Dating is like house hunting
"He who hesitates is a damned fool." —Mae West My friend Ken Braly wrote a hilarious piece, "Finding A House, Finding A Spouse" (posted in the Pages section) about how…
No rules for dating after 40
I was sharing my dating life with a married friend. She said she was glad she wasn't dating now because there are no rules. When she was dating (40 years…
Dr. Jekyll/Ms. Hyde: Start the date on the right foot
Yesterday a male friend told me how his last date lasted 5 minutes. He's an affable, considerate, tolerant guy, so I couldn't imagine what could go wrong in 5 minutes.…
Long-distance suitor and the first date
"Absence makes the heart grow fonder— of somebody else." —Anonymous A man who lives 400 miles away has been flirting with me for months and calls every day. He decided…
Hello — goodbye: How to say no thanks after meeting
One of the hardest parts of dating is telling your date that it isn't a match so you don't encourage him to pursue you. It is easiest to do in…
Building your Franken-boyfriend
I've fantasized about putting together my perfect man -- my Franken-boyfriend. After dating a lot of men, I've grown very fond of different parts of many. I'd like to build…
Dating takes time
I continue to be surprised when people don't seem to understand that dating takes time. It takes hours to sort through potential matches, contact them, email and talk on the…
Is that you? Pictures are just a rough facsimile of the real thing
When I was first dating, I wouldn't respond to someone if their picture wasn't appealing, even if they sent an articulate, fun email. I also turned down any contact who…
Faux beaus and practice dating
When I first began dating, I was advised to go out with nearly anyone who asked, just to practice. Since I didn't want to take advantage of anyone, I kept…
Deciding to see him again or not
Even when there isn't the immediate physical attraction or chemistry, I'll sometimes see a guy again to see if there is any underlying spark that needs a second chance to…
Courage and dating
"Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one's courage." —Anais Nin Last night in a class I'm taking, I briefly shared my story about how I've come to reenter the…