Can Guys and Girls Be Just Friends?

Posted by Ashley Drapkin Categories: Advice, Editorials, Relationships,

Can guys and girls be just friends? That is a question I have asked myself for years, and even though I have many guy friends I still ask myself that one particular question. I ask it because anytime I hang out with a guy all the time someone expects me to be dating the guy when I’m not. I have a few very close friends that I don’t have any emotional feelings for they are just someone that is there for me, and that I can rely on whenever I need someone or something.

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Why cheating is never okay

Posted by Ashley Drapkin Categories: Editorials, Relationships, Sex,

Why do people think cheating is okay? I don’t get it. Cheating isn’t okay and never will be okay. If you are in a relationship with someone it’s because you are committing yourself to one person. Sure, being boyfriend/girlfriend doesn’t mean you are married, but it is still a commitment, so why cheat? And if you are married, you especially shouldn’t cheat! Marriage is committing your life to one person and that’s how it should be. Obviously.

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Dating Diary: War Stories

Posted by Mia Ricci Categories: Advice, Editorials, His Take, How To, Relationships,

Hello beautiful (yes, yes on the inside too!) Girl Snark readers. Today, I will share with you a listicle of some of the worst break-ups I had.

This top secret list consists of five carefully selected individual incidents, out of umm… say twenty-four. Twenty-four, you say? Yes, that’s quite a lot. But that also makes me an expert. I am doing this so those of you who are on a “self-pity he-left-me-my-life-is-over” crying binge right now can see the silver lining, which is probably not the worst break-up in the world. Look at Mia! She’s experienced this a gazillion times and she’s still alive and kickin’! Yes my friends, I am still alive and very much kickin’. Cue that Destiny’s Child “Survivor” song.

Let’s go!

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Daily Happenings

Posted by Colleen McKie Categories: Celebrities,

Text mess up
Anna Faris is not trying to contribute to the delinquency of minors despite the fact that she recently asked a kid to get drunk with her.  Faris just made a texting faux pas.  The actress meant to send the text to a friend, but got the numbers mixed up. 

Footloose and fancy free
Gossip Girl hottie Chace Crawford has just been confirmed as the lead in the remake of Footloose.  Crawford will be playing Ren McCormack, the role that Zac Ephron recently turned down.

While the female lead, Ariel Moore has yet to be chosen, there have been a slew of Hollywood heavy hitters vying for the part, and the latest to throw her tiara into the ring is none other than Miley Cyrus.

The life and times of Amy Winehouse
There’s an Amy Winehouse documentary in the works, set to show the world how hard it is to be Amy Winehouse.  I envision two hours of watching the messed up singer trying to stand and dress herself.

A-rod scores a Hollywood actress
The latest rumored Hollywood hook-up is Kate Hudson and Alex Rodriguez.  The two were spotted together in a bar and then outside of A-rod’s apartment.  If you are trying to prove that you have commitment issues, Kate, dating a cheater will definitely go a long way.

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Why Guys Can’t Ignore Valentine’s Day

Posted by Vicky Lane Categories: Advice, Editorials, Humor, Marriage, Relationships, Sex,

No matter how silly and ultimately meaningless this “hallmark holiday” is, every girl hopes that someone will acknowledge her on Valentine’s Day.  When I was a single girl, I dreaded Valentine’s Day (and most holidays for that matter). But like most single girls, I still hoped and prayed that some secret admirer would send me flowers, candy, or some cute stuffed bear wearing a red tee shirt with some cheesy phrase like “be mine” on it . Hey, I’d even settle for a card.  I just wanted something that day. Just to feel loved, appreciated, alive. And sometimes I would get something. There are some sensitive gems out there that are willing to play along.  I had a male boss who always brought a single pink rose to every woman in the office as a gesture of appreciation. And of course there’s Dad.  Even a Garfield or Snoopy card from Dad could cheer me up on a day that depressed the hell out of me.

I think the majority of men think Valentine’s Day is just plain stupid.  But the bottom line is no matter how cool the girl plays it, she is most likely desperate for some offering on this day. She’s actually waiting and waiting for that moment to happen. When the delivery man comes to her desk at work with a huge monstrosity of roses, instead of passing her by and delivering to her neighbor, she is completely elated. Having flowers delivered may seem overboard for some guys but if she works in an office environment with a ton of women, you best be sending flowers.  And mind you they don’t have to be roses.  If you ask a woman what her favorite flower is chances are it’s not a rose.  Whatever the flower arrangement is though, the worst thing that can happen is being surrounded by bouquets that aren’t for you.  Even if you have a night out planned, send the flowers!  You’ll have a much better evening if you do. (In order to make this even easier for you, here’s a ProFlowers coupon for 20% off any order + free vase - or you can enter to win one of five $70 ProFlowers gift certificates we are giving away, just in time for Valentine’s Day.)

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Easy Ideas for Cheap Dating

Posted by Vicky Lane Categories: Advice, How To, Humor, Marriage, Relationships, Sex,

In these times of economic crisis, people everywhere are looking for ways to cutback.  This week, Netflix reported their highest sales growth in years.  Could it be that those ridiculously high movie tickets are just too much of an expense these days?  Last week Husband and I spent $30 on a trip to the theatre.  Now while it’s not something we ultimately want to cut from our budget, signing up for a DVD rental program is a great way for us to save some cash.  It’s also a really great way to spend an evening.  Making a good dinner, putting comfy PJ’s on, and curling up on the couch to a good flick can be romantic and relaxing after a hectic work week. It’s also an excellent way to finally watch those movies you’ve wanted to see but never got around to. We’re renting some classics now like Breakfast at Tiffany’s and Lawrence of Arabia (which will take up your entire evening).

