Are You Ready to Make the Commitment?
From Jeff Cohen
So your relationship is going pretty well and it's time to decide to commit to something more serious or breakup and meet someone new. Or maybe you're fine with where things stand but your partner is pressuring you to commit to a monogamous relationship. Or perhaps you really like the person you're dating but you just can't decide if you really have a long term future together.
Before you have "the talk" with your partner, cruise through this 30-question, rapid-fire commitment quiz.
Within minutes you'll know whether or not a deeper commitment is the right decision for you. Then you can proceed (or not proceed) in your relationship with some much needed peace of mind!
20 Simple Tips for the Perfect Date
Dos and don'ts from the real-life Miss Match
1. It's okay to suggest a drink instead of dinner for a first date. She dreads a boring four-course ordeal, too.
2. Call her by early evening on Monday to confirm a Tuesday get-together. (Weekends aren't for first dates.)
3. Leave your home and work numbers. No home number and she'll assume you have a wife or girlfriend.
4. If you want to keep the plans a surprise, at least clue her in as to what to wear. You do not want an overdressed, overstressed woman navigating the Talladega pits in high heels
5. Yes, she'll notice if the date location you've chosen is conveniently around the block from your place.
6. Don't assume that just because you're out with a beautiful woman, she knows how pretty she looks -- she wants to hear it from you.
7. Ask if she's too cold or too warm, and if changing the temperature is in your power, fix it.
8. Men judge women according to whether they can picture having sex with them; women judge men by whether they can imagine kissing them. White teeth, fresh breath, and unchapped lips make her more apt to pucker up.
9. Do not ask her, "So, what kind of music do you like?" The last 25 guys asked that. Be original.
10. She loves when you insist on ordering dessert. Sharing = extra sexy.
11. Tip well: Grab the check, mentally divide the bill by 10, double that number, and throw down the tip. Do it quickly but casually. Believe me, she'll be watching.
12. If she touches your arm, she's interested; if she touches your leg, she's interested tonight.
13. When in doubt, hold her hand.
14. Very small protective gestures go a long way and show her you're a gentleman: Offer your arm as she's stepping from a curb, direct her away from shards of broken glass aka Say Anything. She'll notice if you wait until she's safely in her car or house before you leave. Wait the extra 90 seconds, and next time you might be going in with her.
15. She expects you to know her eye color after the first date.
16. Women need momentum -- without it, they lose interest or wonder if you have. Momentum = a minimum of one date a week, plus a couple of phone calls in between.
17. She knows that when you invite her over for a homemade meal or to watch a movie, it's code for "tonight is hook-up night." Don't play this card any earlier than date three.
18. A Friday or Saturday night is required by date four. Otherwise, she'll wonder who else you're seeing.
19. Rule of Groping: If anything happens that couldn't be shown on prime-time TV, call her the next day. Otherwise, she'll feel cheap and used.
20. Don't say, "I'll call you," if you have no intention to. She'd prefer that you say nothing at all.
Samantha Daniels is the inspiration for the NBC show Miss Match, and founder of Samantha's Table, a New York- and Los Angeles-based dating service.