CAN I GET a MAN WITH THAT?

HOW TO GET AHEAD

A small-town girl receives candid advice on how to make it in the big city

Upon graduating, I didn’t want to reek of that fresh-out-of-college-and-unemployed smell, so I actively pursued jobs in public relations, a field opposing my self-righteous journalism degree.

I interviewed at a public relations firm on New York’s Upper West Side. Jenna, a maternal young woman impressed with my carefully crafted resume and impossibly high-heeled pumps, interviewed me. She praised my resume and gushed about my connections, but the deal wasn’t sealed yet.

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NO PAY, NO GAIN

Today’s contributor advises on her ultimate dating deal breaker

I had been casually talking to this guy for a few months, but he had yet to make his move. He finally got the balls to ask me out when he saw another guy flirting with me. As if his hesitation weren’t enough, I should’ve known he was a snoozer when he asked via e-mail. My married boss was continuously bugging me about my single status, so I figured I’d give it a shot.

He took me to an Americanized Mexican chain for dinner—the kind you can pretty much find on every block. I made a mental note in my snob handbook as to why a native New Yorker couldn’t find something unique. C’mon, you gotta impress on the first date.

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FLUKE OR FATE?

Today’s contributor can’t escape one dating prospect in real or virtual life

I’m a single girl in New York, and have been dating a lot. In a city seemingly filled with eligible bachelors, I figured I’d have no trouble taking the dating scene by storm.

I went out a few times with this guy who I had nothing in common with. I’m liberal; he was conservative. I like art; he loved sports. I don’t eat meat; he always wanted to go to this barbecue restaurant. He also couldn’t pick up on my sarcastic sense of humor, which caused a lot of uncomfortable silences. This made our dates really awkward, and after the third neither of us contacted each other again. Yet somehow, I always seem to run into this guy no matter where I go.

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BLAME IT ON THE ALCOHOL

Today’s contributor learns why they call it ‘truth juice’

Like most twenty-somethings, I enjoy social drinking. It allows me to let my hair down and free my inhibitions. For the most part, this is fine, fun even — until the night I found myself a little too drunk and uninhibited in the company of a crush.

I was headed to New York for grad school and threw myself a going away party. Over 50 people attended, including my crush — who also happened to be a good friend. I was never quite sure if he placed me in the friend zone, but secretly, I had it bad for him. Either way, I had no intentions of telling him how I really felt. Little did I know, I was about to deliver one hell of a confession.

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