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<channel>
 <title>DearSugar --  Just ask.</title>
 <link>http://dearsugar.com/</link>
 <description>Just ask.</description>
 <language>en</language>
<item>
 <title>Dear Poll: How Many First Kisses Did You Have in &#039;08?</title>
 <link>http://dearsugar.com/2553858</link>
 <description>&lt;!-- no strip poll --&gt;&lt;div id=&quot;epoll-view-2553858&quot;&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;script type=&quot;text/javascript&quot;&gt;new Ajax.Request(&#039;/epoll/view/2553858&#039;,{method:&#039;get&#039;,onSuccess:function(transport){var epoll=$(&#039;epoll-view-2553858&#039;);epoll.update(transport.responseText);}});&lt;/script&gt;&lt;noscript&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;inline left&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;http://images.teamsugar.com/files/upl1/0/3362/49_2008/be47fe7c166c209b_kiss.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; title=&quot;&quot; class=&quot;left outline image xlarger&quot; width=&quot;275&quot; height=&quot;366&quot;&gt;&lt;/span&gt;2008 is coming to an end, so I thought it&#039;d be fun to take a look back and reflect on everything you&#039;ve accomplished and experienced this year. Throughout December, I&#039;ll be taking you on a trip down memory lane so get ready to be nostalgic! &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;If you&#039;re single, I bet you kissed your fair share of frogs this year; I know I did! A kiss can say a lot, especially in the chemistry department, so I&#039;ve always thought it was a good idea to test the merchandise before buying the goods — so to speak! In the spirit of wrapping up the year, tell us, approximately how many first kisses did you have in 2008?&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.gettyimages.com&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Source&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/p&gt;&lt;!-- no strip poll --&gt;&lt;form action=&quot;/2553858&quot;  method=&quot;post&quot; id=&quot;epoll_view_voting&quot;&gt;
&lt;div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;poll&quot;&gt;  &lt;div class=&quot;vote-form&quot;&gt;    &lt;div class=&quot;choices&quot;&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;form-item&quot;&gt;
 &lt;label&gt;Dear Poll: How Many First Kisses Did You Have in &amp;#039;08?&lt;/label&gt;
 &lt;div class=&quot;form-item&quot;&gt;
 &lt;label class=&quot;option&quot;&gt;&lt;input type=&quot;radio&quot; name=&quot;edit[choice]&quot; value=&quot;0&quot;   class=&quot;form-radio&quot; /&gt; None!&lt;/label&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div class=&quot;form-item&quot;&gt;
 &lt;label class=&quot;option&quot;&gt;&lt;input type=&quot;radio&quot; name=&quot;edit[choice]&quot; value=&quot;1&quot;   class=&quot;form-radio&quot; /&gt; Only one&lt;/label&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div class=&quot;form-item&quot;&gt;
 &lt;label class=&quot;option&quot;&gt;&lt;input type=&quot;radio&quot; name=&quot;edit[choice]&quot; value=&quot;2&quot;   class=&quot;form-radio&quot; /&gt; Two to five&lt;/label&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div class=&quot;form-item&quot;&gt;
 &lt;label class=&quot;option&quot;&gt;&lt;input type=&quot;radio&quot; name=&quot;edit[choice]&quot; value=&quot;3&quot;   class=&quot;form-radio&quot; /&gt; Five to 15&lt;/label&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div class=&quot;form-item&quot;&gt;
 &lt;label class=&quot;option&quot;&gt;&lt;input type=&quot;radio&quot; name=&quot;edit[choice]&quot; value=&quot;4&quot;   class=&quot;form-radio&quot; /&gt; 15 to 25&lt;/label&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div class=&quot;form-item&quot;&gt;
 &lt;label class=&quot;option&quot;&gt;&lt;input type=&quot;radio&quot; name=&quot;edit[choice]&quot; value=&quot;5&quot;   class=&quot;form-radio&quot; /&gt; I&#039;ve kissed too many people — I lost track!&lt;/label&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;

&lt;/div&gt;
    &lt;/div&gt;&lt;input type=&quot;hidden&quot; name=&quot;edit[nid]&quot; id=&quot;edit-nid&quot; value=&quot;2553858&quot;  /&gt;
&lt;input type=&quot;submit&quot; name=&quot;op&quot; value=&quot;Vote&quot;  class=&quot;form-submit&quot; /&gt;
  &lt;/div&gt;&lt;input type=&quot;hidden&quot; name=&quot;edit[form_id]&quot; id=&quot;edit-form_id&quot; value=&quot;epoll_view_voting&quot;  /&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/form&gt;
&lt;!-- no strip poll --&gt;&lt;/noscript&gt;&lt;!-- no strip poll --&gt;</description>
 <comments>http://dearsugar.com/2553858#comment</comments>
 <category domain="http://dearsugar.com/tags/Best of 2008">Best of 2008</category>
 <category domain="http://dearsugar.com/tags/Dating">Dating</category>
 <category domain="http://dearsugar.com/tags/Kiss">Kiss</category>
 <category domain="http://dearsugar.com/tags/Sugar Awards 2008">Sugar Awards 2008</category>
 <pubDate>Tue, 02 Dec 2008 09:00:00 -0800</pubDate>
 <dc:creator>DearSugar</dc:creator>
 <guid>http://dearsugar.com/2553858</guid>
</item>
<item>
 <title>Handle This: Your Date Is Buzzed!</title>
 <link>http://dearsugar.com/2553063</link>
 <description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;inline left&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;http://images.teamsugar.com/files/upl1/0/3362/49_2008/7f690a888386ec85_annoyed.xlarger.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; title=&quot;&quot; class=&quot;right outline image xlarger&quot; width=&quot;263&quot; height=&quot;400&quot;&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;i&gt;If you were put in a situation like this, how would you handle it?&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;You finally met a guy that you were excited to go out with. A date was set and you were looking forward to it all week. He said he&#039;d call you in the late afternoon to solidify your plans for the night, but when he called, you could tell that he was out someplace and it was pretty evident that he had been drinking. When you asked where he was, he told you that he stopped by the local pub to catch the &lt;a href=&quot;http://dearsugar.com/1994596&quot; &gt;football game&lt;/a&gt; with his buddies. He went on to say he was really excited to see you and asked when you&#039;d be ready. Unfortunately you&#039;re instantly turned off — you weren&#039;t expecting to have to deal with a buzzed date, especially a buzzed first date! &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Part of you wants to reschedule, but you&#039;re already in the going-out mindset, plus your calendar is almost completely booked up due to the holidays. You&#039;re torn, so how would you handle this? &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.gettyimages.com&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Source&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
</description>
 <comments>http://dearsugar.com/2553063#comment</comments>
 <category domain="http://dearsugar.com/tags/Dating">Dating</category>
 <category domain="http://dearsugar.com/tags/drunk">drunk</category>
 <category domain="http://dearsugar.com/tags/football">football</category>
 <category domain="http://dearsugar.com/tags/Handle This">Handle This</category>
 <category domain="http://dearsugar.com/tags/Relationships">Relationships</category>
 <category domain="http://dearsugar.com/tags/sports">sports</category>
 <pubDate>Tue, 02 Dec 2008 06:00:00 -0800</pubDate>
 <dc:creator>DearSugar</dc:creator>
 <guid>http://dearsugar.com/2553063</guid>
</item>
<item>
 <title>You Asked: He Hasn&#039;t Called — What Gives?   </title>
 <link>http://dearsugar.com/2538500</link>
 <description>&lt;p&gt;Dear Sugar, &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;I met a cute boy at a law school function on Saturday night and after a few cocktails and dances, we ended up at a bar, just the two of us, and kissing ensued. It was lovely and he offered to walk me back to my apartment. (I insisted it wasn&#039;t necessary seeing as how we live on opposite sides of Manhattan, but the boy could not be dissuaded!)  Though he never made it beyond my apartment doorway, we exchanged the cutesy &quot;let&#039;s do this again soon&quot; texts after he left. So now, it&#039;s Monday, and he has yet to contact me again. What gives? — Surprised Sascha &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;inline left&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;http://images.teamsugar.com/files/upl1/0/3362/48_2008/54b9283331970f3a_phone.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; title=&quot;&quot; class=&quot;outline image xxlarge&quot; width=&quot;465&quot; height=&quot;368&quot;&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;To see DearSugar&#039;s answer &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://dearsugar.com/2538500&quot;&gt;read more&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description>
 <comments>http://dearsugar.com/2538500#comment</comments>
 <category domain="http://dearsugar.com/tags/Advice">Advice</category>
 <category domain="http://dearsugar.com/tags/Dating">Dating</category>
 <category domain="http://dearsugar.com/tags/Relationships">Relationships</category>
 <category domain="http://dearsugar.com/tags/You Asked">You Asked</category>
 <pubDate>Mon, 01 Dec 2008 12:30:00 -0800</pubDate>
 <dc:creator>DearSugar</dc:creator>
 <guid>http://dearsugar.com/2538500</guid>
</item>
<item>
 <title>Dear Poll: In Dating, Is Your Parents&#039; Approval Important?</title>
 <link>http://dearsugar.com/2534776</link>
 <description>&lt;!-- no strip poll --&gt;&lt;div id=&quot;epoll-view-2534776&quot;&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;script type=&quot;text/javascript&quot;&gt;new Ajax.Request(&#039;/epoll/view/2534776&#039;,{method:&#039;get&#039;,onSuccess:function(transport){var epoll=$(&#039;epoll-view-2534776&#039;);epoll.update(transport.responseText);}});&lt;/script&gt;&lt;noscript&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;inline left&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;http://images.teamsugar.com/files/upl1/1/12981/48_2008/8d4a2977af9a7a45_parents.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; title=&quot;&quot; class=&quot;right image xlarge&quot; height=&quot;300&quot; width=&quot;300&quot;&gt;&lt;/span&gt;The holidays are here, and I bet some of you are bringing your significant others home to meet your family for the first time. The thought of introducing a new guy to the family could easily make you feel anxious — especially if you fear he may not measure up to the picture-perfect guy your parents have in mind — so what would happen if you consider him marriage material and your parents don&#039;t approve? Ladies, what I want to know is . . .&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.gettyimages.com&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Source&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/p&gt;&lt;!-- no strip poll --&gt;&lt;form action=&quot;/2534776&quot;  method=&quot;post&quot; id=&quot;epoll_view_voting&quot;&gt;
&lt;div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;poll&quot;&gt;  &lt;div class=&quot;vote-form&quot;&gt;    &lt;div class=&quot;choices&quot;&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;form-item&quot;&gt;
 &lt;label&gt;Dear Poll: In Dating, Is Your Parents&amp;#039; Approval Important?&lt;/label&gt;
 &lt;div class=&quot;form-item&quot;&gt;
 &lt;label class=&quot;option&quot;&gt;&lt;input type=&quot;radio&quot; name=&quot;edit[choice]&quot; value=&quot;0&quot;   class=&quot;form-radio&quot; /&gt; Yes, I want my parents to love the person I&#039;m dating!&lt;/label&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div class=&quot;form-item&quot;&gt;
 &lt;label class=&quot;option&quot;&gt;&lt;input type=&quot;radio&quot; name=&quot;edit[choice]&quot; value=&quot;1&quot;   class=&quot;form-radio&quot; /&gt; No, I&#039;m not concerned with whether my parents approve.&lt;/label&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div class=&quot;form-item&quot;&gt;
 &lt;label class=&quot;option&quot;&gt;&lt;input type=&quot;radio&quot; name=&quot;edit[choice]&quot; value=&quot;2&quot;   class=&quot;form-radio&quot; /&gt; I&#039;m not dating.&lt;/label&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;

&lt;/div&gt;
    &lt;/div&gt;&lt;input type=&quot;hidden&quot; name=&quot;edit[nid]&quot; id=&quot;edit-nid&quot; value=&quot;2534776&quot;  /&gt;
&lt;input type=&quot;submit&quot; name=&quot;op&quot; value=&quot;Vote&quot;  class=&quot;form-submit&quot; /&gt;
  &lt;/div&gt;&lt;input type=&quot;hidden&quot; name=&quot;edit[form_id]&quot; id=&quot;edit-form_id&quot; value=&quot;epoll_view_voting&quot;  /&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/form&gt;
&lt;!-- no strip poll --&gt;&lt;/noscript&gt;&lt;!-- no strip poll --&gt;</description>
 <comments>http://dearsugar.com/2534776#comment</comments>
 <category domain="http://dearsugar.com/tags/Dating">Dating</category>
 <category domain="http://dearsugar.com/tags/Dear Poll">Dear Poll</category>
 <category domain="http://dearsugar.com/tags/Parent Approval">Parent Approval</category>
 <pubDate>Fri, 28 Nov 2008 10:00:00 -0800</pubDate>
 <dc:creator>DearSugar</dc:creator>
 <guid>http://dearsugar.com/2534776</guid>
</item>
<item>
 <title>You Asked: Does He Just Want a Friendship? </title>
 <link>http://dearsugar.com/2537522</link>
