Category Archives: Relationships
STONE CITY VFW POST #2199: Exclusive: Andy Cohen Dishes Dating Advice, And Yelp Helps You Make A “Love …
Stone City VFW Post #2199 issued the following announcement on May 25.
Spring is in the air, and if even half of what your parents told you about the birds and the bees is true, you’re as excited as we are for this upcoming sunny season of love. What’s more, we have swiped right (quite a few times, actually) on silver fox Andy Cohen’s profile as the host of Love Connection! This classic series is returning for another heart-pounding season, Tuesdays at 9/8c on Fox, and Andy is here to amp up the original hit dating show for today’s digital dating audiences. We sat down with Andy to ask him a few questions about best (and worst) places to take first dates, and we also polled our Community Managers in New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles Chicago and Houston to pick some of the best local date spot ideas. Read on for more!
Yelp: What are the best places to take a first date in spring and summer?
Andy: Nothing beats quick drinks or coffee at a public place. Or even better, pack a picnic outside in a park! It’s inexpensive, and there are plenty of escape routes for those awkward moments. Keep it moving with a stroll by a body of water, or take in a museum with a café.
Yelp: What about those first-date no-no’s?
Andy: Hard pass on the sex shops. Too creepy. And stay away from loud clubs, if you really want to make an honest connection. Third, skip the spas, gyms, or anywhere else you have to change clothes. Way too awkward.
What’s the best first date you’ve ever been on?
Andy: The best date I’ve been on was when I was first falling for my ex. It was just dinner, but the night felt like it went on forever (in a good way) because we were getting to know each other. The great thing about truly connecting with someone is that it doesn’t matter where you are. When that connection happens, it’s all that matters!
Yelp: Let’s get to the show! What’s the most successful date from Season 1, and where did they go?
Andy: Probably Robert and Shawen from Chicago. They had a great connection. Both love their cats and had a wonderful time playing pool and shuffleboard on their date. He felt really comfortable with her and opened up to her about his past. She was very receptive and understanding, and found him to be very open and genuine.
Yelp: And finally, what are your first date do’s and don’ts?
Andy: First off, always be on time. Make sure you look great, and don’t forget that great breath! Oh, and put your phone away and pay attention to your date! Try to get to know them… don’t be shy, ask questions!
Thanks Andy!
Heading out to make your local love connection? Here are some Collections of great local date spots curated by our Community Managers in New York, Chicago, LA, San Francisco and Houston. Stay tuned for some more exciting news about our budding relationship with Love Connection!
New York
Best Summer Date Spots in NYC
Best First Date Spots to Impress – NYC
Best Casual/On The Cheap Date Spots – NYC
Los Angeles
Best Summer Date Spots in LA
Best First Date Spots to Impress – LA
Best Casual/On The Cheap Date Spots – LA
Chicago
Best Summer Date Spots in Chicago
Best First Date Spots to Impress – Chicago
Best Casual/On The Cheap Date Spots – Chicago
San Francisco
Best Summer Date Spots in SF
Best First Date Spots to Impress – SF
Best Casual/On The Cheap Date Spots – SF
Houston
Best Summer Date Spots in Houston
Best First Date Spots to Impress – Houston
Best Casual/On The Cheap Date Spots – Houston
About Love Connection
The classic series Love Connection returns for another heart-pounding season, hosted by Andy Cohen. In each one-hour episode, Love Connection sends a single man or woman on three blind dates. Then, after the dates, he/she will drop into the studio, where Andy will grill them on all the juicy details. But it’s not only Andy they’ll be facing – they’ll be telling all in front of a live studio audience (who also get in on the fun, with a vote that could bring the daters some cash). If the audience correctly predicts who made a love connection, the dater wins $10,000! Throughout the show, we will hear cautionary tales and fairytale endings, all brought together by Cohen’s personal brand of audacious fun, while helping people fall in love. Love Connection airs Tuesdays at 9/8c on FOX.
Check out more here: https://youtu.be/-miUH2ADSXE
Original source can be found here.
What I Learned About Online Dating With A Disfigurement
I was born with a cleft lip and palate: it’s a common facial disfigurement affecting one in 700 people. With medical treatment (in my case, eight operations to rebuild my face, and three years of orthodontic treatment), people born with a cleft lip go on to live perfectly ‘normal’ lives. As far as disfigurements go, mine is so far from serious that I often forget there was ever anything ‘wrong’ with me at all. (Years of therapy have probably helped on that front, too.)
13 Love Experts Share The Worst Dating Advice They've Ever Heard
Finding relationship advice is hard — scratch that, finding good relationship advice is hard. The truth is, relationship advice is everywhere. It’s all over the internet, it’s in so many magazines, and you’re probably getting it from your family and friends — maybe even from people you hardly know. But just because someone is putting relationship advice out there, doesn’t mean it’s worth taking. Even when someone means well, they don’t always know or understand what’s going on in your life.
