David vs Goliath...in Skirts

This actually happened to me: I was at my university gym, working out when a giant girl (or at least a giant compared to me) knelt down in front of the machine I'm sitting on, so that she's looking me in the eye. I was on a shoulder-press machine, so there was not an easy way to move out of my spot with a beast crouched in front of me.
She proceeded to tell me that she's the Ex (or in her opinion, Current) GF of my BF (not today's BF...). She told me that they were still hooking up, and that he told her I was "a crazy b**ch who always messaged him and would not leave him alone". Ummmm OK. So while my male gym partners, completely oblivious yapping to each other on the stationary bikes nearby, left me to fend for myself, I tried to explain that we really were dating and I didn't know anything about their relationship. She literally had me cornered and I was forced to listen to her for ten minutes, while my desperate glances to the cardio section were ignored.
At the time I totally questioned my BF, and he of course claimed she was crazy and offered to buy me dinner (a huge win with this deadbeat) and so I forgave him, and chalked it up to jealously and cattiness. Of course things did not end there and the remaining few months of the relationship were nothing less than tumultuous. OBVIOUSLY.
Today it is a great story, although a bit depressing that I ever spoke to either of them again. The funny part was where following our work-out and my sharing the story, my friends said "Hmmm we were wondering who that girl was - you seemed kind of annoyed.". Thanks for having my back guys.

Time Limit

All girls should declare a mandatory two-hour time limit on first dates. Some safe ideas that adhere to this rule are a coffee date, dinner or even better lunch, or a walk around the beach or boardwalk. If it's a good date, you'll be tempted to continue on to the next location, which often leads to returning to someone's home and bad news bears from there. Or the alternative is you have a fun time over lunch and decide to continue the adventure, but after the fourth hour you get tired of the person. After all, you may have only just met this person and may not have a lot to talk about, be uncomfortable in each others company, or you may not have compatible personalities early on.
By calling it a night (or day) early in the date, you appear to have a full and busy life (which you do!), and you will leave your date feeling anxious to see you again. Your date, and most importantly you, will end the date with a happy feeling and look forward to the next outing. This is much better than the alternative of ending an otherwise great date with a bad taste in your mouth when things go sour in the fourth, fifth, or sixth hour of a marathon date.

Substitute Boyfriend

My favourite storyline in He's Just Not That Into You was the one with Scarlett Johansson and Kevin Connolly. You might not specifically remember this as it wasn't close to being the juiciest storyline, but it really hit home with me. Basically Scarlett Jo is using Kevin Connolly's character as a substitute boyfriend while she was single. She spent time with him, cuddled, shared intimate thoughts and when she met someone new and spicy, all but stopped seeing him.
A lot of women do this, either during a dating drought or when their current relationship isn't providing everything they need. Often women use a man subconsciously - we tell ourselves that we're just close friends and care about each other, but when a new boyfriend comes along your calls to your 'guy friend' are going to decrease dramatically. No question. Not only is this unfair to your male friend, but it's not healthy for you.
Maybe you're single and calling this friend every evening or exchanging daily emails, almost in the way that a couple would. This means that your friend is filling the void that comes with being single. Not that I want single women to be unhappy, but when this void is filled (temporarily) this makes a woman much less likely to head outdoors to find Mr. Perfect. The other common scenario is a woman who uses a male friend to survive a poor relationship. Picture a woman phoning her friend on the way home from spending time with her real boyfriend, who upset her or couldn't be bothered to help with a problem. If this is the case, why be in a relationship with someone who is driving you to tears or can't satisfy your most basic emotional needs?

Average

I am convinced that there are thousands of average single girls out there, and frankly it worries me a bit. What do I mean by average? It's nothing bad, not at all. In fact, average is just what it means - the norm. Average girls are good looking but not head-turning hot, fun and friendly but not the life of the party. I know a lot of girls who fall into this category, and they're great girls who deserve nothing but love and happiness.
Surprisingly, or maybe not so, a lot of these girls are single. Men want that superstar woman - either smokin' hot or the loudest party girl in the bar (or I'm sure both is preferable to them). It seems that very unstylish or quiet, reserved people seem to match up - they know what 'group' they belong to and what they want. On the other side of the coin the unbelievably good looking pair-up to ensure the population is replenished with Godliness. That leaves the average. Unfortunately men don't seem to understand that an average girl, although often not as flashy, can be very special and sparkly in her own way.

I Like You...Don't Run Away

How do you talk to a guy you don't know without seeming creepy or desperate? It's a question we've all posed at least once in our lives (let's be honest here). In this case I'm going to cover co-workers or people you know through business, but I know this conversation could last for much longer (and probably will re-surface).
So you've been scoping out the cute guy who sits two floors down. You have no reason to talk to him - no shared projects, no department-to-department interaction, and no mutual friends. But he's oh-so cute! Well, here are my suggestions:
Organize a group outing with other co-workers and invite him to join - coffee break, patio after work or lunch
Ensure you attend all office events and participate in any extra-curricular activities - BBQ's, sports leagues, Holiday parties; it's much easier to strike up a convo when you're not hovering over his cubicle
Find a reason to learn more about what he does in his job role - perhaps you're on a new project where that knowledge could be really helpful...
Use him as a sounding board for new work-related ideas - you are implementing a new system or program in your department and you need to know how it will impact others in the organization (aka him)
Blatantly ask him what he's doing after work this Friday and if he'd like to grab a drink, or if you're not that brave, if he wants to walk to the nearby cafe for lunch
Organize a sports pool or captain a team for a charity run, and encourage your co-workers to get their departments involved. Never underestimate the power of six degrees of separation!
Find extra reasons to be on his floor - personally visit a friend instead of emailing or visit the mailroom once a day
The key to avoiding creepiness is to involve others when possible in the beginning, and don't push it. If you feel that he's reciprocating - taking you up on your offers, giving you the once-over when you walk by, or asking you to join him in return, you're good to go. Conversely if you invite him out and he doesn't seem to bite, just drop it and you will still be able to pass by with a "what's up" and maintain your professionalism and stellar reputation.

SOS

Last week I watched an episode of my favourite wedding show, Wedding SOS where the bride's main goal was to keep her groom from straying before the wedding. I'm pretty sure if your main focus prior to your wedding day is not flowers, decorations, vows or the reception but your groom cheating or not showing up - there's a problem!
In this case the groom did not stray (probably because he was under 24-hour surveillance) but I'm wondering what their marriage is going to be like. I am not married, but I think I'm correct in believing that trust and commitment do not automatically occur once the vows are recited. I also don't think I'm wrong in assuming that their marriage will be one filled with worried stomach aches and horrible scenario building...at least for the wife.