ArcaMax

Dear Anna,

I’ve been dating my boyfriend for about six months, and we moved in together pretty quickly — it’s been wonderful, and I feel really loved. The challenge is he’s about to relocate for work for most of the year, and I’m scared about how I’ll handle the distance. I have a weird pattern when people aren’t physically in my ...Read more

Dear Eric: My wife has three living adult kids from three different fathers – ages 22, 29 and 32. The 32-year-old has a husband and two kids of her own. I allowed all of them to live with us since they couldn’t get along on their own.

Last year, my wife’s fourth adult child died so I inherited her 3-year-old.

We had nine people in our ...Read more

Dear Eric: Our next-door neighbor is a longtime university professor who is well known in his field. We have been neighbors for many years, and we all get along well. He lives alone.

An irritating habit of his is to stop by and launch into long-winded stories about some mundane event in his present or past life or to pontificate about a current...Read more

Dear Eric: I started a new job a year ago. I took over as a supervisor at a municipal agency and from an individual who was retiring and who is a friend of mine.

The position that I took over for had a number of employees who were retired and had part-time jobs. They were very loyal to him, and he let them do what they wanted as long as it got ...Read more

Dear Eric: My father’s side has always hosted holiday meals. We are all in our 60s and 70s. My parents are gone, and kids are in their 20s and 30s. My cousin has taken over and puts on a great celebration. With Covid and the death of her mother she did not host/invite us, which hurt our feelings because we enjoyed the time to see everyone.

I ...Read more

Dear Eric: I’ve been in a relationship with my partner for most of my 20s, and while I still love him, I find myself wondering if I am still attracted to him.

In the last few years, he has significantly stopped taking care of himself. As a very active and healthy person (I run marathons, bike, lift weights regularly, et cetera), I find it ...Read more

Dear Anna,

I've been with my boyfriend for over six years, and I'm exhausted from constantly attending family gatherings and social events alone while he stays home playing video games. Every wedding, birthday party or holiday celebration, I'm the only one without a partner while everyone else shows up as couples. I've started making excuses ...Read more

Dear Eric: As a Spanish-American, my ancestors from Spain have resided in the United States since long before the first Thanksgiving.

When one acquaintance inquired about my origin, I assumed he meant the city I recently relocated from. He clarified by asking if I was from Guatemala. In a social context, that question is exclusively directed at...Read more

I often get questions from friends and potential clients alike: “What are your clients like? How old are they? What kinds of things do they ask you?”

Let me let you in…

My client base is about 70% women and 30% men, ranging in age from mid-20s to mid-70s. But most are in their 30s, 40s and 50s. In general, I believe that women are more ...Read more

Dear Anna,

I’ve been with my boyfriend for three years, and I love him—he’s funny, supportive and kind. Right now, we’re living at my sister’s place while saving for our own apartment. He’s 29 and I’m 27. I work full-time as a freelance writer and make a comfortable living, but his part-time retail job barely covers his own ...Read more

While a lot of the advice I give revolves around how to get the first date, even more important is how to nail that first date.

Let’s take a look at some tips for the all-important first date:

What not to do on a first date:

1. Be late without notice

2. Be excessively late, with or without notice

3. Have your phone out or text ...Read more