ArcaMax

No, dear readers, this has nothing to do with exercises. At least not the physical kind. This has to do with attitude and making a relationship (of any kind) run smoothly, with very (very) few flare-ups. That's got to be of interest, since this is a world of many voices and too little calm, rational compromise.

That C word used to bring terror ...Read more

Yes, you! It just might happen that you meet someone you can't get out of your mind, a Wonderful One whose chemistry seems to mesh perfectly with yours. The mere thought of the person makes you grin with a happy secret between you and -- well, you. In other words, for the very first time in a long time, you're floored. And private time spent ...Read more

DEAR SUSAN: Face it. Being singular is a trip. It's not necessarily exotic; it's not always fun. But when you take Susan's advice and strengthen your singleness with savvy people willing to supply you with the information or services you need -- when you need it -- single life gets much easier. And things go much more smoothly, the way they ...Read more

DEAR SUSAN: My friend is so jealous; she tries to outdo me in every way. But we like each other and would be BFF (we've known each other since ninth grade) if it weren't for her envy. What to do?

DEAR BLOGGER: (Sigh.) Our gender is forever being brainwashed in a zillion ways to believe that looking better and being more clever than the next ...Read more

DEAR SUSAN: It may sound strange, but I've found my own version of prayer to be a huge comfort in my low moments. It isn't always the same prayer; I change the words to fit my mood. But praying to a higher power gives me peace. Do other readers tell you something similar?

DEAR BLOGGER: Yes, readers have shared their personal prayers over the ...Read more

DEAR SUSAN: My romance just ended with a bang. He had said he was 40. He's really 63. He swore he was unattached. I discovered he's actually married -- with three children. It was all fairy tale stuff that his wife knew nothing about. I swore if he were to ever contact me again, I'd tell her, so that should keep him away. But still, I keep ...Read more

DEAR SUSAN: My shrink told me I'm in a sick relationship and that I won't be healthy unless I leave it. But my girl and I have been a couple forever. She'd wither and die if I ever left, she said. But she's so possessive she won't let anyone else near us, so we have no friends. And frankly, it's a bit boring -- just her and me, two against the ...Read more

DEAR SUSAN: I'm writing to you because I can't understand something about me and my girlfriend, and it's getting to me. I think I love her. But my friends keep reminding me that when I'm with her, she makes me feel small, like a poor excuse for a man. She's always saying things like that, and I guess I'm used to it. Whenever I tell my friends ...Read more

DEAR SUSAN: I'm a flop at love. I've always been unlucky with the opposite sex. Even in a relationship that seems to be going OK, suddenly, I become the enemy and she's out of there. All I have to remember her by is a sour stomach and an empty date book. Am I cursed -- or a flop?

DEAR BLOGGER: Truth to tell, you're neither. The bad-boy labels ...Read more

No longer financial runners-up, women have earned the delight of replacing financial clout as a top must-have before investing serious interest in a man. Yes, I realize we're still a long way from financial wholeness, still stuck under the glass ceiling in many corporations and still earning substantially less for equal work, but our ambitions ...Read more

DEAR SUSAN: I've been thinking too much lately, so I have very few laughs in my life. It's work, work and more of the same, with a few nanoseconds of senseless joy sprinkled on top -- to keep me from going mad with my sorrow. I bet Doctor Deitz has a remedy for the blahs. Do you?

DEAR BLOGGER: In my medicine bag, thinking is the best path to a ...Read more

DEAR SUSAN: I'm the single daddy of amazing twin girls. I have them on the weekends, an arrangement that works fine for their mother but not so well for yours truly. Come Friday night, I want some lovin' and am itching to arrange a sleepover with my favorite femme. You say no to the itch. Why?

DEAR BLOGGER: Bringing in a sleepover sex kitten is...Read more

DEAR SUSAN: Last weekend, I had sex with a girl who's just a friend. (She and I laughed and said it was friendship with benefits.) But now she's calling me regularly, asking when I'm coming to see her again. I feel so guilty. It was purely platonic on my part. She's a nice girl, but honestly, it meant nothing. What should I do?

DEAR BLOGGER: It...Read more