 <description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;inline left&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;http://images.teamsugar.com/files/upl1/0/3362/48_2008/0d9e8e6b28d7bada_cafe.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; title=&quot;&quot; class=&quot;left outline image xlarge&quot; width=&quot;313&quot; height=&quot;312&quot;&gt;&lt;/span&gt;Dear Sugar, &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;I met this guy in college and developed a major crush on him, but nothing ever happened. After graduating we kept in contact via email, then after a couple months, we met for coffee. We got to talking and he told me that he&#039;s been attracted to me for some time now, but informed me that he was in a relationship with someone else. He said he needed to figure things out on his end before getting me involved. I let him know that I too am attracted to him, and that I still wanted to maintain our friendship.  &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;He emailed me about a week later and suggested we meet up again — I agreed. This time we went to a cafe in the evening and talked for several hours. I know he is with another girl so I wanted to be respectful, but the whole time we were together I was thinking about how much I like him. When we left the cafe, he told me he wanted to do it again sometime, but what does all this mean? Does he just want to be friends? Is he keeping me around just in case he and his girlfriend break up? Am I setting myself up? Please help! — Unclear Claire &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;To see DearSugar&#039;s answer, &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://dearsugar.com/2537522&quot;&gt;read more&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description>
 <comments>http://dearsugar.com/2537522#comment</comments>
 <category domain="http://dearsugar.com/tags/Advice">Advice</category>
 <category domain="http://dearsugar.com/tags/Breakup">Breakup</category>
 <category domain="http://dearsugar.com/tags/Dating">Dating</category>
 <category domain="http://dearsugar.com/tags/Friendship">Friendship</category>
 <category domain="http://dearsugar.com/tags/Relationships">Relationships</category>
 <category domain="http://dearsugar.com/tags/You Asked">You Asked</category>
 <pubDate>Wed, 26 Nov 2008 12:30:00 -0800</pubDate>
 <dc:creator>DearSugar</dc:creator>
 <guid>http://dearsugar.com/2537522</guid>
</item>
<item>
 <title>You Asked: Where Did This Hatred Come From? </title>
 <link>http://dearsugar.com/2534816</link>
 <description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;inline left&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;http://images.teamsugar.com/files/upl1/0/3362/48_2008/eadae139541948e4_facebook.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; title=&quot;&quot; class=&quot;left outline image xlarger&quot; width=&quot;240&quot; height=&quot;344&quot;&gt;&lt;/span&gt;Dear Sugar, &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;I dated this guy for about six months and we mutually decided to break things off. Before dating, we were amazing friends; we hung out all the time and have always been in the same circle of friends. We agreed to remain good friends after ending it because neither of us wanted to lose the friendship. However, my continuing to hang out in our circle upset him to the point where he deleted/blocked me from MSN, removed pictures of me from his Facebook page, and wrote me an extremely rude email telling me that he no longer wanted to see me. Since receiving his harsh note, I have respected his wishes and we haven&#039;t talked or seen each other in two months.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Just today he removed me from his friend status on Facebook without any provocation. Naturally I&#039;m upset by all of this and confused as to what his motives were. Does he hate me? — Aggravated Ashley&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;To see DearSugar&#039;s answer &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://dearsugar.com/2534816&quot;&gt;read more&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description>
 <comments>http://dearsugar.com/2534816#comment</comments>
 <category domain="http://dearsugar.com/tags/Breakup">Breakup</category>
 <category domain="http://dearsugar.com/tags/circle of friends">circle of friends</category>
 <category domain="http://dearsugar.com/tags/Dating">Dating</category>
 <category domain="http://dearsugar.com/tags/Ex">Ex</category>
 <category domain="http://dearsugar.com/tags/You Asked">You Asked</category>
 <pubDate>Tue, 25 Nov 2008 12:30:00 -0800</pubDate>
 <dc:creator>DearSugar</dc:creator>
 <guid>http://dearsugar.com/2534816</guid>
</item>
<item>
 <title>Ask a Bad Boy: Are Hot Men Only Interested in Hot Women?</title>
 <link>http://dearsugar.com/2530602</link>
 <description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;inline left&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;http://images.teamsugar.com/files/upl1/0/3362/45_2008/f99a93f0088c4340_d23552692a051446_Steve.xlarger.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; title=&quot;&quot; class=&quot;right outline image xlarger&quot; width=&quot;266&quot; height=&quot;400&quot;&gt;&lt;/span&gt;Steve Santagati, the author of &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.amazon.com/Manual-Explains-Think-Mate-Women/dp/030734570X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;amp;s=books&amp;amp;qid=1225651203&amp;amp;sr=8-1&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;The Manual&lt;/a&gt;, is back! To ask Steve questions of your own, simply submit them &lt;a href=&quot;http://dearsugar.com/contact/ask&quot; &gt;here&lt;/a&gt; or in the comments section below. Enjoy!&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Dear Steve,&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;I&#039;m no Ugly Betty, but I&#039;m not a super model either, and I&#039;m having a hard time meeting a man. It seems like the hot men I&#039;m attracted to are only attracted to beautiful women — regardless of their personality — and I&#039;m starting to feel incredibly discouraged. Whatever happened to a guy being interested in a woman for her charisma, her humor, or her intelligence? I&#039;m trying hard not to lump all men into the same category, but not one has proven me wrong. Are men really that shallow? Are looks all that matter? — Frustrated Faith&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;To see Steve&#039;s answer &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://dearsugar.com/2530602&quot;&gt;read more&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description>
 <comments>http://dearsugar.com/2530602#comment</comments>
 <category domain="http://dearsugar.com/tags/Ask a Bad Boy">Ask a Bad Boy</category>
 <category domain="http://dearsugar.com/tags/attraction">attraction</category>
 <category domain="http://dearsugar.com/tags/Dating">Dating</category>
 <category domain="http://dearsugar.com/tags/looks">looks</category>
 <category domain="http://dearsugar.com/tags/personality traits">personality traits</category>
 <category domain="http://dearsugar.com/tags/Steve Santagati">Steve Santagati</category>
 <pubDate>Mon, 24 Nov 2008 07:30:00 -0800</pubDate>
 <dc:creator>DearSugar</dc:creator>
 <guid>http://dearsugar.com/2530602</guid>
</item>
<item>
 <title>Ask E. Jean For DearSugar: Am I an Online Dating Dud?</title>
 <link>http://dearsugar.com/1558203</link>
 <description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;inline left&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;http://images.teamsugar.com/files/users/0/3362/49_2007/ejean-two%20hands.preview.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; title=&quot;&quot; class=&quot;left outline image preview&quot; height=&quot;350&quot; width=&quot;342&quot;&gt;&lt;/span&gt;E. Jean is still enjoying her time off, but don&#039;t fret, she&#039;ll be back December 4th! In the meantime, here&#039;s an oldie but goodie. Enjoy! &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Dear E. Jean, &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;I know I’m old-fashioned, but I’ve never tried any of the dating sites. It is now time. Past time!  (I’m 30 years old and haven’t had a date in seven months.  Awk.)&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Ok.  So. I put my profile on Match.com. I worked hard trying to sound smart and funny and cool.  Believe it or not, I was frightened I was going to get inundated with guys I didn’t want to talk to . . . and guess what?  No guys — not one guy — wrote to me. Nothing!  I’m just sitting there.  What am I doing wrong? I feel like I should take my profile down! This is not for me! My friends get tons of notice and meet lots of guys, and one of my friends even married a guy she met on &lt;b&gt;The Onion&lt;/b&gt; personals. I don’t get it. Help!  — Dead on Match&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;To see E. Jean&#039;s answer, &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://dearsugar.com/1558203&quot;&gt;read more&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description>
 <comments>http://dearsugar.com/1558203#comment</comments>
 <category domain="http://dearsugar.com/tags/Advice">Advice</category>
 <category domain="http://dearsugar.com/tags/Ask E Jean for DearSugar">Ask E Jean for DearSugar</category>
 <category domain="http://dearsugar.com/tags/Dating">Dating</category>
 <category domain="http://dearsugar.com/tags/E Jean">E Jean</category>
 <category domain="http://dearsugar.com/tags/match.com">match.com</category>
 <category domain="http://dearsugar.com/tags/online dating">online dating</category>
 <category domain="http://dearsugar.com/tags/You Asked">You Asked</category>
 <pubDate>Thu, 20 Nov 2008 06:00:00 -0800</pubDate>
 <dc:creator>E Jean Carroll</dc:creator>
 <guid>http://dearsugar.com/1558203</guid>
</item>
<item>
 <title>Tough Question No. 3: When Are You Getting Engaged? </title>
 <link>http://dearsugar.com/2512315</link>
 <description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;inline left&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;http://images.teamsugar.com/files/upl1/0/3362/47_2008/425cefe11230b30a_kids.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; title=&quot;&quot; class=&quot;left outline image xlarger&quot; width=&quot;275&quot; height=&quot;377&quot;&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;If you&#039;re &lt;a href=&quot;http://dearsugar.com/2494581&quot; &gt;dating&lt;/a&gt; and you &lt;a href=&quot;http://dearsugar.com/2502489&quot; &gt;have a job&lt;/a&gt;, don&#039;t think that you&#039;re exempt from the line of questioning at Thanksgiving — getting engaged is of course the next one! Some women enjoy just dating their significant other, but if you&#039;re actually waiting for a ring yourself, this question could hit a nerve. To see my suggestions on how to answer tough question number three, just &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://dearsugar.com/2512315&quot;&gt;read more&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description>
 <comments>http://dearsugar.com/2512315#comment</comments>
 <category domain="http://dearsugar.com/tags/Dating">Dating</category>
 <category domain="http://dearsugar.com/tags/Engagement">Engagement</category>
 <category domain="http://dearsugar.com/tags/holiday">holiday</category>
 <category domain="http://dearsugar.com/tags/Job">Job</category>
 <category domain="http://dearsugar.com/tags/Thanksgiving">Thanksgiving</category>
 <category domain="http://dearsugar.com/tags/Tough Questions">Tough Questions</category>
 <pubDate>Wed, 19 Nov 2008 07:30:00 -0800</pubDate>
 <dc:creator>DearSugar</dc:creator>
 <guid>http://dearsugar.com/2512315</guid>
</item>
<item>
 <title>Do You Have a Number One? </title>
 <link>http://dearsugar.com/2510694</link>
 <description>&lt;p&gt;Last night on &lt;a href=&quot;http://dearsugar.com/tags/The+hills&quot; &gt;The Hills&lt;/a&gt;, Audrina and Lauren have yet another heart-to-heart about Audrina&#039;s relationship with Justin Bobby. Although most of Audtrina&#039;s friends are skeptical of their relationship, she continues to defend it by saying she just doesn&#039;t have the same chemistry or connection with anyone else. Lauren referred to Justin as Audrina&#039;s &quot;number one,&quot; and it got me thinking about those guys that will always have your attention, no matter how wrong they might be. Even if you&#039;re not with him anymore, tell me, have you ever had a number one? &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;inline left&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;http://images.teamsugar.com/files/upl1/0/3362/47_2008/1ef8f268bdd33914_07-lauren-audrina-drinks.preview.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; title=&quot;&quot; class=&quot;image preview&quot; width=&quot;550&quot; height=&quot;308&quot;&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Photo courtesy of &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.mtv.com/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;MTV&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
</description>
 <comments>http://dearsugar.com/2510694#comment</comments>
 <category domain="http://dearsugar.com/tags/Celebrity">Celebrity</category>
 <category domain="http://dearsugar.com/tags/Dating">Dating</category>
 <category domain="http://dearsugar.com/tags/Number One">Number One</category>
 <category domain="http://dearsugar.com/tags/Relationships">Relationships</category>
 <category domain="http://dearsugar.com/tags/The Hills">The Hills</category>
 <pubDate>Tue, 18 Nov 2008 11:00:00 -0800</pubDate>
 <dc:creator>DearSugar</dc:creator>
 <guid>http://dearsugar.com/2510694</guid>
</item>
<item>
 <title>7 Great Winter Date Ideas</title>
 <link>http://dearsugar.com/slideshow/2509800</link>
 <description>&lt;a href=&quot;/slideshow/2509800?page=0&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;http://images.teamsugar.com/files/upl1/0/3362/47_2008/88c8ed5c269c3a6b_rain.xlarge.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;7 Great Winter Date Ideas&quot; title=&quot;7 Great Winter Date Ideas&quot;  class=&quot;image xlarge inline left&quot; height=&quot;320&quot; width=&quot;274&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;When the seasons change, your date options change as well. Since the days of taking long walks on the beach are behind us, &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.glamour.com/sex-love-life/blogs/single-ish/2008/11/dating-in-a-winter-wonderland.html?mbid=sugar_single&quot;&gt;Glamour.com&lt;/a&gt; has come up with three great date ideas when the weather outside is frightening: seeing a play, show, or movie; visiting a museum or gallery; or going out for dinner and a drink. I&#039;ve come up with my own ideas, too — check them out in this slideshow, and tell us what you enjoy doing with your dates during the Winter in the comments section. 

