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Good Idea or Bad Idea: Dating your Ex's Friend

DearSugar — Wed, 04 Apr 2007 14:45:00 -0700

I get many questions from women asking if their ex's friends are off limits. While every situation is different, this is a touchy subject. The old cliché states, you can't help whom you fall for, but does that ring true when getting between two friends? We all have people we consider "off limits", so do you all think it's a good idea or a bad idea to date your ex's friend?

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Good Idea or Bad Idea: Befriending a BFF to Get the Date

DearSugar — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 14:00:00 -0700

The other night out with a friend, I was approached by a guy who was friendly and talkative. In fact, he was so relaxed that I could tell right off the bat that he wasn’t interested in me. All it took was one glance at the googly eyes he was making at my friend for me to know that he was befriending me as a way of getting to her. I was happy enough to play along, and by the end of the night she was totally excited to have a date for the weekend.

If you’re into dating strategies this seems like a good one, but I'd rather not chance giving some random guy the wrong impression when all I really want to do is talk to his friend. What do you think? Is befriending his BFF to get a date a good idea or a bad idea?

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Dear Poll: Do You Think It's a Good Idea to Date Your Co-Star?

DearSugar — Mon, 27 Aug 2007 09:00:00 -0700

History repeats itself over and over again when it comes to actors dating their co-stars. The life-span of these relationships isn't very long, but it doesn't seem to stop the cycle. It's no wonder relationships blossom on set - most of the time actors are on location, away from the loved ones, leaving nothing but time to develop connections with their co-stars -- not to mention most of Hollywood is pretty easy on the eyes, but once the movie is wrapped, these relationships rarely make it for the long haul.

After reading about so many onset romances, do you think it's a good idea or a bad idea for actors to date their co-stars?

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Mommy Dearest: Should I Trust the Other Parents?

babysugar — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 09:30:58 -0800

Mommy Dearest,

I am entering new territory and could use some advice. My preschool son is starting to make new friends of his own from his classroom. A few of his little buddies have asked him to come over for a playdate, which is exciting and scary at the same time. Thrilled that he is advancing socially, I am nervous to let him go over to a friend's house where I don't know the parents at all. I could care less about snacks or sugary drinks but I wonder what the mom's disciplinary style may be or how she deals with her children. Heaven forbid she's a closet drinker like that woman who drove drunk and killed all of those innocent children. I don't want to be a helicopter parent but I don't want to regret anything, either.

- Scared to Be Helicopter Mom

To see the response from Mommy Dearest, just read more.

Scared to Be Helicopter Mom,

Your concerns are natural and admirable - you are looking out for your child's best interest. An easy way to solve your problem is to have an initial mommy and child playdate where the boys can play together, and you can get to know the other mother. During that time, you can chat and try to figure out where she stands on some issues. If she talks a big game of drinking or partying, it may be an indicator that you need a few more dual-parent supervised dates or that you need to host the playdates. Another idea is to organize a social event for a group of the moms so you can get to know them outside of your children. It will help you feel better about leaving them in their care and vice versa. More than anything, you should trust your intuition. It's always better to be safe than sorry.

- Mommy Dearest

Submit a question for this feature at the Mommy Dearest Group on our new community page.

Ask an MBA Student: Is It OK For My Boyfriend to See His Ex?

TresSugar — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 09:00:44 -0800

Conventional Wisdom is a different kind of advice column. Your questions will be answered by people from all walks of life rather than by advice experts. This week, a guy working on his MBA tries to help out a woman nervous about her boyfriend's ex. If you have a question you'd like answered on Conventional Wisdom, you can submit it here.

Today's Question:
My boyfriend's ex-girlfriend just moved back in town and he wants to hang out with her. She's going to stop by his house this week so they can catch up. They broke up a couple of years ago, but they dated for a few years so this sort of makes me uncomfortable. Can I tell him that I don't want them to be friends? I don't know whether I should be upset or just let it go.

Signed,
Nervous

To read the MBA student's advice, read more.

Dear Nervous,

My advice is to let them hang out and catch up initially. It's natural for friends who haven't seen each other to meet up; there is nothing to worry about. I think it might be a good idea for you to be there, if your boyfriend is OK with that. If this is truly a friend situation, he shouldn't have a problem with you being there, and if the ex-girlfriend is moving back into town then she should want to get to know you. After they catch up, the novelty might go away and they might never see each other again as people change. However, if they continue to hang out and see each other a lot, you can let him know that it makes you uncomfortable. He should respect your wishes and tone it down.

Signed,
An MBA Student

The Office, "Double Date": Best Lines of the Night and Video!

BuzzSugar — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 06:30:00 -0800

I knew it was going to be hard to top the koi pond incident (and those Halloween costumes), but I was glad to see this week's The Office return to the storyline with new paramours Michael and Helene. This time, Pam is actually coming around to the idea of her mother dating her boss, but per his usual protocol, Michael is ready with a few blunders to messy things up. We also had a friendly competition between Andy and Dwight and - naked photos? Tsk, tsk Kelly. It's called subtle sexuality, key word being subtle.

Michael provided my favorite quote of the evening, but take a look at my list (spoilers!), and then weigh in with your own favorite zingers.

"If you clench your buttocks together when you're walking, you can really take the pressure off your knees."-Dwight
The who-can-outdo-each-other's-politeness competition between Dwight and Andy was pretty hilarious. Of course neither of their intentions were pure - Dwight wants to be kind so everyone owes him and he can unseat Jim as co-manager; Andy does it...well, pretty much because he has to be better than everybody else.

