renting a suit of armor

...you could always ask your local SCA (Society for Creative Anarchy..., er... Anachronisms), since they usually have armor of some sort. Don't expect chrome-plated "Excalibur"-esque armor, though. That's pricey. If all else fails, there's always cardboard, silver spray paint, a hard hat and aluminum foil...

Hey,

Renting a real suit of armor -- if you can find one -- will be ridiculously expensive and probably require insurance. It will also be small and incredibly uncomfortable. Have you tried costume shops? Do you live in a metropolis or a little burg built near a speed trap?

Yellow pages under costume stores. That how most people found stuff pre internet and it still works pretty well.

Any girl saying she is looking for a "knight in shining armor" means that she is looking for a the perfect man and hasn't yet realized that he doesn't exist.

Spending your money renting a polished suit of armor to impress a girl that I'm assuming you are not yet dating will be a futile attempt, and will likely be looked upon as a desperate move. Such acts viewed as desperate will usually evoke emotions counter to your intent.

I would recommend, instead, that you find a well crafted figurine of a knight in shining armor (small-ish... no more than 4 inches tall) and give that to her instead, saying something like, "since I can't be an actual knight in shining armor, maybe this will do..." Saying something charming and mildly self-deprecating will go a lot farther.

These are just my own opinions, though. I screwed up with women plenty of times in my 1/3 of a century, so from experience I know what not to do...

http://www.historicenterprises.com/

Makes great armour, and charges what it's worth. He might do a rental of a suit, if the price is right. He has rented and sold for film and video productions. He typically has plate mail and chain mail pieces around. He is outside of San Diego, California.

If you're in Briton, Terry English, the armourer for the film Excalibur is still around and selling. He might be renting too.

Otherwise, if you're in the Los Angeles area, you can try the prop/costume rental places that TV and movie makers use, like in the "Debbies Guide".

Where are you? I know there are armourers all over (the western world), but locating one that will rent to you, near you, is the trick.

Mutant_Pie

Yeah, I have to say that I don't recommend dressing up. There is a reason why people regulary don't do stupid tricks to impress people... they are stupid and say something unflattering about you.

I have a genius friend that suffers from the same thing. He is extremely talented and culturally well versed, but when he's interested in a woman he goes completely overboard and scares them away. Four star Resturants and the opera, however you want to justify it, is way to over the top for a first (or even 20th) date.

Aaron has a good point. My guess is that you're a fairly intelligent type (after all, you belong to this forum, yes?), and as a rule, it seems that the fairly intelligent ones want to really impress the opposite sex. Aaron is dead on; every friend of mine like that has only succeeded in doing one thing, and that is chasing them away. If someone truly likes you, an hour or so talking at a dive is as important as a fancy evening out. Trust me, and this is coming from two marriages and dozens of ex-girlfriends; be subtle. If you want to do the knight thing, yeah, the miniature is a great idea, if lighthearted. A deep, meaningful relationship takes time. Pull back on the reins a bit, don't go into it full bore. Easy does it.

...try a nice tux (with tails, tails are a must - especially if the occassion is in the evening). Look like a million bucks. Think James Bond (read as 'Sean Connery') debonaire meets John Travolta (ala Pulp Fiction's dance scene with Uma Thurmon).

You do not have to be the center of attention in a dramatic way, nor do you have to throw heaps of money around and flaunt what you may or may not have.

Like ZZ Top said, "Every woman's crazy 'bout a sharp dressed man".

If you must spend money, spend it on a good haircut (whereas I only cut mine about once a year, much to my wife's ire), and spend it on a good pair of shoes and a belt. If you attire tends to normall be more business-casual, get a pair of Nunn Bush, if it casual, try some nice Sketchers. Get a decent belt.

Everything else is just personality and that, we know little enough about to offer ideas.

I take it then you guys think she was speaking figuratively?

I think we are all going to feel really stupid if this is all about an upcoming halloween party.

Let us know how it all turns out.

Definately go with DDTM's "sharp dressed man" idea...

Ah, I remember it like it was yesterday...

[flashback]

It was the spring of 1987... I was getting dressed for the annual Band Banquet... I had made arrangements pick up a girl and give her a ride. She did not know that my intentions were more romantic.

After I had tied my bowtie, as I was buttoning my vest, ZZTop's "Sharp Dressed Man" actually came on the radio. I was 15, dancing around my room like a damned fool, and life was great!

