Archive for January, 2009

Girlfriends with Pink Slips

Published: January 29, 2009 | Last Updated: July 24, 2021 By | Reply Continue Reading

The support of female friends can help a woman get over the traumatic emotional and financial losses associated with being fired or let go. What can friends do? Read my latest post on The Huffington Post.

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January 29, 2009

Published: January 29, 2009 | Last Updated: August 18, 2021 By | Reply Continue Reading

Dear Friend: Thanks for subscribing to my newsletter. The latest post on my blog is called The Sometimes Friend. It responds to a letter from a reader named Tara, who has trouble making the “best friend” cut and who seems forever relegated to the lonely role of the “sometimes friend.” I’ve given Tara some advice […]

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The Sometimes Friend

Published: January 29, 2009 | Last Updated: January 29, 2009 By | 15 Replies Continue Reading

QUESTION Dear Irene, I’m in my late 30’s and for as long as I can remember (since early childhood), I have always been the "sometimes friend". Usually there are two friends who are inseparable. They are on each other’s speed dial, they shop together, lunch together, and their families spend time together. And only sometimes…will […]

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Walking on eggshells

Published: January 23, 2009 | Last Updated: January 23, 2009 By | Reply Continue Reading

QUESTION Hi Irene, I have a nagging suspicion that my best friend Julia harbors some type of jealously or resentment toward me. We met five years ago when I moved to a new city to live with my boyfriend. She had known him casually for a few years. I didn’t know many people in town […]

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Escaping from a toxic triangle

Published: January 21, 2009 | Last Updated: January 22, 2009 By | 73 Replies Continue Reading

QUESTION Dear Irene, I’m a 40-year-old woman who feels like she’s back in junior high. I have three kids who are very involved in sports and activities. Over the last four years, my husband and I developed a group of friends with kids the same ages. My closest friend in the group was a woman […]

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Inauguration Day 2009

Published: January 20, 2009 | Last Updated: April 2, 2016 By | Reply Continue Reading

I share your hopes for the future! Make an Obamicon of your own and send it to your friends. Go to: http://obamiconme.pastemagazine.com/ Warmest wishes, Irene

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Sophisticated Lady

Published: January 18, 2009 | Last Updated: January 18, 2009 By | 1 Reply Continue Reading

QUESTION Dear Irene, First, thank you for a wonderful website. Second, I can’t figure out what I’m doing wrong. I’ve come to the conclusion that perhaps I have a higher need for interaction than most people. I’m turning 40 and when my husband mentioned throwing me a birthday party I realized I have no dear […]

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Friendship by the Book: Cancer is a Bitch

Published: January 14, 2009 | Last Updated: March 5, 2022 By | 1 Reply Continue Reading

“I’m part of a club I didn’t mean to join,” writes Gail Konop Baker, author of Cancer is a Bitch. Read an interview with the author.

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Just for Fun: How many friends would you give up for a Whopper?

Published: January 10, 2009 | Last Updated: April 2, 2016 By | 3 Replies Continue Reading

Ending friendships can be touchy, even virtual ones. That’s why Facebook users are reluctant to defriend and feel humiliated if they’re defriended. But you’ve gotta admit it. Everyone has at least a few frenemies they’re just dying to purge from their friends list: People who post too often or who only post to brag; ex-friends […]

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Reader Q & A: No way out?

Published: January 9, 2009 | Last Updated: January 9, 2009 By | Reply Continue Reading

QUESTION: Dear Irene: My "best" friend and I have been friends since last year. Sometimes I feel like I love her; other times, she’s my worst enemy. She comes from a controlling and abusive family and I was always there for her to get through it. I just turned 18, and I realize more and […]

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