A year and a half ago, I sat on my therapist’s black leather couch, talking to him about the last few guys I’d gone out with. I’d been on a cold streak—one where I’d meet a guy and be very taken with him, only to never hear from him after our second or third meeting. (Usually, the second. But you already know how I feel about that.) I was starting to ask myself the question that far too many single women ask themselves: Am I doing something wrong? Or worse: Is there something wrong with me? My therapist had a thick European accent, which I liked, since I felt like it gave extra weight to his words. “You present yourself as a strong, accomplished woman,” he said. “I wonder if men sometimes feel intimidated by you.” I practically rolled my eyes. Really, this was his advice? I started to fight him, explaining that I don’t think being accomplished is a problem, and if a guy sees it as such, that’s really his issue.

“I’m not saying don’t be successful,” he said. “I’m wondering if you could show them some of your vulnerability.” Ding ding ding. He was completely right. I didn’t have to pour my soul out to strange men, but I could easily share with them the part of me that wasn’t so sure about everything and that wondered whether I had made the right career decisions, etc. I left his office that day feeling like I had made a breakthrough. But now I think that one conversation may have ruined my dating life.

On my very first date with my boyfriend, I didn’t know if he was going to kiss me. I didn’t know yet that he loves Concord grapes, plays the saxophone and has never seen a Woody Allen movie. But I did know for certain that I wanted this person with whom I’d just eaten dinner to be in my life, somehow. I remember sitting across from him at a table in a Portuguese restaurant, smiling, and thinking, “Whatever happens after this date, I really hope we become friends. You’re cool.”

Flash forward six intense, crazy-in-love months and this man is not only boyfriend—he is my closest friend now, too, the one who knows everything about what goes on with my family, what goes on at work, what weird dreams woke me up in the middle of the night.

And I’m not entirely sure that’s a good thing.

Yesterday, as I was about to get in my usual train car (I’m a creature of habit), I noticed something was amiss. There was a large crowd of about 50 teenagers hovering over two girls who were beating the crap out of each other. This wasn’t your usual hair-pulling-and-scratching kind of girl fight. These girls would have made even the most hardened UFC fighters cringe, as they punched, kicked, and slammed each other. The funny thing is that when they arrived at their stop, the fighting stopped. And as I sat in another train car, I thought: “Well, at least they’re responsible enough to go to school.” I’ve never been in a girl fight, unless you count the times when my bigger and older cousins would beat me up and I would bite them in defense, but we were only toddlers. I went to Catholic schools, where we were watched like hawks and teachers always swooped in before anything came to blows. Once, in high school, these girls had a major fight, miles away from the school, but they were wearing their very recognizable uniforms, and someone called the school and they got in trouble anyway. I think physical fighting just wasn’t worth it for most of my fellow students or me. We developed very witty ways to argue and learned how to curse like sailors instead. But I wonder what other people’s experiences have been. Have you ever been in a girl fight?

I’d never been one of those girls who’d dreamt about her perfect wedding. The virgin-white dress, the exorbitant costs, the fuss over a big, shiny rock—none of it ever appealed to me. I wanted to find a lifelong partner, and a family sounded nice, too, but honestly? I never cared much about that piece of paper. So why did I just marry my boyfriend after pondering it for a mere two hours? One (evidently all-too-common) reason: health insurance.

Some say a woman should never say “I love you” first. Now, research shows that might be a good idea, seeing as it turns out guys say “I love you” first more often than women do. Want to know why? Find out! [Lemondrop]

How does New Jersey guy Jesse Wellens keep his love alive with his lady? He torments her with some good ol’ fashioned pranks. And how does she show her appreciation for said pranks? She gets him back … good … with some special brownies. When I stumbled across their videos, I seriously peed my pants. I’m always a sucker for a well-executed prank. In a sick way it’s kind of romantic—freaking out the person you love for a laugh. Laughter seems to be their secret ingredient for a happy life together. And maybe a dash of Ex-Lax here and there. The prank above proves that confetti + baby powder + car = a really angry girlfriend. See more of their hilarious pranks after the jump. [Asylum]

There’s this stereotype that if you are gay, the answer to all your problems is skipping off to a big city where you can live an open and free life in an accepting environment. The sentiment isn’t always worded this blatantly, but it’s out there. Usually, when people find out I’m a lesbian they say something like, “Oh, well, at least you live in New York City.”

So I am officially engaged. And I’ll tell you the #1 thing I’m feeling right now:

Nauseous.

I think it’s just because the past six months have been one big blur, and we’ve made some of the biggest decisions we’ve made in our entire lives.