The arrangements that I had made were simple. A buddy of mine who was 17 had a black Chevy Caprice. He picked me up, we drove to her house, and I - with my "chauffer" - picked her up and we went to the banquet.

Later that night, I got a kiss.

[/flashback]

You don't need to do that exact thing, but something like that. The "suit of armor" thing only appears in bad sit-coms or teen dramas, and usually fails.

Sharing your age helps us give better advice, thanks!

What you wear and what you look like are always subjective to the crowd you are compared to. Forget the shoes and belt.

If you have not ever seen it recently, go watch 'Ground Hog Day'. The moral so beautifully illustrated (if you pay attention to these things) is that once Bill Murray quit trying so hard and started focusing on being the best person he could be, he got the girl after all.

Listen supportively, show your sense of humor (not the one you share with the guys), and be gracious in your losses. Be "Tremendous", in every sense of the word. Go out of your way to be the nice guy, but be ready to stand your ground when you must. Do not make capturing her heart your primary goal, much like Harry Potter and the Sorcerror's Stone, that which you seek can only be found by one not looking for it for their own purpose (its close enough, work with me).

It is by your actions that she may best see her 'knight', so do keep that in mind. At some point, she may shift her focus to you and see what is right before her, but not if you throw it in her face. When you think she does (and this may take time), ask her out on a real date, not just hanging out and catching a movie. I am talking a nice meal, AppleBee's or Outback sorta, and maybe a romantic movie (I am thinking something different than the norm, and obviously so as the mood is different, like 'Titanic' or 'Ghost'(pardon the cliche and the fact I just dated myself with those two choices)). Be prepared to switch you dinner choice at the last minute and forgo the movie altogether and opt for something more to her mood that night if she does not want to do any of these choices (and be gracious about it).

Some where in all of this, if she really feels the same way about you, you will end up being an exclusive item without ever having to say 'wanna go steady?', it will just be an unspoken understanding and that is so cool, better than words. But do not let that substitute for telling her how you feel when the times are right, and only say 'love' if you mean it. It is all too often the case where we, in our youth, confuse 'being in love' with 'being in love with the idea of being in love'. You have to have the cake, before the frosting, and I am sure you have had plenty of cakes that looked good, but tasted bad. Be a good cake, and she will be dying to provide the frosting (and the only connotation I [b][u]intend[/b][/u] here is her [b][u]heart[/b][/u], which you have implied is the prize you seek). (Although, if she puts [u]candles[/u] on the cake, then we will all crowd around a monitor and say "God bless the internet. Go Trig-boy! Its your birthday!", but I have watched to much 'American Pie', I digress...)

I met my wife just before I went to college, when I had decided to wait until I was settled in college and had thoroughly partied hard first. We felt like there was no pressure as we had the whole summer to figure things out and no plans or designs on where it would go. We became best friends along the way. That was almost 13 years ago.

But do not let that substitute for telling her how you feel when the times are right, and only say 'love' if you mean it. It is all too often the case where we, in our youth, confuse 'being in love' with 'being in love with the idea of being in love'.

And also don't confuse 'love' with 'lust'. Lust is what you feel most often for people you might be attracted to, but don't know well enough to love. Love takes time commitment and a whole host of other things, but lust only takes "at first sight".

Huh?

And what is so wrong with lust? You're 16 and in hormonal overdrive. Enjoy it. Absolutely nothing wrong with getting someone wetty and sweaty and moany and groany if that's what you both want to do. Jeez, louise, this board sounds like a bunch of regretful old men who bought into some straight and narrow moral fairy tale and want the same for you. You're young, enjoy it. There's a good chance that in 5 years you won't even remember her name.

Huh?
And what is so wrong with lust? You're 16 and in hormonal overdrive. Enjoy it. Absolutely nothing wrong with getting someone wetty and sweaty and moany and groany if that's what you both want to do. Jeez, louise, this board sounds like a bunch of regretful old men who bought into some straight and narrow moral fairy tale and want the same for you. You're young, enjoy it. There's a good chance that in 5 years you won't even remember her name.

This would be the "not a knight in shining armor" approach.

hey,

If you want to win her heart, the last thing you want to do is have her dictate the terms. That may sound cold but she'll have no respect for you if you start dancing to her every whim. Find something that comes from you to win her. Simple as that.

And what is so wrong with lust?

Nothing, but that is not what he was asking about.

You're 16 and in hormonal overdrive. Enjoy it. Absolutely nothing wrong with getting someone wetty and sweaty and moany and groany if that's what you both want to do.

