“Dear Natalie,
I recently met a guy who used to be really cold and stony. Worst of all, he is a terrible communicator. Nowadays, he's talking more and seems to be always smiling when we meet. I'm not sure if he's hinting at anything, but it's making me curious and suspicious... I can't get him off my mind. Do you think there could be a possibility of a relationship between us? Should I be dropping hints to him as well?”
Do you want a relationship with him? You've got to figure that out before you do anything else. Don’t try to start something just because there’s the possibility of something happening. Serious relationships aren’t something you should just enter willy nilly. Casual stuff maybe, if you’re comfortable with that, but you should figure out your feelings first. If it’s only making you “curious and suspicious,” maybe you shouldn’t try to push it anymore. If you’re feeling excited or pumped about the idea of him being interested in you, maybe then you can start figuring out if he wants to start something with you.
As for if he is interested, I can’t tell you that. Maybe he’s only smiling and talking more because it’s the summer and everyone should be happier during the summer. Not having to worry about papers, exams or classes is pretty close to pure bliss. Although I may be a fairly upbeat person during the stress of the school year, I’m like 30 per cent happier all the time during the summer. It might be the same for your friend. Or he just warmed up to you as a person and is always more friendly to people he knows better.
If you want to drop hints, you can, but you should be prepared for the chance that he just is a friendlier person from when you met him for unrelated reasons. If you want to know what’s happening, you can always be straight up about it and ask. I know it can be awkward and you can face rejection, but as least you would know where you stand.
“Dear Natalie,
I know this is super, super petty, but one of my best friends plucks her eyebrows to complete shit. It’s her life and body, and I know I can’t make her stop, but I can’t help but feeling that her eyebrows ruin any photos we take together. What can I do?”
Let this go. For real. I know you probably know that. But in the off chance you didn’t, I needed to say it.
Your friend probably knows her eyebrows aren’t looking the best, but do you know how hard it is to regrow a decent set of eyebrows after years of plucking? One of my friends went through a phase in high school like this and it took her almost two years to get her eyebrows back to a width she liked.
Every time a photo pops up that you worry about, know that in 10 years you’re not going to remember her eyebrows, you’ll remember her as a person.
Plus everyone goes through embarassing phases. I’m sure you have a few photos you don’t want showing up on your Facebook feed either — we all do.
“Dear Natalie,
How do you feel about dinner dates?”
Making a meal together is more fun than the standard dinner and a movie. It shows you think outside the box — and outside the Yelp pages. Plus you get to show off your mad chopping skills — impresses me nine out of ten times, every time.
Need advice? Contact Natalie anonymously at asknatalie@ubyssey.ca or at ubyssey.ca/advice and have your questions answered!