I tried that once (though we weren't as close as you guys by a long way). Never saw her again. If it lasts much longer you might have to email her and explain how you feel, as a last resort.

Oh man, I feel ya.

That sounds like a tough situation. I guess the only other solution I can offer is that some families have a "no politics at the dinner table" rule, or something similar. Perhaps you and your BF could find a way to suggest something like that in a casual way.

Because I'm rather nervous, and don't usually navigate these things well. When it comes to telling whether women are interested in me I have a truly abominable track record. I'll admit, I've always been a little bit hazy on what "chemistry" actually is, for one thing.

Oops, can't seem to edit my other reply, but I just wanted to say thank you for the advice. I feel a lot better having a plan of action.

Hmm, ok, can think of some places to propose having dinner in advance. Actually I know she speaks French and know a couple of French places. When though? At the end of the date or later? Regardless I'll try to gauge her reaction.

How does your boyfriend handle it? Have you talked to him about it?

"Brain chemistry is teh suxxor"

Damn, the worst part of asking advice is when you actually get it and it involves doing things that make you uncomfortable. Of course what I failed to mention is that I'm not sure whether I want it be a date or not. I did my usual creepy tactic of checking out the "sex" questions on her profile, and it turns out we're…

Hmm, "Old Boy"? I don't think I can suggest any films like that which aren't well known. David Gemmell wrote dozens of fantasy novels which were pretty much all moody outsider/grizzled veteran/plucky rebel VS evil empire/invading hordes/demons. It's kinda hilarious how similar every book is, but I used to eat them up.

If it's legal to say something, I would be tempted to go the passive aggressive route. "Oh honey, I just think it's so great that you don't hold his past against him! So many women would hold it against a guy when he used to be a violent homeless person! Oh, wait, was that supposed to be a secret? Oopsy!"

Got another date tomorrow (second ever woohoo) except that I'm not sure if it's actually a date or not. Both she and I have "dating" and "friends" listed on our profiles, plus she moved to my city two weeks ago and is looking to meet new people, so I'm not sure what's going on. Plus all the advice I've read says that…

Rambo? Die Hard? I feel like there must be a thousand films in that vein, all with many many sequels.

Long hair is gorgeous, but I remember playing with it was a bit like mounting a dangerous expedition to the centre of the earth. You would need to plan ahead, since one wrong move would leave your hands trapped with only pain ahead. Short hair on a girl was a bit like stroking a cat, not as alluring but a lot lower…

Yes, thanks for going into it. Really it's pretty much what I expected. To be honest, I have trouble seeing someone in his position as actually making a choice not to have sex, rather than spending a whole lot of time in a position where it really wasn't an option.

That's awful. Anecodotally, I did hear 2nd hand some girls who were 17/18 talking about their friend having sex with a 12 year old boy and not realising how young he was. They all seemed horrified. The mature student in our class with kids older than that was even more so.

What makes you think he chose to wait? I'm almost 26 and definitely haven't kept a hold of my v-card out of choice. Very much the opposite in fact. I guess I'm curious about whether your friend waited though, and why he would do that.

"The noisy kitten" instead of the "the noisy cricket"

"Boyfriend, tell me a scary story."

I appreciate the sympathy, really, though things are (ever so slowly) getting better for me, so don't feel too bad. Working out has been on the list of things my brother keeps yelling at me to do to get girls for a long time. In the past I was a bit of a snob about "lifting heavy things till I can lift even heavier…