Agreed. It is like Austin Powers said,

Yeah! Shag her rotten, baby!

Jeez, louise, this board sounds like a bunch of regretful old men who bought into some straight and narrow moral fairy tale and want the same for you.

No, most of us could provide very good reccomendations on rolling paper for fatties, 'finding the little man in the boat', and other illicit topics (even the posters to some of my recent blog entries, myself included), but that is not something TO usually allows/permits (clicky-clicky, eh?).

Aren't we are all about offering the best advice we can for whoever asks? If it is wholesome, that is great. We also offer advice on kink if the asker seeks it, remember the 'biting' guy? I think he got some good advice there. At the very least, it was appropriate for the context in which the question was posed. Isn't that what this forum is supposed to be about?

You're young, enjoy it. There's a good chance that in 5 years you won't even remember her name.

...and if the 'candles' get lit on your cake, let us know if any advice given here really payed off and we will celebrate your birthday. He may well forget her name, but he won't forget that night that ...

...anyways, that is my mighty opinion.

Any girl saying she is looking for a "knight in shining armor" means that she is looking for a the perfect man and hasn't yet realized that he doesn't exist.

I take exception to that - I *do* exist, but I'm married...:-)

Seriously though, don't try to impress her with something you're not - just be yourself. After all, if she doesn't like you for who/what you are, what makes you think you can keep up the "knight in shining armour" forever ?

(I say this with some conviction, having done similar things in my youthful past - now 46 with two daughters and a lovely wife who knows all about me, and still loves me !! And she's a Mac-head too !)

Jon

Also, like I said, she hasn't really had much luck with the opposite sex...

By chance or intentionally? As alluded to earlier, she may have her sights set ridiculously high.

God...I'm so glad I'm not your age anymore.

Never get involved with anyone that has more problems than you do. Granted, at your age, that includes almost everyone, but this girl sounds like a complete pain in the butt.

BTW, How did you come to post on here and not some cheesey romance site. Do you have any computer questions we may better equiped to answer?

hey,

John Lee Hooker said it best: "Don't go fattenin' frogs for snakes." You may think that what she's confiding in you gives you insight into her wants and needs. She may see you using that information as a violation of her trust. You are on very thin ice and you can't let her know how you feel in a confrontational way, ie, in a suit of armor. Just talk to her and don't set her or yourself up for what you might both regret.

...so she knows you like her and the ice has been broken.

Move to hand-holding as quickly as you can and do not be shy about it.

Definitely take what I said about being 'good cake' to heart. Take it slow and let her set the pace. If she slams on the brakes or wants to slow things down, 'loose graciously' and do not let her feel pressured or think that you are annoyed by it - she is in control of [u]if[/u] and [u]when[/u]. If she feels comfortable with you, she will go farther, faster, but reserves the right to say no and respect that - just make sure you are not the reason she says 'no'.

Make sure you let her know in some way that she is special to you. Get a stack of small Post-it notes and write little notes, like 'thinking of you' and 'this sticky is worth one free hug at any time' and other cute little things. It is little surises like this that let her know you care and the surprise of finding them can be random and sometimes well timed. If you do not have good access to her school books or her room, this may be a challenge. As I am working out of state, I did this with my wife to brighten her day in my abscence, placing notes in a pair of undergarments, in her candy stash, in a CD case of a favorate group, in the cotton balls, and even inside a roll of TP (that just required me to flatten the roll and slip it the side, not unroll the stupid thing). It is the little things that she will notice and think of as sweet/thoughtful.

It sounds like you may be winning this challenge moreso than we originally thought.

Hey,

You left stickie messages in her panties and toilet paper? Oh, man, that is effing sick. I'm sorry but I don't want to know any more about you guys.

Just a reminder to everyone to keep this thread PG-rated. I can forsee this one going downhill fast -- and if it does, you all know what's gonna happen.

that sometimes she doesn't feel really special and like she has no value

I was going to say something funny or clever, like... "what a coincidence! so does every other girl!" But I realize its just not that funny or clever, but sad but true...

So... I'll just say... whoa, nelly... back off a bit... nothings worse than the ol' 'too fast, too soon' jingle, except when its followed by the 'too bad, too sad' jingle, which it invariably is, (jail time/hospital stay optional).

