Nerve Insider : erin bradley

New on Nerve, 5.21.08: Miss Information

Peter Smith — Wed, 21 May 2008 18:00:00 GMT

This week, Miss Info cracks open a pint of Ben & Jerry's for a recently dumped reader in need of some comfort. First she offers a disclaimer:

How do I get over a heartbreak? Poorly. Same as everybody else.

But she's also got some useful tips:

I guess one thing I consistently do that I haven't observed in everybody else — or at least a good number of people who write me letters — is that I don't have a lot of contact with my exes. Interacting with them right after the breakup is bad news, I've found. It always inflicts pain on one or more parties. When it doesn't, it's a temporary sort of pleasure that you have regrets about the next morning, week, etc. as the complications set in. Like eating McDonald's.

Read the whole column here, you poor lovelorn sods.

New on Nerve, 5.14.08: Sex and Dating Advice from Miss Information

Peter Smith — Wed, 14 May 2008 17:06:00 GMT

I'm Not There is a sweet guy who has trouble coming during sex. He's looking for possible solutions, and a way to make his girlfriend feel less inadequate because of it. Miss Information has the cure, and after offering some physical tips, she's got ways to put the ladyfriend at ease:

I think it's less about words and more about grunts and moans. It should be really apparent that you're into the festivities. An orgasm is like a big wet sticky gold star for your partner. You need to give her a tangible substitute, whether it's compliments on her technique or a "OMG u R best FCK evr!" text message an hour after she drops you off.

Good advice? Weigh in after you check out the whole column here.

New on Nerve, 5.7.08 - Sex and Dating Advice from Miss Information

Peter Smith — Wed, 07 May 2008 15:51:00 GMT

This week, Miss Info counsels Interior Fornicator, a guy who wants to make his apartment into, and we quote, "a fuck-temple." What should he make sure to get?

A place to stash condoms. A candle with a light, mellow scent. A small, easy-to-use sound system. A lint brush for your partner's clothes, if you own pets. Animals love to use anything black as their new favorite bed.

That's a good start — but what are the five most important things, according to our fearless advice columnist? Click here to find out.

New on Nerve, 4.23.08 - Sex and Dating Advice from Miss Information

Peter Smith — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 21:15:00 GMT

This week, Miss Info counsels a relationship-hungry reader who keeps falling for flighty women. She's got extensive tips on meeting ladies who're looking for more than a casual hookup.

* Go to non-boozy establishments to meet people. Even a house party is better, because it's a friend of a friend and there's some connection.

* Start out not wanting to like the other person. Wait for them to give you a reason to like them. I don't recommend this for everyone, but in this case a negative bias is therapeutic.

* Read other people's online profiles carefully. Pay special attention to relationship status, location, age and kind of relationship desired.

Check out all her tips — and a fun question about period sex — here.

New on Nerve, 4.16.08 - Sex and Dating Advice from Miss Information

Peter Smith — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 15:13:00 GMT

This week, Miss Info tackles the subject of kids — having them, and acting like them. Is "Mother of Two" wrong for being irritated by her boyfriend's childish behavior? Miss Info says no:

I almost want to congratulate you for finding such a cool guy, instead of telling you to dump him. Then I think about an ex of mine. His shtick was to make this wacky "gotta love me!" face. CONSTANTLY. All my friends thought it was hysterical, but it got pretty fucking irritating after a while. What's funny for the first three months quickly loses its charm.

Read the whole column here.

New on Nerve, 4.9.08 - Sex and Dating Advice from Miss Information

Peter Smith — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 15:16:00 GMT

This week, Miss Info weighs in on a serious dilemma for our high-tech times: should you tell your girlfriend that you touch yourself to her Facebook pictures? Miss Info says sure, but with a couple of caveats:

Are the particular pictures you're choosing unusual in any way? Then tread lightly. A cheerleading uniform might represent insta-boner to you, but she might think that's creepy.

Good point. Check out the whole column here.

New on Nerve, 4.02.08: Sex and Dating Advice from Miss Information

Peter Smith — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 15:14:00 GMT

This week, Miss Info decides sex-camming is cheating. Tough break, non-single sex-cammers:

But why, Miss Info? You're not touching the other person. How is that any different than looking at a spank movie? Well, for starters, watching clips and looking at pictures are one-way experiences. If all of a sudden Joanna Angel stops what she's doing and invites you over to go down on her, chances are you've been stroking it for too long without a break.

Good point, Miss I. Read the whole column here.

New on Nerve, 3.19.08: Sex and Dating Advice from Miss Information

Peter Smith — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 15:42:00 GMT

This week, Miss Information rounds up her best columns on drinking for a post-St. Patrick's Day booze-a-thon. So, Miss Info, when my friend got slipped a rufie, and he confessed his love for me, was that for real?

It's true that alcohol and drugs can be a truth serum. They bring out emotions we wouldn't normally express, either because we only feel them when we're wasted or we're so repressed that we'd have a hard time facing them sober. This doesn't mean your friend's emotions that day were real or authentic. Maybe they were, maybe they weren't.

Hmm, that's a downer. Click here to read the whole column.

