|
Breaking Up As the American philosopher Neil Sedaka (1939-) observed, "Breaking up is hard to do." I have a friend Yoko (1962-), also a philosopher, who comments further. "Breaking up," says Yoko, "is an essential constituent of romance; I'd even say that without it, the impact of romance is reduced a hundredfold." Neil and Yoko are both right: breaking up is hard to do, but at times it's not only unavoidable, but an important part of life. Unfortunately, I can't tell you anything to take away the long period of pain, self-doubt and loneliness -- I wish I could. What I can do is remind you that, as Yoko points out, breaking up now will make your future relationships all the sweeter. So as long as you are going to break up, why not do it well? Web:
Couples It's the best of times, it's the worst of times. Relationships have their ups and downs, but like a roller coaster, it's fun and thrilling, makes you afraid, and makes you laugh. See what is going on in the lives of other couples. Get ideas for romantic outings, anniversaries, how to patch up a fuss, or what to do with in-laws. Usenet:
Crushes If you have a crush on someone, you can use this service to email them an anonymous note. The person is informed that someone has an crush on them, but they aren't told who. He or she can choose to fill out a form, if they too have a crush. If the information on the other person's form matches up in some way with yours, both people are notified. There's no time limit, in case it takes your crush awhile to figure out how awesome you are and get a crush on you. If you're not sure if you want to participate, you can read stories about other people's experiences. Web:
Language of Love World travelers: it's always handy to know how to say "I love you" in any language. You never know when it could be important. For instance, say you are on a brief layover at an airport in Rome and the woman of your dreams comes racing by dragging behind her four suitcases on wheels. She runs over your foot and you realize that, yes, this is The One For You. How are you going to get her attention? Check out this site, so you'll be lucky in love no matter what your native language. Web:
Love Romantic love is the intense feeling we have towards another person, when we are attracted to him or her as a mate. "In the spring," the poet Tennyson tells us, "a livelier iris changes on the burnish'd dove; In the spring a young man's fancy lightly turns to thoughts of love." But -- man or woman -- once your fancy has lightly turned to thoughts of love, what do you do next? How do you find your true love and, once you do, how can you be sure it is the real thing? My advice is to not let your feelings get the better of you. Real love takes a long time to develop, but will last indefinitely if you are careful. It is true that infatuation is intoxicating, but as anyone over the age of 35 can tell you, be sure to walk the full length of the counter before you make your selection. Web:
Usenet:
Love Chat Whether you are looking for love or looking to talk about love, IRC is a good place to start. Not only can you talk romantically, but you can eat pizza at the same time and nobody will know the difference. You can't get much better than that. Check out these channels for romantic talk or possibly some romantic action. IRC:
Love Poetry It's wonderful to write love poetry to your special, adorable loved one. However, writing good poetry is not easy. My advice is to look at other people's poems for inspiration. When you are ready to write your own, here are two starting lines. Just choose one of them. (1) "Shall I compare thee to a Summer's day?" (2) "How do I love thee? Let me count the ways." Now, all you have to do is fill in the details. Web:
Love Police Has your husband/wife/boyfriend/girlfriend done something wrong? Would you like to point out the transgression in a humorous but noticeable manner? Try the Love Police. You start by choosing a violation: communication, behavior, bad habit, personality, and so on. Then set the bail (concert tickets, flowers, take me dancing...) and have your loved one cited by email. Once he or she has seen the light, you can visit the corrections office and see if the transgressor has agreed to mend his/her ways. (Don't you wish real life were this easy?) Web: Love Test There are two ways to find out if your love is real or if it is simply an unrealistic infatuation. You can either ask your significant other, and talk about the relationship, or you can use the Net to take a free love test. The advantage of taking the test is that you can change the answers if you don't like the results. Web:
Marriage and Commitment Marriage, and the commitment that holds marriage together, can be the most important, most wonderful social forces in our lives. However, when a relationship is not working well, marriage can make us miserable and fill us with doubt and pessimism. When we marry, we promise to take one another for better and for worse, but we make the promise when we are happy and optimistic. What do we do when the happiness seems to have vanished forever into a fog of irritation and despair? Marriage builds a wall around two people, and how you view that wall makes all the difference in the world. To some people, the wall restricts their freedom and makes them feel as it they are living in a prison. To other people, the wall is a magical barrier that surrounds and protects everything they hold dear, drawing a clear line between "us" and the rest of the world. You certainly wouldn't wait until you were 65 to start saving for retirement. Don't wait until you are unhappy to realize how important it is to have a strong, committed marriage. Start now, today. Web:
