Should you stay friends with an ex - part 2

Back in February I asked the question - should you stay friends with an ex.
At the time I didn't have the answer but I can now reveal that it can be done!
Myself and my ex are still good friends and have recently got back from Download festival.
To be honest not a lot has changed in terms of our relationship - we have just taken away the boy and girl aspect and kept the friend part.
I do have to admit though it is a weird feeling to think that I have seen him naked - I can honestly say I don't look at any of my other friends and think that.
The good part of it is is that we don't pretend that we don't have a history and he doesn't pretend that he doesn't have a girlfriend.
He doesn't talk about all the time or anything like that but I asked him right from the beginning to not act like he is not with her.
And I also wanted to make sure she would be comfortable with us being friends before I let him back into my life.
So I think the key to staying friends with an ex is to just be as honest and up front as you can and to make sure that everyone involved is comfortable with the situation.

Eating out on a date

I don't what it is but when I am on a date I completely lose my appetite.
Now I am not saying that I am greedy but I can eat, I very rarely leave my food and I can normally always manage a dessert.
But put me in front of a male and I completely lose my appetite and become aware of what and how I am eating.
I discovered this last weekend when I ordered a pizza and after one slice I couldn't bare to eat anymore, out of guilt and embarrassment I managed to force down a few more but I still ended up leaving half!
This also lead me to find out that there are only two men (excluding family members) that I am completely and utterly comfortable eating in front of and that is my best friend and my ex boyfriend.
I don't care if they see me with pasta sauce all around my mouth or chocolate sauce on my forehead!
I am hoping that this phobia will disappear over time otherwise I am going to get hungry.

Forget men - it's robots who we should be loving!

Loughborough author Ariadne Tampion has explored robot love in her new book, Automatic Lover.
Ariadne's book describes the funny and engaging tale about a steamy love affair between a robot called HCR-238 and a woman.
Their love for each other is set in the future, complete with space ships and interplanetary travel.
The journey is documented from when they met and worked in each other's company to their eventual marriage.
It also challenges questions raised by their odd relationship.
The book is written in two separate episodes and is part science fiction and part romance.
Automatic Lover is £11.95 and published by Lulu.com.

Who should make the first move?

A couple of weeks ago two of my colleagues at the Echo took to the streets of Loughborough to find out if men are still expected to make the first move or are the roles slowly reversing.
Leon Sullivan and Melanie Willcocks met each other over the internet.
Leon said: "Men always make the first move but it would be nice if more women took the plunge and told us what they thought."
Melanie added: "I don't think enough women make the first move.
"A lot of women wait for the man.
"I think men can also pass it off if they are rejected by a woman while a woman is more likely to crawl away and hide in the toilet all night."
Loughborough University students Katja Nilsson and Catherine Clark said they would normally wait for the man.
Katja said: "It is just a thing we don't do because it is the guy's role to ask.
"We do try, we will try a cheeky grin or brush by them."
Catherine said: "I do think more women should be making the move otherwise you might be waiting a long time.
"I think it depends if you know them or not."
Rosie Young and Bob Shield think that we should keep to the tradition of men doing the chasing.
Rosie said: "I think it is their privilege, they should do it."
Bob agreed, he said: "Yes men should make the move because you have got to be a gentleman.
"If a woman made a move on a man he would run a mile."
However Katie Greenaway and Nathan Hallam say things should change.
Katie said: "I think men make the move because it is stereotypical and women wait for the men to ask.
"But I do think it should work both ways."
Nathan said: "I think they should do it as well, make us feel a bit more loved."
And Victoria Stonehouse is a girl who made her move.
She said: "I made the first move because I knew he wouldn't.
"Most women make the first move because men take so long in making a decision."
Her boyfriend Chris Jones said: "I think it depends how much you have had to drink.
"It give you more confidence to make a move then."
And finally Chris Casanova says that times are changing.
He said: "A lot has changed since I first started going out.
"Women are a lot more confident these days."
So what do you think? Should more women pluck up the courage and make their move or should tradition prevail and let the men do all the leg work.
Let me know!