I’ve recently started dating in a normal, orderly way like other people date; formerly, I have only had long term relationships which just sort of happened, no dates required.  I’ve gone on dates with many men, with the goal of getting to know each of them before I chose to make a more serious commitment to any particular one.  The problem is that they all seem to be really, really into me.  As in, they want to bring me home to meet their parents. They call me pet names, they call me every day, my ears get sore from staying on the phone all night.  They wonder what our babies would look like. It’s too much.  And, just for the reference, these are all men I have known for less than one month, some I have not even kissed.

As told to Lauren Gitlin.

It was always kind of under the surface, this idea that I wasn’t quite comfortable with my body. I remember looking at this book my parents gave me when I was 8 years old and I saw drawings of what men’s bodies were like and what women’s bodies were like, and how bodies changed through puberty. And I remember identifying more with male bodies, like that was the kind of body I wanted. 

In this modern age of dating, casual sex, and fun hooking up, many of us remain friendly with people we’ve seen naked long after the ugly-bumping has come to an end. That said, there are still plenty of rules that must be followed if you actually want to maintain some semblance of a friendship. After the jump, 20 dos and don’ts of having a post-hookup friendship.

I’m a 21 year-old girl, who got kicked out of her parents’ house (in Texas) earlier this year. I’m now living in Cali with my current boyfriend who is 27. I love him, but I don’t think I’m in love with him. I’ve known him for about 5-6 years now, but we’ve only been dating for about eight months (I’ve been living with him for about six of them.) I’ve been struggling with my sexuality for a long time now (I identify as bisexual) and I think I might just be a lesbian. If I leave him, I have nowhere else to go. Due to the bad economy I don’t have a job (and I’ve been looking for one since I got here). I don’t know what to do. Please Help!? — Cunfuzzled

On Friday, Tiger Woods announced on his website that he would be taking an indefinite break from golf so that he could focus on saving his marriage after being busted for many, many infidelities. His wife, Elin Nordegren, was photographed this weekend without her wedding ring and, supposedly, the family is fleeing to her native Sweden to get some privacy while they figure out if their union can be repaired. But one thing is clear: Tiger has officially given Elin a “free dick pass,” i.e., the right to cheat on him with whomever she’d like, at least once. Think of it as a revenge cheat without consequences. If you were her, would you take the opportunity to throw a little infidelity back in Tiger’s face? After the jump, a few women weigh in about their experiences with the “free dick pass.”

No one will dispute the importance of good girlfriends – they support your delusional hopes of one day being Mrs. Sam Kass, listen to you vent about your idiot boss and evil ex, and assure you that you haven’t gained an ounce despite that steady diet of french fries you’ve been adhering to, as a coping mechanism for the aforementioned idiot boss and evil ex. But it goes without saying that no modern woman’s circle of friends is complete without at least one gay bestie. The unique bond between a straight woman and a gay man is a many-splendored thing, one that’s inspired sonnets (not really), TV shows, books, and the true barometer of mainstream credibility, a possible incarnation as a Bravo reality show. A new study conducted by Nancy H. Bartlett of Mount Saint Vincent University in Canada (and covered in the December issue of Allure magazine) suggests that having a large contingent of gay male friends might actually be good for you.

With this in mind, we asked women we knew if they felt that gay men made better best friends than girls. Two women share their opposing views, after the jump ...

Sagittarius (November 22-December 21)
Breathe a sigh of relief, as answers to a few of your most dire dilemmas will come into sight, giving you flashes of genius and a goal in mind. To drive it to the highest heights though, work your sexiness and charisma to the umpteenth degree and cheerlead the excitement that is you, as you are the sole person to truly ignite the sparks for maximum heat. CONTINUE READING…

I’m really liking this guy I work with.  We’ve been spending a little time together outside of work.  He isn’t my boss, I only see him at work occasionally, but he is a Cancer, and so am I.  We’re both divorced and committed to career. I’m further into divorced life though, and he’s barely divorced — year and a half.  I’m a total crab, and if he’s the same, do you think that we’re compatible? I’m trying to go super slow at this, because he’s still skittish about relationships.  He tells me he just wants to “have fun,” but he talks to mutual friends about me.  I think that’s a good thing.  I’m a hard-shelled girl, so if this turns out to be “just fun” sexing, I’m okay, but I really like him. The more time I spend with him, the deeper I get. Give me your thoughts, be honest. —Dizzy Lizzy

