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Awkward! What's Your Sign?

TresSugar — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 08:00:00 -0800

"What's your sign?" This might be the most direct way to find out a person's astrological sign, but often the curiosity is disguised by less ugh-inducing words. "When's your birthday?" is what I often hear. "So you're a Pisces? Aries?" And then, inevitably, silence. Quietly judging silence.

The last time this happened to me, I fired back with, "What does that mean to you?" I never got an answer. Why ask the question if it's not going to segue into a new discussion?

Don't get me wrong - I read my horoscope almost every day, so it's not like I don't want to believe. It's just that I wouldn't use astrology as a tactic to get to know someone or, worse, seek a rationale behind someone's actions. Do sign seekers, overt or covert, ever make you want to unleash some Scorpio-style wrath?

(By the way - if you have some awkward tales of your own, join our Awkward! group to share etiquette questions and stories with other readers.)

Source: Flickr User Leo Reynolds

Edward vs. Jacob: Which Guy Is More Your Type?

TresSugar — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 07:46:39 -0800

You don't need to be a fan of Twilight to understand the difference between the two leading men (can we call vampires and werewolves men?). On the one hand, there's Edward - think of him as the sophisticated older man type. In fact, he's 108. If you go for introverted, devoted, and beautiful men, Edward's your type of guy. Then we have Jacob, the good-natured hunk. Jacob's the extrovert with a sense of humor who knows how to have fun. Which type of guy would you rather date: the mysterious guy or the outgoing guy?

"I'm In Love With a Younger Man"

Tres Community — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 07:00:00 -0800

This post comes from our Confession Booth group in our TrèsSugar Community. Feel free to add your advice in the comments!

I've finally fallen in love. He is everything I have ever dreamed of. We are a perfect match in every way. He makes me feel calm. He makes me feel complete. He complements me in every way. We're on the same level and we are equals.
He's crazy about me and I'm wild about him. We've been together almost two years and he's the best thing that's ever happened to me.

He is almost six years younger than me and while I don't think about it, others point it out. I'm almost 30 and I hate feeling like I'm doing something wrong by being with him and wanting a future with him. Sometimes I just feel old even though he does nothing but make me feel beautiful. He's the most amazing person I know.

There's lots of great stuff going on in our community - join it, check it out, share your posts or advice in the great groups and maybe we'll feature it here on TrèsSugar!

Ask a Party Planner: Should I Date Outside My Religion?

TresSugar — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 04:00:00 -0700

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. If you have a question you'd like answered on Conventional Wisdom, you can submit it here.

This week, a party planner offers advice to a woman unsure about a new love interest. After you read her answer, be sure to check out our Group Therapy group where I found this question.

Today's Question:

I'm a single 32-year-old woman and I am under immense pressure to get married from my family and community. I have been single for two years since my last relationship, and four months ago I met this guy and started dating him. We quickly got close and we really care for each other. He wants me to be his girlfriend now, however there a few issues with us - he is only 28 and from another religion. If this goes anywhere, then we are sure to face opposition from both our families. We are from cultures where our families mean a lot to us.

We have talked about this being a long-term relationship, but we have yet to figure out if we will end up married since it's obviously too early. I'm wondering if I should date other guys while we figure this out. I really don't want to, but my friends warn me to not put all my eggs in one basket, especially when he is four years younger than me. I also worry that our religions will come between us in the future.

What should I do? Date other guys, or be his girlfriend and see this through?

Signed, Unsure

To see the party planner's answer, read more.

Dear Unsure,

It seems like there are two issues here: first, his age, and second, your religions. Let's discuss.

I think you should not worry about his age. Twenty-eight is old enough to be in a serious, committed relationship if that's what he wants. Like you said, it's early in the relationship, so you can't predict whether you two are going to get married. But there is only one way to find out - by dating him exclusively.

As for the religion issue: this is something to seriously consider. But I think you need to figure out if you're willing to date someone with a different background - is it worth it to you, not your family, to work through the inevitable obstacles (like choosing how to celebrate holidays, or how to raise kids)? As for your family, I think that they will be more supportive than you think. If you're happy, they should be happy for you too. And you say this guy really values his family, so I think it's great that you found someone who thinks his family is important - just like you do.

If you really like this guy, it's worth giving it a chance. Good luck.

Signed,
A party planner

5 Fun Sites For Good, Bad and Ugly Date Tales

GeekSugar — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 13:24:36 -0700

Ask any playa and she'll tell you, dating ain't easy. And with so much new technology out there, the art of dating has become more complicated than ever - we can all feel Drew Barrymore's pain in He's Just Not That Into You when she laments about having to keep up with several different technologies just to get rejected.