I'm sure there are lots of other cuties in your high school, too. I'm not saying give up and not go for it, I'm saying make a point to make eye contact and smiles at every single one of them... and for Pete's sake... talk to them, and really give it your all at pretending to listen...

but the best thing you can do is forget romance entirely. The only romantics are boys. I guess women are romatic, too... but its not the kind of thing you can plan for... it just happens, and it happens with a quickness.

Girls like comedy. Its a nice middle ground between their nervous laugh at everything because they are self-conscious, and laughing because you said something funny... takes their mind off of themselves... if you can keep it away from there, that's the way to go... keep it light light light, avoid the heavy stuff... because it only serves to weigh YOU down, and for as long as you let it, and the more you let it, the more she pulls away, the heavier it gets...

I just had a friend finally pull out of the bs that started when he was about your age. He said, probably after a let down, he used to go to parties and sit there miserable, mad at everyone because they were having a good time... wondering what was wrong with him. And now he's finally leaving his shell, talking to women at any opportunity, and finding that they actually like it... and he is light as a feather now, when for the last 16 years he's been really heavy (he's my age... 32).

What's my deal, you ask? Well... discovering long ago the dangers of talking to women... that if you do that, they talk more, then they start to like you... and my standards have gone way way up.... I'm on a serious climb... realizing that where I want to be with the woman I want means I need some serious scratch, and if I stop to spend time working at a relationship (and it CAN be work... ) I'd really lose time... and money, boy, no telling where the money goes... or the time...

...all I was saying is that I left notes, like 'have a good day' and 'you mean so much to me' and other sentiments. I left them in places where she would not find them right away, like in the back of a clothes drawer, in a stack of printer paper, inside a roll of TP, anywhere. I tried to be creative so that they could be found in everyday activities over a period of time. It's like an Easter Egg hunt. Yes, I left one in an under garment, I also left one in a shoe not worn every day. Please do not misconstrue the location with the intent, it is just random and creative.

There was no intent to be sick about it, if you were going to leave little notes like this for someone special in your life, where would you leave them?

Her bad luck with the opposite sex is pretty much by chance because she liked this one dude who didn't really like her , and was (and still is) playing with her emotions. Her sights aren't really too high, she's really just looking for a nice guy, and I "think" thai I might fit that catagory. (BTW: she's also one of my best friends)

The "best friend" scenario. I've been down this road before. Most of my teen years were spent trying to take friendships with girls I liked to the "next level". In the end, I always ended up burned. It's important to acknowledge your needs and be honest about it. For me, it took leaving a place where everyone had notions about who I should be in order to find myself. I ended up meeting the woman of my dreams shortly after moving to Pittsburgh. As has been said before, you have to be comfortable in your skin, and not have to make great gestures or moves for a girl's affections. In the movies, it works, but at least in my practice, doesn't always. Do something special, but a suit of armor is a bit much. The chauffeur approace as mentioned by someone else earlier is a winner - just don't have it be mom or dad driving you in their car. (I'll spare the embarrassing story).

If you live in Jersey or near Orlando, Florida (not sure if they are elsewhere), you can get a job at Medieval times, you may be able to bring the armor home.

- iantm

....that this thread is still going or worst, I keep posting to it.

O.k. roger that, you really like this girl. Do what you think is right. Please keep in mind that if things turn south, ( I have money that it will, regardless what you do) that you are both pretty inexperienced in this love-lust thing. Do go carrying any failure around for years as some war wound excuse for why you can't have relationships.

I always like to think that every relationship I was in had the benefit of narrowing down what I liked and disliked in a relationship (oh, and that changes as life goes on too). Makes knowing when to get into a long term realtionship and when to cut bait.

I think M&M work. It's a spontanous gift and I have never met a girl that didn't like chocolate. I would steer clear of the Knight/Castle thing...

I know why I'm up writing, I'm on vacation. I am a little confused however what you are doing writing during the middle of the school day. Don't you have classes to attend to? Homework? If you keep hanging out here you are you won't have to worry about the M&M's.

If you haven't figured it out yet, the recommendation is to keep it simple.

Train wreck...or a collision at sea.. they happen in gross slow motion too....

Lots of kids have laptops in school. I work at one of the one to one initiative school districts in PA, and it's lots of fun. Though, back in my high school days, I did all my classwork on a PB 180. It was fun, though I got made fun of for it. Who's laughing now ... cue maniacal cackling.

- iantm

ignore her.

She already knows you're goofy about her (yes, you are, by virtue of posting on this forum at the very least, so face it). That's a big strike against you already.