“Friends can be a great source of relationship advice so long as you recognize that their ‘wisdom’ has its limits,” certified counselor Jonathan Bennett tells Bustle. “Everyone is in a unique situation. What worked for your friends might not work for you. So, while you can certainly try the suggestions of your friends, don’t assume that theirs is the only way.”
And while some bad relationship advice can be laughable, bad relationship advice can also do a lot of damage. If you’re inexperienced or vulnerable, it’s natural to trust the advice of someone who seems more experienced or just more sure of themselves. But before you take it at face value, it’s important think long and hard about whether it actually makes sense to you. It’s important to see things through fresh eyes and listen to the people who have your best interests at heart, but you don’t necessarily have to act. Ultimately, you’re the only one in your shoes.
And some of the bad dating advice out there is truly terrible. Here are dating experts on the worst piece of dating advice they’ve heard — it’s a good reminder of why you need to trust your instincts.
1“Don’t Text Back Right Away”
Andrew Zaeh for Bustle
2“It Will Happen When You Least Expect It”
Andrew Zaeh for Bustle
3Age Is The Same Thing As Maturity
Andrew Zaeh for Bustle
4“Act Like You Don’t Care”
Andrew Zaeh for Bustle
“‘If you like [them], play like you don’t care.’ This is a go-to position for most people giving advice. Certainly we don’t want to be a chump or pathetically chasing someone. But we do have to give a solid green light to let this person know that we’re interested.” — Susan Winter, NYC Relationship Expert and Bestselling Author
5“Be Your Best Self”
Andrew Zaeh for Bustle
“While the intention might be pure, I don’t like when people encourage others to be their best selves when dating. People who are dating in a version of what they perceive to be as their ideal self versus their real self might be harming their chances at maintaining a long-term relationship. The reality is that we are not going to be able to maintain the idealized versions of ourselves for long, so after a while your partner is going to learn about your real self. You want the person you are with to love you and accept you as you are, not as the person you’re pretending to be. People who find themselves in this type of relationship often find the walls of security that they found with their partner come crumbling down in front of them.” — Lisa Hochberger, Holistic Sexologist and Sexuality Educator
6“Lying In Your Online Dating Profile Is OK”
Ashley Batz for Bustle
“‘Lying is OK’ — I’ve had several clients who have been told by other experts that a little dishonesty is OK in your profile because either everyone else does it, or you can correct yourself immediately with the excuse that you had to do it to get people to look at your profile. — the reality is that this advice is complete garbage. Justifying anything by saying that others do it is a great way to fail. Beyond that, the second you are caught in a lie, everything else you say comes into question.” — Eric Resnick, Owner And Lead Dating Coach at ProfileHelper.com
7“Someone Will Come Along”
Ashley Batz for Bustle
“Some of the worst advice I’ve ever heard is ‘just be yourself, someone will come along’. It’s such a disempowering statement. Just be yourself someone will come along. It’s really like a way to dismiss someone and not get into though the real meat of what’s going on. It’s like putting your child in front of the TV all day so you don’t have to parent them or deal with them.” — John Keegan, Dating Expert
“‘Don’t worry about finding a partner; the right person will come along’,” Bennet says. “While worrying is never a good idea, if you don’t actively focus on finding a good partner, one isn’t going to magically pop into your life. People who find quality people aren’t sitting back waiting for someone to enter into their lives.” — David Bennett, Certified Counselor, Relationship Expert and Co-author of Seven Self-Help Books
8“Just Be Yourself”
Ashley Batz/Bustle
9“You’ll Feel Butterflies When It’s Right”
Andrew Zaeh for Bustle
10“Play Hard To Get”
Andrew Zaeh for Bustle
“‘Playing hard to get is endearing.’ Who dreamed up this junk? Don’t do it. It can make you look difficult and really doesn’t serve any useful purpose. If you like the person let them know. If you don’t… let them know.. Whether online or in-person, responses aimed solely for ‘playing hard to get’ are a waste a time and will likely ruin any chances of a good thing. Don’t play games — just be honest.” — Justin Lavelle, Relationship Expert and Chief Communications Officer for BeenVerified
11“You Need To Feel A Spark”
Andrew Zaeh for Bustle
“‘You have to feel that “spark” or it just won’t work’. This isn’t really true. While the spark is mostly related to a real strong physical attraction, there are many other traits of a relationship that people connect on. Maybe you are really in tune with someone on a mental, spiritual, or emotional level. These are solid and some would argue that they create a more solid foundation than just pure physical attraction. So don’t despair if you don’t feel that spark. You may still be on to something good.” — Justin Lavelle, Relationship Expert and Chief Communications Officer for BeenVerified
