Blog Posts by HowAboutWe

E. Jean Carroll of Elle MagazineThere is no escaping E. Jean Carroll. The longtime journalist and doyenne of relationship advice, who's been called "institutionally incapable of being uninteresting," is, at 69, still ready to explain precisely what is wrong with your life, your attitude toward marriage, and your shoes. And given that she has been dispensing her singular guidance to Elle readers since 1993, her opinion is not one to dismiss lightly. To say we interviewed her would be pretense - she spoke, we listened, and at the end, we walked away with a sense of wonder.

So tell us: what's the secret to a fantastic date?

Oh Christ, the secret of dating is not the person you're dating, it's the EXPERIENCE - any two idiots can go out to a bar and have wine. But if you're WALKING somewhere or DOING something or going on a hunt or quest, then it gets interesting. So go do something! As long as it's not dinner. NEVER dinner. I never ever in the "Ask E. Jean" column advise people to go out to dinner on a first

When relationships fall on tough times, when the present is bad and the future suddenly becomes murky, sometimes all we have to rely upon is the past.by Ryan Dodge for HowAboutWe

OK-ish.

That's how I'd describe my first date with my girlfriend of three years, if I'm being honest. Which I'm usually not.

She arrived ten minutes late wearing an outfit so casual I couldn't help but wonder if she would forgotten all about our date if I hadn't emailed her that afternoon to confirm. The conversation was your typical fare: we talked about our siblings, our favorite restaurants, our TV addictions-nothing we hadn't already shared with hundreds of virtual strangers via Facebook. We had both been single for so long that it was easy to shift into dating autopilot, and wecoasted through the evening with minimal turbulence.

I ended up asking her out again, mainly because she was so beautiful that even if our next date was equally unremarkable, I would at least get another chance to study her face. She said yes, but it was clear that she was equally ambivalent. By the time I got off the subway I had already stopped thinking about her.

Plus: 5

On some dates, you know right away that there's not going to be a another one.by Chiara Atik for HowAboutWe

On some dates, you know right away that there's not going to be a another one. Physical unattraction, lack of compatible sense of humors, weird behavior, and having nothing to talk about are all factors that prompt the cricket on your shoulder to say, politely but firmly, "No thank you."

Those dates suck. But the aftermath, at least, is easy.

Plus: The 9 Most Annoying Things Said to Single People

Then there are the dates where everything is fine - there's, if not palpable chemistry, at least a lack of repulsion, the conversation is perfectly pleasant, there's no alarming behavior, and the cricket on your shoulder falls mysteriously, frustratingly silent.

Plus: New Survey Says the Ideal Age Gap in a Relationship Is...

So you say yes to a second date, because you didn't find a compelling enough reason to say no. And then, after the second, maybe you say yes to a third. But as the dates continue, things don't get clearer for you. You find yourself

The new mating norm: meet someone, start to date, become his friend on social networks, check out her profiles.The new mating norm: meet someone, start to date, become his friend on social networks, check out her profiles. At some point down the line, you're going to see them - pics of him with an ex, or perhaps two exes, or perhaps ten. The pics could be three years old, they could be from last week. And there they sit, living on the Internet for all eternity.

UNLESS…you break the digital wall and ask your beloved to untag himself. Is this a wonderful idea? A terrible one? Are you saving yourself from heartache and setting a good precedent for communication? Or falling on the sword of your dignity? The HowAboutWe editorial team was hopelessly divided, so we decided to offer the full range of viewpoints.

Plus: The 9 Most Annoying Things Said to Single People

Melissa Wall, Editorial Director:

I would be a hypocrite if I said, "It's ridiculous to ask your new boyfriend to untag pictures with his ex on Facebook," since I've done it. As with everything, whether it's appropriate (or advisable)

Golf legend Tiger Woods and Olympic skier Lindsey Vonn officially announced their relationship. by Lilit Marcus for HowAboutWe

Today, golf legend Tiger Woods and Olympic skier Lindsey Vonn officially announced their relationship. While the two of them do have the whole "world class athlete" thing in common, they both bring plenty of troubled past relationships to the table. Lindsey recently divorced her husband and longtime coach, Thomas Vonn, who reportedly caused friction between her and her relatives. Tiger's divorce from Elin Nordegren and repeated affairs with other women are not news to anyone who has had an internet connection in the last five years. So, how can these two make sure that their past mistakes won't haunt them in a new relationship? Let's take a bit of guidance (and some of these, they're already doing - always a good sign).

Plus: Anyone Criticizing Ben Affleck's Acceptance Speech Doesn't Understand Marriage

1. Don't trash your exes

Although some new relationships make you question what the hell you were doing before, both Tiger and Lindsey

Clio Goodman, owner of Puddin' by ClioBy Susannah Edelbaum for HowAboutWe

By the time Clio Goodman opened her first pastry shop, Puddin' by Clio, last year in Manhattan's East Village, she'd already built up quite a resume: studying at the Culinary Institute of America, working as a pastry cook for several years at New York's fine-dining zenith, Union Square Cafe, plus a stint as a private chef for a wealthy patron. Not bad for a 24-year-old. That patron eventually became her business partner - the deal was cinched after a taste of what's now become Puddin's "Classic" pudding dish - a parfait of chocolate and butterscotch topped with not-too-sweet whipped cream.

Plus: The 9 Most Annoying Things Said to Single People

Clio might be young, but she's blazing a pretty sweet trail (heard of any other sweet shops making a successful go of it, entirely based on pudding? Didn't think so). Here's why it's great to date pastry chefs like her, beyond just the amazing desserts:

1. Pastry cooks can take a joke.

This really applies

Mindy Kaling as Mindy Lahiri in The Mindy ProjectBy Alison Vingiano for HowAboutWe

In Mindy Kaling's 2011 book Is Everybody Hanging Out Without Me? (And Other Concerns) she confesses her anxiety regarding the changing landscape of relationships: "Fewer and fewer people are believing it's cool to want what I want, which is to be married and have kids and love each other in a monogamous, long-lasting relationship."

Mindy Lahiri, the character Kaling portrays on The Mindy Project, feels similarly about love. Her perspective can be summarized as: "I've been fed fairy tales about romance my whole life, and I expect them to come true, thank you very much." Lahiri, like Kaling, tackles a unique feat: she is a feminist, but wants nothing more than to get swept off her feet by her dream man. She is a girly-girl, but not a caricature. She has a figure hardly seen on television, but her body is an extension of herself, not its own subject.

Plus: New Survey Says the Ideal Age Gap in a Relationship Is...

From shows like Girls to the New York

The Bachelor FinaleBy Carly McElroy for HowAboutWe

Last night, millions of viewers tuned in to the 17th season finale of "The Bachelor." Spoiler alert! The season ended like every other one before it: Sean Lowe, an impossibly buff castoff from a previous season of "The Bachelorette," broke one girl's heart and made another's day by sending 24-year-old Lindsay packing and proposing marriage to 26-year-old Catherine. There were the requisite shots of Sean agonizing while leaning over several balconies, and frustrated women weeping. But don't let the cookie-cutter sameness fool you - after several seasons of declining viewership, Sean Lowe and his crew of ladyloves won massive ratings, restoring "The Bachelor" to its rightful place as king of reality TV. Let's take a look at why this season was so un-missable.

Plus: The 9 Most Annoying Things Said to Single People

1. Sean's Ridiculous Body

Showing some skin is almost certainly written into the contract of any aspiring Bachelor; after 17 seasons, watching