Guy Q

This month’s “Men’s Fitness” magazine has an article, a questionnaire really, called “Guy Q”. According to the magazine a guy can have “the looks, the body, the moves, and the style – but if [he] doesn’t have the right Guy Q, the rest won’t matter”. But what is *Guy Q*? Apparently, it’s the thing a guy has that “makes a girl feel like a girl”. It’s the sense that “guys can protect and defend women, even when they don’t really need it”, which is why it is so desirable. The task-oriented questionnaire includes things such as installing a ceiling fan, slapping together a bedroom set from Ikea, catching a baseball in a mitt. Hardly life-saving… but decidedly masculine. Below are a few more of my favorites from the *quiz*:

- Remove a cork from a wine bottle in one piece, without getting chunks in the bottle (or just pushing the damn thing in).
- Drive a stick shift as well as an automatic – and lay rubber at will.
- Get your girl a drink in a crowded bar – in less than 5 minutes.
- Perform at least three pull-ups without your arms shaking.
- Um, spell – words like their and there or you’re and your do not serve the same purpose.
- Perform a basic slow dance (nothing too fancy – you just need to blend in with the other dancers on the floor).
- Split wood with an ax.
- Parallel park on a busy street on the first try.
- Play poker well enough to consistently win money.
- Open a beer bottle without an opener.

It also got me thinking about what the equivalent “Gal Q” questionnaire would look like. Nothing immediately leapt to mind. Well, a few things did come to mind (e.g. perform a blow job on demand) but they seemed to betray the tone of the article. I thought a little more and got a few more suggestions from Jen and Halee. It's actually kind of scary that I don't know the "little things a woman does that make her a woman" and that "make a man feel like a man." Maybe that's part of my problem!

- Tying her man's tie.
- Wear heels through impossible-looking terrain.
- Pick perfect birthday and holiday presents for her own family *and* your family.
- Clinch a dinner reservation at the hottest new restaurant.
- Prepare a delicious meal… and clean the kitchen while doing so.
- Iron a dress shirt in less than two minutes.
- Remember birthdays and other important dates, seemingly without effort.
- Arrange flowers tastefully in a vase and keep them alive for more than a day.
- Get red wine (or beer) stains out of your man’s favorite shirt.
- Soothe a crying baby, even if it’s not hers.

Btw, I scored 36/65 in the Guy Q questionnaire – good enough to sneak me into the “pass muster – barely” category. To be honest, I’m not sure than many of my San Francisco guy friends would score much better than me on this test… if they complete the test honestly, hand on heart! I know that I’d rather date the guy that is impressed that I can change a tire, set up a home theater system, swim (and not like a dog)… even though I’d probably let him do it. Haha. Let’s face it, as old-fashioned as it sounds, the guys that *provide, fix and participate in a variety of sporting events* are incredibly attractive.