&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.gettyimages.com&quot;&gt;Source&lt;/a&gt;
&lt;div id=&#039;pager&#039; style=&#039;margin:25px auto;text-align:center;margin:8px; &#039;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/slideshow/2509800?page=0&quot;&gt;Start Slideshow&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</description>
 <comments>http://dearsugar.com/slideshow/2509800#comment</comments>
 <category domain="http://dearsugar.com/tags/Dating">Dating</category>
 <category domain="http://dearsugar.com/tags/list">list</category>
 <category domain="http://dearsugar.com/tags/winter">winter</category>
 <pubDate>Tue, 18 Nov 2008 07:30:00 -0800</pubDate>
 <dc:creator>DearSugar</dc:creator>
 <guid>http://dearsugar.com/2509800</guid>
</item>
<item>
 <title>Ask a Bad Boy: Putting Out on the First Date</title>
 <link>http://dearsugar.com/2502508</link>
 <description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;inline left&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;http://images.teamsugar.com/files/upl1/0/3362/45_2008/f99a93f0088c4340_d23552692a051446_Steve.xlarger.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; title=&quot;&quot; class=&quot;right outline image xlarger&quot; width=&quot;266&quot; height=&quot;400&quot;&gt;&lt;/span&gt;Steve Santagati, the author of &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.amazon.com/Manual-Explains-Think-Mate-Women/dp/030734570X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;amp;s=books&amp;amp;qid=1225651203&amp;amp;sr=8-1&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;The Manual&lt;/a&gt;, is back to answer another question for all of you — I hope advice from the male point of view helps! To ask Steve questions of your own, simply submit them &lt;a href=&quot;http://dearsugar.com/contact/ask&quot; &gt;here&lt;/a&gt; or in the comments section below. Enjoy!&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Dear Steve, &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;This is a debate I&#039;ve been having with my girl friends for years now and I&#039;d love to hear your take on it.  Do guys have a lower opinion of you if you &quot;put out&quot; on the first date? Can a relationship ever come to fruition if there&#039;s no longer any sense of mystery? — Wondering Wednesday &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;To see Steve&#039;s answer, &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://dearsugar.com/2502508&quot;&gt;read more&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description>
 <comments>http://dearsugar.com/2502508#comment</comments>
 <category domain="http://dearsugar.com/tags/Advice">Advice</category>
 <category domain="http://dearsugar.com/tags/Ask a Bad Boy">Ask a Bad Boy</category>
 <category domain="http://dearsugar.com/tags/Dating">Dating</category>
 <category domain="http://dearsugar.com/tags/men">men</category>
 <category domain="http://dearsugar.com/tags/Relationships">Relationships</category>
 <category domain="http://dearsugar.com/tags/Sex">Sex</category>
 <category domain="http://dearsugar.com/tags/Steve Santagati">Steve Santagati</category>
 <pubDate>Tue, 18 Nov 2008 06:00:00 -0800</pubDate>
 <dc:creator>DearSugar</dc:creator>
 <guid>http://dearsugar.com/2502508</guid>
</item>
<item>
 <title>Tough Question No. 1: Why Aren&#039;t You Dating? </title>
 <link>http://dearsugar.com/2494581</link>
 <description>&lt;p&gt;A common &lt;a href=&quot;http://dearsugar.com/2488816&quot; &gt;fear many women have as Thanksgiving approaches&lt;/a&gt; is how to answer those intrusive, uncomfortable, and sometimes rude questions by family members or old acquaintances. To help get you prepared for turkey day, I&#039;m here to offer my suggestions for how to respond to the line of questioning most everyone gets this time of year. Let&#039;s start with question number one: Why aren&#039;t you dating? &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;inline left&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;http://images.teamsugar.com/files/upl1/0/3362/46_2008/ab26047cecf06146_questions.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; title=&quot;&quot; class=&quot;image xxlarge&quot; width=&quot;483&quot; height=&quot;353&quot;&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;To see my answers, &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://dearsugar.com/2494581&quot;&gt;read more&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description>
 <comments>http://dearsugar.com/2494581#comment</comments>
 <category domain="http://dearsugar.com/tags/Dating">Dating</category>
 <category domain="http://dearsugar.com/tags/Family">Family</category>
 <category domain="http://dearsugar.com/tags/holiday">holiday</category>
 <category domain="http://dearsugar.com/tags/Relationships">Relationships</category>
 <category domain="http://dearsugar.com/tags/Thanksgiving">Thanksgiving</category>
 <category domain="http://dearsugar.com/tags/Tough Questions">Tough Questions</category>
 <pubDate>Mon, 17 Nov 2008 06:00:00 -0800</pubDate>
 <dc:creator>DearSugar</dc:creator>
 <guid>http://dearsugar.com/2494581</guid>
</item>
<item>
 <title>You Asked: Should I Butt Into Their Relationship? </title>
 <link>http://dearsugar.com/2498885</link>
 <description>&lt;p&gt;Dear Sugar, &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;There’s a woman that I really like and can&#039;t stop thinking about. We’ve been friends for five years; we worked together but I was married at the time. I think she felt the same way. We were always very flirty with each other and she used to say things like “too bad you&#039;re married.” We would go out for drinks, lunches, and work parties together because my wife never wanted to come. We kissed once at the Christmas party but as soon as we realized what we did, we promised to never let it happen again.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;span class=&quot;inline left&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;http://images.teamsugar.com/files/upl1/0/3362/46_2008/9a023a0cd05f3777_man.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; title=&quot;&quot; class=&quot;image xxlarge&quot; width=&quot;484&quot; height=&quot;352&quot;&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
I moved to another state for my wife’s job but soon after she decided she didn’t love me anymore and we divorced at the beginning of this year. I moved back home and I feel ready to date again. This woman I like is with someone else now and it&#039;s pretty serious. We are still very flirty when we&#039;re together and I think she knows I want to be more than friends with her. Should I risk wrecking our friendship by telling her, or do I wait to see if the relationship she’s in works out? — Unsure Sean &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;To see DearSugar&#039;s answer &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://dearsugar.com/2498885&quot;&gt;read more&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description>
 <comments>http://dearsugar.com/2498885#comment</comments>
 <category domain="http://dearsugar.com/tags/Advice">Advice</category>
 <category domain="http://dearsugar.com/tags/Dating">Dating</category>
 <category domain="http://dearsugar.com/tags/Divorce">Divorce</category>
 <category domain="http://dearsugar.com/tags/You Asked">You Asked</category>
 <pubDate>Fri, 14 Nov 2008 10:30:00 -0800</pubDate>
 <dc:creator>DearSugar</dc:creator>
 <guid>http://dearsugar.com/2498885</guid>
</item>
<item>
 <title>Dear Poll: Have You Ever Passed an Ex Off to a Friend?</title>
 <link>http://dearsugar.com/2499024</link>
 <description>&lt;!-- no strip poll --&gt;&lt;div id=&quot;epoll-view-2499024&quot;&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;script type=&quot;text/javascript&quot;&gt;new Ajax.Request(&#039;/epoll/view/2499024&#039;,{method:&#039;get&#039;,onSuccess:function(transport){var epoll=$(&#039;epoll-view-2499024&#039;);epoll.update(transport.responseText);}});&lt;/script&gt;&lt;noscript&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;inline left&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;http://images.teamsugar.com/files/upl1/0/3362/46_2008/b8d962e1f30f5ae6_set-up.xlarger.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; title=&quot;&quot; class=&quot;left outline image xlarger&quot; width=&quot;266&quot; height=&quot;400&quot;&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;The jury is still out on &lt;a href=&quot;http://dearsugar.com/655863&quot; &gt;whether it&#039;s OK to date a friend&#039;s ex&lt;/a&gt;, but sometimes, when you&#039;ve completely moved past the relationship, it&#039;s possible to have enough clarity to see that he just might be better for your friend than he was with you. I could imagine that would be a tough realization, but tell me, have you ever set up one of your ex-boyfriends with a girl friend of yours?&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.gettyimages.com&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Source&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/p&gt;&lt;!-- no strip poll --&gt;&lt;form action=&quot;/2499024&quot;  method=&quot;post&quot; id=&quot;epoll_view_voting&quot;&gt;
&lt;div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;poll&quot;&gt;  &lt;div class=&quot;vote-form&quot;&gt;    &lt;div class=&quot;choices&quot;&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;form-item&quot;&gt;
 &lt;label&gt;Dear Poll: Have You Ever Passed an Ex Off to a Friend?&lt;/label&gt;
 &lt;div class=&quot;form-item&quot;&gt;
 &lt;label class=&quot;option&quot;&gt;&lt;input type=&quot;radio&quot; name=&quot;edit[choice]&quot; value=&quot;0&quot;   class=&quot;form-radio&quot; /&gt; Yes, and it worked! &lt;/label&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div class=&quot;form-item&quot;&gt;
 &lt;label class=&quot;option&quot;&gt;&lt;input type=&quot;radio&quot; name=&quot;edit[choice]&quot; value=&quot;1&quot;   class=&quot;form-radio&quot; /&gt; Yes, and it blew up in my face. I don&#039;t recommend doing it. &lt;/label&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div class=&quot;form-item&quot;&gt;
 &lt;label class=&quot;option&quot;&gt;&lt;input type=&quot;radio&quot; name=&quot;edit[choice]&quot; value=&quot;2&quot;   class=&quot;form-radio&quot; /&gt; No, I don&#039;t think I&#039;d ever be comfortable with that. &lt;/label&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;

&lt;/div&gt;
    &lt;/div&gt;&lt;input type=&quot;hidden&quot; name=&quot;edit[nid]&quot; id=&quot;edit-nid&quot; value=&quot;2499024&quot;  /&gt;
&lt;input type=&quot;submit&quot; name=&quot;op&quot; value=&quot;Vote&quot;  class=&quot;form-submit&quot; /&gt;
  &lt;/div&gt;&lt;input type=&quot;hidden&quot; name=&quot;edit[form_id]&quot; id=&quot;edit-form_id&quot; value=&quot;epoll_view_voting&quot;  /&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/form&gt;
&lt;!-- no strip poll --&gt;&lt;/noscript&gt;&lt;!-- no strip poll --&gt;</description>
 <comments>http://dearsugar.com/2499024#comment</comments>
 <category domain="http://dearsugar.com/tags/Dating">Dating</category>
 <category domain="http://dearsugar.com/tags/Dear Poll">Dear Poll</category>
 <category domain="http://dearsugar.com/tags/Relationships">Relationships</category>
 <category domain="http://dearsugar.com/tags/set up">set up</category>
 <pubDate>Fri, 14 Nov 2008 09:00:00 -0800</pubDate>
 <dc:creator>DearSugar</dc:creator>
 <guid>http://dearsugar.com/2499024</guid>
</item>
<item>
 <title>Do Tell: What&#039;s the Name of the Hottest Guy You&#039;ve Dated? </title>
 <link>http://dearsugar.com/2475067</link>
 <description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;inline left&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;http://images.teamsugar.com/files/upl1/0/3362/46_2008/e265bdf13c737c57_names.xlarger.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; title=&quot;&quot; class=&quot;left image xlarger&quot; width=&quot;266&quot; height=&quot;400&quot;&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;When looking back at your dating history, there&#039;s probably one person that stands out a little farther than the rest. Whether we&#039;re talking about looks, personality, or just great sex, chances are you&#039;ll never forget his name! Just for fun, do tell, what&#039;s the name of the hottest guy you&#039;ve ever dated? I&#039;ll start: Jason.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;br clear=all&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.gettyimages.com&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Source&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
</description>
 <comments>http://dearsugar.com/2475067#comment</comments>
 <category domain="http://dearsugar.com/tags/Dating">Dating</category>
 <category domain="http://dearsugar.com/tags/Do Tell">Do Tell</category>
 <category domain="http://dearsugar.com/tags/good looking">good looking</category>
 <category domain="http://dearsugar.com/tags/name">name</category>
 <pubDate>Tue, 11 Nov 2008 10:00:00 -0800</pubDate>
 <dc:creator>DearSugar</dc:creator>
 <guid>http://dearsugar.com/2475067</guid>
</item>
<item>
 <title>10 First Date Questions</title>
 <link>http://dearsugar.com/2473794</link>
 <description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;inline left&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;http://images.teamsugar.com/files/upl1/0/3362/45_2008/5f04f1304cbcfcf3_date.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; title=&quot;&quot; class=&quot;right outline image xlarge&quot; width=&quot;313&quot; height=&quot;313&quot;&gt;&lt;/span&gt;First dates are typically meant for getting to know one another, but when our nerves get the best of us, it&#039;s easy to walk away from the night without really learning much about him at all. To prevent that from happening, I&#039;ve come up with 10 first date questions that are sure to enlighten you on some of the important character traits you&#039;ll need to know later down the road — sometimes knowing how he takes his coffee is as important as whether or not he wants kids! Check out my questions below and please add your own in the comments below. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;
Are you a dog or cat person?&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;
What&#039;s your favorite food?&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;
What&#039;s your least favorite food?&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Are you a night owl or a morning person?
