has been my privilege.

Straight shooter!

Yesterday I had the privilege to participate in the mormon bachelorette. Before you read any further I would invite you to visit the blog if you haven t already: http://themormonbachelorette.blogspot.com/

My personal feelings are that Aubrey got it right on as to the interpretation of how the date went and what the most significant parts were. IT was a straight shot if you will. HOWEVER it wasnt Aubery that fired the gun and Aubery wasnt the target either. I pulled the trigger and it was aimed at my foot!

Upon telling Aubrey about this blog she asked me the question, "is your blog an experiment or is the goal to find true mormon love?" And that is when I pulled the trigger, aiming at my foot and responded, "Weeelllll....". KABOOM!

Winston Churchill wrote that "to every man there comes a time in his lifetime, that special moment when he is figuratively tapped on the shoulder and offered that chance to do a very special thing...what a challenge if that moment finds him unprepared..." I was tapped and I choked!

By that simple pause I undermined all that Ive strived to learned in my brief life's experience. Every person is born with an infinite price tag attached to them. Experiments belong in the labs and should never be done with humans, especially their emotions. If there is anyone that had felt that way in regards to how Ive treated them please accept my honest apology. I pray that my conduct toward everyone I meet, which might be you the reader someday, will reflect the idealogy that C.S. Lewis expressed when he said "but it is immortals whom we joke with, work with, marry, snub, and exploit-immortal horrors or everlasting splendors...next to the blessed sacrament, your neighbor is the holiest object presented to your senses...for in him also Christ... is truly hidden."

I hope that I have once again been a straight shooter, this time in the expression of my feelings. Aubrey, you are justified in your decision to "maybe" wait until you read my blog to decide if I deserve a second. I dont blame you if side with jack johnson in that "maybe always means no."

And last but definitely not least is what I found to be exceptional about Aubrey. Per my video response, I would first like to say how committed she is. This is NO SMALL TASK. Soo many guys with soo many behind the scene productions to make. Wonderfully committed. Beautiful, energetic, spiritual, and most of all kind make her as stated earlier, an everlasting splendor. Thank you so much for your time Aubrey.

I havent read a scientific report that proves it, but I would be so bold as to say that once youve meet someones parents its like finding the root word: it gives everything meaning. There was a friend I worked with for a couple of summers. I had plenty of reasons to admire him and a few reasons to pull my hair out. The second summer I stayed in his home and got to know his parents well enough to see where each attribute had come from. It was so insightful.

My date with Michelle was the first time that I had spent time with one of the participants parents. Of course I hardly knew Michelle before the date (other than a little facebook action:) Personally it might do me well to explain the exceptional in the parents. Her father is a humble intellect. (Michelle, your parents are free to call me to receive a clarification if needed, promise) Family tradition is to gather for a sporadic lesson from father ranging from economics, to politics, between the north and south poles, and over the plan of salvation. Thus covering everything under the sun. Yet humble enough to accept input from my sometimes , well, limited understanding.

Mother is a, well, sharp cookie. Sharp for that she takes the time to research into her interests. The little I know about was in nutrition. Children just need cookies sometimes and Mother dishes out!, of course they are nutritious oatmeal cookies, but delicious just the same. She thrives in her duties as a mother.

So to cut to the skinny, Michelle is an exceptional blend of the two. Intelligent chef and a humble nurturer. (Although not in the top ten of the popular compliments, it tops them all on my charts!) Michelle, we'll just say Im going to propose a new item on the Blenders in the Grass menu, cuz you are a wonderful blend.

I dont know who it was that said it or when they said it to me but it was in regard to how you know when you are good friends, if not best friends (the meaning of what a best friend is has 10,000 different means, so Ill go with whatever comes to your mind first). You've arrived at this pivotal point when you and a friend are perfectly comfortable with the absence of conversation or silence. Try it, take the time to make it awkward by not saying a thing and see if either of you feels awkward.

This cant and never should be tested on a first date, but I think that it is equally important to the strength of an immediate friendship if you and your date are able to make something out of nothing, enjoy just the company of one another. And my how I enjoyed my time, if only the conversation with Amy.

The plans I had made for the date were thwarted by the unexpected store hours of our destination. All it took to remedy that was a little dessert and the conversation flourished. We spoke most of the experiences we had while serving as full-time LDS missionaries on opposite sides of the world. What I found about Amy to be exceptional was the generosity, empathy, sincerity, and genuineness with which she served a people she could have described only a short time earlier as foreign. How blessed those people were to have the attention of such a wonderful person. How I love it when plans dont come together. Grazie Amy for your time.

English is an art form, with 26 colors to choose from.

I would have to say that one of my absolute favorite paintbrushes or words in the alphabet is -- eclectic. That is probably because I feel it is that word that best describes me. Stipes and polka dots. Classical and Hip Hop music. Surfing and ballroom dancing. Reading and roadbike racing. Well just say that eclectic is how to describe unlikely combinations. Now dont stop reading this post yet, I promise Ill stop talking about myself and talk about my date right...

Conencidentially enough, Jonai is an english major and so in this case also an artist. Her favorite paintbrush or word turned out to be something wonderful-- ferocious. Typically used to describe...well... violence, but if used in an unexpected combination like ferociously friendly, or a ferocious taste for reading, or even a ferociously shy person treasures are unlocked. Such extraordinary descriptions of otherwise ordinary things. Its kind of like a salad, you have to mix things up to get all the flavors. Uncanny is how the use of her favorite word describes the definition of my favorite word... I can't believe I found my WORDMATE! (Jonai, it was just for a sake of play on words and you have no reason to be creeped out, PROMISE.)

