Okay, as of today I investng in kitty litter for when I become an old spinster woman with a house full smelly cats who roam around while I sit in my armchair in my housecoat eating chocolate watchng As The World Turns everyday on my tv as a direct result of taking a quiz that boldly described me as a "Downer Date," and after looking at the description, I don't even want to date myself so why anyone else would is beyond me!

Here's what they say...go ahead, read slowly and really take it in...then remind yourself that even being friends with a "Downer Date" is probably an unfruitful venture for which I will not protest if each of you chooses to withdraw your friendship tokens from my bag...I am officially never taking an online quizz again. I will just have to find other ways to waste time at work...perhaps readng this book will help!

Downer Date

Hate to say it, but you could you use a class in Dating 101. And the first lesson you need to learn is how to have a more positive attitude. Excluding those few dud dates (and, face it, everyone experiences a few of those), dating is supposed to be fun. If nothing else, it provides an opportunity to try out new restaurants, wear a new outfit or go a movie you've been dying to see. No one's asking you to plaster on a fake happy face or to act unnatural, but do try to show some enthusiasm for getting out and meeting men. And maybe even practice making the first (or second, or third) move once in a while. You have nothing to lose and, yes, everything to gain.

Think of it this way: If someone who hardly knows you rebuffs you, it's certainly not a negative statement about you as a person. One thing to keep in mind, though: Being optimistic and open to intimacy is one thing; being desperate and needy is another. Besides scaring guys away (and fast), neediness blinds you to what a guy is really all about, plus it saps your self-confidence. And more than anything else, you need to be happy with yourself to be a great date.