12Wait 3 Days To Call & Have Sex On The 3rd Date
Ashley Batz/Bustle
“‘Wait three days to call and be prepared for sex on the third date”. Throw it all out the window. In the same vein as ‘be yourself’ just do what feels right for you. If you want to call 10 minutes after a great date… call! Basically, don’t set yourself up for games with timeframes and deadlines that somebody told you years ago. Go with the flow and do what feels right.” — Justin Lavelle, Relationship Expert and Chief Communications Officer for BeenVerified
13Build A Dating Profile You Think Others Will Like
Ashley Batz/Bustle
14“Be Mysterious”
Ashley Batz/Bustle
15“It’s OK To Lie About Your Age”
Ashley Batz/Bustle
“‘It’s OK to lie about your age’. Some people advise fudging your age a little bit if you need to seem a little older or younger to match the requirements of someone you fancy. After all, they reason, saying you’re 32 when you’re really 30 is hardly a big deal, right? This is totally the wrong approach. Relationships survive only when there is trust and honesty. Starting off the relationship with a lie, no matter how small, is going to come back to bite you in the long run. Don’t do it.” — Raffi Bilek, LCSW-C, Couples Counselor and Director Of The Baltimore Therapy Center
A lot of people who give relationships advice really, really are trying to help, but that doesn’t mean what they’re saying is true for you. So when you get relationship advice that doesn’t sit right with you, it’s important to not get too upset or be suspicious of the person. They’re probably trying to help — but you don’t have to listen.
10 of your Amazon Alexa's best hidden talents
Alexa can now offer gardening tips, be your personal sommelier and tell a friend to call 911 when you’re in trouble
If there’s anything you need, don’t hesitate to ask.
Alexa has become more than just a voice-activated virtual assistant that plays music on command or gives the local weather forecast. In fact, there’s not much that Amazon’s artificial intelligence-enabled gadgets can’t do now.
With nearly 50 million people owning a smart speaker, according to TechCrunch, and Amazon selling tens of millions of Alexa-enabled devices during the 2017 holiday season alone, it’s no surprise that Alexa’s skill set is constantly evolving.
These are 10 of Alexa’s best hidden talents:
GARDENING TIPS
She just developed a green thumb thanks to SmartPlant, the award-winning plant and pest identification app. So now when you ask Alexa, “Add snake plant to my garden,” or “How often should I water my tomatoes?” — she’ll help you out, and even offer to take you to Amazon’s expanding online plant store.
DATING ADVICE
If you’re single and ready to mingle, Alexa’s prepared to be your wingwoman (or man). If you’re unsure about whether or not you should kiss on your first date, ask Alexa — you might not like she has to say, but she’s prepared to answer. When you ask her, “What if they want to have sex?” her answer will likely be, “If you do too, do them. If you don’t, do you.”
WARDROBE CONSULTANT
The camera-equipped Echo Look gives Alexa the ability to weigh in as your personal stylist. Using the Style Check feature to compare two potential outfits, she gives you feedback based on fit, color, styling and current trends to pick the most flattering look.
TELLING JOKES
Being able to tell a good joke is a skill many people lack. But thanks to Alexa, learning how to make people chuckle just got a little easier. Ask her to tell you a joke, and then all you have to do is remember it!
SAVING LIVES
The Ask My Buddy app enables people to call for help without having to wear a button around their neck — or, more importantly, requiring them to reach for a cell phone if it’s out of reach. Just ask Alexa to alert any of your contacts, and one of them can call 911 on your behalf.
WORKING OUT
Go ahead and fire your personal trainer if you have an Alexa device, because with the free 7-Minute Workout app, she can guide you through body strength exercises you can do at home, such as push-ups, lunges, squats and more.
TELLING BEDTIME STORIES
If you’ve run out of “Once upon a time” stories to tell your kids at bedtime, defer to Alexa’s free vault of original tales, “Joy Teaches Kindness”, which you can also tailor to your child specifically. Set up an account at bedtime.webguild.com and then ask her to regale you with an elaborate fictional narrative.
TRANSLATING
When you need to communicate something to someone using a language other than your own, it turns out the multilingual Alexa can translate your message into 36 languages. Ask her to slow down or speed up if you’re unable to understand her, or ask her to repeat what she’s saying to make sure you’re able to get the message.
WINE PAIRING
Just because you like drinking wine doesn’t mean you know what kind pairs best with a leg of lamb. With the MySomm app, Alexa, who you now address as “Wine Gal” can recommend the proper vino to go along with your swordfish, seafood pasta or your grilled sausages.
READING THE NEWS
If sitting down to read the paper or online headlines proves tricky for your busy schedule, Alexa can deliver daily news updates from a variety of outlets, including NPR, BBC, The Washington Post, CNN — and, of course, Moneyish, using Flash Briefing.
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