Love Cafe Q&A

Is there a window of opportunity to ask a girl on a date before they put you in the friend zone? I’ve never actually been on a date with a girl before, because I want to be friends/talk to them for a while to get to know them a little bit before working up the courage to ask them out. However, they usually end up saying they only think of me as a friend when I ask them eventually. Am I approaching this the right way or should I ask them out before we establish too much of a connection or what?

My roommate goes out partying/drinking and comes back late and just goes to bed without showering or changing and she stinks up the whole room because of it (she goes partying days at a time then wakes up early to go to class so she goes days without showering). Is there a nicer way to say “You stink, please shower at least once a day?”

My life sucks! I’ve been working so hard at Cal, and my parents don’t understand this isn’t high school anymore. In high school, I took hard classes, but there wasn’t nearly as much competition as here at Berkeley. They just don’t understand that I can’t get straight As anymore. They’re going to freak out if they ever see my report cards. Can I make it so they can’t see my grades? I don’t want to lie to them! Help me, please.

So, in my opinion, the term “casual” is supposed to be open to interpretation, much like a casual relationship is. It can mean a plethora of things, but generally, the term casual is used to refer to something that’s low-commitment and freer of expectations than a monogamous relationship. I think when defining a “casual” relationship with a partner, it is important to clarify expectations in order to avoid misunderstandings that can breed resentment.