Dating Diva

I’ve received a lot of e-mails asking for creative, cheap date ideas. After some thought, I’ve come up with a few for you guys to test and come back to me with the results. Let me know how it goes.

Explore
Located directly across from Quinnipiac University in Hamden, Sleeping Giant Mountain is great for a sunny day. It has hiking and nature trails, look-out towers, scenic vistas, stream fishing and picnicking areas. There’s even a castle on the very top if you’re motivated enough to get up there.
What makes this park stand out is that it’s actually rumored to be haunted. Apparently, at the top where the castle is, a man in black has been seen aimlessly roaming around. When approached, he vanishes into thin air.
This probably isn’t a great first date idea if you go later in the day, especially if you scare easily.
Let me know what happens.
Volunteer/Charity
There are so many great organizations in Connecticut that need your help, even if only for a day. Consider calling your local humane society to take a quick class together that will allow you to take the dogs at the shelter out for a walk. You have no idea how goofy men can be when it comes to animals – it’s adorable.
Also, now is the season for many American Cancer Society Relay For Life walking fundraisers. Typically sign-up fees range between $10-$20 per person and include a t-shirt. Find one close to you here and sign yourselves up. Not only will you be getting some exercise together, but you’ll both be doing it for a great cause.
Model
If you’re brave enough and/or need a trim, a fun idea for a date could be to volunteer yourselves as models at a beauty school. Brio Academy is a great place that offers anything from cuts, to coloring to waxing and has many locations throughout Connecticut. The services are inexpensive and you two can hit the town (hopefully) cuter than ever.
Glow
It’s pretty amazing what they make in glow-in-the-dark now. Frisbees, golf balls, tape…you name it. Use your imagination.
Create
Go to a crafts store and get a large canvas along with some crazy-colored canned paint. Set it up outside in the beautiful 80 degree weather we’ll be having this weekend. Now, play Picasso…kind of. Throw the paint at the canvas to make one of those crazy paintings that they can charge $1,000 for because it “encompasses so much emotion.” Hey, if it’s good enough, throw it up on eBay.com for sale and profit off of that date – now that’d be something new.
Trashy
Going to flea markets and garage sales has always left me with a little bit of a dirty feeling. That being said, you can find some really cool things there to spruce up your pad on a teeny tiny budget. Take your love with you to be your wingman and help you some fun things to bring back. Check in the advertisements of your local paper for when and where these sales will go down.
Shake It
I know, gentlemen. A majority of you may find this excruciating. However, taking a dance class together can not only be a great reminder to her as to why she should keep you around, but you may also enjoy it as well. Plus, think of how much more in control you’ll feel when she asks you to take her dancing and you have more than just the “sprinkler” move under your belt. Consider it an investment in your future.
Check out local dance classes in Connecticut here.

More ideas? Tweet them to me!
@LisaDiVirgilio

As I was meandering around the Web, I found this article from USA Today that talks about the popularity of Twitter and its ability to interfere in some relationships.
I wonder what Twitter-fanatics Demi Moore (@mrskutcher) and Aston Kutcher (@aplusk) have to say about this.
Your thoughts?
Catch up with the Dating Diva by following her on Twitter.com!

I’ve received a lot of e-mails asking what I thought about leaving a relationship due to feeling “stuck” and having nowhere else to go. One person wrote, “I can’t walk away too soon in hopes that maybe things will change. I think I should just stick around to see what happens.”
Something I do not agree with – people who stick around in a situation or relationship just to “see what happens.”
You have better things to do.
Don’t waste your time. If you’re sitting there waiting for something to happen, chances are the
other person isn’t as involved as you – or else you’d be making things happen together. A relationship is something – near or far – that two people have a hand in to make work. There is no “seeing what happens,” but there is a “seeing where this takes us.” And there is an immense difference in those two statements.
I get it, I get it. He or she great. Amazing even. They can make you feel fabulous and real. They says all the right things. But if they’re not committing after being asked to, or even making an effort to do so, there’s a possibility they’re making others out there feel the same fabulous way that they’re making you feel.
Not so awesome now, right?
Great advice I once received on this was as follows:
“When a man tells you he doesn’t want commitment, repeat it to your friends, family or write it down. That forces you to see, hear and accept that he means it..and believe me, he does.”
You deserve to be happy and be with someone who is happy to be with you. Remember that.
That being said, I’ve compiled a short list of break-up songs that will get you back on track in no time at all.
“Ex-factor” – Lauryn Hill