You don't know it, but it is.
You are now doormat fodder, and she knows it.
You are on the road to being a "good friend", you know, the one she can talk to about boys that she likes... Maybe you already are.

You need to stop this downward spiral into relationship purgatory.

So, what you do is stop talking to her. Don't call her, don't go out of your way to see her. If you pass her in the hall, give her a nod, then go on your business.

You don't have to be rude (however, sometimes that works even better but I don't recommend it), but you do need to show that you have other interests too. I wouldn't show interest in another girl, as that could destroy what you are trying to do, and drive her away completely.

Odds are she will start coming to you. She's REALLY going to want to know why you aren't interested in her. She won't come right out and ask that, but that's what is going on. Now her guard is down. Keep her wondering for a little while. Seem mean? These are the same tactics women use on us! It works both ways, it really does.

Eventually, you can bring down your guard and get goofy again, but only when she's equally goof about you -- and she isn't there yet.

At that point, you can do all those silly things you want to do without worrying (too much) about driving her away.

Hey, and if it doesn't work, don't sweat it! You've always got your Mac to love you.

blackbag, you expressed what I tried to say earlier in a previous post, and expanded upon it. I eventually gave up on those situations and did other things. After high school, I ended up meeting most of the women I've dated via chatrooms, mutual friends, or the age old friendster.com (where I met my fiancee). Give it a shot, you really don't have much to lose. Though, a word for the wise - meeting women via AOL is a really really bad idea. I have stories, but this is really not the place for it.

- iantm

ignore her.

Yeah, cuz that'll make her feel fantastic about herself...

It works both ways, it really does.

In my experience, any girl who falls for the "I'm too cool to be ga-ga over you" thing is just looking for emotional validation by attempting to land someone who is not interested in them. If that is the case, then yeah... ignore her... for about 10 years, or until she figures out who she is.

Hey, and if it doesn't work, don't sweat it!

Now this we agree on...

Young gobabushka, you have many years of experience ahead of you. You will meet many women that you will become infatuated with, that you will lust after, and some that you will actually fall in love with. But it will be about another 15 years or so before you figure out that you will never figure out what exactly it is that a woman wants.

Ever.

Now, I know that you will ignore most of my advice, as I ignored the advice of my elders oh those many years ago. So here's what you do...

Do! Act! Carpe Diem! Make those wonderful mistakes that will define you as a person. Do something stupid that you can tell your college friends about 5 years from now. Do something crazy. Just do something!

If I hadn't made the mistakes that I had made when I was young, I wouldn't have turned into the man my wife wanted to marry.

As Offspring said (in the song 'Come Out And Play')

...you're under 18, won't be doing any time...

Can you imagine how much you could learn if you were NOT burdened with this teen movie. I think if you have time to screw around here then you are not getting enough homework to do.

M&M, movie... if you don't get anywhere within 2 weeks then you have given her plenty of time (2 weeks is way too much anyway if she is actually interested).

...why do I keep posting here?

Yeah, cuz that'll make her feel fantastic about herself...

Hey man, baby steps, baby steps.

The first thing is to "De-chump-ify" our friend here. Right now he has a huge billboard-sized "L" welded to his forehead, and a bullseye painted on his back, right above the "Kick Me" sign tacked to his hindside.

Once she returns the interest, we can work on the whole "make her feel fantastic" about herself thing. Right now, she doesn't see our young friend as the gem. He's a rock, maybe a lump of coal to her.

In my experience, any girl who falls for the "I'm too cool to be ga-ga over you" thing is just looking for emotional validation by attempting to land someone who is not interested in them.

Every women is looking for emotional validation in one way or another. In getting there, we're just going to take the path of less resistance.

If that is the case, then yeah... ignore her... for about 10 years, or until she figures out who she is.

She'll be 25 in 10 years. I highly doubt she'll find herself by then, better make it 20 years to be on the safe side of things.

Know this: most high school romances rarely "make it" beyond a year. Those that make it beyond high school have a very slim chance of working out through college. You are most likely going to find your "mate" in college, or beyond that.

What does this mean? Go, have fun (be safe), and don't worry about it so much. Take the goofy approach, be "Mr. Cool" about it, or try something else (date her friend, play hard to get, etc). It's all a learning experience at this point.

I still say, based on your description, that the "Ignore her" technique is the one to try.

G'Luck M'Laddy.

So should I ignore her or should I just go with it. (I also don't want to be just a "good friend").

Go with it. If you don't want to be "just a friend", then you have nothing to lose.