(No, not the trap where we think we can rescue some street urchin and turn him into a prince. I mean, my vagina is magical, but if there was a genie up there, I'd have used up those 3 wishes already.)

" I can show you the world
Shining, shimmering, splendid"

This post came about because one of my girlfriends was heartbroken over a guy that she'd only hung out with a couple of times (yes, hung out, no, not real date) because he was this big ski bum and she wanted to learn how to ski.

My first instinct was to say "wouldn't it be cheaper to take skiing lessons...?" but then I thought about how many times I hung my relationship hopes and dreams on a similar attractive point. I call it the 'Aladdin Trap'. When we meet Jasmine, she's trying to get more exposure to the real world by sneaking out of the palace. And then this "prince" comes along and acts like an utter ass, but he has the *one* thing she *really* wants - access to the outside world and worldly knowledge. So, even though Aladdin is a LVM bordering on NVM, she gives him a chance.

My own Aladdin Traps range all over the place - outdoorsy guys: he likes minimalist camping, I own hiking boots, he could teach me to enjoy peeing in the bushes; musicians (just don't - they're the walking vectors of every STD imaginable): I own a guitar, he could teach me to play like Jimi Hendrix; world travelers: I like to watch travel shows, maybe he could take me traveling to far away places!

But, like Jasmine, I have to excuse a lot (A LOT) of bad behavior along the way and endure a lot of bullshit *just* to find out that there's nothing that can make me enjoy peeing it the woods, that he's a horrible guitar teacher (and walking STD lab), or that he doesn't enjoy taking other people traveling with him.

It is MUCH easier and MUCH more cost effective (emotionally and financially) to just pay someone to help me decide if I like these things or not. And when I really learn to shred on my acoustic guitar (is that a thing?), maybe I'll bump into a guy that likes to shred on his acoustic guitar too, while also being a HVM. And maybe I won't. But I sure as hell will like my life better not waiting around for Aladdin - I'm going to get my own damn magic carpet.