It is my opinion that Jonai has an extraordinary talent in drawing out the best in others. The wonderful thing is that this entire blog is entirely opinion based, so I can say anything I want, so take that world and people that only see simplicity in Jonai. Just spend a couple of hours with her and youll eat your words ( for the topics sake, I hope your painting with water colors!) I dont know how you did it Jonai, but you even made me feel extraordinary. I am ferociously thankful to you!!!!

So why beat around the bush? I had the privilege of spending an evening with Corri and found her to be extraordinarily inspirational. Now I do realize that one should never use that word casually. Inspiration is not something that is handed out in the cafeteria line or sold at T.J Max. Most often it is not even something that is given conscientiously. It comes from who a person is and how they decided to live when no one else is looking.

My vote is that if you were to ask Corri how she became the Corri that is a shining beacon to many (I would say thousands but I fear that her head might get a little swollen:)) she would have no idea and then tell them to move on with their lives:)Most of Corri was forged during her unusual (to say the least) childhood. But how she decided to roll with the punches is INCREDIBLE.

Obvious fact: the moon's light is merely a reflection of the sun. Obvious fact (to me): Corri is a brilliant reflection of the light from the Son.

Thank you so much for your time Corri, it was my pleasure.

Practical- inclined toward or fitted for actual work or useful activities.

Why is it what we can sometimes have such an aversion to the word practical but yet its very definition is being fitted for actual work or useful activity. When we get down to it, shouldn't that be the obvious choice in any situation? So the negative connotation might come from the fact that the practical choice is not maybe the most convenient or the most flashy or the most tasty choice. Now that I think about it, I do wish that the Brazilians were a little less practical when it came to throwing all the extra animal parts in the food because it would go to waste. But one of the most amazing parts about how practical Brazilians are ( and any other culture that is not first world) is that the trash for the week of an entire family (4+people) would fit in a couple of grocery bags! They reuse everything they can. Practical can be priceless, in this case to mother nature.

A good friend of mine recommended that her friend take pity on me and agree to spend an evening with me. I really enjoyed Sarah's company. I had Sarah show me around her home town and take me to places that she found to be influential or memorable. Whether it was an inexpensive ritual providing bonding time with friends, or a place she worked (for longer than Ive ever worked at one place) because they were accommodating to her schedule and she got to work with friends. Even her choice of transportation (aka a car) showed me that she is exceptionally "fitted for actual work or useful". Thank you Sarah for shedding your wisdom and sharing your time. Our date was in the truest sense of the word, Practically perfect.

So after this date I had with the phenomenon to mankind known as Kadi, my little sister had written up this mad gab type questionnaire that I thought should definitely be put onto the blog. The blank, well, blanks are those that I have asked for Kadie to fill in for it might be a little conceded for me to do personally.

As to exceptional qualities, the most obvious to me was of strength. This is not meant in the physical sense ( I knew better than to challenge her to an arm wrestling match) but in reference to her personality and spirit. We talked of decisions that she had made on various occasions while experiencing intense opposition. She also gave her opinion freely, never feeling it necessary to include the sugar coating. Simply stated, I felt spiritually dwarfed next to her. Thank you so much for your time Kadi, I feel like I understand Robin infinitely better having spent the evening as a sidekick:)

The Mormon Tabernacle Choir is amazing, no if ands or buts.Privileged I was to experience one of their annual christmas concerts. The choir's guest that year was Sissel, the Norwegian singer.

I am far from anything resembling a music critic ( I am sure that you have to have some kind of musical talent to be able to do that), but I found myself speechless as Sissel sang. It was clear to everyone watching (no, I wasnt able to do a poll, but you gotta believe me) that as she changed from song to song so did the expressions of her emotions, most apparent in her face. The realization came to me after, that an element of why I found her performance to be so amazing was because the songs she sang were magnified by the emotion she expressed. The combination was uniquely powerful.

My date Robyn is not a Norwegian native, and I havent heard her sing although I am sure it would be an experience to remember. The reason I related my experience at the christmas concert was because the setting in which Robyn and I spent a majority of our time together was a direct reflection of her and her exceptional personality.

Most exceptional was the comfort that I felt. It was no coincidence that we spent a majority of our time on the comfort of a couch in a cafe. My concern was definitely not keeping her entertained nor did I feel bad about my life long struggle of not talking to much about myself. Robyn has one mouth and two ears like everyone one else, but she does well at using her ears twice as much as her mouth. And if there is anyone in doubt of Robyns exceptional personality, she is a teacher. No more needs to be said. A thousand thank yous Robyn.

Cyclopies (the plural I would assume of Cyclopes) are generally thought of as giant ugly brutes that could never be assumed to have a brain much larger than the period at the end of this sentence. But how many of us with two fully functional eyes could be described as acting near sighted at times, never focusing on much more than ourselves? (I am not going to be the first fool and say not me, nuuhuh)

Destroying this stereotype (with his lazer vision) came the Marvel character Cyclopes. Dashing, loyal, and civil enough to attract the attention of the super ladies. He could often be found in the fight for justice or just out saving lives. Most importantly when his attention was focused, he could puncture through any barrier.

My date Holly is far from possessing anything thought of as a deformity, nor does she wear matching spandex outfits like the Marvel characters. However, she does posses an exceptional ability to focus her attention, penetrating the hardest of barriers including my brain sometimes. During the course of the evening, I felt that she wanted to be right where she was. The way she engaged in conversation showed me this. She definitely made me feel like a VIP. How incredible would life be if everywhere we went was where we wanted to be. Thank you Holly so much for your time and teaching me that for one, just because you have a focused attention doesnt mean youll burn a hole in someone, and secondly that “ the capacity for delight is the gift of paying attention”.