Tag Archives: dating

Valentine’s Day Date Inspiration: Outdoorsy Adventures!

V-Day Date Inspiration #1
How to arrange the perfect romantic dinner at home. Read More »
V-Day Date Inspiration #3
A romantic evening on the couch alone sounds nice! Read More »
V-Day Date Inspiration #2
Make love like the French with this dinner a deux. Read More »

Smack dab in the middle of wet, cold February might not seem like the ideal time for exploring the great outdoors, but if you’re looking for a memorable Valentine’s Day experience, throw on a coat and drag your sweetheart outside. Whether you take a walk through a park, hit up a hiking trail, skip stones on a raging river (good luck), or brave a stormy beach, you’ll be in for an adventure, and you won’t have to worry about fighting the crowds at Olive Garden. Jump in puddles, take pictures, get thoroughly cold and uncomfortable, then head home and get warm together (if you know what I mean). Here is everything you need for a perfectly imperfect outdoorsy Valentine’s Day date… Keep reading »

10 Strange & Disturbing Animal Mating Rituals

Yes, dating and relationships can be hard, but just be glad you’re not a porcupine. Or a dolphin. Or any of the other animals we’ve found with strange and somewhat disturbing mating rituals. At least your boyfriend doesn’t DIE when he has sex with you, like the honey bee, or try to insert his penis into your abdomen, like the bed bug. Click through to read all about it. Keep reading »

Share Your Worst Valentine’s Day Stories!

V-Day Survival Guide
For all your Valentine's Day needs. Read More »
Stop Hating V-Day
How one woman stopped hating Valentine's Day. Read More »

It’s often thought that Valentine’s Day is the worst holiday for single people. But not if you have a crappy boyfriend! Then Valentine’s Day can suck major balls. Like, take the time I was dating Jason*. We’d been together for several months, and prepared for our first V-Day together. I am not a particularly materialistic kind of lady and often paid the bill on our dates, but I like a little romance. Even though I am hyper feminist, I do feel like Valentine’s Day is the one time of year when you are supposed to shower a little extra love on your lady. Though Jason was typically rather analytical (bordering on anal) and tight-fisted, I figured the holiday would be my one night of being wined and dined. We went to a nice Greek restaurant, and he ordered the most expensive dish on the menu — a fish dish coming in at more than $20. I ordered a less expensive pasta dish. But when the bill came, my anal retentive boyfriend split the bill — down to the tax. I was majorly annoyed. He didn’t want to treat me, but he was willing to spend big bucks on himself, and that’s when I knew I’d never really be a priority with this dude.

So that’s my worst Valentine’s Day. Share yours in the comments!

*names have been changed to protect the utterly craptastic

10 Played-Out Online Dating Messages That Guys Send Women

Being Ugly Helps?
OKCupid says being uglier actually makes you more attractive online. Read More »
Unusual Flirting
The client Whose been flirting with you all year
Admittedly, we've got some weird techniques. Read More »
Online Dating Lies
Here's some of the whoppers people use in their profile. Read More »

You know the saying “first impressions last a lifetime”? Well, it’s true and it even applies to online dating message writing. We’re most impressed by guys who actually read our profile and ask us questions about things we’ve mentioned in it. Crazy idea, I know! If you avoid these 10 common (and disastrous) phrases guys often send to ladies online, you are guaranteed to have better luck and get more responses.  Keep reading »

14 Realities Of Romantic Relationships In Chart Form

Of all the things you see charted in elementary and middle school — the human tongue, the color spectrum– what to expect from romantic relationships would seem to be a pretty conspicuous omission. We asked you to show us the charts you wish you’d seen before you ever admitted to liking someone as more than a friend. Read more…

19 Stupid Lies We’ve Told Dudes We’ve Dated

Online Dating Lies
The top 10 white lies people tell on their profiles. Read More »
Lies Women Tell Each Other
We need to stop lying to each other, ladies. Read More »