The upside of this digital age of dating is that there are plenty of places for you to vent your terrible date tales or proclaim your love for the whole wide web to enjoy. Or, if you are taken, there's a bundle of sites that allow you to live vicariously through single folks. Check out some of our favorite sites for expressing our love. . . whether oh-so-bad or oh-so-good.

View Slideshow ›

iPhone App Helps Men Keep Score of Chicks They've Scored

TresSugar — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 15:00:00 -0700

Pepsi's Amp Up energy drink (another one?!) has created a free iPhone app that gives players "up-to-the-minute info, feeds, lines" so that they can talk to their favorite kinds of women - "24 in all."

Basically, men can either get tips before they score, or they can upload details of their hookups as a result of these indubitably useful apps after they score. Nice touch, Pepsi.

I would rename this the "wishful thinking app." Because what guy who would ask his phone how he should speak to a "punk" woman because she's "staring holes into him" is really scoring at all? I love when the guy in the commercial clicks on the punk cartoon girl and it takes him to a definition of punk ("Punk rock is a genre that . . ."). Wow.

This app may try to help a man score one of 24 types of women, but it seems to be marketed to only one kind of dude: a loser.

(Tell GeekSugar the weirdest iPhone app you've ever seen and read about Pepsi's official apology.)

Do Tell: What Was the Worst Pickup Line You Ever Got?

TresSugar — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 04:00:00 -0700

Our friends at Em & Lo have listed the 10 rules of the pickup, some for men ("Never look someone in the boobs while talking"), but some which are addressed equally to women ("Do not wordlessly dry-hump a stranger from behind on the dance floor"). Damn! There goes my main move.

When I was an undergrad, I was assigned Venus in Furs for a literature and psychoanalysis class and was reading it intently at a cafe. Now, the book is an erotic tale about a man obsessed with a dominatrix, and the cover had an arresting image of a woman in a red fur coat. A guy kept walking back and forth past my table, and finally, when I looked up, he gave me a creepy look and said, "That is my favorite book. May I sit down?"

Needless to say, the answer was no, but that probably wasn't even the worst pickup line I ever got - just the one I can remember. What was the worst pickup line you ever got? What was your reaction?

Would You Go on Vacation With a New Love Interest?

TresSugar — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 07:00:00 -0700

One of my friends has been going out with this really fun guy for about a month now. They met through mutual friends and seem to have a lot in common.

Well now this guy has invited her to go along on a trip he has planned to Thailand with his best friend. My friend has been wanting to take a relaxing vacation, but hasn't been able to get friends on board. She sees this invitation as a great chance to explore a new part of the world, but she can't help but worry about making international travel plans with someone she's still only casually dating. Would you do it?

Source: Flickr User flydime

Have You Ever Dated Someone From the Gym?

FitSugar — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 04:30:49 -0700

One of my co-workers recently went out on a date with a guy she met after running a 12K. When he approached her, she was still in her running gear, bib number and all. He told her on their date that the reason he went up to her that day was because he was attracted to the fact that she seemed healthy and athletic.

My co-worker's story made me wonder if it was common to date someone you met while working out. It makes total sense to be attracted to people who share a similar lifestyle, but the whole approach seems like it could be incredibly awkward or invasive.

Have any of you ever dated someone you worked out with? If you've got any funny anecdotes, tips, or success stories, share those in the comments section too - I'd love to hear them!

Website of the Day: My Very Worst Date

GeekSugar — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 14:28:33 -0700

Who doesn't love reading dating war stories from the trenches? I'm still cracking up over My Very Worst Date, a collection of reader-submitted dating horror stories. From horribly awkward moments to convicted felons, reading through all of the stories will either make you laugh with relief or cringe with empathy. And unlike many similar sites, My Very Worst Date has a number of submissions from both sexes, not just women.

Need a laugh? Take this date's hilarious ending:

Since it was late, the officer later drove me around to find a hotel and I took the train home the next day. On Monday my ex-date/co-worker wisely avoided me. I didn’t bother to inquire as to the nature of his arrest.

Check out the best-of section for a good laugh. And, if you're so unlucky, submit your own horror story. (Though I support avoiding your own worst date with yesterday's brilliant website of the day, Escape My Date.)

Have an interesting website you want to share? To learn how to post your favorite websites to our Website of the Day group, read more.

First of all, join the Website of the Day group.
Click "New Post" under the website of the day tab at the top of the page.
Give your story a "Title."
Fill in the "Body" with a link to your favorite website and the reasons why you love it.
Type "Technology and Gadgets" in the Categories box
Add keyword(s) in the tag field with relevant tags (for example mine for this story was "Website of the Day").
Choose whether you want the post to be private or public.
Click "Create Post" to submit content.

So join the Website of the Day group and share information about all your favorite sites! Yours just might end up on the GeekSugar homepage!