New on Nerve, 3.12.08: Sex and Dating Advice from Miss Information

Peter Smith — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 15:20:00 GMT

This week, Miss Info teaches religious tolerance — sexy religious tolerance — to a reader whose boyfriend won't have sex before marriage. Should she just marry him for the honeymoon?

For a lot of folks the 'no sex before marriage' rule is extremely bendy. It could mean nearly everything is fair game — even oral. Then again, it could mean no Frenching. I'd say make the absolute most of what he'll let you do. . . Above all, don't rush into something as huge as marriage just because you're horny and impatient.

Read the whole column here.

New on Nerve, 3.5.08: Sex and Dating Advice from Miss Information

Peter Smith — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 17:00:00 GMT

This week, Miss Info counsels "East Coast" on breakup etiquette.

There is no way to break up with someone and not hurt them. There is no way to break up with someone and not get busted up yourself. There is no way to predict how much hurt there's going to be or what it's going to feel like until you actually do it. They're all unknowns.

Click here to read the whole column, with Miss Info's personal Five Breakup Don'ts.

New on Nerve, 2.27.08: Sex and Dating Advice from Miss Information

Peter Smith — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 15:53:00 GMT

This week, Miss Information counsels a shy undergrad on how to approach that sexy grad student artist:

Here's the thing about artists: they're insecure. Needy. Constantly looking for validation. Why on earth would anyone not want to be complimented? "You're pretty!" "You're intelligent and talented!" You're golden. You're covering all the angles. Even better, you're being sincere and not fake about it. That already puts you ahead of some letch with a dumb come-on line.

Read the whole column here.

New on Nerve, 2.20.08: Sex and Dating Advice from Miss Information

Peter Smith — Wed, 20 Feb 2008 16:30:00 GMT

This week, Miss Info gets the best advice her readers have to offer:

Never take your Valentine to Chili's for Valentine's Day. Even if you have a gift card. — MM
Thanks for the heads up, MM. I used to be a potato-skin slinger myself. You guys have no idea what kind of romance went down at the Big B on Heart Day.

Read the whole column here.

New on Nerve, 2.14.08: Sex and Dating Advice from Miss Information

Peter Smith — Thu, 14 Feb 2008 15:29:00 GMT

In a special Valentine's Day installment of your favorite advice column, Miss Info solicits some Valentine's Day wisdom from her family and friends. Couples, heed the words of her best friend Mary:

What would you tell a couple considering an open relationship?
I'd tell them that the person pushing for it in the relationship really wants to break up but is scared to let go of the security and friendship in the relationship. There must be some statistics out there on those '70s couples that participated in key parties. Two words: Ice Storm.

Read the whole column here.

New on Nerve, 2.5.08: Sex and Dating Advice from Miss Information

Peter Smith — Wed, 06 Feb 2008 17:26:00 GMT

This week, Miss Info flashes back to her high-school days:

Sean was a jock. I was a goth. We ran in different crowds. One morning, during some pre-English-class banter, our teacher Mrs. Jackson asked Sean if he had gotten a haircut. Sean answered in the affirmative. Sensing an opportunity to be clever, I decided to try out a joke I'd heard my sister's supercool boyfriend deploy many times before. The gag is supposed to go something like this. . .

Find out what happened here.

New on Nerve, 1.30.08: Sex and Dating Advice from Miss Information

Peter Smith — Wed, 30 Jan 2008 17:50:00 GMT

This week, Miss Info offers tips for sprucing up your personals profile:

If you kids have any of these terms on your profiles, do a purge right now:

1. "Sassy"
2. "High-maintenance" — "Hi, I'm a bitch masquerading as a cutesy stereotype!"
3. "Fun-loving" — As opposed to fun-hating. Way to differentiate yourself.
4. "Sweet" — zzzzzzzzzzzz. Like they told you in English 101, "Show, don't tell."
5. Cat references in user handles — MizSexyKitty, purrfectgirl_76, etc. — This is weird and cloying. Keep it up and I'm going to spay you and make you poop in a box.

Read the whole column here.

New on Nerve, 1.23.08: Sex and Dating Advice from Miss Information

Peter Smith — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 16:31:00 GMT

This week, Miss Info counsels a reader who slept with her best male friend — who then started ignoring her:

A social worker would call this guy "low functioning." Able to excel in certain basic activities (movie-watching, hand-holding, best-friend fucking) but failing miserably in anything requiring emotional sensitivity, communication skills, adult behavior or advanced reasoning. While you have a big bloated normal-person brain floating about in your cranium, his is tiny and reptilian. Instead of wondering whether or not he's still up for grabs, a cool girl like you should be asking herself why she's trying to romance Godzilla.

Read the whole column here.

New on Nerve, 1.9.08: Sex and Dating Advice from Miss Information

Peter Smith — Wed, 09 Jan 2008 19:00:00 GMT

This week, Miss Info takes "eCoward" to school — breakup school. Key advice for the timid breakup artist:

When there's devastating news to communicate, you're going to foul up. Fouling up is good; it lets the person you're breaking up with see that you're feeling upset by this too and that it wasn't an easy decision. I'd rather not be dumped at all, but if I had a choice between a "There, there, darling" smoothie and a teary-eyed wreck, I'd gladly take the latter.

Read the whole column here.