&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;
Winter or Summer?&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p&gt;To see five more questions, &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://dearsugar.com/2473794&quot;&gt;read more&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description>
 <comments>http://dearsugar.com/2473794#comment</comments>
 <category domain="http://dearsugar.com/tags/Dating">Dating</category>
 <category domain="http://dearsugar.com/tags/First Date">First Date</category>
 <category domain="http://dearsugar.com/tags/list">list</category>
 <category domain="http://dearsugar.com/tags/personality traits">personality traits</category>
 <category domain="http://dearsugar.com/tags/Relationships">Relationships</category>
 <pubDate>Mon, 10 Nov 2008 07:30:00 -0800</pubDate>
 <dc:creator>DearSugar</dc:creator>
 <guid>http://dearsugar.com/2473794</guid>
</item>
<item>
 <title>Ask a Bad Boy: What Do Guys Think When They Gawk?</title>
 <link>http://dearsugar.com/2473677</link>
 <description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;inline left&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;http://images.teamsugar.com/files/upl1/0/3362/45_2008/f99a93f0088c4340_d23552692a051446_Steve.xlarger.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; title=&quot;&quot; class=&quot;right outline image xlarger&quot; width=&quot;266&quot; height=&quot;400&quot;&gt;&lt;/span&gt;Steve Santagati, the Author of &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.amazon.com/Manual-Explains-Think-Mate-Women/dp/030734570X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;amp;s=books&amp;amp;qid=1225651203&amp;amp;sr=8-1&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;The Manual&lt;/a&gt;, is back to answer his first question for all of you — I hope advice from the male point of view helps! To ask Steve questions of your own, simply submit them &lt;a href=&quot;http://dearsugar.com/contact/ask&quot; &gt;here&lt;/a&gt; or in the comments section below. Enjoy!&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Dear Steve, &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;What are guys thinking when they are &quot;discreetly&quot; checking out other women when they are in a loving, happy relationship? Do they have sexual thoughts like, &quot;She&#039;s so hot I&#039;d love to do her,&quot; or is it more like what I think,  &quot;Oh she&#039;s pretty,&quot; and leave it at that? — Curious Casey&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;To see Steve&#039;s answer &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://dearsugar.com/2473677&quot;&gt;read more&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description>
 <comments>http://dearsugar.com/2473677#comment</comments>
 <category domain="http://dearsugar.com/tags/Advice">Advice</category>
 <category domain="http://dearsugar.com/tags/Ask a Bad Boy">Ask a Bad Boy</category>
 <category domain="http://dearsugar.com/tags/Dating">Dating</category>
 <category domain="http://dearsugar.com/tags/men">men</category>
 <category domain="http://dearsugar.com/tags/Relationships">Relationships</category>
 <category domain="http://dearsugar.com/tags/Steve Santagati">Steve Santagati</category>
 <pubDate>Mon, 10 Nov 2008 06:00:00 -0800</pubDate>
 <dc:creator>DearSugar</dc:creator>
 <guid>http://dearsugar.com/2473677</guid>
</item>
<item>
 <title>6 Foods to Share on a First Date</title>
 <link>http://dearsugar.com/2469651</link>
 <description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;inline left&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;http://images.teamsugar.com/files/upl1/0/3362/45_2008/418c03775a19d6b1_dessert.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; title=&quot;&quot; class=&quot;right outline image xlarge&quot; width=&quot;312&quot; height=&quot;314&quot;&gt;&lt;/span&gt;Yesterday I listed &lt;a href=&quot;http://dearsugar.com/2466273&quot; &gt;12 foods to avoid on a first date&lt;/a&gt;, and most of you had your fair share to say on the subject — looks like we all have issues with certain ingredients! On the flip side though, there are some foods that can actually bring an element of flirtation to a meal. I&#039;ve always been a fan of sharing, so here is my list of six foods that can heat up a meal on a first date.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;
Fondue&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;
Sushi, if eaten gracefully — rolls should be eaten in one bite&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;
Tapas&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;
Anything cooked for two&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;
Oysters&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;
Ice cream — especially with chocolate sauce&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p&gt;If you&#039;re into sharing your food too, what&#039;s your favorite thing to eat on a first date? &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.gettyimages.com&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Source&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
</description>
 <comments>http://dearsugar.com/2469651#comment</comments>
 <category domain="http://dearsugar.com/tags/Dating">Dating</category>
 <category domain="http://dearsugar.com/tags/First Date">First Date</category>
 <category domain="http://dearsugar.com/tags/Food">Food</category>
 <pubDate>Fri, 07 Nov 2008 09:00:00 -0800</pubDate>
 <dc:creator>DearSugar</dc:creator>
 <guid>http://dearsugar.com/2469651</guid>
</item>
<item>
 <title>Do Tell: Do You Swear Off Men After Breakups?</title>
 <link>http://dearsugar.com/2469086</link>
 <description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;inline left&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;http://images.teamsugar.com/files/upl1/0/3362/45_2008/cd7531eb15e4f4d2_simon-cowell.xlarge.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; title=&quot;&quot; class=&quot;left outline image xlarge&quot; width=&quot;254&quot; height=&quot;320&quot;&gt;&lt;/span&gt;If you didn&#039;t already hear, &lt;a href=&quot;http://popsugar.com/2451849&quot; &gt;Simon Cowell and long-time girlfriend Teri Seymour have called it quits&lt;/a&gt;, but according to &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20238032,00.html&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;People&lt;/a&gt;, he&#039;s not looking for love again anytime soon. He claimed to have sworn off women and his statement got me thinking.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;We all handle breakups differently: some hibernate and regroup while others paint the town red or jump into another relationship. No one way is better than the other so tell me, do you tend to swear off men after a breakup like Simon is doing with women?&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=http://wireimage.com/&gt;Source&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
</description>
 <comments>http://dearsugar.com/2469086#comment</comments>
 <category domain="http://dearsugar.com/tags/Breakup">Breakup</category>
 <category domain="http://dearsugar.com/tags/Celebrity">Celebrity</category>
 <category domain="http://dearsugar.com/tags/Dating">Dating</category>
 <category domain="http://dearsugar.com/tags/News to Me">News to Me</category>
 <category domain="http://dearsugar.com/tags/Relationships">Relationships</category>
 <pubDate>Thu, 06 Nov 2008 14:30:00 -0800</pubDate>
 <dc:creator>DearSugar</dc:creator>
 <guid>http://dearsugar.com/2469086</guid>
</item>
<item>
 <title>12 Foods to Avoid on a First Date</title>
 <link>http://dearsugar.com/2466273</link>
 <description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;inline left&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;http://images.teamsugar.com/files/upl1/0/3362/45_2008/7037054027b4ff9d_chicken.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; title=&quot;&quot; class=&quot;right outline image xlarge&quot; width=&quot;313&quot; height=&quot;313&quot;&gt;&lt;/span&gt;Since first dates usually revolve around a meal, it&#039;s important to pay attention to what you eat, how you eat it, and how it&#039;ll affect you later in the night! November&#039;s issue of &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.cosmopolitan.com/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Cosmo&lt;/a&gt; touched upon mastering a first date, and named six foods to avoid in order to do just that. Check out their six below, and six of my own too!&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;
A messy plate of spaghetti with tomato sauce&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;
Escargots with butter and garlic&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;
Deep-fried anything&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;
A salad with low-fat dressing on the side&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;
Three-bean chili&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;
Barbecued chicken wings&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p&gt;To see the six foods I would avoid on a first date, just &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://dearsugar.com/2466273&quot;&gt;read more&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description>
 <comments>http://dearsugar.com/2466273#comment</comments>
 <category domain="http://dearsugar.com/tags/cosmo">cosmo</category>
 <category domain="http://dearsugar.com/tags/Dating">Dating</category>
 <category domain="http://dearsugar.com/tags/First Date">First Date</category>
 <category domain="http://dearsugar.com/tags/Food">Food</category>
 <pubDate>Thu, 06 Nov 2008 07:00:00 -0800</pubDate>
 <dc:creator>DearSugar</dc:creator>
 <guid>http://dearsugar.com/2466273</guid>
</item>
<item>
 <title>Do Tell: What&#039;s Your Definition of Perfect on Paper?</title>
 <link>http://dearsugar.com/2465991</link>
 <description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;inline left&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;http://images.teamsugar.com/files/upl1/0/3362/45_2008/89ce9b1cb99fc80a_perfect.xlarge.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; title=&quot;&quot; class=&quot;right outline image xlarge&quot; width=&quot;253&quot; height=&quot;320&quot;&gt;&lt;/span&gt;I&#039;m sure you&#039;ve all heard the saying &quot;he&#039;s perfect on paper&quot; — you know, the guy who went to an Ivy League school, the guy who comes from a good family, who&#039;s caring, generous, and of course good looking. While that description might sound good to some, it&#039;s far from perfection to others. So ladies, once you&#039;ve decided he&#039;s &lt;a href=&quot;http://dearsugar.com/2393996&quot; &gt;boyfriend material&lt;/a&gt;, do tell, what&#039;s &lt;i&gt;your&lt;/i&gt; definition of a guy that&#039;s perfect on paper? &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.gettyimages.com&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Source&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
</description>
 <comments>http://dearsugar.com/2465991#comment</comments>
 <category domain="http://dearsugar.com/tags/Dating">Dating</category>
 <category domain="http://dearsugar.com/tags/Do Tell">Do Tell</category>
 <category domain="http://dearsugar.com/tags/Perfect">Perfect</category>
 <category domain="http://dearsugar.com/tags/Relationships">Relationships</category>
 <pubDate>Wed, 05 Nov 2008 08:00:00 -0800</pubDate>
 <dc:creator>DearSugar</dc:creator>
 <guid>http://dearsugar.com/2465991</guid>
</item>
<item>
 <title>You Asked: Did Having Sex Ruin Our Relationship? </title>
 <link>http://dearsugar.com/2463143</link>
 <description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;inline left&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;http://images.teamsugar.com/files/upl1/0/3362/45_2008/b548b4b5831acd93_breakup.xlarger.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; title=&quot;&quot; class=&quot;left outline image xlarger&quot; width=&quot;266&quot; height=&quot;400&quot;&gt;&lt;/span&gt;Dear Sugar,&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;I need help making sense out of this situation. I had three great dates with this guy — three dates within the timespan of five days! We were really hitting it off and he was signaling that he was interested in something more.  We didn&#039;t kiss on our first date, or our second date, (he only kissed my cheek) but on our third date, we were hanging out at his place and the next thing I knew, we were having sex.  It was completely casual, nothing weird happened, and it was overall a nice experience.  He was really sweet with me after — he helped me put my coat on and kissed me goodnight.  That date was last Tuesday.  I haven&#039;t received a single phone call, text message, or instant message from him since. I&#039;m really confused and now I&#039;m thinking that somehow us having sex on our third date has suddenly freaked him out.  I need help sorting this all out! What should I do?  — Puzzled Paulina &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;To see DearSugar&#039;s answer &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://dearsugar.com/2463143&quot;&gt;read more&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description>
 <comments>http://dearsugar.com/2463143#comment</comments>
 <category domain="http://dearsugar.com/tags/Advice">Advice</category>
 <category domain="http://dearsugar.com/tags/Dating">Dating</category>
 <category domain="http://dearsugar.com/tags/Relationships">Relationships</category>
 <category domain="http://dearsugar.com/tags/Sex">Sex</category>
 <category domain="http://dearsugar.com/tags/You Asked">You Asked</category>
 <pubDate>Tue, 04 Nov 2008 12:00:00 -0800</pubDate>
 <dc:creator>DearSugar</dc:creator>
 <guid>http://dearsugar.com/2463143</guid>
</item>
<item>
 <title>Do Tell: Would It Be a Deal-Breaker if He Didn&#039;t Vote?</title>
 <link>http://dearsugar.com/2463402</link>
 <description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;inline left&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;http://images.teamsugar.com/files/upl1/0/3362/45_2008/708cd268a9049afb_vote.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; title=&quot;&quot; class=&quot;right outline image xlarge&quot; width=&quot;313&quot; height=&quot;315&quot;&gt;&lt;/span&gt;I asked you a few weeks ago whether or not you&#039;ve ever dated someone with &lt;a href=&quot;http://dearsugar.com/2181256&quot; &gt;differing political views&lt;/a&gt;, and the outcome was mixed — some of you have done it before only to have the relationship end in failure, while others respected their significant other&#039;s differing views. Since this is such an important election year, tell me, would a guy choosing &lt;i&gt;not&lt;/i&gt; to exercise his right to vote be a deal-breaker for you and your relationship? &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.gettyimages.com&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Source&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
</description>
 <comments>http://dearsugar.com/2463402#comment</comments>
 <category domain="http://dearsugar.com/tags/2008 Presidential Election">2008 Presidential Election</category>
 <category domain="http://dearsugar.com/tags/Dating">Dating</category>
 <category domain="http://dearsugar.com/tags/dealbreaker">dealbreaker</category>
 <category domain="http://dearsugar.com/tags/Relationships">Relationships</category>
 <category domain="http://dearsugar.com/tags/vote">vote</category>
 <pubDate>Tue, 04 Nov 2008 07:30:00 -0800</pubDate>
 <dc:creator>DearSugar</dc:creator>
 <guid>http://dearsugar.com/2463402</guid>
</item>
<item>
 <title>Ask Steve Santagati: What Are Your Burning Questions? </title>
 <link>http://dearsugar.com/2453228</link>
