Blog Posts by YourTango.com

You can learn a lot about a man by the way he treats animals and waitstaff.I've learned that you can tell a lot about a person by the way he or she treats animals and restaurant servers.

Even if you aren't an animal person, and honestly, I'm not, there's still a way to treat creatures with respect and kindness. My husband and I had many dinner dates early in our relationship, and I was always impressed with how he treated waitstaff. He was polite, he didn't flirt with the pretty ones, and he always tipped well but not gratuitously. And, at home, he had a rescued greyhound that he took amazing care of, so I knew that he was a decent human being.

But there was one event that happened early in our relationship that really helped me see the kind of man he was.

One rainy day he got caught in a logjam of traffic on a two-lane road. Cars were backed up, and some were veering onto the shoulder when they reached a certain point. It wasn't until he got right up to that point that my then-boyfriend saw what was causing the slow traffic; a tiny kitten, barely more

There are some things that women can learn from strippers!After coming across this great article on YourTango.com about 7 things you can learn from strippers, I realized that, although it was written from a guy's point of view, it absolutely paralleled my own personal experience as a stripper. Some of YourTango's readers didn't really appreciate the article's point of view, but I'd like to defend it.

I was a stripper for two years in my early 40's (yes, I was like the grandmother of the club) and it was probably the most empowering experience of my life.

Not only was it personally empowering, but it greatly improved my sex life with my partner. Here's how:

1. My self confidence went through the roof. I'd always been at least slightly uncomfortable being complimented on my appearance, but with men complimenting me on ALL parts of my body, I had to get used to it. I mean, really, who gets complimented about how cute her earlobes are?! This girl, apparently.

2. I learned how to dance. I'd been really self-conscious about dancing in public,

4 easy steps to use the spring season to attract new love!Spring is the perfect demonstration of the possibilities for our lives as the seasons change and bring with it a new opportunity for a better day. Spring has always been a magical time of the year because it is nature's illustration of whatever appears to be "dead and without life" can come alive once again. Single women can get a fresh start for spring by realizing that no matter how dismal their love life appears to be, in an instant, this can change with a correct change in mindset, approach and understanding.

1. Forgive. You must make emotional room in your life for what you want before you can see physical manifestation of the desires of our hearts. That requires you to stop filling up your waking hours with work and caring for your children and make time for dating. You must also be willing to let go of past pains and hang-ups that stand in your way of finding true love. Related: Just Broke Up? How To Regain A Sense Of Self [VIDEO]

The best method I can suggest is to have a

Sorry Gingerbread Dude, three's a crowd.Forget Team Edward and Team Jacob. Love triangles can be traced back to their ancient roots in Camelot, where Queen Guinevere was forced to choose between King Arthur and Sir Lancelot. From there, history, literature and movies have been rife with tales of one unfortunate (and usually stunningly beautiful) woman's choice between two ridiculously handsome men. Life is tough, isn't it? I'm looking at you, Scarlett O'Hara.

A Tale of Two Cities
Charles Darnay is the good man, moral and noble, he weds the young Lucie Manette in Charles Dicken's classic novel A Tale of Two Cities. His protagonist is Sydney Carton, the cynical and alcoholic barrister, hopelessly in love with Darnay's wife. This love triangle is the time-worn tale of the good boy versus the bad boy. And in this instance the good boy gets the girl. Poor Sydney Carton. But I'm still Team Darnay all the way.

Anna Karenina
Anna Karenina is the hapless wife of Alexei Karenin, who falls in love with Alexei Vronsky. Karenin is 20

Are you with a toxic man? With Dr. Lillian Glass's new book as our guide, we'll find out.We've all met a toxic man.

In fact, you've probably met a whole lot of them. And spent time with them. And dated them. And got all mired in relationships with them. And the real kicker? You probably didn't even realized that dude you were dating was a manipulative, lying, super-clingy control freak.

"So many women are worried about hurting a man's feelings," says Dr. Lillian Glass, author of the new book, Toxic Men: 10 Ways to Identify, Deal with, and Heal from the Men Who Make Your Life Miserable. "They forget to worry about themselves and their own emotional needs. A lot of woman are being abused and they don't even know it." Related: 11 Myths And Facts About Cheating

I don't want you to be a woman ensnared by a toxic man (or woman-this book is for anyone, people), just because you didn't realize he was toxic. Neither does Dr. Glass. That is why the world needs this tome, because these men are harder to identify than you'd think. If in doubt, here are seven signs you might be

Baseball season starts this week, and there are a few things sackers can teach us about love.Whew. The Major League Baseball season is opening up this week* and not a moment too soon, as the college basketball season came to a close a scant 36 hours ago and life would be awful if we just had the NBA and NHL to glance at over the rim of a pint glass.

Baseball, our national pastime, has always been the American go-to for something to do while we're kind of doing something else. While other sports punctuate maneuvering with moments of violent action, baseball is filled with stillness, then something almost happening. Then something actually happens and we all go bonkers. Is there a better metaphor for relationships?

Which is why we're hoping to illuminate one thing with observations from the other. Here are 9 ways in which baseball traditions can save your dating life:

1: Pay attention to him or he will run on you. Even the slowest ball players will steal second base if the pitcher forgets he's there. A guy seemingly content to stay on first base will bolt if you neglect him.