It is amazing the power a few like minds can have in creating things.  I have been involved in many successful partnerships that have produced great products and outcomes, but this current partnership with four other female friends of mine is – I believe – destined to be one of my greatest (or the most infamous perhaps).

This partnership arose, not entirely surprisingly, over drinks at the Command Post Pub on the National Emergency Training Center at Emmitsburg on Thursday eve.  It began as a discussion of my newfound dating adventures and migrated to the notion that dating was at least as important as buying a used car and there has been lots of attention to ensuring that folks make smart decisions on used cars, but not so much on dating.  So this group of five women decided that we would create the proverbial Kelley Blue Book of dating as a general service to all women out there trying to survive the dating world.

This effort is materializing as a three-part approach: First, we decided the ratings and ratable characteristics; second, we created a Facebook page where we could receive additional input and comments; and, third we will attribute points to individual attributes to create the complete Red Fred Dating Scale.

So parts one and two are now complete. The ranking scale is complete:

Red Fred (800-1000 points)

Juicy Jessie (600-800 points)

Hot Chocolate (400-600 points)

Hopeless Harvey (200-400 points)

Blue Billy (Less than 200 points)

The rating characteristics – 13 in all – are complete.  While I cannot list the details here the general areas are: personal appearance; body; attitude and demeanor; character; romance, sexual appeal and sexual prowess; social skills; financial habits and assets; education and intelligence; skills; hygiene; relationships with others; baggage; and other. 

If you are on Facebook, find Red Fred here and throw your thoughts and experiences into the mix.  We (the group of five) are committed to producing an end product that actually serves other women’s dating decisions – call it our little contribution to society.  And for all the Red Freds out there (and those aspiring to be Red Freds) – chime right in – this is an exercise in the fun of difference and of the measurement of appeal across a series of categories – kinda’ like looking for the best used car, but way better. 😉

Day three hundred and forty-three of the new forty- obla di obla da

Ms. C