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BY SUEY CHOW

If you have a question, write to me at:
Suey Chow
Willamette Week
822 SW 10th Ave.
Portland, OR 97205
e-mail:sueychow@pobox.com


Read previous Dinner Palace of Love columns.


Dear Suey,
I am 34, and in a relationship with a 56-year-old woman. We have been living together for about 11 years. I find it more and more difficult to talk to her in the last couple of years; she has been going through the change of life. I am a very nice, considerate guy, very understanding, loving, etc....but everything that goes wrong in her life she blames on me! I want out!!

Another problem: she has a daughter who is 35, and who is very attractive! And some sexual things have happened. I feel so strongly about the daughter. The daughter feels the same way I do, but she does not want to hurt her mom.

--Confused

Dear Confused,
I like a good mother-daughter-lonely boarder scenario as much as the next person, but after 11 years, this is sounding like a porn movie gone existentially bad.

The beauty in certain relationships and filmstrips is in their brevity: Stranger wanders into town, gets laid, moves on. Just as things are getting hot with the downstairs neighbor, in walks the policeman's wife for her search-and-seizure routine.

Of course, real-life segues don't happen with the same grace and logic that you see in the movies. Eventually, the co-eds and black-lace lady executives stop dropping by, and then you're stuck with whomever you moved in with.

Break it off with the mother, stop trysting with the daughter. Trying to continue sexual relationships with either will only bring three-way misery.

It might feel scary to venture off on your own, but keep in mind that everything changes. The world you'd be leaving is on the verge of messy self-destruction anyway--it's too incestuously self-contained to last.

--Suey

Dear Suey,
Since I quit drinking and smoking a year and a half ago, it's been harder to meet women. But the funny thing is, I don't care as much! A walk through the park puts me in the same mood I used to get only from hours of sex and a few paragraphs of reassurance from my then-girlfriend that, yes, she loved me, and yes, she would come over tomorrow a little after 5:30.

I'm beginning to suspect a connection between chemical dependency and emotional dependency, or maybe between fitness and emotional independence.

What do you think?

--Han Shan

Dear Han,
I think you are an exercise nut, riding on a cloud of Zen addiction and dri-weave oxygen deprivation. Nothing wrong with that, of course. The best of us have been known to walk the earth. Good luck, my friend. And if you should happen to meet a friendly nature girl or well-toned jogger on your path, well, perhaps you can take up jogging.

--Suey

Dear Suey,
Between myself, my boyfriend and my family, I'm expected to attend eight weddings this year, two as a bridesmaid, plus another very close and dear friend has announced a winter ceremony and she's asked me to be in that wedding party too. Suey, I'm going broke! I can't afford all the wedding gifts and shower gifts and bachelorette parties! I'm shelling out big money for strappy sandals and pearly pink poof dresses that I will definitely never wear again. Is there any way to turn down a bridesmaid offer without offending? She really is a dear friend.

--Always a Bridesmaid

Dear AB,
I may be Chinese-American, but even I can see that the patriarchs would be horrified by this potential act of political cluelessness. Don't devalue her Y2K wedding date even more by bitching about money. Unless you can weasel out by offering up the spot to another jealous would-be bridesmaid, you're stuck with the job.

The patriarchs are notorious cheapskates, however, and there other ways to economize. Did you know that a wedding gift can be delivered up to one year after the event? Did you know that craftsy home-made momentos plus a truly excellent compilation tape can mean just as much as a Krups blender, especially at a bridal shower? What about the ancient tradition of going in with the other bridesmaids for something a little swankier? Keep in mind also that it's perfectly OK to turn down a bridal shower here and there, maybe even the occasional wedding. And, well, I hear credit cards are offering low rates these days.

--Suey

 

 

 

 


Previous Columns:

5/5/99

  -Crushed out on movie stars
5/12/99  

-My 22-year-old daughter is threatening to marry her 23-year-old boyfriend
-I met someone over the Internet - but I'm afraid she's a stalker!

5/19/99   -How to buy a dildo
5/26/99   -Do you think it's OK to break up with a guy over sex?
-My boyfriend is homophobic and my best friend is a gay man.
6/2/99   -Should I choose a relationship or the single life?
-How can I tell if I really love my girlfriend, or just her money?
6/9/99   -My boyfriend feels like a pervert
-Should I jeopardize my relationship for sex with my ex?
6/16/99   -dildos can reaffirm your humanity
-where are all the straight men?
6/23/99  

-My wife wants an open marriage
-I can't stand my in-laws' cooking

6/30/99   -black man seeks advice for courting an Asian lady
-tip from a queer customer
  -My lover is a slob
-Breaking up is hard to do
7/14/99   -Buying porn
7/21/99  

-After two years, my boyfriend and I don't have sex enough
-I'm still in love with my ex, and she's getting married

7/28/99

-My girlfriend is obsessed with telephone psychics.
- I'd rather be with my cat than my girlfriend

8/4/99  

-I started seeing a guy who's an 'emotional dud'
-I'm 50-plus and want to get back into dating, love and sex.

8/11/99   -I'm 19, but I only like older women
-When should I meet my online pal?
8/18/99  

-I haven't been attracted to anyone lately
-My girlfriend changed her mind when I was gone for two weeks.

8/25/99  

-My boyfriend believes it was love at first sight, and I don't.
-My boyfriend claims I don't take care of my appearance any more.

9/1/99  

-Do I really want my first time to be as "Girlfriend No. 71"?
-Is this your real name?