For more funny lines, plus a video of the parking lot brawl between Michael and Pam, read more.

"The chicken parm is good. It was a big part of my childhood. Oh, maybe Michael will start dating that too."-Pam
Yep, this week saw the return of the Michael and Helene's romance, when he takes his new girlfriend out to a birthday lunch with Pam and Jim. I'm glad the writers reintroduced it, but obviously Pam doesn't share my same enthusiasm.

"The only time you should care about a woman's age is if she's too young for you. And I am not robbing the cradle. If anything, I'm robbing the grave."-Michael
Ah Michael, always so sensitive to a woman's feelings. I loved watching him gradually panic as he realized Helene was older than expected. But dumping her on her birthday, in front of Pam and Jim? That was low, even for him. Such an ageist. Pam exacts her revenge though by beating him up. Check out the video of their showdown:

"What if Dwight dies and I still owe him something? That is the recipe for a ghost."-Andy
Can't blame Andy. I wouldn't want the ghost of Dwight Schrute after me either.

"What a waste of a day. I could've grown poison mushrooms that would've been this high by now."-Dwight

Dwight feels bummed that he couldn't get back at Jim - all that work going to New York just for bagels! - but I'm sure he'll concoct something for the next episode to take Jim down. Perhaps that's what the mushrooms are for?

"I saw my life flash before my eyes. I have four kids, and I have a hover car and a hover house. My wife is a runner and it shows."-Michael
Such a dreamer that Michael. After Pam slaps him across the face for calling things off with her mom, he starts imagining his future. I was really hoping that they'd drag out the coupling between him and Helene for at least a couple more episodes - do you think their romance is really dunzo?

What did you think of this week's installment? Were you sort of pulling for a relationship between Michael and Helene? Tell me (along with your favorite lines) in the comments.

Want to keep swapping opinions on this episode? Check out The Office! group in the BuzzSugar Community!

Photo courtesy of NBC

Winona Shares A Lot About Her Private Life

PopSugar — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 11:00:00 -0800

Winona Ryder sat down for a photo shoot and chatted about her life in the latest issue of BlackBook magazine. She has a film, The Private Lives of Pippa Lee to promote, but Winona had plenty of other things to discuss. Winona talked about a variety of topics, from her famous exes like Matt Damon and Johnny Depp to her feelings about Angelina Jolie winning the Oscar for Girl, Interrupted. Here's more:

On dating Johnny Depp: "Things changed for me when I met Johnny. This weird thing happens when you’re written about in magazines, where you start to think, 'This is who I am. This is how I have to be.' I felt restricted and pressured into being the way people perceived me. It was hard for me to find my footing. The Johnny thing made me really afraid of the press because, even though it was about him, I was beside him the entire time."
On her relationship with Matt Damon: "Matt couldn’t be a greater, nicer guy. I’m really lucky that I’m on good terms with him. . . With Johnny, it’s like we’re good, but we lead very different lives. I was out at a bar with a friend who said, 'Do you realize that in America you’re never going to be able to meet a guy who knows nothing about you? Everyone will have preconceived ideas about who you are.' I got so bummed out. I’d never really thought about it that way."
On knowing Angelina Jolie since Girl, Interrupted: "I never had any bad feelings about Angelina. . . And I was hurt that people thought that. Everyone assumed I was really jealous because I thought this would be my vehicle. . . We said from the very beginning that the actress who played Lisa would probably win an Oscar, because it was the big, great, showy part. But I always related to Susanna. I fought very hard for her to have that part, and I never really felt like I got the chance to know her."

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Good Idea or Bad Idea: Dating Multiple People at Once

DearSugar — Fri, 22 Jun 2007 13:00:00 -0700

Until you have "the talk," is it fair game to date multiple people at the same time? Assuming you are practicing safe sex, some people just assume it is par for the course, but others think dating more than one person is sleazy and dubious. Of course every couple is different and everyone has their own opinions on the rules of dating, but what I want to know is, do you think it is a good idea or a bad idea to date more than one person at a time?

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Good Idea or Bad Idea: Friends Dating Friends

DearSugar — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 09:00:00 -0800

When you spend a lot of time with your best friend and her boyfriend it's inevitable that you find yourself spending time with his friends, too. Sure it is nice for everyone to get along, but what happens when your friends start to date each other? Is that a recipe for disaster if things don't work out? Staying neutral is easier said than done and even though celebrities make it look easy, do you think friends dating friends is a good idea or a bad idea?

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Healthy Ways to Liven Up Your Oatmeal

FitSugar — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 10:00:19 -0700

Now that cooler temps are moving in, there's nothing like warming yourself up with a bowl of hot oatmeal. Full of whole grain fiber, this breakfast will keep you satisfied all morning. Buying plain oats is healthier than buying packets that are already sweetened, and less expensive too, but that doesn't mean you have to go without flavor.

Add these delicious morsels to your half-cup serving of oatmeal.

One small banana (diced), two tablespoons vanilla yogurt, and one tablespoon walnuts.
Half a diced pear, one tablespoon pumpkin seeds, and one tablespoon of GoLean Crunch cereal or granola.
Half a diced apple, two chopped dates, 10 chopped almonds, and a sprinkle of cinnamon.

For other tasty ideas, keep reading