Sure, conventional wisdom says that in life you only get one chance. But in love, there are no rules. However, there is good advice, not to mention learning from your mistakes.
Sure, conventional wisdom says that in life you only get one chance. But in love, there are no rules. However, there is good advice, not to mention learning from your mistakes.
I'm bad at commitment. Heck, I can barely spell it.
When is it best to take short-term pain for long-term gain?
Scenario: You've met someone, and you've been dating a month. He's all you've been talking about with your friends and family members. Co-workers notice a visible pep in your step, and you seem to be smiling for no reason whatsoever.
In 2000, Brenda Allison graduated from law school and moved to Chicago. There, she found a supportive group of friends, an apartment within walking distance of the city's hottest spots...and absolutely no time to date.
Women always seem to ask me where all the good men are, as if these near-mythical dudes are hiding behind bushes, chained up in some vampire's basement, or are just rare and elusive, like the snow leopard.
Chemistry -- just how important is it in any relationship or when you're dating?
I saw Michael Bernard Beckwith perform a re-commitment ceremony for a married couple a few years back and it blew me away. He looked at the husband and said, "Your job is to be her biggest fan and her greatest critic for the purpose of her spiritual development." He then turned to the wife and said the same thing to her about him.
Last night I was thrown for a loop when I ran into a long-ago ex at a party that he had no business (that I could fathom) attending. I was not happy to see him. In fact, over the past 10 or so years, I've made it a point to avoid being anywhere he might be.
Out of all the seven deadly sins, Envy is probably the least attractive (with Gluttony hot on its heels).
We all hear the horror stories about runaway spending in government. In fact, the feds recently reported that we had 13 consecutive months of budget deficit. Clearly, we can't control federal spending. Nor can we control state spending all that effectively.
When did the term "boyfriend" become obsolete? I must have somehow missed the memo.
Can an innocent Christmas present plunge a normal family into consensual madness?
Aren't we single ladies always on the quest to find the perfect man? Just yesterday, I was on that quest. And then I met him. For the sake of this post, let's call this perfect man John.
On the season finale of "Entourage," one of the characters, Eric, proposes to his girlfriend, Sloan, only it wasn't a romantic get-down-on-one-knee proposal, so much as it was a seemingly spur-of-the-moment declaration of his commitment to her.
Having a good relationship with your therapist is priceless, which is why author Susan Shapiro says she lost it when her therapist "abandoned" her by moving away and she was left alone to work through her issues.
I was talking to my friend Greg a few months ago and he told me a poignant and powerful story about speaking his truth. He was in a grocery store and saw a woman yelling at her children in a cruel way.
As I pack away the summer clothes, letting go of sunshine memories and preparing for the chilly fall air, I reflect on my dating life. Dates are like the changing seasons.
A lot of the letters I get asking for advice are from people who worry they'll never find love. "I'm 27 and still single!" they wail, or "I'm almost 30 and all my friends are married!" And while it's certainly natural to desire love and companionship and to get a little antsy about finding it, the idea that time is running out or that one should be married or at least in a long-term committed relationship by a certain age is not only wrong, it's potentially damaging.
Enter exhibit A: Female, 40 years old, single, career woman, no kids, victimized by 10 unsuccessful "hookups" per year since the age of 35.
I realize it might seem a little early to start talking about the holidays, but as my local drugstore pulled out the tinsel and Santa hats before they'd even had time to put away the slutty nurse costumes and plastic pumpkins, I figured I'd get a jump on the season.
I can sum up in three "acts" the breakdowns and breakups of most relationships since the beginning of time:
Liz Lemon, the self-professed relationship neurotic character on "30 Rock" recently became famous for her book on deal breakers.
For all the ballyhoo about Black Friday, the crown jewel in the holiday shopping calendar has been something of a bust for retailers. That's led to a shift in how the day is being handled this season.
There are only two reasons why I'd move in and live with another girlfriend. We're married and determined to fill a sweatshop with our nimble-fingered love critters.