 <description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;inline left&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;http://images.teamsugar.com/files/upl1/0/3362/44_2008/d23552692a051446_Steve.xlarger.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; title=&quot;&quot; class=&quot;right outline image xlarger&quot; width=&quot;266&quot; height=&quot;400&quot;&gt;&lt;/span&gt;Have you ever wanted to know exactly what he was thinking when dealing with guy trouble? I know I have, so if you&#039;re interested in getting an unbiased perspective from a man&#039;s point of view, you&#039;re in luck! I&#039;m thrilled with the opportunity to have Steve Santagati — the Author of the &lt;b&gt;New York Times&lt;/b&gt; best-selling book &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.amazon.com/Manual-Explains-Think-Mate-Women/dp/030734570X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;amp;s=books&amp;amp;qid=1225651203&amp;amp;sr=8-1&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;The Manual&lt;/a&gt; — answer some of your burning questions and concerns when it comes to dating, love, and how men think. He&#039;s a veteran at giving street-smart, straight-to-the-point advice, so ladies, tell me, what do you want to ask Steve about men? This is your chance to get answers so don&#039;t hold back!&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;To see more from Steve Santagati, click &lt;a href=&quot;http://badboysfinishfirst.com/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;, and to purchase &lt;b&gt;The Manual&lt;/b&gt;, click &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.amazon.com/Manual-Explains-Think-Mate-Women/dp/030734570X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;amp;s=books&amp;amp;qid=1225651203&amp;amp;sr=8-1&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://sueburdick.com/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Source&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
</description>
 <comments>http://dearsugar.com/2453228#comment</comments>
 <category domain="http://dearsugar.com/tags/Advice">Advice</category>
 <category domain="http://dearsugar.com/tags/Dating">Dating</category>
 <category domain="http://dearsugar.com/tags/Love">Love</category>
 <category domain="http://dearsugar.com/tags/Relationships">Relationships</category>
 <category domain="http://dearsugar.com/tags/Steve Santagati">Steve Santagati</category>
 <pubDate>Mon, 03 Nov 2008 10:03:29 -0800</pubDate>
 <dc:creator>DearSugar</dc:creator>
 <guid>http://dearsugar.com/2453228</guid>
</item>
<item>
 <title>Do Tell: How Can You Tell If a Guy Is Boyfriend Material?</title>
 <link>http://dearsugar.com/2393996</link>
 <description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;inline left&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;http://images.teamsugar.com/files/upl1/1/12981/44_2008/896c1048df99a26e_hug.xlarge.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; title=&quot;&quot; class=&quot;left image xlarge&quot; height=&quot;320&quot; width=&quot;287&quot;&gt;&lt;/span&gt;I&#039;ve been in the dating world for quite some time and although it&#039;s fun to get to know new people, I&#039;m more interested in finding a special someone. There are definitely some weirdos out there, but I can usually tell within a few hours of meeting a guy whether or not he&#039;s boyfriend material. If the conversation flows easily, if he shows he cares by listening when I talk, if there&#039;s good chemistry and if he can make me laugh, I&#039;m inclined to think there&#039;s potential there! &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;But what about you? What qualities do you look for in a guy when figuring out if he&#039;s boyfriend material?&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.gettyimages.com&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Source&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
</description>
 <comments>http://dearsugar.com/2393996#comment</comments>
 <category domain="http://dearsugar.com/tags/Boyfriend Material">Boyfriend Material</category>
 <category domain="http://dearsugar.com/tags/Dating">Dating</category>
 <category domain="http://dearsugar.com/tags/Do Tell">Do Tell</category>
 <category domain="http://dearsugar.com/tags/Relationships">Relationships</category>
 <pubDate>Sun, 02 Nov 2008 10:00:00 -0800</pubDate>
 <dc:creator>DearSugar</dc:creator>
 <guid>http://dearsugar.com/2393996</guid>
</item>
<item>
 <title>Halloween Theory: Ghosts, Goblins, and Breakups? </title>
 <link>http://dearsugar.com/2445269</link>
 <description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;inline left&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;http://images.teamsugar.com/files/upl1/0/3362/44_2008/1b7aaf4d06b6280e_Halloween-Depressing.xlarge.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; title=&quot;&quot; class=&quot;left image xlarge&quot; height=&quot;319&quot; width=&quot;320&quot;&gt;&lt;/span&gt;A bunch of my girl friends have this theory about &lt;a href=&quot;http://dearsugar.com/tag/halloween&quot; &gt;Halloween&lt;/a&gt;. According to them, if you&#039;ve been dating someone but aren&#039;t sure whether you want to be with them or even if it&#039;s going anywhere, then Halloween marks a pivotal time. You either have to cut it off right now or you&#039;ll be stuck with them through the entirety of Winter. Admittedly it&#039;s a generalization and more directed at people who haven&#039;t officially committed yet, but I do think there’s some truth to the idea that people like to avoid a breakup during the holidays. So let’s hear it ladies: Are my girlfriends crazy or does the idea of being trapped until after the New Year ring true to you too? &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.gettyimages.com&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Source&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
</description>
 <comments>http://dearsugar.com/2445269#comment</comments>
 <category domain="http://dearsugar.com/tags/Breakup">Breakup</category>
 <category domain="http://dearsugar.com/tags/Dating">Dating</category>
 <category domain="http://dearsugar.com/tags/halloween">halloween</category>
 <category domain="http://dearsugar.com/tags/moving on">moving on</category>
 <pubDate>Fri, 31 Oct 2008 12:00:00 -0700</pubDate>
 <dc:creator>DearSugar</dc:creator>
 <guid>http://dearsugar.com/2445269</guid>
</item>
<item>
 <title>Have You Ever Had a Love/Hate Relationship? </title>
 <link>http://dearsugar.com/2444495</link>
 <description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;inline left&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;http://images.teamsugar.com/files/upl1/0/3362/44_2008/6728085050f85c39_love-hate.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; title=&quot;&quot; class=&quot;left outline image xlarger&quot; width=&quot;275&quot; height=&quot;364&quot;&gt;&lt;/span&gt;If you&#039;ve ever had a love/hate relationship with someone, you know how frustrating and confusing it can feel, but according to &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.reuters.com/article/scienceNews/idUSTRE49S01J20081029?feedType=RSS&amp;amp;feedName=scienceNews&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;new research&lt;/a&gt;, there&#039;s a reason why these kinds of relationships are so common. In a recent study, participants were shown images of individuals they hated and the brain activity pattern it revealed partially occurs in areas of the brain activated by romantic love as well. Written in the Public Library of Science journal PLoS One, researchers said, &quot;This linkage may account for why love and hate are so closely linked to each other in life. Our results show that there is a unique pattern of activity in the brain in the context of hate.&quot; The study also revealed one conclusion to this research:&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;blockquote&gt;While both emotions are all-consuming passions, it may be that people in love are often less critical and judgmental about their partner but need to maintain their focus when dealing with a hated rival.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Since there&#039;s such a thin line between love and hate, tell me ladies, have you ever been in a love/hate relationship before? &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.gettyimages.com&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Source&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
</description>
 <comments>http://dearsugar.com/2444495#comment</comments>
 <category domain="http://dearsugar.com/tags/Dating">Dating</category>
 <category domain="http://dearsugar.com/tags/hate">hate</category>
 <category domain="http://dearsugar.com/tags/Love">Love</category>
 <category domain="http://dearsugar.com/tags/News to Me">News to Me</category>
 <category domain="http://dearsugar.com/tags/Relationships">Relationships</category>
 <pubDate>Thu, 30 Oct 2008 11:00:00 -0700</pubDate>
 <dc:creator>DearSugar</dc:creator>
 <guid>http://dearsugar.com/2444495</guid>
</item>
<item>
 <title>You Asked: Am I Too Clingy? </title>
 <link>http://dearsugar.com/2441014</link>
 <description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;inline left&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;http://images.teamsugar.com/files/upl1/0/3362/44_2008/9c1e79ee7bef2214_clingly.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; title=&quot;&quot; class=&quot;left outline image xlarge&quot; height=&quot;315&quot; width=&quot;313&quot;&gt;&lt;/span&gt;Dear Sugar, &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;My boyfriend and I have been together for a little less than nine months. During the first few months, he was crazy about me and I could really tell how much he loved me. Now I can never get him to say he loves me on his own, I have to say it first. He used to not be able to keep his hands off me, and now I&#039;m the one that&#039;s always wanting to touch him. I want things to go back to being the way they were; I want to feel like he loves me again. What can I do? Am I being too needy? Too clingy? — Needing Attention Natalie &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;To see DearSugar&#039;s answer, &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://dearsugar.com/2441014&quot;&gt;read more&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description>
 <comments>http://dearsugar.com/2441014#comment</comments>
 <category domain="http://dearsugar.com/tags/Advice">Advice</category>
 <category domain="http://dearsugar.com/tags/Dating">Dating</category>
 <category domain="http://dearsugar.com/tags/Honesty">Honesty</category>
 <category domain="http://dearsugar.com/tags/Relationships">Relationships</category>
 <category domain="http://dearsugar.com/tags/You Asked">You Asked</category>
 <pubDate>Thu, 30 Oct 2008 06:00:00 -0700</pubDate>
 <dc:creator>DearSugar</dc:creator>
 <guid>http://dearsugar.com/2441014</guid>
</item>
<item>
 <title>Is Being a Sports Lover Important to You?</title>
 <link>http://dearsugar.com/2440599</link>
 <description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://popsugar.com/2440174&quot; &gt;The Lakers&lt;/a&gt; kicked off its NBA season last night and it was, as it always is, a star-studded event. There were gorgeous men lining the court and although some of the fans were there to socialize and be seen, a lot of them were there for the love of the game — Leo and Jack to name a few! &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;inline left&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;http://images.teamsugar.com/files/upl1/0/3362/44_2008/a0d78853fa8307af_sports.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; title=&quot;&quot; class=&quot;image preview&quot; width=&quot;550&quot; height=&quot;457&quot;&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Guys who love sports have always been attractive to me. Yes, I happen to like sports, too, but I think it&#039;s a turn on to watch men watch sports. Perhaps that&#039;s a weird requirement for the guys I date, but ladies, tell me, is a guy being a sports lover important to you, too? &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.gettyimages.com&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Source&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
</description>
 <comments>http://dearsugar.com/2440599#comment</comments>
 <category domain="http://dearsugar.com/tags/Celebrity">Celebrity</category>
 <category domain="http://dearsugar.com/tags/Dating">Dating</category>
 <category domain="http://dearsugar.com/tags/Relationships">Relationships</category>
 <category domain="http://dearsugar.com/tags/sports">sports</category>
 <category domain="http://dearsugar.com/tags/turn on">turn on</category>
 <pubDate>Wed, 29 Oct 2008 11:00:00 -0700</pubDate>
 <dc:creator>DearSugar</dc:creator>
 <guid>http://dearsugar.com/2440599</guid>
</item>
<item>
 <title>What Moments Defined Your Relationship? </title>
 <link>http://dearsugar.com/2433310</link>
 <description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;inline left&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;http://images.teamsugar.com/files/upl1/0/3362/44_2008/82d08534acf513b7_dating.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; title=&quot;&quot; class=&quot;right outline image xlarger&quot; width=&quot;275&quot; height=&quot;376&quot;&gt;&lt;/span&gt;November&#039;s issue of &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.womenshealthmag.com/sex-and-relationships/relationship-advice-0&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Women&#039;s Health&lt;/a&gt; touched upon 15 moments that define a relationship. And as we all know, each first is as important as the next, and they all possess a special memory for every relationship. So check out their 15 defining moments, plus a few of my own, and tell us what the defining moments were for you in your relationship in the comments section below!&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;
Your first talk till dawn&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;
The first kiss&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;
When he introduces you as &quot;my girlfriend&quot;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;
The first morning after&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;
Finding the nerve to say &quot;I love you&quot;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;
The first time you write &quot;we&quot; in an email to your friends&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;
The first time you fight and make up&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;
The first trip together&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;ul&gt;
If you want to see the rest of their list and a few of my own defining moments, just &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://dearsugar.com/2433310&quot;&gt;read more&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description>
 <comments>http://dearsugar.com/2433310#comment</comments>
 <category domain="http://dearsugar.com/tags/Dating">Dating</category>
 <category domain="http://dearsugar.com/tags/Defining a Relationship">Defining a Relationship</category>
 <category domain="http://dearsugar.com/tags/list">list</category>
 <category domain="http://dearsugar.com/tags/Relationships">Relationships</category>
 <category domain="http://dearsugar.com/tags/Women&#039;s health">Women&#039;s health</category>
 <pubDate>Wed, 29 Oct 2008 09:00:00 -0700</pubDate>
 <dc:creator>DearSugar</dc:creator>
 <guid>http://dearsugar.com/2433310</guid>
</item>
<item>
 <title>You Asked: Am I Not Making Myself Available? </title>
 <link>http://dearsugar.com/2432510</link>
 <description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;inline left&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;http://images.teamsugar.com/files/upl1/0/3362/44_2008/9609efad423548c2_single-.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; title=&quot;&quot; class=&quot;right outline image xlarge&quot; width=&quot;313&quot; height=&quot;311&quot;&gt;&lt;/span&gt;Dear Sugar,&lt;br /&gt;
I have never been a real commitment person. I have had a couple flings in the past year but nothing serious. I&#039;m ready to open up to a more serious relationship and am actively looking, but I haven&#039;t found anything worthwhile so far. I have been told, repeatedly, that I am constantly putting up &quot;single signals,&quot; which apparently keep others from approaching me. What are these and how can I stop them? — Playing the Field Phoebe &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;To see DearSugar&#039;s answer, &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://dearsugar.com/2432510&quot;&gt;read more&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description>
 <comments>http://dearsugar.com/2432510#comment</comments>
 <category domain="http://dearsugar.com/tags/Advice">Advice</category>
 <category domain="http://dearsugar.com/tags/Dating">Dating</category>
