I was in 8th grade when my first boyfriend, Jeremy, made me a mix tape featuring my favorite song, “Jeremy” by Pearl Jam. Coincidence? Not. I have been known to fall for a guy for the most ludicrous reasons, like, say, being the namesake of my favorite song, having an organized wallet, or rocking some snazzy sneakers. Sure, Jeremy had the right name to grab my interest, but he really sealed the deal with the mix tape and affixed love note—“My favorite songs and yours. Love, Jer.”

A lot has happened since then. My cassette tapes have all been donated to Goodwill (except Jer’s … I still have it) and my heart has grown more sophisticated (I think), but the fact remains the same. For me, falling for a guy is all in the details. I don’t care about how much hair you have, how swanky your apartment is, or how much money you’ve got in the bank. It’s the little things you do to show that you care that make me swoon like a lunatic.

On the season finale of “MERRIme.com,” Mr. Weisman interrupts Merri’s “binge” and reinstates his original ultimatum. MAC and Jess comfort a very down-and-out Merri, when a familiar face arrives on her doorstep. Who could it be? Cliffhanger, cliffhanger? [MERRIme.com]

My plane landed after midnight last night. I could use about six more hours of sleep, and I’m not sure where, exactly, I stashed my hairbrush or my deodorant. Maybe I took a bath two days ago, but I honestly don’t remember. In any case, I haven’t shaved my legs and armpits for a week and my werewolf-ian brows need a good, thorough tweezing. But no matter! I’ve got on my leopard-print leggings and a hot pink t-shirt to, uh, deflect attention from all that. 

I wouldn’t go into the office looking like this. Hell, I wouldn’t leave my apartment looking like this. So why is my boyfriend—the person I regularly depend on for oral sex and foot rubs—sitting just 10 feet away from me? Because I have gotten comfortable in our relationship. Perhaps too comfortable.

Are you a dude on an online dating site? Are you having trouble getting women to actually go out with you? Not sure why? The problem may be you! From corny pickup lines to photo no-nos to profile mistakes, The Frisky gives you the lowdown on the top five mistakes men make when dating online—from the female perspective. Get it right and we might let you take us out on a date!

I can’t believe I have somehow gotten a guy to cook me dinner in my own home, I thought, smiling at Mr. C as he dodged about awkwardly in my petite cuisine looking for knives, having insisted on coming to chez moi to let me relax while he made a meal.

When we sat down to eat, I started to giggle. This had to be not only the most clichéd moment I’ve experienced in Paris, but also the most clichéd moment you’d find in most movies. There I was, sitting down to my table with a view of the Seine, having a handsome French man politely correct my français as he served me a meal, accompanied by an expensive bottle of St. Emillion, and Frank Sinatra crooning in the background.

“What’s so funny?” Mr. C asked, topping off my glass.

In a single woman’s dating life, she reaches the point where bars, gyms, clubs—even online dating sites—have lost luster as a means of meeting a good guy. What then? We asked our male friends at Asylum to help solve this single-lady conundrum. Below, their list of six untapped locales for meeting men.

Long-distance love isn’t easy, especially when he wants you to move. We called in expert help ...

All relationships need a little pick-me-up sometimes—even the best ones. To that end, YourTango has compiled a list of 101 ways to reconnect with your significant other, right now. These actions will make your partner feel loved, appreciated and desired, and will, in turn, make you feel more connected to him/her. Whether you’d like to increase intimacy, find a thoughtful way to say “I love you,” or just show your honey some gratitude, we’re sure you’ll find something useful in this list.

There are roughly one million thoughts and worries swarming through our heads on a first date. Is this a good match? Was that story I told funny-weird or just weird? And if the date takes place at a restaurant, the anxiety increases tenfold. Do I have food in my teeth? Did I order too little/too much? However, there’s an upside to having that first outing center on food—it could indicate whether a second date’s in the future.

A lot of the letters I get for “Dear Wendy” are from people who worry they’ll never find love. “I’m 27 and still single!” they wail, or “I’m almost 30 and all my friends are married!” And while it’s certainly natural to desire love and companionship and to get a little antsy about finding it, the idea that time is running out or that one should be married or at least in a long-term committed relationship by a certain age is not only wrong, it’s potentially damaging. Yes, love is pretty wonderful. Yes, being with a committed partner can feel fantastic and safe and all those things in great movies and books. But it’s definitely not the only thing in life worth living for — hell, it doesn’t even guarantee happiness, so why not focus on things one can control and enjoy being single until Cupid points his little arrow your way?

