I went for my weekly manicure a few months ago and had very non-manicure small talk with my manicure lady. I will call her the Nail Lady. I should start off by telling you that I have been getting my nails done by the same woman every week for the past 10 years. You could definitely say that we know each other pretty well, and she would tell you that she watched me grow up and is kind of a mother figure of sorts for me. She is a wonderful lady in her late fifties, got married as a virgin to her fist love, has three kids, and imigrated here from

My husband and I recently started taking our dog to puppy school. We enrolled her in a 7 week course called Basic Obedience. This class has been a lifesaver. We have learned to understand her behavior and the best way to communicate with her.

Before taking the class we had made completely wrong interpretations of why she would or would not do certain

Dear Ani Ram:

My husband and I have been married for 2 years now. You can say that we are very comfortable with each other and have already seen each others best/worst. This week, he did something that I think was inappropriate even at this stage in our relationship!

I will try and make this short. It was Saturday morning and he was making breakfast

Yes, that’s right, it’s a business. The problem I see with most girls who are having trouble starting or maintaining their relationships is that they think it’s all pleasure and no business. There is a very distinct difference. That’s why we all know the question “business or pleasure?”

Here’s how it works:

Dear Ani Ram,

How do i play it cool when that’s not my nature at all? it feels so fake and dishonest and i feel like it’s a big waste of time. why be someone I’m not? Also, i’ve gotten good at not complaining or being negative around guys but, I don’t have much else to talk about. any suggestions?

-destined to never get married

Lately I’ve been trying to concentrate on my own self improvement. I’ve been reading about breaking bad habits, quitting addictions, and overall improvement of character.

My current effort is to eat more proper. It was a few months into my relationship that my boyfriend pointed out that “I eat funny.” It was very hard for me to understand that there is anything wrong with the way I eat. He was sure to point it out and I finally realized that, to him, I was bringing my head too close to my food. This was especially obvious, to him, when I ate pasta.

I was listening to the radio this morning and they were discussing the book “Why Men Love Bitches” by Sherry Argov. I have not read this book but I agreed with everything that was quoted from it. In this book, Sherry Argov talks about the importance of being confident. I thought I’d elaborate further on my previous post by giving some examples from this book.

When you are on the first date, remember to not talk about any of your flaws. Stay

Many relationship experts say that men like confident women. But what should the rest of us do?

One thing I’ve learned, in my own struggle to gain self confidence, is that it’s true. Confidence is thee most essential ingredient to a healthy and organic relationship. And for the rest of us, I will teach you some tips and tricks on how to act really confident in your relationship even if you don’t feel any confidence at all!

Most of the people around me know that I’m a shopoholic. It took me a long time to realize the severity of this condition. Once I came to terms with this I started trying to help myself. The truth is, I make the effort to control my cravings and that usually works for a while. Then, I relapse.

Here’s an example of a typical day (usually everyday):