Ok, so I’ve been watching a lot of 24 lately… and I just got to the episode where the POTUS would not authorize the killing of a terrorist’s children in order to find the location of a nuclear bomb.

So I’m wondering, at what point does your sacrificial lamb get to grow into a sheep? Would you sacrifice your relationship for a job? Your job for a marriage? What about the relationships with your family? Would you leave them to be with a significant other? Is there anything that you would absolutely NEVER sacrifice, no matter the price?

Would you be able to kill a child to save a million lives?

I’m sure we’re all familiar with the phrase “Actions speak louder than words”, but does this apply to expressing Love towards, or for, someone?

To some, saying the word love can be difficult and they may not use the word loosely at all. Others throw the word around like it’s a beaded necklace in New Orleans during Mardi Gras.

When it comes to relationships (dating, boyfriends/girlfriends, fiances, husbands/wives, etc.) we seem to put a lot of stock into saying “I love you”, particularly saying it for the first time.

But what about all of the times after that? How much stock are put into those words all of the following times?

On the opposite end of this are people who regularly “prove” their love in actions. It could be small items like making dinner, giving a random gift, rubbing shoulders, etc. It could also be something more significant like supporting them during hard times (death in the family), going “out of your way” to make them feel better, standing up for them against a family member or friend.

Does saying “I love you” every day mean more than putting the “proof in the pudding” and showing someone how much you love them?

Do you believe one of these speaks louder than the other? Is there an even balance? When is it better to tell someone you love them and when is it better to show it to them? (if one is necessarily better than the other in a particular situation)

When you’re dating someone, when do you take him/her home to meet your parents? And the rest of the family? Is there a certain point when you “know” it’s time to introduce them, or is it more of a mandatory, “you’ve been dating this girl for HOW long and I haven’t met her?!” type of thing? Do you do it for their approval, or more as a courtesy?

I have my own opinions about this, but I’m interested in hearing everyone else’s before I start blabbering…

It seems like most people on here are either in a relationship or looking for love mostly online, but what do you do if you run into someone attractive while you’re out and about?

A friend of mine text me saying “Holy wow. Gorgeous guy across from me at this show, what do I do?” I told her to just walk up and pay him a compliment, but my advice is really no good here as I have never hit on a complete stranger while sober before.

She lucked out and the guy in question made the first move, but in the future, what do I tell my single friends in this situation?

Today I had a really big job interview. I’ve been unemployed for a while and this was really important to me. I told my two closest friends about it as soon as I got the word, and even spoke with both friends briefly about it yesterday.

Neither one of them wished me any sort of good luck. No text, no email, no call. And it hurt. So I reflected back on my relationship with both of them, and realized that they are actually quite “needy” – they monopolize conversations, expect me to be their cheerleader when something is going on for them, offer support in a crisis, etc.

I am also pissed, and have decided if I am not worth a minute of their time, then they are not worth ANY of mine. But now I want to find friends that are NOT the kind I seem to attract! How do you do that? And how do you know they won’t turn into one of THOSE types of friends?

My boyfriend “Jared” and I have been dating for almost a year now. We met at the wedding of my friend “Sarah” to his friend “Mark.” Sarah and I know each other from college, and Jared and Mark are both active duty military.

Mark has been on deployment for a few months, so Sarah is on her own right now. Last weekend, Jared and I went to dinner. Afterwards, we decided to go for a walk along the beach. That’s when we ran into Sarah and a guy we didn’t know. They were just standing next to each other on the pier, watching the waves. We said hi to each other, and that was about it.

As we walked off, Jared was fuming. He said, “She’s so busted.”

I asked what was going on, and he replied that it was obvious Sarah was cheating on Mark. I was kind of surprised, because when we saw them, they were just standing next to each other. But he explained that their body language gave away what they were doing, and they probably saw us coming and backed off of each other.

And now, the more I think about the whole incident, the more I think Jared might be right. Sarah _was_ acting kind of suspicious. She just sort of blew us off and didn’t even bother to introduce us to the guy. And normally, she totally would.

So, how do I approach this? Obviously, Jared is going to be looking out for his friend Mark. And to be honest, Sarah and I are friends, and I have her to thank for me even meeting Jared in the first place, but it’s not like we’re best friends or anything. I don’t want to create drama if there isn’t any, but the whole situation just seems so sketchy now.

Jared and Mark are really close, so he obviously thinks we need to say something. He wants to tell Mark, but I don’t think that’s going to help since he won’t be back for a few more months, anyway. So what’s he going to be able to do?

I think we should confront Sarah. But, what do we say to her?

This blurb is intended entirely for the sport of the debate and the entertaining answers I hope might arise…

As frequently mentioned, I am in what may be the longest dry spell in my romantic life both sexually and relationally speaking. Not that there haven’t been opportunities for both, I just have not encountered anyone worth breaking the drought.

Well, this weekend my team is traveling far, far away. The nature of the sport (both the physicality and the uniform stylings) makes attracting potential mates easier than in the real world. Add the “from out of town” factor and it is like shooting fish in a barrel.

So my question is… if the opportunity for a little out of town strange should arise, should it be seized? For me, the two sides of the argument break down this way:

Yes- breaking the drought might allow the hyper-focused portion of my brain to be used in a more productive manner.

No- I’ve waited this long, might as well keep it going until the right suitor comes along.

Your thoughts?

Here’s one for you guys:

How much do you think you should get to know someone before perusing a relationship? Some people like to go on a few dates or get to know each other as friends first. But others, like my girlfriend and myself, knew we liked each other when we met. We were never just friends and tried a relationship from the start. Three years later, I’d say that worked pretty well.

Does it depend on the person/situation? Or is there a general rule of thumb for how much you should get to know each other first? Discuss.

I’m posting this anonymously just to maintain SOME semblance of privacy, but I’m sure anybody who’s been keeping up with the discussions knows who this is. Anyway….

My last serious girlfriend and I broke up over two years ago. For a while, things were a little awkward, but we eventually figured out how to be friends. This was kind of necessary because we share a mutual circle of friends. Well, one thing this circle of friends does every year is take a ski trip, which is where I am right now. Think, 10 people sharing a three-bedroom condo for three days.

This year, I invited my girlfriend, knowing full well that the ex would be there. Mad props to her for being willing to go, even though she hadn’t hung out with any of these friends yet, so she knew she’d be getting the trial by fire with them (and no, she didn’t only go because she wanted to keep tabs on me while I was hanging out with the ex).

I am unbelievably stoked how welcoming my friends have been. I mean, I wouldn’t have expected any less (that’s why I’m friends with them, after all), but it was still such a relief that my girlfriend is getting along with everyone and is having a blast. And even more stoked that things haven’t been weird between the current and the ex. Of course, I wouldn’t say that my girlfriend and my ex-girlfriend are now “friends,” but still, it makes me happy to consider that possibility.

At the same time, I’ve known plenty of people who get weirded out by the thought of their current significant other becoming friends with their ex. So, my question is, how would you feel about it if this were to happen? And, if you wouldn’t be happy, why?

We have a great discussion going on about the stigma about (around? of? surrounding?) Online dating. There was some talking (fighting? name-calling?) about having a story to how you met that special someone.

So what about those great stories of how you met that person? What’s the story of how you met your best friend? What’s the lie you tell your parents because Latex Night at The Spankatorium just raises too many questions?