Usenet:
Men and Women We all got along fine when we were algae. But somewhere between floating gently on the lake and the invention of the bikini, men and women started to have their differences. Get up close and personal. See what the factions are saying about each other. It's not too much of a secret since there is a lot of crossposting. Usenet:
Online Romance Talk and General Discussion Voyeurs and participants alike can experience fun and romance in Usenet. In this Usenet group you can meet people, talk about the concepts of romance, being romantic, ideas that are romantic or talk about places on the Net where you can find romance. Usenet:
Random Love Poems Close your eyes, count to three and wait for this Web page to load. Suddenly you will be presented with a randomly selected romantic poem written by someone who has been dead for many, many years. This, of course, doesn't detract from the romantic value of the poem, so by all means, read on. Don't think about how, as you imagine being in love and laughing with your wonderful partner, these poets have long since been eaten by worms. Don't let that stop you. Carry on. Be happy. Web:
Romance Readers Anonymous You've been sucked in. It's impossible to walk past a rack of romance novels without picking up at least one. The bronzed man holding the lithe woman with the heaving bosom makes your heart beat quickly, loud enough for everyone else in the store to hear. The television has cobwebs and you haven't been out of the house in months since you got a subscription to Romance of the Week. Get help now. You are not alone. Web: Usenet:
Listserv Mailing List:
Romance Resources I must admit it; I am a sucker for romance. I love sending flowers and cards and doing unexpected things, and I love when someone treats me in that very special way. It's easy to be romantic at the beginning of a relationship. However, once you come to know the other person well, they become real, not a fantasy, and romance can fade. Don't let it. Here are ideas, tips and articles to help you preserve and increase the romance in your life. Web:
Romance Talk and General Discussion Have you noticed life isn't quite like the covers of paperback romance novels (or the inside of the romance novels, for that matter)? Do something about that by generating a romantic fire with others who mourn the death of romance. Remember Cyrano de Bergerac and his words that could melt the hair off a moose? Where do you think he got his start? Usenet:
Romantic Ascii Graphics Stop with the boring email. Send your loved one a nice romantic greeting spiced up with some ascii graphics. For those of you who don't know how to make your own, just cut and paste some of these into your letter and nobody will know the difference. It will be our little secret. Web:
Romantic Gestures Don't flounder around in your romantic life when you could be someone's future knight in shining armor. Here are sites with romantic ideas if you don't know exactly what to do or how to get started in the romance game. Web:
Romantic Greetings by Email There's no need to race out to the store just because you forgot to get a nice card for your anniversary. On the Net, you can make your own cards, or send virtual gifts of flowers or kisses just by using your Web browser. These cards and other electronic greetings will be all the more special because you made them yourself. Web:
Singles Your mother probably said that anyone you can pick up in a bar is not someone with whom you want to develop a serious relationship. (What you probably didn't want to tell her was that you weren't looking for a serious relationship.) In the event that you change your mind, stop in at the nicest singles hangouts in Usenet and IRC and find that special someone just right for you. The Web sites have the soc.singles FAQ (frequently asked question list). Web:
Usenet:
IRC:
Soulmates There is a moment when you look into someone's eyes and you feel, in an instant, that you have known this person your entire life and that you can never bear to be separated from him or her again. This is the feeling of finding a soulmate, someone who feels like the other half of you. Read anecdotes about people who have found their soulmates, people who are looking for soulmates and discuss the writings of authors who write on the concept of soulmates. Web:
Usenet:
Unhappy Romances The only thing worse than no romance is unhappy romance. Unrequited love, romance gone bad or people who are inept in the romance department -- these are all topics that are fair game in this Usenet group. Usenet:
|
© All contents Copyright 2005, Harley Hahn
Full trademark and copyright information