Youve got problems, Ive got advice.
This advice isnt sugar-coatedin fact, its sugar-free, and may even be a little bitter.
Welcome to Tough Love.
I simply want to give you the tools you should probably enrich your damn lives.
If for whatever reason you dont like my advice, feel free tofile a formal complaint here.
Now then, lets get on with it.
What should I do?
Sincerely,
Forgetful Francine
Hey… you:
Thereason people forget names is complicated.
If you dont make a concerted effort to move it from short-term to long-term quickly, youre screwed.
When you meet someone, you subconsciously make the interaction more about you than about them.
After all, we meet tons of people in our life that we never meet again, right?
But youve met some of these people EIGHT TIMES… Its not a memory game where the goal is to match the names with the faces.
These are real people, with real life experiences and stories to tell.
Find a way to be more interested in everybody you meet.
Only then, Francine (see, dont you feel more connected to me when I remember your name?
You probably dont know these peoples names because you dont make an effort to knowthem.
Im in my mid-30s, I freelance from home, Im a loner and I like dogs.
How do I friend?
Theres not a friend store, and there are no step-by-step instructions.
Think back to when you were a kid.
School and whatnot made things a little easier, right?
But what would always lead to friendships?
LIKING THE SAME STUFF.
So, you’re gonna wanna go find people that meet thoseverybasic requirements.
Now I know, I know, you want me to tell you WHERE youre supposed to go.
Ill break this down for you, Lassie.
Take your dogs somewhere.
Lots of other people like dogs too.
But heres the kicker!
You have to make the first move.
Talk to people, make an effort.
Those weird hairy toddlers everyones pulling around are barking, pooping ice breakers.
take a stab at make some.
The operative word here is MAKE, Lassie.
As in takes time and effort.
Trying to meet people doesnt make you a loser.
Not trying and complaining about it does.
This Widower Isnt Sure How to Approach His New Relationship
I am 74.
My wife passed away last May.
We had been married almost 50 years.
Recently, I met a very nice lady and we have been seeing each other regularly for some months.
It is pretty intense.
At my age, does it make any sense to even think about another long term relationship?
If so, does it make more sense to marry, or just be together?
Sweatin It to the Oldies
Hey Sweatin:
You met a nice lady.
Youre seeing each other regularly.
Sounds like you have a good thing going there.
I dont know you very well, Sweatin, but life is short and youre running out of time.
Why should you spend one minute of it being unhappy?
Youre older, fine, but that doesnt mean you should hold back how you feel.
If that means jumping into a long term relationship, then go for it man.
Does marriage make sense for you guys?
I dont know, does marriage really make sense to begin with?
Again, Sweatin, just do what feels right.
It doesnt matter what anyone else thinks.
Theres no actual rule that says you have to be married to love each other and be together.
Its very common these days for couples to be together and devoted without being married.
If so which do you recommend?
And how are you supposed to wake the whole neighborhood up on Saturday morning with a far-quieter electric engine?
That said, electric mowers are much better now than when they were introduced.
Its good for the planet or penguins or one of those things I think.
Go cordless, though!
People seem to like the Greenworks models.
Junker23 asks:
I need to find somewhere new to live and work.
Aside from teaching 6 months in Thailand last year, Ive been in Boston for forever.
There are too many places; decide for me, hey?
So hot right now.
Snorp asks:
Should I buy a hot tub?
I want to be hot and submerged in water every day but I dont fit in my bathtub.
Hot tubs are awesome.
If not, get a bigger tub instead.
Second, do you have a place to put it?
Hot tubs are quite large.
I know this because Ive sat in over three of them.
Third, are you willing to take care of it?
They actually require a lot of upkeep, which is actually really annoying and so not relaxing.
And lastly, do you live near me so I can also use your hot tub whenever I kindly?
If not, probably not worth it, you know?
Math is the main problem.
You dont like math, huh?
So, whats the real issue?
Do you just not like math?
Or are you merely struggling with it?
In the end, you wont be doing a ton of complicated equations at work anyway.
If youre just struggling with the coursework, find a tutor.
Maybe youll care about math a bit more when you understand it.
If its both, you should probably rethink your major.
Math is essential to engineering.
you better know it.
And to know it, you kind of need to care about it.