 <category domain="http://dearsugar.com/tags/personality traits">personality traits</category>
 <category domain="http://dearsugar.com/tags/Relationships">Relationships</category>
 <category domain="http://dearsugar.com/tags/You Asked">You Asked</category>
 <pubDate>Wed, 29 Oct 2008 06:00:00 -0700</pubDate>
 <dc:creator>DearSugar</dc:creator>
 <guid>http://dearsugar.com/2432510</guid>
</item>
<item>
 <title>Is There Such a Thing As Too Nice? </title>
 <link>http://dearsugar.com/2427943</link>
 <description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;inline left&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;http://images.teamsugar.com/files/upl1/0/3362/44_2008/22fb74364dffd869_Man-Too-Nice.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; title=&quot;&quot; class=&quot;right image xxlarge&quot; height=&quot;451&quot; width=&quot;300&quot;&gt;&lt;/span&gt;Yesterday &lt;a href=&quot;http://askmen.com&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;AskMen.com&lt;/a&gt; pointed out some signs to help its readers determine if they&#039;re too nice. According to the article, while women might appreciate &lt;a href=&quot;http://dearsugar.com/2393969&quot; &gt;a guy with good manners&lt;/a&gt;, we&#039;re never going to respect a guy who&#039;s easy to walk all over. My spin on the signs that a guy is just too nice are &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.askmen.com/dating/curtsmith_200/248b_dating_advice.html&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;as follows:&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;He brings his good manners into the bedroom. Sex is the time when assertiveness is important. After all, a woman doesn&#039;t want to get physical with a timid guy.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;He&#039;s too caught up in his girlfriend&#039;s interests. Showing that he cares is great, but he should be able to have his own life.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;His compliments come too often. &lt;a href=&quot;http://dearsugar.com/2419230&quot; &gt;Women love a compliment&lt;/a&gt; from their significant other, but if he compliments too much, it just seems phony.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;He&#039;s willing to put up with too much. It&#039;s nice to try to understand another&#039;s point of view, but a guy who never stands up for himself is just a drag.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;He&#039;s always in a good mood. No one likes to be around an angry guy, but it&#039;s OK for a guy to get angry sometimes. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Although, I actually agree with some of these, I don&#039;t think it&#039;s because they make a guy too nice. If a guy never gets angry then I&#039;d guess he&#039;s repressing emotions, and if he&#039;s always caught up in his girlfriend&#039;s life then eventually he&#039;s going to feel dissatisfied because the balance will be uneven in their relationship. I appreciate a guy with manners &lt;i&gt;and&lt;/i&gt; opinions, but I&#039;m not sure that excessive kindness is a bad thing. Do you agree with the article&#039;s points? Is there such a thing as too nice? &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.gettyimages.com&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Source&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
</description>
 <comments>http://dearsugar.com/2427943#comment</comments>
 <category domain="http://dearsugar.com/tags/AskMen.com">AskMen.com</category>
 <category domain="http://dearsugar.com/tags/Dating">Dating</category>
 <category domain="http://dearsugar.com/tags/men">men</category>
 <category domain="http://dearsugar.com/tags/personality traits">personality traits</category>
 <pubDate>Tue, 28 Oct 2008 14:00:00 -0700</pubDate>
 <dc:creator>DearSugar</dc:creator>
 <guid>http://dearsugar.com/2427943</guid>
</item>
<item>
 <title>Where Do You Stand? Using Condoms When You&#039;re Married</title>
 <link>http://dearsugar.com/2426679</link>
 <description>&lt;p&gt;If you&#039;re not a fan of hormonal birth control, your options are limited when it comes to staying pregnancy-free. &lt;a href=&quot;http://dearsugar.com/2419530&quot; &gt;Condoms&lt;/a&gt; are an easy choice to stay protected when you&#039;re &lt;i&gt;not&lt;/i&gt; in a committed relationship, but I&#039;ve been hearing more and more married couples say that condoms are their preferred method of birth control, too. Of course to each their own, but isn&#039;t one of the perks of being in a committed marriage (one that&#039;s clear of STIs) that you don&#039;t have to fuss with interrupting the moment to find a condom? Clearly I&#039;d pick another method, but where do you stand on using condoms when you&#039;re married? Do you, or would you, use them too?&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;inline left&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;http://images.teamsugar.com/files/upl1/0/3362/44_2008/55a99b10c12ebad6_sex.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; title=&quot;&quot; class=&quot;center image xlarger&quot; width=&quot;400&quot; height=&quot;292&quot;&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.gettyimages.com&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Source&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
</description>
 <comments>http://dearsugar.com/2426679#comment</comments>
 <category domain="http://dearsugar.com/tags/Birth Control">Birth Control</category>
 <category domain="http://dearsugar.com/tags/Condoms">Condoms</category>
 <category domain="http://dearsugar.com/tags/Dating">Dating</category>
 <category domain="http://dearsugar.com/tags/Marriage">Marriage</category>
 <category domain="http://dearsugar.com/tags/Relationships">Relationships</category>
 <category domain="http://dearsugar.com/tags/Sex">Sex</category>
 <category domain="http://dearsugar.com/tags/STIs">STIs</category>
 <pubDate>Tue, 28 Oct 2008 08:00:00 -0700</pubDate>
 <dc:creator>DearSugar</dc:creator>
 <guid>http://dearsugar.com/2426679</guid>
</item>
<item>
 <title>Do You Have &quot;the Talk&quot; in Your Relationships?</title>
 <link>http://dearsugar.com/2429067</link>
 <description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://dearsugar.com/tags/The+Hills&quot; &gt;The Hills&lt;/a&gt; started out last night with Stephanie telling Lauren that she and her boyfriend, Cameron, had &quot;the talk&quot; to make their relationship officially official. While putting labels on relationships is important to some, others aren&#039;t comfortable putting their feelings on the line — a must when having that type of discussion. Sure, there&#039;s a level of ease that comes with knowing where you stand in your relationship, but having &quot;the talk&quot; seems a little outdated to me. What do you think? Do you typically have &quot;the talk&quot; in your relationships, or do you tend to let things progress naturally? &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;inline left&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;http://images.teamsugar.com/files/upl1/0/3362/44_2008/4633f2f3686735a8_stephanie.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; title=&quot;&quot; class=&quot;outline center image xlarger&quot; width=&quot;400&quot; height=&quot;222&quot;&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Photo courtesy of &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.mtv.com/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;MTV&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
</description>
 <comments>http://dearsugar.com/2429067#comment</comments>
 <category domain="http://dearsugar.com/tags/Dating">Dating</category>
 <category domain="http://dearsugar.com/tags/Relationships">Relationships</category>
 <category domain="http://dearsugar.com/tags/The Hills">The Hills</category>
 <category domain="http://dearsugar.com/tags/the talk">the talk</category>
 <pubDate>Tue, 28 Oct 2008 07:00:00 -0700</pubDate>
 <dc:creator>DearSugar</dc:creator>
 <guid>http://dearsugar.com/2429067</guid>
</item>
<item>
 <title>Do People Make Assumptions About Your Love Life? </title>
 <link>http://dearsugar.com/2426375</link>
 <description>&lt;p&gt;I have a feeling it&#039;s just a celebrity thing, but it seems like whenever a single woman is seen dining or socializing with a single man, they&#039;re all of a sudden perceived to be romantically involved. In Jennifer Aniston&#039;s case — who was recently seen &lt;a href=&quot;http://popsugar.com/2425627&quot; &gt;having dinner with Gerard Butler&lt;/a&gt; — I think the public just wants to see her &lt;a href=&quot;http://dearsugar.com/2393973&quot; &gt;attached&lt;/a&gt;, but does this kind of speculation happen in your life too? Do people automatically assume you&#039;re hooking up with the guy you&#039;re spending time with? Or do you automatically assume that of your friends? I&#039;m curious to know if your first instincts go to romance instead of friendship like it clearly does in Hollywood.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;span class=&quot;inline left&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;http://images.teamsugar.com/files/upl1/0/3362/44_2008/e37917a670f65af0_dating.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; title=&quot;&quot; class=&quot;outline center image xlarger&quot; width=&quot;400&quot; height=&quot;300&quot;&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.gettyimages.com&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Source&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
</description>
 <comments>http://dearsugar.com/2426375#comment</comments>
 <category domain="http://dearsugar.com/tags/Celebrity">Celebrity</category>
 <category domain="http://dearsugar.com/tags/Dating">Dating</category>
 <category domain="http://dearsugar.com/tags/Hollywood">Hollywood</category>
 <category domain="http://dearsugar.com/tags/Jennifer Aniston">Jennifer Aniston</category>
 <category domain="http://dearsugar.com/tags/Love">Love</category>
 <category domain="http://dearsugar.com/tags/Relationships">Relationships</category>
 <pubDate>Mon, 27 Oct 2008 11:00:00 -0700</pubDate>
 <dc:creator>DearSugar</dc:creator>
 <guid>http://dearsugar.com/2426375</guid>
</item>
<item>
 <title>DearSugar Needs Your Help: Should I Follow My Heart? </title>
 <link>http://dearsugar.com/2399749</link>
 <description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;inline left&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;http://images.teamsugar.com/files/upl1/0/3362/43_2008/4f287141d85edfc9_breakup.xlarger.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; title=&quot;&quot; class=&quot;right outline image xlarger&quot; width=&quot;266&quot; height=&quot;400&quot;&gt;&lt;/span&gt;DearSugar and In a Pickle Patty need your help. She&#039;s fallen for her boyfriend&#039;s best friend and he&#039;s fallen for her too, but she doesn&#039;t know what to do. She needs some unbiased advice, so if you have any words of wisdom to share, do so in the comments below. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Dear Sugar,&lt;br /&gt;
I have become enveloped in a very uncomfortable love triangle, and I&#039;m so confused about what to do. I have been with my boyfriend for two years. When we met I was a sophomore in college and he was jobless, living on his best friend&#039;s couch. Something just told me there was a reason for meeting him, so I ignored his situation. Things have been bumpy during our entire relationship and we&#039;ve gone on several &quot;breaks&quot;. Basically, he and I are complete opposites; we were brought up completely differently (me in a loving home that stressed the importance of education, he in foster homes), we have completely different views on pretty much everything, and to be frank, he is a jerk 50 percent of the time. But I love him.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Insert problem: His best friend. I didn&#039;t meet his best friend until almost a year into our relationship because he had been serving in Iraq. He and I hit it off &lt;i&gt;instantly&lt;/i&gt; and became fast friends. I have felt a strong connection with him from the moment we met and I tried to just ignore it, but today he confessed his feelings for me too. He is handsome, sweet, caring, and hard-working. Sometimes I wonder if maybe the reason I met my boyfriend was so that I would meet his friend. I know that sounds awful but I don&#039;t know what to do. I love my boyfriend and I don&#039;t want to hurt him, but I don&#039;t think he and I are meant to be. I would love an objective opinion on this situation. And for the record, nothing has happened yet. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.gettyimages.com&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Source&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
</description>
 <comments>http://dearsugar.com/2399749#comment</comments>
 <category domain="http://dearsugar.com/tags/Dating">Dating</category>
 <category domain="http://dearsugar.com/tags/DearSugar Needs Your Help">DearSugar Needs Your Help</category>
 <category domain="http://dearsugar.com/tags/Friendship">Friendship</category>
 <category domain="http://dearsugar.com/tags/Relationships">Relationships</category>
 <pubDate>Sat, 25 Oct 2008 09:00:00 -0700</pubDate>
 <dc:creator>DearSugar</dc:creator>
 <guid>http://dearsugar.com/2399749</guid>
</item>
<item>
 <title>You Asked: Who Should I Date? </title>
 <link>http://dearsugar.com/2399743</link>
 <description>&lt;p&gt;Dear Sugar,&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;I met a guy recently who I see every week as part of a social running group. We ended up doing a recruitment project together and we hooked up twice. After the second hook-up session, he told me he &quot;kind of&quot; has a girlfriend in an on-again off-again relationship who lives far away. He told me he wasn&#039;t sure what was going on with them, but he said he really enjoys spending time with me. I really like him, but I don&#039;t want to put myself out there since I know he is attached. At the same time, I&#039;m worried that if I start dating other guys, and he decides he wants to date me, I could end up hurting someone else. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;inline left&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;http://images.teamsugar.com/files/upl1/0/3362/43_2008/48f055b4174174d7_dating.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; title=&quot;&quot; class=&quot;outline image xlarger&quot; width=&quot;400&quot; height=&quot;266&quot;&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;There is also another guy who I have known for a few years, who I think is interested in me. He unfortunately lives four hours away from me so I don&#039;t know what to do. Should I keep seeing guy number one but not hook up with him anymore in the hopes that he realizes how good we are together, or date guy number two and see what happens with him?  — Options Olive&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;To see DearSugar&#039;s answer, &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://dearsugar.com/2399743&quot;&gt;read more&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description>
 <comments>http://dearsugar.com/2399743#comment</comments>
 <category domain="http://dearsugar.com/tags/Advice">Advice</category>
 <category domain="http://dearsugar.com/tags/Dating">Dating</category>
 <category domain="http://dearsugar.com/tags/long distance relationship">long distance relationship</category>
 <category domain="http://dearsugar.com/tags/Relationships">Relationships</category>
 <category domain="http://dearsugar.com/tags/You Asked">You Asked</category>
 <pubDate>Fri, 24 Oct 2008 06:00:00 -0700</pubDate>
 <dc:creator>DearSugar</dc:creator>
 <guid>http://dearsugar.com/2399743</guid>
</item>
<item>
 <title>Dear Poll: Do You Have Good Taste in Men? </title>
 <link>http://dearsugar.com/2394004</link>
