Hmmm. The one I have with my black lab seems to be about perfect.

He accepts me for who I am, good and bad. He's always excited to see me. He just wants to play and have fun, rest when he's tired, eat when he's hungry and all he really wants is to make me happy. He provides me with companionship and unconditional love and all he wants in return is the same which I give freely and whole heartedly.

If you're talking with a man, I have no fricken clue. Haven't discovered it yet. I'd guess the ideal relationship would be the one that lasts and provides all of the above plus phenomenal sex.

Not me! I have my alter ego to keep me company.

And my dog.

Almond Joy...usually I feel like a nut!

I can't escape being me!

That being said, I usually only show the tip of the proverbial iceberg.

Wow. I'm impressed! You are dead on with this. I got my degree in Biobehavioral Psychology and couldn't have expressed it any clearer. The way in which we learn, how our brain's structure and function contributes to our behavior is really quite remarkable. We're just now starting to understand the depth of how it all works. Such an interesting field!

People who drive slow in the fast lane! Move the **** over already!

Dang. I didn't think anyone was watching!

I don't believe in violence so there will be no smacking from me, but a few old adages come to mind...

"a fool and his money are soon parted"

and

"fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me".

Do what you think is "right", just don't be a fool.

My best friend is male. We don't call it dating but we both go out together often and he even sleeps in my bed some nights. There's no sexual relationship. We snuggle up next to each other and it's a way to get the closeness from the opposite sex we need without the crap that goes with being in an intimate relationship. We love each other as friends and it works for us.

So sorry for your loss Krupa. I can't even fathom how heartbreaking it is to have to do that. I love my dog more than any human being alive and can't imagine life without him. May Black Betty rest in peace.

Krupa the meat wrangler! It's got a nice ring to it...

So what you're saying is I should head to the bar sporting a t-shirt that says "Your chance of bagging me tonight is directly proportional to the number of Goldschlager shots you buy me!"

I can find a piece of meat on any given night if I want, it's finding a whole damn man with heart intact that seems to be causing me issues!

You may win some battles but good luck with the war. We have 'em here in Florida too, along with a nasty flea infestation. It's an ongoing problem with no end in sight no matter what I do.

I have been finding some 2 inch long roaches flipped over dead on the floor recently. I think the cats are getting 'em. Either that or they just die of old age maybe! I'm just happy they're dead honestly!

Lowering carbs works for me too, but be careful with the diet stuff. It's usually worse for you than just having a sugar laden soda once in awhile. And you may want to add some vitamins into your routine as well since your low carb diet may be deficient in some important ones...Vitamin C and B-complex in particular, but also Chromium Picolinate and Fish, Flax and Borage oil capsules may be helpful as well.

The other thing that may help which goes against logical thinking is that the more often you eat, the more weight you will lose! It's much better to have about 5 small meals a day than to eat 2-3 large ones. This keeps your metabolism running at a high rate throughout the day.

Our bodies need fats along with the proteins and some carbs, but the secret is to have a balance of them. We burn simple carbs for energy first. If we don't introduce many of them into our diet, we start burning fat, therefore any fat we take in gets discarded not stored.

Exercise will definitely help too as the pounds will fall off even faster. I too am trying to lighten the load on the scale these days so I took up jogging yesterday.

Good luck in your endeavor!

I would rather try and fail than to never make an attempt and always wonder what could have been. 'What ifs...' weigh heavily on your brain and your heart. This applies to so many facets of life too...relationships, dreams, jobs, even swimming in the ocean with sharks.

I'm not a risk taker per se, I'm certainly no Steve Erwin at this point, but sitting on the towel while my friends frolicked in the waves was agonizing, all because I MIGHT get eaten by a shark. Hell, I'm more likely to get killed in a car accident yet I still drive everyday! The ability to have fun with them now is worth more than a pot of gold (even with the astronomical price of gold these days!).

I suppose irrational fears are the ones that need to be overcome most, but in reality any fear can be crippling. I would rather give 100% and know that it just wasn't meant to be than spend the rest of my days regretting my decision to not even try because I was too afraid of the outcome. I think the tip toes should be saved for the tulips...from now on I'm balls to the walls for anything I want!

Personally I think maturity level is much more important than actual age. I've met some very childish 40-50 year olds and some extremely mature 20 something year olds. My dating age range is therefore pretty wide because you just never know by the birth year what you're really getting into. I get to know them as a person and judge whether we're compatible short term or long term by how we get along, what we have in common, and whether we're both heading in the same direction in life.

Wise words and ones I've taken to heart recently.

I moved to Florida nearly a year ago and have been afraid of swimming in the ocean since I saw Jaws at an apparently very impressionable age. Never could go in past my toes without hearing that stupid theme music and hyperventilating. Finally a few weeks ago I decided it was time to overcome my fears and I literally dove right in. Sure, I was nervous but I felt so proud of myself afterwards!

Ironically, I've been in a few times since and the last time I was out about waist deep and looked over only to spot about a 5 foot shark! I only saw its back, the fin and the tail end as it was diving under the water but Lord help me, I was on that beach in 2.2! Now this could have set me back drastically but not this chick. I regained my normal heart rate and went back in a short time later. I have come to the conclusion that I'd rather be devoured by a shark then let fear rule my life!

I think cheaters cheat for mainly two reasons. First, they are selfish. They put their own desires above their commitment and loyalty to their partner. Secondly, I think society as a whole has become too enamored with instant gratification. Satisfaction is found in what feels good in the moment, and people always seem to want more than they have instead of being happy with what they already possess. They risk losing someone they love for a night or two of strange...just doesn't make any sense to me at all.

I was so blessed to have a wonderful father that had so many words of wisdom for me. I can't remember his last words to me because I was just too distraught providing hospice services to him but I do know his very last words were to my mother and he told her he loved her. I still struggle with his death to this day but here are a few gems that will always stick with me:

"If you aren't going to do it right, don't do it at all."
"'Atta boy girl!" (My 3 brothers got the "atta boy boy")
"Work hard and you can accomplish anything you put your mind to."
"Never trust a liar, a cheat, or a thief."
And then there's my favorite... "I'm proud of you and I love you!"

I miss him so.

Not sure if it was Bad Company or AC/DC. I was a teenager and partied quite a bit back then...memory is a tad bit foggy.

Can best friends become lovers? Is it true that love can or should be built on friendship first or do you think that once you're in the friend zone, that's where you're going to stay?