>Dr. Date,

All right, I have a huge crush on this girl who works in my office for the winters and summers, so that’s the only time we hang out.

So after she left for her college this summer I started missing her so much. I decided to call her up. I got her number from one of her friends who works with me right now so I call her up Ö we talk and then she tells me that she is coming home to the cities for the Thanksgiving break and asked me whether I would wanna go out with her and her friends and of course I said “yes.”

So now the problem is that I need some tips for my first “date.” I wanna make a nice impression on the night out.

Another question is that should I call her up more often. I haven’t talked to her for months – wouldn’t it be odd if I suddenly start calling her more often. I need to talk to her and get to know her, be close to her, what should I do? Please give me some tips so that even though we will be in a big group I could still give some attention to her and throw a hint that I am into her.

– I need it bad

Dear I need it bad,

This girl obviously knows you like her. Boys don’t call out of the blue to say “Hi” when they don’t even have a girl’s number.

Chances are, your friend at work called your long-distance love and told her you asked for the digits.

If you want to appear nonchalant and you don’t want her to pick up on the fact that you’ve fallen for her – hard – then you best not be callin’ her too often. You’ve made the first move by calling her, and she made the second move by asking you out. Now, it’s time to start something up.

When you’re out with her and her friends, make sure you sit by her. You’ll never get a chance to chat with her if you’re not near her, because she’s visiting and everyone is going to want to talk to her to catch up.

Take things slowly. Ask about how she likes her classes, what she does on the weekends for fun and definitely find out her current relationship status.

The biggest thing you need to realize is that she might not view this as a date. You say you want to make a good impression, but you need to first make sure she’s into you. Act like a friend and throw in some subtle hints that you’re interested.

– Dr. Date

Dear Dr. Date,

One of my best friends has proposed the idea of having sex with me. He said he wants to give me every angry inch? Problem is I’m a guy and he’s a guy. Is that gay?

– What to do

Dear What to do,

Right.

Are you looking to experiment? If so, this is the perfect opportunity.

– Dr. Date

Dear Dr. Date,

I have a problem. This semester alone, I have been interested in four guys who have girlfriends. I’m really not trying to look for them, and I’m not secretly attracted to the challenge of a taken man, but I don’t see this problem ever going away.

It really seems to me that the good guys, the really quality guys out there are rarely single. The off-chances of a really good guy being between girlfriends is so slim. And you might say that a taken guy isn’t married so he’s not off-limits yet.

But then there’s also the argument that you wouldn’t want a guy who would dump his girlfriend for someone else. So should I just hold out for a good guy to become single? Should I lower my standards? Should I try to find someone single, even if I don’t feel the same way about them as I would for those other good guys?

I’m so sad that guys that I am seriously interested in are almost always with someone else. What should I do?

– Likes the taken ones

Dear Likes the taken ones,

So you’re crushin’ on the guys you can’t have? That sucks.

It’s bad enough when you have a crush on someone who’s single, but to be attracted to guys who have a significant other is brutal.

What you need to do is start talking to these guys who have girls and get them to set you up with their single friends. Most good guys hang out with good guys, so chances are these friends will be every bit as stellar as the taken ones.

If you’re not comfortable with hooking up with friends of friends, get into the social setting away from all your couple friends.

Take all your single girlfriends out for a night on the town. Go out to dinner. Go dancing. Go to a bar. Just go!

To be able to meet single guys, you need to put yourself in a situation in which you’re going to be around single people, not couples.

Don’t lower your standards. You’re only feeling like you need to because you see all these happy couples all the time and it’s making you wonder if you’ll ever be that way. You will.

– Dr. Date

Dear Dr. Date,

I have these two friends that are my coworkers. I know that the gal likes the guy and I’m pretty sure the guy likes the girl.

I’ve discussed their situation with another of my coworkers and he assures me that the guy is totally crushing on the girl.

The thing is, the girl won’t make a move on the guy and it’s becoming apparent that he won’t make a move on her. I know they’d make a great couple.

Is there anything that I can do to hook them up so I don’t have to hear either of them talking about it anymore?

– Sick of drama

Dear Sick of drama,

Each of them is a wuss.

Tell your friend she needs to be honest and upfront with herself and the boy. If she really likes him, she should get up the courage to just tell him.

If he doesn’t respond or is uninterested, it’s his loss. Besides, it couldn’t be more awkward than it already is, right?

They probably skirt around each other at work. They probably talk to you nonstop, and you’re obviously getting annoyed.

If you want this to stop, you need to talk to one or both of them and just tell them. Let them know that you think they’d be great together. If they’re both single, what’s the harm in going out for a hot chocolate or a movie?

If you get the girl to make the move, chances are the guy will appreciate her honesty. It’ll boost his ego to know that someone is crushing on him. If she isn’t brave enough to make a move, maybe she would be willing to let you bring it up in a conversation with him.

If you’re worried the guy might not be as interested, you should just go up to him and drop a line or two about the girl. See what his response is when you’re talking about her. If it appears that he likes her, tell him to make a move, because she’d probably be receptive to any advances that come her way from him.

– Dr. Date