I’ve been with my girlfriend for a year. I love her, for so many reasons, and she’s very attractive (intellectually and physically). For the first six months of dating, I couldn’t think of anybody but her, and if I did start to think of anyone else, I just shut that part of me down. As soon as the six-month mark hit, though, I found myself attracted to other girls. It wasn’t just physical attraction — I’m a guy, I imagine every attractive woman I see bouncing on the end of my d**k — but the kind of attraction that, were I not with my girlfriend, would make me try to pick these girls up. And I don’t know if it bothered me because I didn’t want to be attracted to anybody but her, or if I was bothered by the fact that I wanted to flirt with these other girls — almost all of whom are part of my girlfriend’s social circle. Well, I told my girlfriend and at first she reassured me that it was normal for people to be attracted to others, even if they’re in relationships (though she’s never told me about anyone she was attracted to; what’s up with that?). But now, a year into our relationship, she’s turned a bit into that “crazy/jealous girlfriend” stereotype. At social gatherings, I can’t help but want to be around these other girls, and my girlfriend glares at me occasionally, or joins in our conversations (not rudely, but she is there). I’m open and honest with her, and tell her who I like and why. And now she just cries. What am I supposed to do? Lie? —Horn Dog

Last night I was thrown for a loop when I ran into a long-ago ex at a party that he had no business (that I could fathom) attending. I was not happy to see him. In fact, over the past ten or so years, I’ve made it a point to avoid being anywhere he might be. I haven’t been pining; he’s someone I actively avoid because he’s psychotic and I had no idea what he—or I—would do if we ever crossed paths again. I’m not a violent person, but the thought of stabbing him in the eye is not an unpleasant one.

When you’ve tracked as many laps around the block as I have, you’re bound to run into the occasional ex—even the ones you’d rather forget. As the rage disappeared along with the tequila in my glass, I got to thinking about how just the random act of running into someone can ruin, or make, your day.

Boys, if you’re going to propose “in public,” there’s a couple things you want to stay away from. Jumbotrons. Clowns. Twitter. Oh, for the love of all things holy, don’t propose over Twitter. Just take your romance 2.0 cues from this guy, Justin, who proposed to his longtime girlfriend, Marissa, over Tumblr and made strangers like me uncontrollably bawl. It’s a three-hanky performance. [justin.tumblr.com]

Phew, we can all breathe a sigh of relief. This month Glamour magazine lets us know that guys are into us even if we aren’t perfect and that we don’t have to change ourselves for their benefit! Need convincing? They have seven wonderful reasons guys love us “just the way we are.” Check them out after the jump.

My boyfriend is still (pretty good) friends with his ex-girlfriends. Not just one of them, but a few. One in particular I have a problem with. They broke up at the end of last year after having dated for four years, and at the beginning of our relationship, he was still unsure if they should try dating again. I hung out with the two of them (plus others) before we had started dating and she gave off this super-fake vibe, so that naturally put me off. They still talk from time to time via GChat, and they’ve hung out a few times—like twice since we started dating five months ago. My problem is that she completely screwed him over on multiple occasions in their relationship, and seems to just cause drama, so I just can’t fathom why he still wants to maintain a friendship. She recently asked him to hang out soon, but he was busy until the following week and she freaked out on him.  As a girl, that screams ‘ulterior motive’ to me. As far as he and I are concerned, we’re great. We laugh often and have very open communication. So I’m secure in our relationship, but seeing as they have such a history and I’ve gotten such bad vibes from her (and his friends have expressed their dislike for her), I’m not comfortable with their hanging out. I’ve tried to explain to him how I feel, but he’s not getting it.  Do you have any suggestions as to what I could say to try to discourage it? I’m trying to be a cool girlfriend here. — CG

Dashing out the door this morning, I called out in the general direction of my boyfriend, “Bye! I love you!” and he responded, “I love you, lollipop!” Lollipop? That’s a new one. (I won’t dish what his regular pet name for me is, but to my father, I’m Boop Boop, and to my mom, I’m Monkeyface. Hey, stop laughing!) Schmoopy pet names might be the #1 obnoxious thing couples do, but don’t try to act like you’re not guilty of it, too. Since we’re nosy girls here at The Frisky, we want to know your most embarrassing little terms of endearment. C’mon, don’t be shy! Tell us in the comments below.

For anyone who is remotely active on Facebook, you no doubt have been faced at some point with inane updates on one of your friend’s kid’s colds or how wedding-planning was coming along for one of your engaged friends. That’s why, when parenting website Babble published their list of “Facebook’s Five Most Annoying Parents,” I immediately thought, “But what about all the annoying couples?” So, without further ado, I present Facebook’s Five Most Annoying Couples, after the jump.