Okay, so sometimes we fib a little bit when we’re dating a guy. Not about the big stuff — like our name or what we do for a living. It’s not that we mean to be dishonest, it’s just that our politeness, insecurity or desire to dazzle get in the way of the truth. And sometimes, before we know it, we’ve told you we read all of David Foster Wallace’s books, when really we’ve only read all of DFW’s book jackets. We meant to read the books in their entirety, we just haven’t gotten around to it yet. Anyhow, what we’re trying to say is that we’re sorry for all the stupid lies we’ve told. We’re coming clean after the jump. Keep reading »

5 Dangers Of Flirty Texting

Texting Rules
What are the rules for texting? Read More »
Hormones and Texting
Our hormones don't respond to texts. Read More »

You give good text and are proud of it. Often finding yourself heavy texting with a crush or brand new love interest, you delight in the back-and-forth repartee, the dings announcing his new message, the way that crafting witty responses keeps your brain sharp and you on your toes. When you talk to your friends, they complain that the men they’re dating text too much. “It’s not even real communication!” they exclaim. “Why don’t they ever just pick up the f**king phone and call?!” But not you. You’re happy to stick to texts for as long as possible. Far from being daunted by a guy who never picks up the phone, you’ll dodge his calls and let him go straight to voicemail so you can text him back.

If this sounds like you, you could be flirting with disaster. While it’s fun, and even sometimes downright dirty to be a master texter, it could put you at risk for these dating pitfalls, especially early on in a relationship. So let your fingers do the talking if you must, but proceed with caution. Keep reading »

Valentine’s Day Date Inspiration: French Dinner À Deux

Date Inspiration
How to arrange the perfect romantic dinner at home. Read More »
V-Day Survival Guide
For all your Valentine's Day needs. Read More »
Stop Hating V-Day
How one woman stopped hating Valentine's Day. Read More »

Who does love better than the French? (Well, we’re guessing, you.) Channel Parisian romance this Saint-Valentin day. Get all the details, after the jump! Keep reading »

Girl Talk: How I Stopped Hating Valentine’s Day

V-Day Survival Guide
For all your Valentine's Day needs. Read More »
V-day Not So Bad
John DeVore tells us why Valentine's Day is not so bad. Read More »
Skipping V-Day?
Here are some ways to avoid the holiday altogether. Read More »

In elementary school, Valentine’s Day was fun. I went to the stationery store with my Mom, picked out a box of perforated Smurf Valentines, and sat in front of the TV with a copy of my class list, making sure to include everyone as I wrote out my cards. I decorated a brown paper lunch bag with stickers and glitter, and carefully wrote my name in cursive with a red Magic Marker. The next day, I taped the bag to the side of my desk, and walked around the room depositing cards in everyone else’s bags. In return, I received cards from everyone else. All was fair in love and Valentine’s Day until 6th grade.

Then everything fell apart.

In 6th grade, my crush Josh* asked me to go to the Valentine’s Dance with him, which basically meant that I was his girlfriend. This being my first boyfriend, and for Valentine’s Day no less, I took it very seriously. After a class trip to the library to learn about the Dewey Decimal System, we stopped at the mall for lunch. I headed to a gift shop and studied the Valentine’s Day cards, finally selecting one that looked like a personal ad. For my boyfriend. Keep reading »

I Was In An Emotionally Abusive Relationship

Why is that women stay with their abusers? A little less than two years ago, I certainly couldn’t have told you the answer to that question. Now I can. And that’s because I did.

I’ll never be able to pinpoint the exact moment when my relationship with Chris started to become unhealthy. It could have been as early as the moment I met him. It could have been the first time he criticized my weight. It could have been when he started controlling who I could hang out with. It could have even been the very first time he called me a “stupid slut.” Really, at this point it all becomes a big blur full of screaming, name calling, and suicidal threats, not to mention one very unhealthy pattern of fighting and making up.  Read more