Say you're getting married. Maybe you've had a few serious boyfriends before. Perhaps you were even engaged to one of them. Or you might have just had a series of one-night stands that never turned into more than a few steamy stories you told the girls about over a pitcher of sangria.
I'm tall. I mean, I'm really tall. And I don't mean 5'10" tall. I'm 6'1". That's ridiculously tall. Kermit the Frog once said: "It's not easy being green." Well, it's not easy being a tall woman, either.
If you thought your friend was about to make a mistake -- say, buy a computer that gets a ton of viruses or stay in a really dodgy hostel in Rome -- you'd try to convince them to do something different, right?
Like the David Letterman Debacle wasn't bad enough, now we have the story of Steve Phillips, the ESPN analyst, who had an affair with a 22-year-old coworker.
Want to boost your spending power? Try giving your wallet a break by shopping at a dollar store. Americans have embraced the four leading chains -- Dollar General, Family Dollar, Dollar Tree and the 99¢ Only store -- in droves during the recession.
When a friend of mine who's dipping her toe back into the world of online dating recently asked for three quick rules to remember when e-mailing potential matches, it occurred to me that if she needed a bit of a refresher course, some of you probably do too.
There are dealbreakers and then there are dealbreakers -- and a past history of domestic violence is a dealbreaker on a lot of people's list.
My plane landed after midnight last night. I could use about six more hours of sleep, and I'm not sure where, exactly, I stashed my hairbrush or my deodorant. Maybe I took a bath two days ago, but I honestly don't remember.
Men should buy women flowers. They are colorful. They smell nice. And without them, flora would never get laid. To many, purchasing flowers is cliché or corny or tacky. And to others, it's an outdated ritual in our modern era of gender equality.
One of the first times I went on a date with a girl, she asked me, "Are you bi or gay?"
In the three months or so since my wedding, I've had a chance to reflect on how my life has changed as a married woman. There are a few subtle differences (extra ring on my left hand, saying the phrase "my husband," cooking with fancy pots and pans), but the truth is, life hasn't changed much.
I used to be one of those self-righteous types who declared I'd sooner break up with a man than stoop to snoop.
Mindy Perlmutter was having a birthday party, but this was not just your garden variety, chocolate cake, two kinds of ice cream, balloons, and a piñata type soiree. No, this would be an affair to remember.
Is it over yet? Is the tough national economy healed? Is it time to sing, "Happy days are here again"?
Who was the first person you called the day your ex dumped you? Or that time you found a weird bump? Or the day you stumbled across that pair of barely worn Christian Louboutins at the Goodwill?
In the three months or so since my wedding, I've had a chance to reflect on how my life has changed as a married woman. There are a few subtle differences (extra ring on my left hand, saying the phrase "my husband," cooking with fancy pots and pans), but the truth is, life hasn't changed much.
One of the first times I went on a date with a girl, she asked me, "Are you bi or gay?"
Lust, love and like. A healthful, happy love relationship serves up three out of three. A healthful, happy love relationship is a passionate best friendship.
I've been writing relationship advice for nearly ten years now and the number-one question I get asked -- by readers and friends alike -- isn't anything filthy or even fun. It is: "How come I can't meet anyone?"
Huge, scary numbers are lurking everywhere these days: The massive federal bailout (now on the taxpayers' tab)...the unemployment rate, which is now at a 26-year high...that daunting sum you are constantly told you will need if you want to retire comfortably...the six-figure mortgage balance you barely chip away at each month.
The battle for your toy dollar is on! Wal-Mart and Toys "R" Us are just two of the giant monster mega-toy sellers going head to head this holiday season.
I'm not going to lie and say I have never hooked up with a coworker. I have. That said, I don't think it's a particularly good idea.
My grandmother had a saying: "People are funny when it comes to money." She could have been talking about me.
When you have a name like María de la Soledad Teresa O'Brien, you have a lot of explaining to do. My mother is black and also Latina, more specifically Cuban. She is a devout Catholic who credits the Virgin Mary with any success she's had in this country. But it was my father, a man who spoke no Spanish, who chose the name María de la Soledad to honor the Blessed Virgin Mary of Solitude ("solitude" in Spanish is soledad).

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