Double X’s Blog

Dear Friend or Foe, A few years ago, I became friends with a girl—“Faye”—who moved to my city from a farming village to attend college and get some modeling assignments on the side. After her parents lost their income and couldn't provide for her as they did before, she was very distraught. Even so, she continued to live way beyond her means. Whenever her parents sent her a bit of cash they’d succeeded in putting aside, she'd blow it on cheap outfits or cocktails she couldn’t even name. Consequently, she'd be late on her rent and her power would get cut off. Sometimes, she couldn't afford to buy food! Read More »

Dear Friend or Foe, I’m in my 30s and have been friends with “Erin” since we were 6. Erin is getting married next month. I think she's making a mistake. I like her fiance as a person, but he strung her along for nine years. She also frequently complains to me that their sex life is nearly nonexistent. What’s more, she confided last year that he admitted to having a one-night stand with another man. In fact, she expressed fears about his sexuality just a few months before he proposed. I happen to be a bisexual person in a committed, monogamous, hetero-marriage, so I'm not judging him based solely on one bicurious episode. But a couple that only has sex twice a year before they walk down the aisle seems destined for serious intimacy issues. Read More »

Dear Friend or Foe, My (now ex-) friend—“Liza” —started dating my brother about a year ago. They are now living together and show all signs of staying together indefinitely. My relationship with Liza has deteriorated to the point that, when my house actually burned down, she didn't respond to my e-mail, let alone call to see how I was doing ... Read More »

A couple of weeks ago, my two closest friends and I went to a small live-music venue to hear a band. While at the concert, someone “slipped me a mickey.” I remember nothing about the rest of the evening, but I was told that the police officer found me lying alone on the sidewalk. I came-to in the hospital E.R.—alone. Read More »

My cat had it. My sister-in-law had it. Now I have it: a thyroid disorder. And so did Oprah. Bless her little butterfly-shaped neck gland; she has once again changed the way middle-aged American women go about their business. Now, in addition to wearing waist-cinching belts and wielding a pneumatic staple gun, Oprah’s viewers are running in droves to get their thyroids tested. It’s a good thing, too, because thyroid disorders are the second most common endocrine problem after diabetes. What’s weird, though, is how stealthy these ailments are. You walk around feeling a little tired and stupid, just assuming that’s life, especially after Labor Day, and then you find out there are actual tiny hormonal signals to blame. Read More »

Dear Friend or Foe, I just turned 37, and I’m getting married in two months. Most of my closest friends have been married for a while now and have at least two children. I'm pretty sure everyone is thrilled for us, since they’ve been waiting for this day FOREVER. Everyone except for my “best friend” Carin. She’s being kind of awful about the whole wedding part. I’m not one of those bridal people who has been looking forward to this day since I was 5. It’s my husband-to-be who really wanted a big wedding. So that’s what we’re doing: three days, destination wedding, the whole shebang. And Carin is, of course, one of my bridesmaids. But as the day gets closer, I’m feeling less and less like she belongs in the bridal party. Recently, she asked, “When is the latest possible time I can arrive at your wedding? Also, just so you know, I’ll be leaving at the crack of dawn the next day.” Read More »