Dating Conundrum

[Ann] 

christine, i don't get this whole "going on dates" business
like...are you supposed to flirt? or just be yourself?
i guess some people are naturally flirty.

[me]

no, i totally understand the conundrum

i was wondering that too after my blind date a while back

i treated that date as if i were making a friend

[Ann]

i knooow!

[me]
and had i been attracted to the guy, i would've regretted it

but i guess if you want the guy, you have to flirt?

[Ann]

like i wonder if that gives the other person the impression that i'm not interested at all

[me]

you're asking the wrong person, girlfriend!

I still don't know the answer to this conundrum. I'm just a friendly person, and flirting isn't necessarily easy for me. Is it possible to flirt in a friendly, casual way? I would make myself cringe if I actually followed the advice I see in magazines (playfully touch the guy's forearm to show him your interest, give him a coquettish look from under your eyelashes, etc). I want to be friendly and make light conversation to put the guy at ease, but is that sending the message that I'm not that interested? Does he expect me to be more nervous and shy? What's a girl to do? I think my guy friends would be uncomfortable if I asked them...

Oxford Comma and Quotation Marks

I finally bothered to look up what an oxford comma is: it's that last comma before the 'and' in a series of listed items. "For lunch I had a sandwich, salad, (oxford comma!) and coffee." I think I read somewhere that it's optional, but I'm sticking with it. On the other hand, I can't stand that silly rule that punctuation marks must always go inside quotation marks! I don't ever have to turn in a paper again, so I'm doing away with that rule. How is it that such a nonsensical (at least in my opinion) rule is still in place? What if you're repeating someone's words to them as a way of seeking explanation? As in: "What do you mean 'I can't find Penny'?" If I had put that question mark in front of that quotation mark, it'd be as though the other person was asking the question, "I can't find Penny?" See what I mean? Maybe I'm not making any sense at all.