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Pamela Raymond
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The Great Debate: Can you really meet a serious boyfriend or girlfriend at a bar?
*Previously published in the May 2012 issue of ALIVE Magazine. Some names have been changed to protect the not-so-innocent…
Bright lights, big city. A night out on the town holds so many possibilities…an encounter with Mr. or Ms. Right…a DUI…anything can happen. When it comes down to it, singles always have an eagle eye out for a potential date. Can you find that date in the neighborhood dive bar or thumping nightclub? It depends on what you’re looking for.
Case Study #1: Me. I’m not immune to dating men I’ve met in various dank watering holes. My first fiancé was… more …
Bright lights, big city. A night out on the town holds so many possibilities…an encounter with Mr. or Ms. Right…a DUI…anything can happen. When it comes down to it, singles always have an eagle eye out for a potential date. Can you find that date in the neighborhood dive bar or thumping nightclub? It depends on what you’re looking for.
Case Study #1: Me. I’m not immune to dating men I’ve met in various dank watering holes. My first fiancé was… more …
Unwedded Bliss: The single girl’s survival guide to wedding madness
***Reprint of article in the January 2012 issue of ALIVE Magazine
Once upon a time, back in the ’90s, there used to be a designated time of the year that you knew would bring embossed envelopes regally inviting you to celebrate in the happiness of a distant cousin, close friend or a co-worker in the joining of holy matrimony. Now, it’s a year round sport. Wedding invites can invade your mailbox like a stealth bomb at any moment. Whatever happened to June being the designated month to make single girls’ lives a living hell?
OK, maybe I’m exaggerating. It isn’t… more …
Once upon a time, back in the ’90s, there used to be a designated time of the year that you knew would bring embossed envelopes regally inviting you to celebrate in the happiness of a distant cousin, close friend or a co-worker in the joining of holy matrimony. Now, it’s a year round sport. Wedding invites can invade your mailbox like a stealth bomb at any moment. Whatever happened to June being the designated month to make single girls’ lives a living hell?
OK, maybe I’m exaggerating. It isn’t… more …
Fashion’s Epic Fails or…things you are unlikely to see at St. Louis Fashion Week
I typically write on matters of dating, sex and relationships. But in honor of Fashion Week, I’ve decided to take a quick departure to the world of zippers, seams and sewing machines. Enjoy the trip.
Never one to be very wrapped up into fashion, I dress for whatever my mood is or based on varying degrees of laundry mayhem. My relationship with style has been a bit turbulent to say the least. Much like a bad boyfriend, I’ve had to cut ties with it on occasion. No apologies, no regrets.
And much like a good boyfriend, when fashion works, it… more …
Never one to be very wrapped up into fashion, I dress for whatever my mood is or based on varying degrees of laundry mayhem. My relationship with style has been a bit turbulent to say the least. Much like a bad boyfriend, I’ve had to cut ties with it on occasion. No apologies, no regrets.
And much like a good boyfriend, when fashion works, it… more …
When Food Attacks: The top five worst foods to eat on a first date.
**Reprint of original article by XXRay Vision blogger, Pamela Raymond, in the October 2011 issue of ALIVE Magazine.
Food has a way of mocking me—especially when someone else is watching. The trauma is magnified when food attacks me in front of that special someone on a date. I’m not sure when dinner became fraught with anxiety and visions of landmines, but this is the case when I say “yes” to the question,
“Are you free on Friday night?”
When put in a grown-up date situation complete with table service and cloth napkins, I get a little nervous. I wonder if… more …
Food has a way of mocking me—especially when someone else is watching. The trauma is magnified when food attacks me in front of that special someone on a date. I’m not sure when dinner became fraught with anxiety and visions of landmines, but this is the case when I say “yes” to the question,
“Are you free on Friday night?”
When put in a grown-up date situation complete with table service and cloth napkins, I get a little nervous. I wonder if… more …
Online dating – endless possibilities to meet serial killers…or not.
Dating is scary. Throw in the potential to meet an axe wielding serial killer then you have online dating. Or at least my unsubstantiated view of it. I will be the first to admit, I haven’t really tried to market myself in the relationship game via a head shot and short bio. But I know plenty of friends who have. Some had great experiences like getting engaged or married! And some not so great -if you are into foot fetishes or wearing baby diapers, stay away from online dating sites. It creeps the ladies out.
