Maybe it’s a first date, maybe he’s your “Jim” at work. (You know, The Office). Whoever he is, you don’t have to come right out and say you like him; you can just hint at it with these five flirty tricks.

1. Laugh at his jokes. Maybe even touch his harm a little as you throw your head back in hysterical laughter. Kidding about the hysterical laughter part, but not about the occasional touch.

2. Make it obvious you’re looking at his body. Don’t be pervy about it by scanning him up and down, but rather glance. Unlike women, men enjoy being checked out.

3. Don’t forget that body language can be incredibly effective in telling someone you like them. Remember how his knees say they like you? Yours knees can say that too.

4. Ask a lot of questions. There’s no better way to tell someone you’re interested than by asking lots of questions. Don’t get too personal, but don’t be too vague either. Questions such as “Why did you like the movie?” and “What’s your dream job?” will yield more interesting results than “What’s your favorite movie?” and “What do you do?”

5. Tell him you’re impressed by something he says or does. The best dating compliments will go a long way.

It’s true. Vacation sex is better than at-home sex.

The simple reason for better vacation sex: Because you are someone else when you are somewhere else, because you are able to leave all your every day garbage behind.

The complicated reason: The part of your brain that is associated with stress is also associated with your orgasm. No joke.

When you are worried, preoccupied, nervous, etc. your sex drive goes into decline. A small sex drive and a stressful weight on your chest means you’re less likely to have an orgasm.

On the other hand, when you are on vacation you manage to leave a lot of that behind you. The vacation version of you is eating good food, soaking up the sunshine, doing your favorite activities, spending time with someone you love, or meeting new people that make your heart go pitter patter. All of these activities make you feel more confident and more energetic.

When you are happy your brain releases dopamine, which is a hormone that leaves you feeling a bit euphoric. Add the dopamine on top of your stress-free mind and body, and you have one rockin’ night of sex.

There are, of course, a few more reasons why vacation sex is better and more frequent. For example, you don’t have to set your alarm or go to work. And then top that off with the fact that you are probably drunk.

Here’s to vacation sex. I hope you get to have some soon.

Not for every one and not all the time, but some times we do cry after orgasms. The tears I describe are not necessarily tears of sadness, although I know that happens too.

What I’m talking about is the totally unexpected cry that surprises you and your partner after a nice romp.

These tears are a consequence of the hormone oxytocin, which is released from pituitary glands after an orgasm. Oxytocin is released in smaller amounts after other forms of human touch, such as a hug and breast feeding (for women, obviously).  Oxytocin sends a rush of warm, positive emotions throughout the body making you feel very relaxed, even sleepy.

Oxytocin is a feel-good hormone that could give you a sense of euphoria and a desire for more human touch. This is why so many of us want to cuddle or fall asleep after sex.

Euphoria is a joyful feeling, which is what sometimes sparks the tears. You feel comfortable, you feel close to your partner, and you just feel so darn happy that before you know it the waterworks show has started.

Don’t fight it. Just enjoy the rush and have a good cry.

Mechanics may be dirty, but they are fun and can fill that “bad boy” fantasy if you’ve got one. Thinking about dating one? Well, here are your pros and cons.

Determining whether or not someone likes you can be close to impossible sometimes. Except for those rare occasions when someone just comes out with it and says that they like you, it’s a huge guessing game. Body language, however, can provide you with a few clues as to whether he likes you or not.

The obvious signs that he likes you are the coy smile and slight eye contact–not stares, those are just creepy. Another piece of body language (and this one is not so obvious) lies in the knees. If he’s sitting down and facing you, look to see if his knees are touching one another of if they are slightly open. Open knees means he’s open to you and hoping you’ll notice.

Take a minute to look up from his knees and look into his eyes. If his eyes are dilated that’s a good sign. When someone’s eyes dilate that means they are at ease and enjoying themselves. Other promising body language signs to look for are whether or not he stands to face you, if he fidgets with his clothes or hands, and if he tilts his head when you are talking.

A head tilt is an especially good sign. That type of body language represents sincere interest. And, who doesn’t want someone to be interested in what we are saying?

Last winter a very close friend of mine named Abbie met a doctor online. He was perfect on paper, or should I say on computer screen. They were the same age, he was smart (obviously), he had a nicely written profile, and his pictures were cute.

