Romantic Talk

Love FeetIn what I am assuming is an Onion-style satire article (a pdf is linked about half-way down the page), the Oklahoma Partisan Real-Ass Fake-Ass News reported that a female lawmaker had backed a mandatory foreplay proposal, calling for all men to perform a minimum of ten minutes of foreplay before intercourse.  As usual, the bill was divided across party lines with one male representative claiming that the female orgasm is little more than a myth.
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Contented Cow SyndromeAn older friend was the first to let me in on the sad phenomenom of “contented cow syndrome” or the reality that once singles become couples, they get a little more comfortable, chew on their cud, sit on their couches, and gain what is usually the equivalent of the freshmen fifteen. Science, being a little late to this reality, has just confirmed this sad fact.

According to this NYT article, a recent study found that a 140 pound  childless single woman will gain 11 pounds over ten years, a married (or partnered) woman who has had a kid will gain 20 pounds over the same ten years, and 11 pounds if she is married but has no kids.
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Same sex marriage has long been a contentious topicGay marriage is continuing to be a hot button issue with lawmakers, and continuing to be a contentious issue even in California. In a case that challenges California’s Prop 8, two same sex couples are making their case, along with lawyers to a California court, that they should be able to be legally married. Same-sex marriage is legal in 5 states and the District of Columbia as of the end of 2009. In others, gay couples have the option of entering into a domestic partnership, though often there are significant legal differences between that and marriage.

"Being able to call him my husband is so definitive," said Paul Katami, one of the men who is suing for the right to marry his partner. Read more

A snowy romantic retreat of warmth by a fireplace,

To beaches of pink sand and tranquil waters of turquoise blue,

Places that give faith and take my breath away,

Could it be all in His plans to be one body and soul,

The touch of one's hand and the warmth of our bodies when they meet,

The hot and steamy love making until dawn breaking,

Sighs of pleasure coming together as our hearts racing through the tender embrace, Read more

This New York Times article discusses the cost differences of same-sex couples in terms of federal benefits and taxes. Federal law does not recognize same-sex marriages or domestic partnerships, even if the state a couple resides in does recognize the relationship, and give the same-sex relationship legal status. Same-sex couples with with one spouse whose employer offers benefits for the other spouse are in terms of the federal tax law required to report the spouse's benefit as taxable income. This is not the case if the couple were heterosexual. Read more

Though it has been a major part of our society for approximately 15 years, it seems the Internet is still a bit of a cultural wild west. For some reason standards for etiquette and common decency haven't fully integrated into the way we use this technology. I hear questions and complaints about the problems Internet communication present to the dating experience, so here are a few pointers on how to use the Net for romantic pursuits.

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Once you’ve been in a relationship for a long time, you can often start to forget to have fun. You may have moved in together, or even gotten married, and between the bills and odd work schedules, suddenly you’re wondering, “Where has all the fun gone?”

But it doesn’t take a miracle to recover your sense of fun. In fact, why not take up that piece of advice well-meaning, nonetheless annoying friends and family always tell you—“You’re not getting any younger… When are you two going to pop out some kids?”

Well, you don’t have to take it literally; how about instead of having kids, just for today, you be kids together? It doesn’t have to take much money—though it can if you want to do extravagant kid things—nor much time. Take tonight, or sometime this weekend, to just connect with your partner and be a kid together. Try… Read more

Innocent Flirting?Is flirting with someone not your husband a bad idea? How about fantasizing sexually about people you know? How much flirting is really innocent and how much crosses the line? Read more

Cheater!I am not sure if I fully agree with the phrase, “Cheaters will always be cheaters” or “once a cheater, always a cheater”.  I think mostly, yes, that is correct, but I also think that once the cheater finds someone that they cannot live without or once they are ready to settle down, that some (not all) will no longer cheat.  I, on the other hand will not stay with a guy if he cheats on me, but I have seen people who have cheated in the past, find someone that they are passionate about and never cheat again.  I have also seen people who have cheated and promised to no longer cheat, cheat.  Read more