So ALIVE Magazine has decided to… more …
So ALIVE Magazine has decided to… more …
Erotic capital or “How to succeed in business with a wink and a smile and double d’s”
Found an interesting blog on Harvard Business Review. I consider HBR to be similar to the hand of God so I kept reading despite its tawdry title, Exploiting Beauty in the Workplace. Hmm. I think of beauty in the same terms as winning the lottery. Some people get lucky. If you hit the genetic jackpot it mostly has nothing to do with you but more to do with your parents or ancestors. Exaggerated cheek bones are not made over night.
Then along comes Catherine Hakim, professor of sociology at the London School of Economics, with her book, “Erotic Capital: The… more …
Then along comes Catherine Hakim, professor of sociology at the London School of Economics, with her book, “Erotic Capital: The… more …
The horror! Sex in horror films
Some of us have had relationships that are horrifying and some simply horrible. Much like a horror movie, relationships can inspire fear, absurdity and resilience. Even Jason and Michael Meyers have their admirers.
I confess I am a HUGE horror movie fan. I like to be scared. And it is even better when I have the object of my affection next to me to hold my hand or any other body part. Horror movies can bring a couple together. And there is usually nakedness to cut the tension…or cut off something…in the film.
Sex plays a big part in… more …
I confess I am a HUGE horror movie fan. I like to be scared. And it is even better when I have the object of my affection next to me to hold my hand or any other body part. Horror movies can bring a couple together. And there is usually nakedness to cut the tension…or cut off something…in the film.
Sex plays a big part in… more …
Top 5 Reasons Why Prince William and Kate Middleton’s Upcoming Marriage is Going to Annoy Your Boyfriend
If you haven’t heard yet, there’s a little wedding across the pond that has every media outlet acting like a teenage girl at a Justin Bieber concert and grown women calling it their version of the “Super Bowl”. Yes, that’s right. Prince William and Kate Middleton tie the knot on April 29th.
Why would a wedding that your boyfriend doesn’t have to attend be annoying to him? Well, I think we all know that just because you won’t be in Westminster Abby doesn’t mean he is free from hearing about it.
Here, in my humble opinion and non-scientific poll, are… more …
Why would a wedding that your boyfriend doesn’t have to attend be annoying to him? Well, I think we all know that just because you won’t be in Westminster Abby doesn’t mean he is free from hearing about it.
Here, in my humble opinion and non-scientific poll, are… more …
Great Disappearing Act – UNCUT!
*This blog ran as an article in the April 2011 issue of ALIVE Magazine with the saucy Ms. Janet Jackson on the cover. However, this is the uncut version of that article with more details about Leah and her bad behavior. Enjoy!
There are not many people in this world that I call a “friend”. Most people I know are classified as acquaintances. You know. People I’ve done shots with, made some bad decisions with, whatever. I take the responsibility of friendship seriously. It is not be trifled with. This is why I’ve been on countless committees, spent tons of… more …
There are not many people in this world that I call a “friend”. Most people I know are classified as acquaintances. You know. People I’ve done shots with, made some bad decisions with, whatever. I take the responsibility of friendship seriously. It is not be trifled with. This is why I’ve been on countless committees, spent tons of… more …
The business of cheating
“Life is short. Have an affair.” This bold statement greets you at the home page of AshleyMadison.com, the premier website for online cheating. It claims over 8.6 million anonymous members. That’s a lot of cheating.
Inside the confines of this “discreet dating service” (their words not mine) one is enticed to believe that your world will be rocked by an illicit rendezvous free from the strings of the normal ways of cheating, meaning with your secretary, the pool boy or the college student babysitter. They even have a “100% Ashley Madison Affair Guarantee”. WTF?
Ashley Madison is the brainchild of Noel… more …
Inside the confines of this “discreet dating service” (their words not mine) one is enticed to believe that your world will be rocked by an illicit rendezvous free from the strings of the normal ways of cheating, meaning with your secretary, the pool boy or the college student babysitter. They even have a “100% Ashley Madison Affair Guarantee”. WTF?
Ashley Madison is the brainchild of Noel… more …
