"Let's stop and get bagels," he said.

I ordered a sesame bagel toasted with cream cheese; he ordered a plain bagel, plain cream cheese. The total was $6. I paid.

He hadn't even made a move for his wallet. And it wasn't the first time.

Six months ago, I was laid off from a job I loved and a salary I really loved. I left with a nice little pile of severance and had accumulated a substantial 401K. But I was single. It makes a difference, it turns out.

Dating, for a period post-layoff, was about free entertainment.Read: Cheap Dates … Read More

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All teenage boys want to get laid: there are books that gaily depict their wanton needs, as well as an entire genre of movies devoted to the subject. It seems that TLC decided to jump on the bandwagon with The 650-Pound Virgin—the story of David Smith, a (once) 650-lb. outcast—that premiered on Sunday night. It was a shocking piece of television, but not for the reason you might think.

The program was … Read More

This morning my husband Marco got up early to buy me eggs before my morning sickness kicked in. Before he got laid off, such an errand would have caused him strife.Read: 4 Reasons To Date The Unemployed

"I got to the store on the corner before it opened," he came back and explained, his voice all quiet and calm. "And when I came back and picked up the eggs, I thought of where they came from. I thought of the farm."

"The farm?" I asked, plucking two eggs from their carton in a rush to cook them and get … Read More

Many a busy woman with a jam-packed schedule has daydreamed about having a nice, cozy man-wife, with bulging biceps. After all, who wouldn't want to end the day with a home-cooked meal hot off the stove, a neatly made bed and a stack of freshly scented laundry....that's been pristinely ironed and folded. In Annie Sanders' new book, Busy Woman Seeks Wife, one woman gets just that.

But in this entertaining beach read, a man-wife wasn't exactly on career woman Alex Hill's wish list. Rather, she comes home one day expecting to find a woman caring for her aging … Read More

Love  Bytes: three must click sex, dating, and relationship links.

Is it ever justified to use your cell on a date? [DearSugar]

If you're on a blind date and you think there's a chance you'll need to make a quick escape, by all means keep that phone on the table for your "emergency" call from your best friend.

He-cession vs. she-cession. Which gender is the recession hitting harder? [Asylum]

Signs a man is scared of commitment. [Lemondrop]

Before getting your moral molars all impacted, we'd like to make clear that we're not endorsing having an affair or ruining a perfectly good marriage (or an imperfect one, for that matter).

Whether single or taken, flirting is fun. Getting hitched helps out in the tax and health care departments, but married social life can start to feel like a blur of "dinner at the Newman's" and "girls' nights out." We already know that flirting at the office helps business and is good for substance-free spirit-lifting. Unlike flirting with single blokes, hair flips and … Read More

What do you look for in a man? Emotional compatibility? Sense of humor? Looks? This woman sings about what she's REALLY looking for... a health care plan.

Worried that special online buddy isn't everything he says he is? Know these simple but important facts about online dating.

As I see it, there should be no discussion of a relationship, or exclusivity, within the first three months of dating. Those three months should be a drama and ultimatum-free zone. No jealousy or commitment. Just a period of savoring; the gritty, totally worth it hard work can come later. Save it, potentially, for the rest of your life.

If something works between two people, then there is no rush. That "click" will still be there in three months, and hopefully six, and a year, etc. And once you find that unlucky slob who will Eskimo kiss you … Read More