the prom smile: a do-over

When I was a sophomore in high school, I went to the prom. I don't know if you know this, but that's kind of a BIG DEAL since only juniors and seniors were allowed to buy tickets which meant if you were a sophomore going to the prom you had upperclassman friends (BIG DEAL) and even better, an uperclassman friend who'd asked YOU to be his prom date. Holy BIG DEAL, Batman. THIS IS A BIG DEAL.

Being fully aware of the BIG DEAL-ness of all of this, I put a lot of thought into the things I felt were most important about my ultimate prom experience. Namely? My Prom Smile. The Prom Smile was rehearsed in my bedroom mirror (and really any suitably reflective surface) for at least a month prior to the big day, if not more. I practiced setting up the prom smile and then getting visual confirmation in the mirror just to make sure I knew what every teeny muscle felt like while achieving the look.

The big day comes and goes (that's really another story for another blog post) and a few weeks later I'm sitting in my first period class when, ta da!, the photo packets arrive. Excitedly, I grab my pictures and pull out the humongous and glossy eight by ten only to find that somehow, through some terrible glitch in the universe, the photo had been snapped when I was in the middle of the set-up of The Prom Smile and the face that was captured instead could only be described as "A Recent Stroke Victim Chews Gum."

It was horrible.

We've all got that story. The one where the dress tore or the tux was too small or the date flaked at the last minute or we got lost on the way to the country club and missed the buffet of various and sundry miniature foods entirely. And that is why, in their infinite wisdom, my friends Lindsey and Elizabeth have decided to throw a prom. Prom 2.0, they're calling it, and it's going down in a little less than a month. And I'm DJing. I know. I KNOW.

But. (There's always a but.) Now I need a date. And I want your help. I'd like to open this up to the mercy of the internet, because I'm a nice lady like that and I know it would entertain the hell out of y'all. Especially if it ends up being awkward. Which, frankly, we have a 50% chance of by virtue of my involvement alone. So dream big.

I'm now accepting nominations for my prom date. I only have two rules. The first is that the bachelor must be a willing participant in the process. This means no super-secret surprise nominations, and it also means that the guy needs to be at least vaguely intrigued by the idea of going to a prom-themed party, dressing in a ridiculous suit and drinking spiked punch. The second rule is fairly obvious, but it must be said: the nominees MUST be comfortable with being featured on the blog. For the seriously masochistic, self-nominations are totally kosher.

I'll accept nominations until the pool looks good, so no specific deadline just yet. Then I'll post some basic information about each nominee, and a photo if they're willing. Then the polls will be open. You'll be able to vote via Twitter and Facebook, through the comments section here on the blog and also privately via e-mail. I'll close voting one week prior to the party to give the winning bachelor time to prepare for our date.

This is like a Choose Your Own Adventure story, where "Adventure" is interchangeable with "Awkward Interaction With A Man." Get thinking, and make your nominations in the comments or send them via e-mail.


cheers,
elizabeth