Gals' Guide

GG Guest Guy Writer Surprise!:How to Get Your Guy's Attention... When He's Gaming

Ladies, this article is a MUST read from my tech pal, Sachin.  Sachin is the founder of a cool online marketplace for video games, Dawdle. If ANY guy in your life plays video games of ANY sort, you need to read this post.  My hubby is a fan of World of Warcraft and Sachin's tips are dead on.
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There are really three types of games now - no, not fighting and sports and shooters, but rather 1) puzzle games, 2) competitive games, and 3) community games.  The sorts of games that we used to call "adventure" games and now call "platformers" are pretty much dead.  If you're trying to figure out why he's paying attention to the TV or computer no matter what you're wearing, you need to figure out what kind of game he's playing.  Once you understand what kind of game he's playing, you can easily identify the times when he's most likely to shift his attention to more important matters - like you.

Meet the "Fireman and the Shrink" this Thursday Get Your Fill on Dating/Men Questions!

As part of our event at Jbar, NBC5's The Fireman and the Shrink will be on site to answer your questions on love, dating and overall 'guy issues'. The name of their show may be funny, but the Doc and the Fireman know what they are talking about...

Dr. Paul's written books, appeared in many issues of Cosmo and conducts workshops across the country. He's also a board certified psychiatrist.Jon is a bonafide Chicago firefighter AND writes for the Red Eye. He provides the 'guy's guy' approach to dating and love.

You'll enjoy meeting both of them, so get your questions ready and see you Thursday at 7 pm!

Health Tip: Laugh at Yourself...and Find Somone Else Who Can, Too

A quick idea for you to think about...

Do you know how important it is to laugh at yourself? It's also just as important to be in a relationship where one or both of you makes the other person laugh.

I used to laugh at myself and my daily pitfalls all the time.  I also used to wonder, 'Will I have to stop laughing at myself and be serious if and when I am in a relationship?' Short answer to all of you? Nope.

A Lesson On DatingFrom a GG Reader

Thank you to Jasmine for the contribution:

Secrets Of Love

Article Source Unknown

The First Secret - The Power Of Thought

Love begins with our thoughts. We become what we think about. Loving thoughts create loving experiences and loving relationships. Affirmations can change our beliefs and thoughts about others and ourselves. If we want to love someone, we need to consider their needs and desires. Thinking about your ideal partner will help you recognize her when you meet her.

The Second Secret - The Power Of Respect

You cannot love anyone or anything unless you first respect them. The first person you need to respect is yourself. To begin to gain self-respect asks yourself, "What do I respect about myself?" To gain respect for others, even those you may dislike, ask yourself "What do I respect about them?"

The Third Secret - The Power Of Giving

If you want to receive love, all you have to do is give it! The more love you give, the more you will receive. To love is to give of yourself freely and unconditionally. Practice random acts of kindness. Before committing to a relationship ask not what the other person will be able to give to you, but rather what will you be able to give them. The secret formula of a happy, lifelong, loving relationship is to always focus on what you can give instead of what you can take.

When It's Time to Leave Him

Ladies, I wanted to write this post after thinking back to the bad dating experiences I had before meeting my Michael. Back then, I couldn't have imaged that I'd meet a guy so perfect for me. I couldn't 'imagine' it because I was in a bad situation. It wasn't until I let the strings loose that I healed and found my way to the hubby.

I learned lessons the hard way and wanted to lend some advice to help you make the difficult decision of cutting the unhealthy cord when you need to. Thanks to my best friend from Detroit for her email this morning - and reminding me to add caveats to some of my articles before I post them. I love you, G!

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You'll always make mistakes. It's human.  One thing you should never ever disregard is your gut. Trust me.

Whether it's a cordial relationship or something you've got so much time 'invested in', there are so many signs you may miss along the way. 

I know alot of women that have been stuck in a relationship for 2+ years and even though they know he's not the right guy for them, they stick around. Heck, I did.  I didn't want those 2 years to go down the tubes because I saw it as an investment. Big mistake.

When you feel your gut sink and your little voice tells you 'This isn't right' or 'He's not the guy for me', listen to it.  Mistakes women make:

-But the holidays are coming up
-What about all the questions?
-I don't want to be single again! I don't know how to date.

Ladies, take care of yourself and do what's right for your first - always.

Is Your Man Getting Chubby?How to Gingerly Approach the Subject…

A GG reader sent me an interesting, yet difficult question:
How do you pass a hint to your fella that he, er, gained a few pounds? 

What if those pounds were 20-30 – and you had a beach vacation coming up? Ok, before you pass judgment, let me pass along some caveats:

-This happens in many relationships, so if you think the person asking this is too vain, don’t. I’ve gone through this very same thing with my current hubby.

-There is nothing wrong with you wanting your man to look just as good as he did when you all met (if that is what turns you on).

-Health is important.  Putting on the lbs. could factor into your man gaining weight, forgetting to eat healthy, etc.

-Lastly, we’ve all heard the cliché, couples tend to ‘let themselves go’ when they date for a while.  Below are some ways to broach the subject, without upsetting your loved ones. To the men who may read this post, c’mon now, you tend to be even worse at this than we are☺.

After reading the rest of this post, discuss this in the Gals' Guide Forum!

What I Learned About Pre MBA Guys A Long Distance 'Dating' Story

I'm very honest with myself and fellow GG readers when it comes to love, dating and the mistakes I made.  I've had so many crushes and broken hearts in my time - it was enough to drive a girl batty.  I've mentioned many stories in the past, but I'm about to throw another one out there for you. 
This one is called: Pre-MBA Boy.

The Pre MBA Boy is all about studying for the GMAT and studying top notch schools for his consulting, banking or upcoming investment banking job.  I had a tendency to somehow get interested in many a guy that was about to go to Business school.  Note: there is NOTHING wrong with business school.  The thing was, I had some of the most unique on-the-job training at Orbitz, that I didn't want to go to business school in my mid twenties.

Somehow, I managed to get interested in the guy that was about to go into business school when I developed my new rule - never date a guy about to enter business school. 

Speed Dating Tech StyleSnag a Guy Thru the Phone on Feb 14.

Here is another Valentine's Day event for you all to consider checking out. AT&T is doing a promotion at their two locations, State Street and up on Fullerton in Lincoln Park.
Details:

• You pick the location you want to go to
• Use text, chat and/or video to chat with someone from the other AT&T store
• Folks that make a potential match will get a gift certificate to dinner (place TBD)
• Also enter for a chance to win a free phone

If you'd like to participate, RSVP here.  I think this is a clever idea, but I don't know if I like the idea of one way video?  Let me know if you end up going! I also wonder how busy their non downtown location will actually be?