Last weekend, I went to see a friend’s college performance of the Count in “The Marriage of Figaro.” He was absolutely lovely even as his character was a booby-touching, wife-abandoning, serial cheater with jealousy issues. That’s what makes it funny that his big song is about the wily and seductive ways of women. But there is something to that—we do have some mystical lady power. This is how you can employ your feminine wiles without any of this nonsense about breasty clothes, expensive hair, or even sex itself ...

We’ve all done a few things we aren’t proud of in the midst of a heinous breakup. Who among us hasn’t done some Facebook stalking or left a ranting voicemail message on an ex’s phone after a few too many drinks? Breakups bring out the very worst in people, but that tendency seems to exist to an extreme degree in celebrities. Maybe it’s because being in the spotlight makes you a little crazy, or maybe you have to be a little crazy to want that lifestyle in the first place. Either way, it seems like their relationships’ ends come less with tears and more with potential jail time. Tiger Woods’ wife’s coming at him with a golf club (allegedly) is just the latest in a string of incidents in which seemingly normal celebrities have turned into downright psychotic exes.

It’s a week later, and things are going well with the Architect. Like, really well. Tuesday, we went to a gallery followed by an evening of drinks and epic conversation at my favorite dive bar. Heck, I even loved the songs he picked on the jukebox. Last night, we went for Thai food and ended up back at my place, rolling around on my bed naked, until 3 a.m. I just got a text message from him asking if I’m free tomorrow. I’m learning so much about him, and I’m liking all I’m finding out. So far there’s been nothing to send me running in the opposite direction—no incurable STD or ex-girlfriends with histories of assault.

And this all has me ... freaking the f**k out.

I have been dating my boyfriend for about three months. We get along great and he would do anything for me. We just have one problem. He doesn’t believe in evolution and I very passionately do. We got in a discussion about it which quickly turned into a huge fight. Although my current career has taken me down a different path, I have my masters degree in biology concentrated in ecology and evolution so I know a little something about it and pretty much dedicated my entire education to learning about it. He is an engineer and very smart, but I just found out that he used to be really religious, hence his disbelief in evolution. I tried to answer his many misconceptions about evolution as best I could without being prepared for such a heavy debate, but he persisted in refusing to listen to the evidence I presented and even compared me to a religious zealot who has been brainwashed by my schooling. I know that when I feel passionately about something I can get quite worked up and come across as condescending. I understand that a lot of couples have different beliefs and make it work so I know that we can too. However, I don’t want us to have restrictions on what we can or can’t discuss in a rational manner. So I guess what I am asking is how do I broach this topic in a manner that doesn’t turn into a huge argument? Should I just accept that we may never agree on the topic and try to get over it? — The “Mad” Scientist

This year has seen so much coverage of extra-marital affairs. I don’t care whose marriage is on the rocks; I can’t muster up any outrage. But I sure can gossip about them.

How much space do you need if sharing it with a significant other? If I’m on vacation with my husband, one room in a hotel is fine, but if we’re talking full-time living space, I need at least a one-bedroom apartment with a door to a room I can hole up in and be alone if the mood strikes (or if my dude’s watching sports on TV). I cannot even begin to fathom sharing 175 square feet with my husband and two cats, but that’s exactly what one New York couple is doing. Zaarath and Christopher Prokop live in the smallest apartment in the city in the working-class Manhattan neighborhood of Morningside Heights. The couple bought the “microstudio” for $150,000 three months ago and share it with their two cats (see all the photos here). With no closets, the couple keeps their clothes strategically stashed at various dry cleaners and in their offices. They’ve got a single hot plate, a mini-fridge, two windows, and a queen-sized bed that takes up a third of their living space. They don’t have room for a trash can (“the second something needs to be thrown out, they walk to the chute in the hallway”), but they have a kitchen cabinet full of champagne (“Zaarath’s job allows them to order cases of it”). “We really have everything we need.” says Christopher.