The two of you are inseparable. You’re every romantic comedy cliché come to life. He’s the cream in your coffee. The Jim to your Pam—not that you even remember who they are, because with all the lovemaking, you hardly have time to waste on sitcoms like “The Office.”

When you’re not busy rutting, you spend hours just staring at each other, marveling at your good fortune. Everything reminds you of him and you can’t stop talking about how fantastically happy you are. In fact, you’re so busy, you probably haven’t even noticed that, except for calls from your shmoopie, your phone has stopped ringing. (Unless it’s your mom calling to wonder if you’re finally going to squeeze out some grandchildren for her.)

But your friends? They seem to have disappeared. In the haze of your love drunkenness, you might believe this is because they’re jealous. But more likely it’s because you’ve become one of the “smug marrieds” from Bridget Jones’ Diary—a book I loathed, but she sure got that part right. And you’re not even married. Yet.

When I’m having boy trouble, you know who I wish I could call? The twins from “Sister, Sister.” On this episode of “MERRIme.com,” Merri seeks advice from Tia and Tamera after a slip of the “L” word causes her to panic. Later, Stephen makes a move on a vulnerable but aggressive Merri. [MERRIme.com]

I’m tall. I mean, I’m really tall. And I don’t mean 5’10” tall. I’m 6’1”. That’s ridiculously tall. Kermit the Frog once said: “It’s not easy being green.” Well, it’s not easy being a tall woman, either. Among the more common pickup lines we tall ladies hear: “Do you play basketball?” (No.) “What’s the weather like up there?” (Icy.) “I’d like to climb you.” (Really, I’d rather you wouldn’t.) While some women think being tall is something worth writing a book about, other women perceive it to be a disability equivalent to a clubfoot. Mostly, it’s a blessing and a curse. I can reach the highest shelves, but I’ll never blend into the crowd. Dating? That’s a whole other story. For guys who admire amazons, here’s how to bag a tall chick.

I didn’t realize this, but apparently a lot of dudes are willing to do a lot—including embarrassing the crap out of themselves—in order to impress a woman. Or at least sleep with her. Find out just how far, after the jump. How willing are you to embarrass yourself to impress a guy?

Because I’ve been single for so long, my married friends often like to give me unsolicited advice. “I know what your problem is!” Elinor had a sudden revelation as her newborn baby suckled at her breast. Now that she is a wife to a man and a mother to a boy, her new favorite thing is to live vicariously through my love life. But what seems titillating to her is just plain old depressing to me.

“What is it?” I replied.

“You need to start dating men.”

Third date with Mr. Cupid. We were sitting in a bar in Belleville, where I had dragged him to my friend’s spoken word song night. (Yeah. I know. Long story.) But it was there, scrunched in between boho expatriates and enduring the sounds of bad slam poetry, that we kissed. A quick peck initiated by him that turned into a full-out make-out session when we left and had a drink at an outdoor cafe. Coming up for air, I looked at our nearly-drained glasses and back into his eyes.

“So ... did you want to get something to eat (we both hadn’t eaten yet), or get another drink?”

Our guys reveal what to do and what not to do on a first date ...

When I was in high school, one of my friends was the most sought-after girl in school. I had other friends that were prettier, smarter, and nicer but boys were crazy for her.

It took me a little while, but I finally figured out why she was constantly asked out, in a relationship or every guy’s dream girl. She was approachable.

When it comes to articles about what women want from men, we can always count on Men’s Health to completely steer its readers in the completely wrong direction (wrestling, anyone?). Thank God for Esquire though, a publication that actually gives its readers advice we can second. In an article posted online yesterday called “How To Feel Good To A Woman,” writer Lisa Taddeo gives 11 suggestions that’ll make a woman swoon (no, really), including keeping a bathroom stocked with thick, fluffy, freshly stacked towels, kissing her neck, kissing her neck again, kissing “for longer than you can handle” (we women want a lot of kissing) “even when you know that more is on the way. Openmouthed, and bench the tongue. Urgent but not desperate,” and pushing the hair, not pulling it. It’s a great list, for sure, but come on, only 11 suggestions? We women are far easier to please than that! After the jump, five more things women want from men.

When a friend of mine who’s dipping her toe back into the world of online dating recently asked for three quick rules to remember when emailing potential matches, it occurred to me that if she needed a bit of a refresher course, some of you probably do too. After all, as convenient as it is, email is rife with opportunities to shoot yourself in the foot and hurt your shot at making a real connection. So after the jump, eight dos and don’ts to remember when emailing a potential online dating match.