There are tons of ways to create “cheap dates” besides succumbing to the all you can eat buffet or the Mickey D’s drive through.  For example, going to lunch instead of dinner is a great, cheap way to try a new restaurant. Or, how about taking advantage of the local scenery?  We headed to the big Shedd Aquarium here in Chicago last weekend and it was fun and inexpensive.  Museums, zoo’s, etc. in general are usually priced pretty low.  Plus, it’s a great way to spend time with each other, get out of the house, and experience cool things right in your own backyard.  A friend of mine just told me she and her husband toured the Anheuser Busch brewery in Jacksonville, FL for the first time even though they’ve lived there for at least 8 years.  It’s amazing how we sometimes overlook our local attractions.

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Getting Drunk on a First Date

Posted by Vicky Lane Categories: Advice, Humor, Relationships, Sex,

Sometimes, having a drink on a date is a great way to calm your nerves. Having three, four, or even five can lead to disaster. The reason I bring this up is I recently had a conversation with a friend about one of her most recent disaster dates. While she is not a big drinker, she finds herself a little too tipsy when she’s out with a new guy. She truly is a “drunk dater”.

How she explains it to me is that after arriving at a restaurant the easiest way for her to relax is to order a drink. It puts her at ease and gives her something to do instead of fidgeting. If she’s having a good time with this guy and likes the look of him, her first drink goes down pretty quickly. If she really, really likes him, she could easily end up finishing three martinis in the first hour, yikes.

The problem is after the second drink she’s so tipsy that she could be having fun with anyone! The date becomes more of party and by the end of the night there’s a chance she could wind up lip locked (or worse) in the front seat of the car.  Then she wonders why things didn’t work out.  And by “work out” she means being taken seriously for a deeper relationship.

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“Tell Me You Love Me”  Should He Always Say It First?

Posted by Vicky Lane Categories: Advice, Humor, Marriage, Relationships, Sex,

If you haven’t figured it out yet, I’ve been in a handful of relationships prior to getting married. Most of them were meaningful and some of them were pretty intense. I have been in love more then once and yeah, I’ve said those three little words a few times. It is so funny to me how we (us girls) are so anxious about wanting to hear our man give in to his emotions and tell us he loves us. Sometimes we stare at them and repeat to ourselves “say it, say it, come on say it” (well, maybe us crazy ones). We really want to hear it because for one, it confirms that this guy is really serious about us and two, that he’s not going anywhere (at least for a little while).

Some of us go through many stages of anxiety in a relationship. The first stage, after a serious relationship is established, is the “when is he going to say ‘I love you’?” stage (by the way, the next stage is “when is he going to propose”). When you have completely fallen in love, all you want to do is say it. You want to tell him you love him everyday. But you won’t. And why? Because you want him to say it first, and in my opinion, he should. You really never, ever want to be in a situation where you profess your love to someone and then it not be returned. That’s harsh. But I said he should, not he must.

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For Better or For Worse: Life After the Wedding

Posted by Vicky Lane Categories: Advice, How To, Marriage, Relationships, Sex,

Some people have been asking me why I’m blogging so much about dating and ex-boyfriends now that I’m a married woman. Well, if you look at my life in segments, my dating life far exceeds my married life. I figure my first date happened at the age of 15 and I was married at 30. 15 years of dating versus just over one year of being married. I can no way claim to have knowledge about how to make a marriage work. But I can discuss what I’ve experienced so far, and steps I’ve taken to make my marriage successful.

So the wedding is over. It’s funny how the question that everyone asked went from “how’s the wedding planning?” to “how’s married life treating you?” or “so when are you having a baby?”. I find the one about married life the most interesting. I hear it the most from married people and am now starting to feel like maybe it’s a trick question. If I look closely, I can see them looking at me with a raised eyebrow and maybe thinking to themselves “ha ha sucker, so how is married life really”? It seemed innocent at first and I always answered “Great!” But I realized that they knew something that I didn’t, and were waiting for me to discover that being married is no walk in the park.

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How to Deal with the Relationship Red Flags

Posted by Vicky Lane Categories: Advice, How To, Humor, Marriage, Relationships, Sex,

Sometimes women put up with quite a bit from a guy to make a relationship work out. We ignore some obvious signs that this guy might not be the one, all for the hopes that everything will work itself out. Sometimes these red flags are waiving right in our faces and we push them aside. For what? To not be single, or alone? Sometimes, it’s just not worth it.

Half a decade ago I was in a really bad situation with one of those “bad boys”. You know, that guy who is so bad for us, but for some reason we must have. The guy that we think we can change (which never happens by the way). After the first three weeks of dating this guy, he completely blew up at me, I mean he had a MAD temper and it came out early (lucky for me right?). So of course I ended it. Hello? Major red flag! I didn’t want to be with a guy who yelled for no reason, right? The he apologized. And for some reason I gave him a second chance. I don’t think most women would, but I did. I liked the idea of him (having a boyfriend) and of course, thought I could change him.

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