9/8/99  

-My girlfriend likes to wear thong underwear, and wants me to as well.
-Is it that bad to be romantically dormant all my life?

9/15/99

-Cold sores ruined my relationship
-Suey's relationship track record.

9/22/99   -My boyfriend doesn't like my artwork.
-My girlfriend drives like a maniac.
9/29/99 -I can't reach orgasm with my girlfriend.
-Break-up avoidance strategies.
10/6/99   -How to date with the teenage children living at home.
-My best friend ran off with my crush.
10/13/99 -I've never had an orgasm. Do you have any suggestions for me?
-What should I do with my argumentative boyfriend?
10/20/99   -How should I discuss my spanking fantsies with my wife?
-Are Portland women 'cold'?
10/27/99   -My wife wants to have sex with another man
-Impotence. That's the problem.
11/03/99   -Why does every woman of quality have a boyfriend?
-I am in love with three men.
11/10/99   -A friend of mine has eyes for a guy she's working with
-I have tons of male friends, but no boyfriends
11/17/99   -I'm a frustrated 16-year-old male
-My boyfriend of two years is terribly jealous of an ex-boyfriend.
11/24/99   -Does penis size matter?
-My marriage is falling apart
12/01/99   -I'm in love with my best friend
-How do women in porn films get their crotches so hairless?
12/08/99   -My long-distance partner wants to be non-monogamous
-My partner is a workaholic
12/15/99   -I love my partner, but want to have sex with other women
-I'm in a good relationship, but my girlfriend's not interested in sex
-I've been dating someone new, but I'm not sure if he's millenium-worthy
12/22/99   -What's your opinion on dating coworkers?
-I love my girlfriend, but she won't marry me
12/28/99   -Should I get back together with my child's father?
- On the cheating scale, how bad are online sex chats?
1/5/00   -My phone chat line 'friend' turns out to be my co-worker's fiancée
1/12/00   -I think I'm addicted to sex
-My boyfriend is a cross-dresser
1/19/00  

-Is it true that men like girls?
-My job and my man are not compatible

1/26/00   -Is web sex cheating?
-Dealing with self-consciousness
2/2/00   -It's Desperate Hunky Man Week!
2/9/00   -Is making out with a drunk friend a bad idea?
2/16/00  

-Is my boyfriend still fantasizing about a threesome?
-Tips for a virgin on what makes a woman quiver.

2/23/00  

-What do I say to people who ask why I've never been married?
-What's the proper etiquette for dating through the personals?

3/01/00   -My boyfriend believes that men are not required to reciprocate sexually.
-How can I make up for missing Valentine's Day?
3/08/00   -What should I do with my once-cheating boyfriend?.
-Exclusively online romances have their advantages?
3/15/00   -I love performing oral sex, but hate eating the hair.
-My girlfriend doesn't enjoy sex, she's just a cuddler.
3/22/00   -My girlfriend is dating a married man.
-I just got out of a long-term relationship, do I want another right now?
4/12/00   -I would like to try stripping, but I've some things to overcome
-I met a booth stripper, during her show and now I'm in love.
4/19/00   -My ex-girlfriend still entertains ideas of us reconciling. I'm ignoble.
-How can I prolong my happy time?
4/26/00   -My guy's so sexually pedestrian
-Our daughter is bitter at us for breaking off her affair with an older man
5/03/00   -I'm an ex-porn performer and I know nothing of lovemaking, only fucking
-I'm tired of being the guy friend.
5/10/00   -Suey hears from the virgins
5/17/00   -What do you think about Ross Jeffries' Speed Seduction seminar and other programs that promise to teach a guy how to get women in bed?
5/24/00   -I've recently started paling around (and more) with a married guy; now it's getting weird.
5/31/00   -Without a ring how is a guy to know if a woman's available?
-I love my husband but recently we fight about everything. I want to try marriage counselling but we're both skeptical.
6/7/00   -"I want to know what love is"
-I'm attracted to unavailable men. Married, uncommunicative, religious, sports-oriented or work-obsessed men seem to be my specialty.
6/14/00   -My best friend, who's a straight male, initiated a sexual encounter. Now our friendship is horribly strained, what's a guy to do?
-What's the etiquette on roommates bringing home lovers and all that?
6/21/00   - There's this girl.... and I want to talk to her.
-Why is it that all the men I meet only want to casually date or have casual sex?
6/28/00   -I'm involved in a relationship that I'm afraid might shock and alienate my family and friends, how to proceed?
7/04/00   - I met this wonderful girl...
7/12/00   -I'm a guy who doesn't like sex.
-I broke up with my boyfriend of three years, but now I deeply regret it...
7/19/00   - Suey, what's with your lame gender cliches?
7/26/00   -I think I'm Straight-Curious (if there is such a thing)
-I've been off and on with my college boyfriend for over 12 years. We're having trouble moving to the next level.
8/2/00  

- I'm 32, just divorce, and dating a guy who's 25. Is there something wrong with what I'm doing??
- I am older and therefore wiser. Your readers are naive. I'll help you set them straight.

8/9/00   -Just when I had lost all hope in men, I met the most amazing guy.
-I'm thinking about contacting a dominatrix. Any advice on how to present myself?
8/16/00  

-My boyfriend is such a sweetheart when he's with me, but when he's out with his guy friends, he turns into a total pig.

-The world's biggest ass

8/23/00   -A year ago, I cheated on my boyfriend of three years with another woman. How can I fix this? He is freaking out.
-Oh Ms. Chow, in this case you're wrong
8/30/00  

-When do you tell someone you're dating that you have hepatitis?


 

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