Amy Alkon

Apt. 201B Or Not To Be My boyfriend and I have been together for two years, and my lease is up in a few months. I was thinking about asking him if he wants to live together. When is the right time to move in with someone, and how do you know whether that’s even […]

Grand Theft Autocrat I’m a 29-year-old straight woman, and I recently started dating this guy I really like. The only issue is he seems a bit controlling. For example, he always wants to pick the restaurant and which TV show we watch. While I’m generally pretty go with the flow, it seems like I never […]

Fickle-Down Economics I’m a 29-year-old straight woman. I recently came to the odd conclusion that I have no idea what I want in a man. Over the past few years, I’ve been dating a variety of guys and hoping they’ll be right for me, and it’s not working. Some turn out to be nice guys, […]

At Debt’s Door Quarantine’s been weighing on me, and I’ve been making a lot of unnecessary purchases. I know I need to stop wasting money, but I just keep ordering thing after thing. How can I get that satisfaction from buying something without actually buying it? —Going Broke We humans are ever-failing self-disciplinarians, two-legged weasels […]

Heavy Mental I’m a woman who recently stopped talking with a guy I’d been seeing because, frankly, I didn’t find him intelligent enough. He is a good guy, but just a little dim for me. When I told my friends this was the reason I ended things, they said it was a bit snobbish. Does […]

Coddle Herder My boyfriend’s enabling of his failure-to-launch 26-year-old son is seeming like a deal breaker. Though his son’s very likable, he’s been fired from every job he’s had, including a well-paying delivery job I recently got him, after they perceived liability from his reckless, race-driving ways. His dad lent him a truck, pays the […]

What An Earl Wants This new guy I’ve been dating said he wants to keep things casual. I’m bummed because I’ve caught some pretty intense feelings for him. Is it possible he just needs to get to know me better and once he does, he’ll feel differently? —Wishful Pursuing a relationship with this guy is like […]

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Libran author Ursula K. Le Guin said that we don’t just naturally know how to create our destinies. It takes research and hard work. “All of us have to learn how to invent our lives, make them up, imagine them,” she wrote. “We need to be taught these skills; we need […]

Go With The Whoa Whenever I go out with someone I like at all, I fall for them right away. How can I stop from jumping headfirst into wanting to be with a guy just because we have a nice evening together? I know some witty banter doesn’t equal a soul mate, but good luck […]

Meet Joe Backup The guy I’m seeing is super attentive and affectionate when we’re together, but then he always falls off the grid. He’ll wait weeks before texting me to make plans again, and sometimes I have to initiate. What’s his deal, and how do I proceed? It’s a new relationship, so I’d feel too […]