 <description>&lt;!-- no strip poll --&gt;&lt;div id=&quot;epoll-view-2394004&quot;&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;script type=&quot;text/javascript&quot;&gt;new Ajax.Request(&#039;/epoll/view/2394004&#039;,{method:&#039;get&#039;,onSuccess:function(transport){var epoll=$(&#039;epoll-view-2394004&#039;);epoll.update(transport.responseText);}});&lt;/script&gt;&lt;noscript&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;inline left&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;http://images.teamsugar.com/files/upl1/0/3362/43_2008/c98ece84693800f3_date.xlarge.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; title=&quot;&quot; class=&quot;right outline image xlarge&quot; width=&quot;257&quot; height=&quot;320&quot;&gt;&lt;/span&gt;Anne Hathaway recently &lt;a href=&quot;http://jezebel.com/5066494/loose-lips&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;told reporters&lt;/a&gt; that she has bad taste in men, and her admission got me thinking. I&#039;ve seen quite a few friends suffer through one bad relationship after another, mainly due to the men they choose to date. And since so many of us &lt;a href=&quot;http://dearsugar.com/1628798&quot; &gt;have a type&lt;/a&gt; that&#039;s not an uncommon cycle to find yourself in. So when it comes to your taste in men, tell me, do you have good judgment or would you admit to having bad taste in men too? &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.gettyimages.com&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Source&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/p&gt;&lt;!-- no strip poll --&gt;&lt;form action=&quot;/2394004&quot;  method=&quot;post&quot; id=&quot;epoll_view_voting&quot;&gt;
&lt;div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;poll&quot;&gt;  &lt;div class=&quot;vote-form&quot;&gt;    &lt;div class=&quot;choices&quot;&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;form-item&quot;&gt;
 &lt;label&gt;Dear Poll: Do You Have Good Taste in Men? &lt;/label&gt;
 &lt;div class=&quot;form-item&quot;&gt;
 &lt;label class=&quot;option&quot;&gt;&lt;input type=&quot;radio&quot; name=&quot;edit[choice]&quot; value=&quot;0&quot;   class=&quot;form-radio&quot; /&gt; I think I have rather good taste in men! &lt;/label&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div class=&quot;form-item&quot;&gt;
 &lt;label class=&quot;option&quot;&gt;&lt;input type=&quot;radio&quot; name=&quot;edit[choice]&quot; value=&quot;1&quot;   class=&quot;form-radio&quot; /&gt; I have horrible taste in men — I guess that&#039;s why I&#039;m still single. &lt;/label&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div class=&quot;form-item&quot;&gt;
 &lt;label class=&quot;option&quot;&gt;&lt;input type=&quot;radio&quot; name=&quot;edit[choice]&quot; value=&quot;2&quot;   class=&quot;form-radio&quot; /&gt; I&#039;ve been on both sides. I&#039;ve been making an effort to make better decisions though.&lt;/label&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div class=&quot;form-item&quot;&gt;
 &lt;label class=&quot;option&quot;&gt;&lt;input type=&quot;radio&quot; name=&quot;edit[choice]&quot; value=&quot;3&quot;   class=&quot;form-radio&quot; /&gt; Other — Please share.&lt;/label&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;

&lt;/div&gt;
    &lt;/div&gt;&lt;input type=&quot;hidden&quot; name=&quot;edit[nid]&quot; id=&quot;edit-nid&quot; value=&quot;2394004&quot;  /&gt;
&lt;input type=&quot;submit&quot; name=&quot;op&quot; value=&quot;Vote&quot;  class=&quot;form-submit&quot; /&gt;
  &lt;/div&gt;&lt;input type=&quot;hidden&quot; name=&quot;edit[form_id]&quot; id=&quot;edit-form_id&quot; value=&quot;epoll_view_voting&quot;  /&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/form&gt;
&lt;!-- no strip poll --&gt;&lt;/noscript&gt;&lt;!-- no strip poll --&gt;</description>
 <comments>http://dearsugar.com/2394004#comment</comments>
 <category domain="http://dearsugar.com/tags/Anne Hathaway">Anne Hathaway</category>
 <category domain="http://dearsugar.com/tags/Celebrity">Celebrity</category>
 <category domain="http://dearsugar.com/tags/Dating">Dating</category>
 <category domain="http://dearsugar.com/tags/Dear Poll">Dear Poll</category>
 <category domain="http://dearsugar.com/tags/men">men</category>
 <category domain="http://dearsugar.com/tags/personality traits">personality traits</category>
 <category domain="http://dearsugar.com/tags/Relationships">Relationships</category>
 <pubDate>Thu, 23 Oct 2008 13:00:00 -0700</pubDate>
 <dc:creator>DearSugar</dc:creator>
 <guid>http://dearsugar.com/2394004</guid>
</item>
<item>
 <title>Dear Poll: Have You Ever Asked Someone Out? </title>
 <link>http://dearsugar.com/2389602</link>
 <description>&lt;!-- no strip poll --&gt;&lt;div id=&quot;epoll-view-2389602&quot;&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;script type=&quot;text/javascript&quot;&gt;new Ajax.Request(&#039;/epoll/view/2389602&#039;,{method:&#039;get&#039;,onSuccess:function(transport){var epoll=$(&#039;epoll-view-2389602&#039;);epoll.update(transport.responseText);}});&lt;/script&gt;&lt;noscript&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;inline left&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;http://images.teamsugar.com/files/upl1/0/3362/43_2008/e8331c5e7f953a2b_Girl-Guy-Flirting.xlarger.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; title=&quot;&quot; class=&quot;right image xlarger&quot; height=&quot;400&quot; width=&quot;286&quot;&gt;&lt;/span&gt;Making the first move can be terrifying; &lt;a href=&quot;http://dearsugar.com/1596309&quot; &gt;rejection is never pleasant&lt;/a&gt;. But I also think there’s something empowering about asking someone else out. Like doing anything that involves taking a chance, there’s a rush that comes with putting yourself out there — even if he declines, at least you&#039;ll know that you took a risk. Ladies, have you ever walked out on that limb and asked someone out?&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.gettyimages.com&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Source&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/p&gt;&lt;!-- no strip poll --&gt;&lt;form action=&quot;/2389602&quot;  method=&quot;post&quot; id=&quot;epoll_view_voting&quot;&gt;
&lt;div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;poll&quot;&gt;  &lt;div class=&quot;vote-form&quot;&gt;    &lt;div class=&quot;choices&quot;&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;form-item&quot;&gt;
 &lt;label&gt;Dear Poll: Have You Ever Asked Someone Out? &lt;/label&gt;
 &lt;div class=&quot;form-item&quot;&gt;
 &lt;label class=&quot;option&quot;&gt;&lt;input type=&quot;radio&quot; name=&quot;edit[choice]&quot; value=&quot;0&quot;   class=&quot;form-radio&quot; /&gt; Yes I have! &lt;/label&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div class=&quot;form-item&quot;&gt;
 &lt;label class=&quot;option&quot;&gt;&lt;input type=&quot;radio&quot; name=&quot;edit[choice]&quot; value=&quot;1&quot;   class=&quot;form-radio&quot; /&gt; I haven’t, but I’d like to.&lt;/label&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div class=&quot;form-item&quot;&gt;
 &lt;label class=&quot;option&quot;&gt;&lt;input type=&quot;radio&quot; name=&quot;edit[choice]&quot; value=&quot;2&quot;   class=&quot;form-radio&quot; /&gt; No, I wait to be asked. &lt;/label&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div class=&quot;form-item&quot;&gt;
 &lt;label class=&quot;option&quot;&gt;&lt;input type=&quot;radio&quot; name=&quot;edit[choice]&quot; value=&quot;3&quot;   class=&quot;form-radio&quot; /&gt; Other — Please share&lt;/label&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;

&lt;/div&gt;
    &lt;/div&gt;&lt;input type=&quot;hidden&quot; name=&quot;edit[nid]&quot; id=&quot;edit-nid&quot; value=&quot;2389602&quot;  /&gt;
&lt;input type=&quot;submit&quot; name=&quot;op&quot; value=&quot;Vote&quot;  class=&quot;form-submit&quot; /&gt;
  &lt;/div&gt;&lt;input type=&quot;hidden&quot; name=&quot;edit[form_id]&quot; id=&quot;edit-form_id&quot; value=&quot;epoll_view_voting&quot;  /&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/form&gt;
&lt;!-- no strip poll --&gt;&lt;/noscript&gt;&lt;!-- no strip poll --&gt;</description>
 <comments>http://dearsugar.com/2389602#comment</comments>
 <category domain="http://dearsugar.com/tags/Dating">Dating</category>
 <category domain="http://dearsugar.com/tags/Dear Poll">Dear Poll</category>
 <category domain="http://dearsugar.com/tags/making the first move">making the first move</category>
 <pubDate>Tue, 21 Oct 2008 09:00:00 -0700</pubDate>
 <dc:creator>DearSugar</dc:creator>
 <guid>http://dearsugar.com/2389602</guid>
</item>
<item>
 <title>Dear Poll: Are Most of Your Friends Single or in a Relationship?</title>
 <link>http://dearsugar.com/2381679</link>
 <description>&lt;!-- no strip poll --&gt;&lt;div id=&quot;epoll-view-2381679&quot;&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;script type=&quot;text/javascript&quot;&gt;new Ajax.Request(&#039;/epoll/view/2381679&#039;,{method:&#039;get&#039;,onSuccess:function(transport){var epoll=$(&#039;epoll-view-2381679&#039;);epoll.update(transport.responseText);}});&lt;/script&gt;&lt;noscript&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;inline left&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;http://images.teamsugar.com/files/upl1/0/3362/42_2008/3ebbb522eff58b81_Couples.xlarger.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; title=&quot;&quot; class=&quot;left image xlarger&quot; height=&quot;400&quot; width=&quot;297&quot;&gt;&lt;/span&gt;Life seems to have a peculiar ebb and flow when it comes to love. Sometimes it&#039;s as if everyone I know is either in a serious relationship or on their way to one, while at other times everyone  seems to be on the brink of breaking up and doing the single thing. What does it look like in your social scene right now?&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.gettyimages.com&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Source&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/p&gt;&lt;!-- no strip poll --&gt;&lt;form action=&quot;/2381679&quot;  method=&quot;post&quot; id=&quot;epoll_view_voting&quot;&gt;
&lt;div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;poll&quot;&gt;  &lt;div class=&quot;vote-form&quot;&gt;    &lt;div class=&quot;choices&quot;&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;form-item&quot;&gt;
 &lt;label&gt;Dear Poll: Are Most of Your Friends Single or in a Relationship?&lt;/label&gt;
 &lt;div class=&quot;form-item&quot;&gt;
 &lt;label class=&quot;option&quot;&gt;&lt;input type=&quot;radio&quot; name=&quot;edit[choice]&quot; value=&quot;0&quot;   class=&quot;form-radio&quot; /&gt; Most of my friends are totally taken!&lt;/label&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div class=&quot;form-item&quot;&gt;
 &lt;label class=&quot;option&quot;&gt;&lt;input type=&quot;radio&quot; name=&quot;edit[choice]&quot; value=&quot;1&quot;   class=&quot;form-radio&quot; /&gt; Lots of singles!&lt;/label&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div class=&quot;form-item&quot;&gt;
 &lt;label class=&quot;option&quot;&gt;&lt;input type=&quot;radio&quot; name=&quot;edit[choice]&quot; value=&quot;2&quot;   class=&quot;form-radio&quot; /&gt; Actually, it’s pretty even.&lt;/label&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div class=&quot;form-item&quot;&gt;
 &lt;label class=&quot;option&quot;&gt;&lt;input type=&quot;radio&quot; name=&quot;edit[choice]&quot; value=&quot;3&quot;   class=&quot;form-radio&quot; /&gt; It changes so often, it’s impossible to say. &lt;/label&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div class=&quot;form-item&quot;&gt;
 &lt;label class=&quot;option&quot;&gt;&lt;input type=&quot;radio&quot; name=&quot;edit[choice]&quot; value=&quot;4&quot;   class=&quot;form-radio&quot; /&gt; Other&lt;/label&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;

&lt;/div&gt;
    &lt;/div&gt;&lt;input type=&quot;hidden&quot; name=&quot;edit[nid]&quot; id=&quot;edit-nid&quot; value=&quot;2381679&quot;  /&gt;
&lt;input type=&quot;submit&quot; name=&quot;op&quot; value=&quot;Vote&quot;  class=&quot;form-submit&quot; /&gt;
  &lt;/div&gt;&lt;input type=&quot;hidden&quot; name=&quot;edit[form_id]&quot; id=&quot;edit-form_id&quot; value=&quot;epoll_view_voting&quot;  /&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/form&gt;
&lt;!-- no strip poll --&gt;&lt;/noscript&gt;&lt;!-- no strip poll --&gt;</description>
 <comments>http://dearsugar.com/2381679#comment</comments>
 <category domain="http://dearsugar.com/tags/Dating">Dating</category>
 <category domain="http://dearsugar.com/tags/Dear Poll">Dear Poll</category>
 <category domain="http://dearsugar.com/tags/Friends">Friends</category>
 <category domain="http://dearsugar.com/tags/Relationships">Relationships</category>
 <category domain="http://dearsugar.com/tags/Single">Single</category>
 <pubDate>Mon, 20 Oct 2008 16:00:00 -0700</pubDate>
 <dc:creator>DearSugar</dc:creator>
 <guid>http://dearsugar.com/2381679</guid>
</item>
<item>
 <title>Handle This: Your Date Can&#039;t Afford to Take You Out</title>
 <link>http://dearsugar.com/2378077</link>
 <description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;inline left&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;http://images.teamsugar.com/files/upl1/0/3362/42_2008/5d92c6ba5f66cb47_Woman-Thinking.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; title=&quot;&quot; class=&quot;left image xxlarge&quot; height=&quot;455&quot; width=&quot;300&quot;&gt;&lt;/span&gt;Recently you were asked out on a date by a guy who works in your building. For your first date, he takes you on a fun factory tour of a local brewery, and you guys grab slices of pizza afterward. On the next date he takes you to his favorite burrito place and then an art gallery. Most recently you guys hit up a dive bar. You love that he’s zany, and you really connect with him in a way you haven&#039;t with a guy in a long time. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;But when you ask if he&#039;ll come with you to a friend&#039;s birthday party at a sit-down restaurant, he says yes but only if you pay, since he’s broke. You don&#039;t mind paying, but since you know he has a job, you can&#039;t help but wonder if he&#039;s really broke or &lt;a href=&quot;http://dearsugar.com/1568554&quot; &gt;just cheap&lt;/a&gt;. How would &lt;i&gt;you&lt;/i&gt; handle this? &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.gettyimages.com&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Source&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
</description>
 <comments>http://dearsugar.com/2378077#comment</comments>
 <category domain="http://dearsugar.com/tags/Boyfriend">Boyfriend</category>
 <category domain="http://dearsugar.com/tags/cheap">cheap</category>
 <category domain="http://dearsugar.com/tags/Dating">Dating</category>
 <category domain="http://dearsugar.com/tags/Handle This">Handle This</category>
 <category domain="http://dearsugar.com/tags/Money">Money</category>
 <pubDate>Fri, 17 Oct 2008 17:00:00 -0700</pubDate>
 <dc:creator>DearSugar</dc:creator>
 <guid>http://dearsugar.com/2378077</guid>
</item>
<item>
 <title>You Asked: Am I Going to Get Hurt? </title>
 <link>http://dearsugar.com/2365601</link>
 <description>&lt;p&gt;Dear Sugar, &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;I recently met a pretty amazing guy, and we hit it off right away. About two weeks in, we had a state-of-the-union conversation, and he told me that he just got out of a year-long relationship and doesn&#039;t want to get into anything serious right now. We agreed to try just being friends, but that only lasted two weeks because we have this crazy chemistry and we love being together. Since friendship didn&#039;t work, we decided to date and keep things casual. We&#039;re seeing a lot of each other still, and I can feel myself really starting to fall for him, but I&#039;m scared that I&#039;m going to get hurt at the end because he&#039;s been so adamant about not starting up a serious relationship again. He makes time for me and he treats me like a girlfriend; we even met each other&#039;s parents. So am I just being paranoid? Am I heading for big trouble/heartbreak by letting myself fall for him? Should I get out now before it&#039;s too late? — Setting Myself Up Sadie &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;inline left&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;http://images.teamsugar.com/files/upl1/0/3362/42_2008/worried_0.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; title=&quot;&quot; class=&quot;outline center image xlarger&quot; width=&quot;400&quot; height=&quot;266&quot;&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;To see DearSugar&#039;s answer, &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://dearsugar.com/2365601&quot;&gt;read more&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description>