After a couple of brief phone conversations they decided to meet at a popular bar after work. Immediately, Abbie was attracted. Not only was she on a date with a doctor, but he was hot.

Then he opened his mouth. Apparently he was more impressed with the fact that he was a doctor than she was. It’s all he could talk about. After 45 minutes Abbie was bored and thirsty. He was too busy thinking of more things he could say about himself to notice that she didn’t have a drink.

Finally, she grabbed her purse and motioned that she was going to the bar for a beverage. He says, “Yeah, vodka tonic for me. When you get back I’ll tell you about my 4:45 consult today. And you can put it all on my tab? It’s under Dr. Die.”

“Dr. Die,” she exclaimed! “Your name is Doctor Die. No. Really?”

It was real and for the next 58 minutes she could not get over the fact that she was dating a doctor with the last name of DIE, nor could she get over her boredom.

Another one bites the dust.

In an official poll done among my friends it was determined that women, in general, are at least two degrees cooler than men at any given time. Women also tend to have poorer circulation, which means feet and hands are often seven to eight degrees cooler than the rest of the body.

As a result of this overall “cool” factor it can only be explained that women like to cuddle more not because they are needy, but rather because they are just darn cold. Many men will argue this assertion stating that women need too much “attention” and that they really are just “needy.” But we here are Dating Tales disagree and here are a few scientific facts to back up the assertion.

Fact One: Muscles are dense with veins and therefore have more cozy life juice moving around in them. Men have more muscles than women and are therefore warmer.

Fact Two: Heat production is figured by volume and heat dissipation is figured by surface area. In other words, the bigger you are the more heat you produce and the less heat you lose. Teeny weeny women really are too small to produce a lot of heat.

Moral of the story is that the next time a woman feels compelled to put her icy, cold feet on your warm buttocks it’s not because she is in need of your love, it’s because she’s friggin’ cold. Help a lady out.

Unfortunately, 20 million Americans have the sexually transmitted virus, human papilloma virus (HPV). Most media coverage focuses on women’s increased risk of cervical cancer and the latest vaccine called Gardasil, which is given to young girls as prevention. Lately, though, there has been more attention given to the risk for some men (see FoxNews article, “HPV and Men: Should Boys Be Vaccinated Against the STD?”). This proves that it’s not just a woman’s issue. It’s an issue for all sexually-active people, including men.

So when dating and pursuing sexual partners, what’s the protocol? It’s never easy to fess up to an STD, but your conscience and your partner will appreciate your honesty. Besides, it’s so darn common there is a good chance the other person has it anyway.

To start, be good about getting your pap smears and other STD testing. Every year it’s a good idea to visit the doctor for both your health and peace of mind.  Second, avoid having intercourse too soon in a relationship.

And when that’s not what you want to do, just be bold. If you are honest about it and come yielding condoms, you might be surprised by the reaction. Most people won’t be surprised or judgmental. And those that are, aren’t worth your time anyway.

Another route to take is to work with single sites that cater to singles with STDs. I’ve yet to find something specific to HPV, but sites like Positive Singles are friendly to all.

Planned Parenthood has this very creative Web site dedicated to sex, STDs, and getting tested. It’s called TakeCareDownThere.org and really the name says it all. Take care down there or who knows what crazy disease or infection might creep in. Anyway, there are nine different videos featuring a cast of goofy characters dealing with issues in sex. I think Planned Parenthood did a good job both creatively and in fulfilling their mission so I suggest you check it out. My favorite video of all the videos is the “Down There Song.” I mean who wouldn’t like a song that included the words hum-diddler, sloppy slappilow, and gherkin.

You might remember reading about my friend Alex and her tattoo mishap in a post I wrote last fall. Well, she is still undergoing her tattoo laser removal by Denver’s Ink-B-Gone and has lived to happily tell the story.

Before any laser removal treatments

After session number five

She says the treatments have been totally worth it. In fact, with such obvious results she recommends laser removal to anyone that asks. The staff at Ink B Gone have been nothing but helpful and her boyfriend is happy with it too. At first he wasn’t so sure, but now he’s on board. But then again, what choice does he have!