Tag Archives: judy mcguire

How To Ensure The World’s Worst Valentine’s Day

Judy McGuireFebruary 11, 2010 //

I know, I know … the point is to have a magical, fantastical, romantical Valentine’s Day … the kind of evening that makes you tear up and blush in the re-telling, while your less-fortunate girlfriends snarl and gnash their teeth in envy.

Sadly, having the perfect V-Day isn’t easy. For one thing, unless you’re a narcissist, you generally have to rely on another party’s cooperation to truly make it work. For another, much like other festive occasions such as weddings and funerals, Valentine’s Day is an excuse for retailers and restauranteurs to jack up their prices. So unless this recession has left you and your man unscathed, the cost might be a bit of an ouchie. Then there’s the pressure. The shopping. Do you go with the fancy under-duds or fly freebird? Do you get him a gift or is he supposed to be the one doing the giving? So many questions, so few correct answers … Keep reading »

Dating Don’ts: How To Make Sure Your Apartment Isn’t A Boner Killer

Judy McGuireFebruary 4, 2010 //

You know how experts claim that most couples fight over sex or money? Not in my tiny apartment, which I share with a 6’5” dude and two cats. What we fight over is décor.

If he were in charge of our home, everything would be bright, white, and utilitarian. There’d be no blood-red living room, featuring Ganesh and Jesus duking it out for wall space. No piles of books and no throw pillows (he especially hates the latter).

But because real estate in New York is insane and my apartment is cheap, my man moved into mine, which (I believe) negates his right to complain because he knew what he was getting into. He would disagree, but I already told you this was our biggest bone of contention. Keep reading »

How To Date Like A Dude

Judy McGuireJanuary 28, 2010 //

The other day I was on the phone with a girlfriend, dissecting an argument she’d just had with her man, when it occurred to me that though I’m certain her boyfriend wasn’t happy about their fight, I highly doubted he was giving his bestie the play-by-play. In fact, I doubt he mentioned it to anyone. He was probably just hanging out, drinking a beer, waiting for it to blow over.

And really, is that so wrong? It occurred to me that though men do have their faults, they occasionally have the right idea … Keep reading »

Dating Don’ts: The Do-Not-Date List

Judy McGuireJanuary 21, 2010 //

Common knowledge of the dating variety dictates that unless you’re looking for heartache, you should stay away from musicians and bartenders.* While, yes, within every stereotype there is a grain of truth, I don’t think it’s fair to paint all these guys with the same bourbon-soaked brush. I know many perfectly sweet guitarists and gin-slingers who’d sooner commit themselves to a cubicle farm than cheat on their girlfriends.

The dudes you truly have to watch out for are the types you’d never guess were players or cads because they appear so straight-up, and seem so normal. For example … Keep reading »

Dating Don’ts: First Date Fashion Faux Pas

Judy McGuireJanuary 14, 2010 //

First dates are always nerve-wracking—that’s a given. So many questions! Where will we go? What if I’m gassy? Should I let him pay or should I offer to split the tab? What will we talk about? Will he like me? More importantly, will I like him?

All valid queries, but possibly the most pressing question any of us worry about is, what in the hell am I going to wear? Keep reading »

Girl Talk: Have You Experienced Secondhand Heartbreak?

Judy McGuireJanuary 7, 2010 //

A couple months ago I discovered that the husband half of a couple I’ve known for years was leaving his wife for one of his grad students. I was shocked. I mean, I’ve had friends go through relationship ups and downs before, but this couple was one I’d always looked up to as a relationship ideal. It sounds cliché, but they seemed like the perfect couple. They were both creative, independent (yet also very supportive of each other) and seemed very much in love. They went on adventurous vacations, were both still super hot—hell, they even had a house with a white picket fence! How could they break up?! How could they do this to me?! Keep reading »

Dating Don’ts: Sometimes It Really Is Better To Give …

Judy McGuireDecember 24, 2009 //

Have you seen that Target commercial where the guy gives his date a beautiful necklace, only to have the woman look kind of uncomfortable and announce that she didn’t think they were quite “there” yet? After a flash of hurt crosses his face, he zings back that he bought it at Target so it was super cheap. I always high-five that guy in my head, but truth is, I’ve been an ungrateful giftee in the past.

However, it’s also the truth that I’ve received a lot of crappy gifts. Some were heartfelt, others were just dumb. So in light of the fact that we’re in primo gift-exchange season, I put together some guidelines for how to handle the gifts you get that really, they shouldn’t have … Keep reading »

Dating Don’ts: How Not To Flirt

Judy McGuireDecember 17, 2009 //

Before she met her fiancé, my friend Michelle was the biggest flirt on the Eastern Seaboard. If she spotted a guy she wanted to talk to, she’d walk right up, tilt her head to one side and ask a completely inane question. At bars, the question was inevitably, “What are you drinking? That looks really good!” Within seconds she had a drink in her hand and a pair of puppy dog eyes watching her every move.

It didn’t hurt that she was very pretty, but I couldn’t believe that asking a guy—who was inevitably drinking a beer!—what he was drinking was so effective. I mean, it’s obviously a beer! One night, over a shared bottle of wine, she was explaining the finer points of her technique, when a cute guy walked over and poked his head between us. “What are you drinking?” he asked.

“What does it look like we’re drinking?” I answered snottily. I was trying to listen to my friend—attempting to learn how to talk to men. Couldn’t he see we were busy? Michelle rolled her eyes at me and turned to him with a smile. “It’s a Malbec from Argentina. Want a sip?” Keep reading »

Dating Don’ts: Would You Outsource Your Love Life To A Virtual Assistant?

Judy McGuireDecember 10, 2009 //

I am a huge fan of online dating. I met my long-term boyfriend on Nerve.com and the majority of the weddings I’ve been to over the past few years have been between people who met online. Though I still have friends who are reluctant to try it (you know who you are!), I encourage every single person looking for love to give it a whirl.

But even I raised an eyebrow last year when I read writer/comedian Carrie Seim’s NY Post story on how she entrusted her love life to a virtual assistant in India. It’s one thing to weed out dudes using their blurry photos and attempts at wit; it’s quite another to have some stranger pick your dates for you. After suffering through too many disastrous fix-ups, I even stopped letting my friends set me up. Keep reading »

Dating Don’ts: How To Handle Envy

Judy McGuireDecember 3, 2009 //

Out of all the seven deadly sins, Envy is probably the least attractive (with Gluttony hot on its heels). Lust, Greed, and Pride have practically become virtues in modern times and who’s going to deny a girl a little Wrath when she’s been wronged? Sloth? Well, hey, everybody needs to sleep in once in a while.

To help keep you from falling prey to this most vicious of sins, we’ve assembled some guidelines. Keep reading »

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