Some of those stories are ones I have heard of, some I haven't. Do you have references for them?

I grew up in West Virginia where I saw almost no racism since there is almost no racial diversity. I started dating a guy from out of state who came to visit me for Thanksgiving. A big tall, black guy. I was worried (though, not enough to not have him come, obviously,) about what sort of a reaction we would get as a couple.

Nothing happened. Everyone just treated us like a "regular" couple. Sometimes you expect problems that just don't come to be. So my advice would be just to follow your heart and understand that all relationships have obstacles, but you can overcome them.

Thanks! I'll have to track these down. ^_^

I always wanted to get into Bollywood movies. Any particularly good titles you'd recommend?

If that's your idea of romance, I'm not sure I'd want to see what you'd get your SO for Valentine's... lol.

I definitely agree with all of you about The Notebook. It's super sweet.

What movies can you just not get enough of? I particularly like Where The Heart Is with Natalie Portman and Ashley Judd. What else is good?

I don't know if this will work for you, but it worked for me:

I was feeling really down the other day and I watched a really depressing documentary and it really gave me perspective. It was an inherently sad movie to watch, but having to face other, bigger problems helped me realize that my rough patch would pass and that I still had a lot going for me.

Thanks to everyone that jumped in-I guess it's just a matter of overcoming that natural inclination to clam up... ^_^;;; It's harder to do than to know, but it's just something to work on.

I think that you're probably right about the "want what they can't have" bit, but my problem is that I don't really know how to make small talk very well. I just end up feeling very awkward and get so worried that I will say something stupid that I don't say anything at all.

I do try going out with my friends, as someone else suggested, but I just end up talking to them and not anyone new.

I have problems meeting guys in person. I get really nervous around men I don't know, so I either ignore them or get very shy. Once I get to know a guy, I have no problem talking to them, but by then, they see me as a friend and nothing more.

Any words of advice on how to deal with this problem? I'm sick of falling for guys who have already decided to only be friends with me.

Me too! I loved Chef as a character, it's too bad his voice actor could dish it out but not take it himself...

Ditto. The new movie made me so happy!

So, no one likes Edwards?

I agree. Teenage girls have been having children out of wedlock for much longer than just in recent memory. It just wasn't talked about the way it is now. It used to be that if a girl Jamie Lynn's age got pregnant, she'd be hidden away, have her baby in seclusion, and it would be given up for adoption without anyone being the wiser.

I think it's so strange how people are reacting to this story. Sure, what these two teenagers did was foolish, but it's not so unusual. It's only shocking because she has a famous name. Look at the case of Keisha Castle-Hughes, just last year. She was just 17, her boyfriend 20, when their daughter was born. But there was no where near the intensity of reaction to her situation.

The thing is, Jamie Lynn's story is like many other girls her age. She clearly made a poor decision, but I think that rather be inspired to imitate it, her fans might learn to see it as a cautionary tale. Maybe her young fans don't think that if they have unprotected sex that this could happen to them. Maybe them seeing her have to deal with the consequences of her actions will actually teach them what NOT to do. I know that if I were a parent of one of her fans, that's how I would approach the topic-learn from her what you shouldn't do.

I think this case might be the wake up call this country needs to realize how much power has left the doctor's hands when it comes to health care and just how much control the insurance companies have taken regarding medical decisions. It's reprehensible that a doctor can be overruled by an insurance company employee with no medical training. This young girl's case, while tragic, is hardly a one time occurrence.

It is such a shame that this young woman will never get the chance to live her life and that her family will always feel the sting of her loss. I only hope that maybe some good will come of this-that perhaps a real, honest debate can start on how to fix the broken health care system in this country and that this debate can lead to real changes to improve the lives of those in this country.

LOL

I just think attraction is attraction. The mainstream cultural ideal of a woman (or man!) is just one way to be. I know I'm a big girl and that some guys will exclude me automatically because of that, but that's true of other physical features, too. There's some men that only date blonds... or girls with certain skin tones... or anything, really. Their loss.

But no one can help who he or she attracted to, honestly. So if someone stops talking to you because of pictures only, it wasn't meant to be. But don't give up. There are people out there that love every body type or style.