Appearing here Wednesdays, Turning The Screw provides existential crisis counseling for the faint of heart. "Because laughter is only the best medicine if you can't afford the other ones."
Dear Polly,
I am recently hot for a man who is also hot for me. But my very closest friend has been hot for him for a year. He told her after one make out session that he just wants to be friends with her, but she has been hoping for more anyway. She has worried about me meeting him because of potential hot times between me and him. I am not some raging slut. I assume she sensed that [...]
Usually appearing here Wednesdays, Turning The Screw provides existential crisis counseling for the faint of heart. "Because time is running out!"
Dear Polly,
I am, by all accounts, a relatively happy, well-off, 21-year-old woman. I exercise regularly, eat well, have good friends, a great boyfriend, and I'm about to graduate from a shmancy private college in NYC debt-free (thanks, Mom and Dad!). Here's the thing: lately, while I'm lying alone in bed, trying to go to sleep, I can't stop thinking about death. I'm pretty sure it started when I took an astrophysics class last semester, and read an article about the "eventual heat death of the universe" where [...]
Appearing here Wednesdays, Turning The Screw provides existential crisis counseling for the faint of heart. "Concrete, explicit instructions in the time of emotional cholera."
Dear Polly,
My problem started innocently enough, a little white cLIEmax that rolled along and gained momentum until it became a large-scale inescapable avalanche of deceit-gasms.
Paradoxically enough, I met him at a bar on a girls' night out that a friend had organized for me as a "screw men" celebration following yet another breakup in a string of less-than-great short-term relationships. When we started dating, my expectations were down to zero and I was more interested in casual fun than a meaningful relationship. [...]
Appearing here Wednesdays, Turning The Screw provides existential crisis counseling for the faint of heart. "There's nothing out there but cold space."
Dear Polly,
I'm a straight 20-year-old woman. I was in love with my best friend, Ben, for three-and-a-half years, since the end of my senior year of high school. Ben is gay, so that was problematic, but even when it was at its worst, I was self-aware enough about the whole thing to understand that it wasn't healthy for me, and it wasn't sustainable.
Anyway, about 6 weeks ago, I started dating someone. I'm really excited about Noah, to put it lightly. He's my first [...]
Appearing here Wednesdays, Turning The Screw provides existential crisis counseling for the faint of heart. "Because bitterness becomes you!"
Dear Polly,
As Neil Gaiman astutely pointed out, you often don't realize you have a migraine until it's way too late. I have now been with my husband for more than half of my life, and a couple of years ago I realized that I don't actually love him. Or even really like him very much.
Our relationship has never been easy, but for years I had blamed it on Things That Could Be Fixed—lingering distrust from long-ago infidelities, the typical working family's imbalance of housework, a mismatch in [...]
Appearing here Wednesdays, Turning The Screw provides existential crisis counseling for the faint of heart. "Because misery becomes you."
Dear Polly,
I’m a college junior abroad at a British university for the year. During the months I’ve been here, I’ve been getting increasingly anxious and depressed about my schoolwork and general life situation, to the point where I’ll just stay in bed for days on end watching "It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia" and compulsively eating bits of compressed bread. I’ve stopped doing work, which had before been something I would always complete, no matter what. Before, other life things—things like self-image, friendships, romantic relationships, creative outlets, family life—had not [...]
Appearing here Wednesdays, Turning The Screw provides existential crisis counseling for the faint of heart. "In the land of the choosy beggars, the most engrossing distraction is king!"
Polly,
I have been dating my boyfriend for over two years. Recently we took the big plunge to move in together, and so far it's been great. There is one major problem, though, and that is his baby mama. Their daughter, Coral (who is 7), adores me and I adore her, we have a super great relationship. But his ex refuses to meet me. Under normal circumstances I wouldn't give a damn, but it really stresses his daughter out. She comes [...]