 <comments>http://dearsugar.com/2365601#comment</comments>
 <category domain="http://dearsugar.com/tags/Advice">Advice</category>
 <category domain="http://dearsugar.com/tags/Dating">Dating</category>
 <category domain="http://dearsugar.com/tags/Fear">Fear</category>
 <category domain="http://dearsugar.com/tags/Honesty">Honesty</category>
 <category domain="http://dearsugar.com/tags/Relationships">Relationships</category>
 <category domain="http://dearsugar.com/tags/You Asked">You Asked</category>
 <pubDate>Fri, 17 Oct 2008 06:00:00 -0700</pubDate>
 <dc:creator>DearSugar</dc:creator>
 <guid>http://dearsugar.com/2365601</guid>
</item>
<item>
 <title>A Do or a Don&#039;t: Rebound Dating</title>
 <link>http://dearsugar.com/2365123</link>
 <description>&lt;p&gt;I’ve often heard it said that the best way to get over someone is to start dating someone new.  And while I’m certainly not against that notion, I do believe that some real alone time for reflection and recuperation can be a lot better than a rebound guy. Even if it’s no big deal to you, often the person you’re rebounding with can end up feeling hurt when you’ve fully bounced back and are ready for other things (or people). So have you ever rebounded? If so, is this how you get over your breakups?&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;inline left&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;http://images.teamsugar.com/files/upl1/0/3362/42_2008/Rebound-Date.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; title=&quot;&quot; class=&quot;image xxlarge&quot; height=&quot;333&quot; width=&quot;500&quot;&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.gettyimages.com&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Source&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
</description>
 <comments>http://dearsugar.com/2365123#comment</comments>
 <category domain="http://dearsugar.com/tags/A Do or a Don&#039;t">A Do or a Don&#039;t</category>
 <category domain="http://dearsugar.com/tags/Breakup">Breakup</category>
 <category domain="http://dearsugar.com/tags/Dating">Dating</category>
 <category domain="http://dearsugar.com/tags/Rebound relationships">Rebound relationships</category>
 <pubDate>Wed, 15 Oct 2008 17:00:00 -0700</pubDate>
 <dc:creator>DearSugar</dc:creator>
 <guid>http://dearsugar.com/2365123</guid>
</item>
<item>
 <title>Five Rules For Meeting His Parents</title>
 <link>http://dearsugar.com/2362596</link>
 <description>&lt;p&gt;The holidays are fast approaching, so if you&#039;re meeting your boyfriend&#039;s parents for the first time, you might want to check out the five helpful tips that &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.glamour.com/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Glamour magazine&lt;/a&gt; is sharing with us in their November issue. As we all know, meeting the parents is a huge rite of passage, one that is never taken lightly, so check out my take on their five suggestions below and a few of my own, too.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;span class=&quot;inline left&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;http://images.teamsugar.com/files/upl1/0/3362/42_2008/meeting-the-family.xlarge.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; title=&quot;&quot; class=&quot;right outline image xlarge&quot; width=&quot;320&quot; height=&quot;240&quot;&gt;&lt;/span&gt;
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;
&lt;b&gt;Be present.&lt;/b&gt; If you&#039;re overly consumed with a pimple on your face or worrying that you&#039;re not saying the right thing, you could in turn come off aloof. Make sure his parents know you&#039;re interested in the conversation and in the moment. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;
&lt;b&gt;Don&#039;t overspend to impress.&lt;/b&gt; Sending a thank you note, flowers, or bringing a small gift as a thank you for hosting you is always a nice gesture, but don&#039;t go overboard — you don&#039;t want to seem like you&#039;re trying too hard. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;
&lt;b&gt;Volley the hard questions to him.&lt;/b&gt; If his parents put you on the spot to the point of uncomfortableness, turn to your boyfriend and cue him to take over. He&#039;ll know how to pull back the reins.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;p&gt;To see two more of &lt;b&gt;Glamour&lt;/b&gt;&#039;s tips and to check out my additions, just &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://dearsugar.com/2362596&quot;&gt;read more&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description>
 <comments>http://dearsugar.com/2362596#comment</comments>
 <category domain="http://dearsugar.com/tags/Dating">Dating</category>
 <category domain="http://dearsugar.com/tags/Family">Family</category>
 <category domain="http://dearsugar.com/tags/glamour magazine">glamour magazine</category>
 <category domain="http://dearsugar.com/tags/holiday">holiday</category>
 <category domain="http://dearsugar.com/tags/list">list</category>
 <category domain="http://dearsugar.com/tags/meeting the family">meeting the family</category>
 <category domain="http://dearsugar.com/tags/Meeting the Parents">Meeting the Parents</category>
 <category domain="http://dearsugar.com/tags/Relationships">Relationships</category>
 <pubDate>Wed, 15 Oct 2008 10:00:00 -0700</pubDate>
 <dc:creator>DearSugar</dc:creator>
 <guid>http://dearsugar.com/2362596</guid>
</item>
<item>
 <title>Have You Ever Dated Someone You Didn&#039;t Trust? </title>
 <link>http://dearsugar.com/2362447</link>
 <description>&lt;p&gt;We&#039;ve seen Audrina struggle in her relationship with Justin all season, but last night&#039;s episode of &lt;a href=&quot;http://dearsugar.com/tag/The+Hills&quot; &gt;The Hills&lt;/a&gt; ended with her finally telling him the truth — that she doesn&#039;t trust him. Sure, she was topless and talking about future plans, but she said it nonetheless! You&#039;ve heard me say that trust is one of the essentials when it comes to a healthy, long-lasting relationship time and time again, so I&#039;m left confused as to why women date men they don&#039;t trust — it sounds like a tumultuous uphill battle to me. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Have you ever dated someone you didn&#039;t trust? If so, why did you stay in an uncertain relationship?&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;span class=&quot;inline left&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;http://images.teamsugar.com/files/upl1/0/3362/42_2008/19-audrina-justin-pool.preview.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; title=&quot;&quot; class=&quot;outline image preview&quot; width=&quot;550&quot; height=&quot;309&quot;&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Photo courtesy of &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.mtv.com/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;MTV&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
</description>
 <comments>http://dearsugar.com/2362447#comment</comments>
 <category domain="http://dearsugar.com/tags/Audrina Patridge">Audrina Patridge</category>
 <category domain="http://dearsugar.com/tags/Celebrity">Celebrity</category>
 <category domain="http://dearsugar.com/tags/Dating">Dating</category>
 <category domain="http://dearsugar.com/tags/Relationships">Relationships</category>
 <category domain="http://dearsugar.com/tags/The Hills">The Hills</category>
 <category domain="http://dearsugar.com/tags/Trust">Trust</category>
 <pubDate>Tue, 14 Oct 2008 08:00:00 -0700</pubDate>
 <dc:creator>DearSugar</dc:creator>
 <guid>http://dearsugar.com/2362447</guid>
</item>
<item>
 <title>DearSugar Needs Your Help: How Can I Get Out of My Slump?</title>
 <link>http://dearsugar.com/2332393</link>
 <description>&lt;p&gt;DearSugar and In the Dumps Daria need your help. She&#039;s struggling with depression and is having a hard time meeting someone special. I offer my advice on how to meet men all the time, but what works for you? Hopefully hearing your success stories will help keep Daria&#039;s spirits high so she can break free from her relationship slump.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;inline left&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;http://images.teamsugar.com/files/upl1/0/3362/41_2008/sad.xxlarge.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; title=&quot;&quot; class=&quot;outline image xxlarge&quot; width=&quot;500&quot; height=&quot;334&quot;&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Dear Sugar, &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;I&#039;m a 26-year-old woman who has been battling with serious depression for three years. I&#039;m on medication and see a therapist regularly, and I have thankfully noticed an improvement in the last year. I feel in control of my emotions and am more hopeful about the future.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The one thing that really hasn&#039;t gotten better is my personal life. I haven&#039;t had a serious boyfriend in almost four years, and my feelings of loneliness really exacerbate my depression. I&#039;ve tried dating but I just haven&#039;t found anyone compatible, and what&#039;s worse is that I go through periods of extreme discouragement. It&#039;s a terrible cycle — the depression makes it hard to meet someone, and meeting the wrong someone (or no one) makes my depression worse. Plus four long years of single life has made me fear being alone forever. I don&#039;t have low self-esteem, so how can I get myself out of this relationship slump? — In the Dumps Daria&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.gettyimages.com&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Source&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
</description>
 <comments>http://dearsugar.com/2332393#comment</comments>
 <category domain="http://dearsugar.com/tags/Dating">Dating</category>
 <category domain="http://dearsugar.com/tags/DearSugar Needs Your Help">DearSugar Needs Your Help</category>
 <category domain="http://dearsugar.com/tags/Depression">Depression</category>
 <category domain="http://dearsugar.com/tags/Relationships">Relationships</category>
 <category domain="http://dearsugar.com/tags/Therapy">Therapy</category>
 <pubDate>Sat, 11 Oct 2008 09:00:00 -0700</pubDate>
 <dc:creator>DearSugar</dc:creator>
 <guid>http://dearsugar.com/2332393</guid>
</item>
<item>
 <title>Handle This: He&#039;s a Virgin</title>
 <link>http://dearsugar.com/2335794</link>
 <description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;inline left&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;http://images.teamsugar.com/files/upl1/0/3362/41_2008/Man-Embarrassed.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; title=&quot;&quot; class=&quot;left image xlarge&quot; height=&quot;315&quot; width=&quot;315&quot;&gt;&lt;/span&gt;After a month of dating, things have been getting hot and heavy with your new man. But just before things take off, he always puts a stop to them. You’re not opposed to &lt;a href=&quot;http://dearsugar.com/2147375&quot; &gt;waiting longer to have sex&lt;/a&gt;, but you can’t help notice how quick he is to move things away from that territory. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;On a particularly romantic and special night together, you think it’s finally going to happen. He’s set the mood and doesn’t appear to be as uncomfortable as he usual is. But just as things heat up, he pulls away from you yet again, admitting that he’s never had sex before and is scared. How would &lt;i&gt;you&lt;/i&gt; handle this?  &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.gettyimages.com&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Source&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
</description>
 <comments>http://dearsugar.com/2335794#comment</comments>
 <category domain="http://dearsugar.com/tags/Dating">Dating</category>
 <category domain="http://dearsugar.com/tags/Handle This">Handle This</category>
 <category domain="http://dearsugar.com/tags/Relationships">Relationships</category>
 <category domain="http://dearsugar.com/tags/Romance">Romance</category>
 <category domain="http://dearsugar.com/tags/Sex">Sex</category>
 <category domain="http://dearsugar.com/tags/virginity">virginity</category>
 <pubDate>Fri, 10 Oct 2008 09:00:00 -0700</pubDate>
 <dc:creator>DearSugar</dc:creator>
 <guid>http://dearsugar.com/2335794</guid>
</item>
<item>
 <title>Where Do You Stand? Overlapping First Names</title>
 <link>http://dearsugar.com/2325489</link>
 <description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;inline left&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;http://images.teamsugar.com/files/upl1/0/3362/41_2008/name-tag.xlarger.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; title=&quot;&quot; class=&quot;left outline image xlarger&quot; width=&quot;298&quot; height=&quot;400&quot;&gt;&lt;/span&gt;What&#039;s in a name? Well, a lot, if your love interest has the same name as your father or your brother! I just had a conversation with a friend who was excited about a really cute guy she met, but the downfall is that he shares the same name as her older brother. I&#039;ve never dated anyone with my brother&#039;s name so I couldn&#039;t empathize with her, leaving me asking what the big deal is. I mean, I understand how it could be a little creepy to date someone with the same name as your father, but even still, I don&#039;t consider it to be a deal-breaker. So where do you stand on dating someone who shares their name with someone in your family? Have you done it before? Was it awkward? Was it confusing? Or was it not even an issue? &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.gettyimages.com&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Source&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
</description>
 <comments>http://dearsugar.com/2325489#comment</comments>
 <category domain="http://dearsugar.com/tags/Dating">Dating</category>
 <category domain="http://dearsugar.com/tags/Family">Family</category>
 <category domain="http://dearsugar.com/tags/personality traits">personality traits</category>
 <category domain="http://dearsugar.com/tags/Where Do You Stand">Where Do You Stand</category>
 <pubDate>Thu, 09 Oct 2008 07:00:00 -0700</pubDate>
 <dc:creator>DearSugar</dc:creator>
 <guid>http://dearsugar.com/2325489</guid>
</item>
<item>
 <title>Handle This: She&#039;s Acting Like Something She&#039;s Not</title>
 <link>http://dearsugar.com/2276285</link>
 <description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;inline left&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;http://images.teamsugar.com/files/upl1/0/3362/41_2008/Women-computer.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; title=&quot;&quot; class=&quot;left image preview&quot; height=&quot;428&quot; width=&quot;285&quot;&gt;&lt;/span&gt;In another effort to try and meet someone, your friend has signed up for an online dating site. And she’s actually been getting a ton of dates, but the problem is the guys never call her for date number two. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;She’s come to you crying so many times now that you’re starting to get annoyed. You’ve been blaming it on the guys, so you offer to take a look at her profile to see why she might be attracting the wrong type. When you sign on together, you’re shocked to see a picture of your friend from five years ago when she was forty pounds lighter. Even worse, her profile is filled with facts about herself that just aren&#039;t true. She’s asking your opinion, so how do you handle this? &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.gettyimages.com&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Source&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
</description>
 <comments>http://dearsugar.com/2276285#comment</comments>
 <category domain="http://dearsugar.com/tags/Dating">Dating</category>
 <category domain="http://dearsugar.com/tags/Friends">Friends</category>
 <category domain="http://dearsugar.com/tags/Handle This">Handle This</category>
 <category domain="http://dearsugar.com/tags/online dating">online dating</category>
 <pubDate>Tue, 07 Oct 2008 16:00:00 -0700</pubDate>
 <dc:creator>DearSugar</dc:creator>
 <guid>http://dearsugar.com/2276285</guid>
</item>
</channel>
</rss>
