Were there good ol' days of domestic bliss

DEAR SUSAN: A fellow blogger wrote: "Ah, yes, the good ol' days, when people didn't get divorced and wife beating was just part of domestic living, kept quiet as a private family matter. Ah, yes, marriages lasted longer then." You say you don't speak from experience, only observation. My own observations tell me that when someone is that bitter without provocation, it usually is because someone's buttons have been pushed. What sort of domestic life are you referring to, yours or your parents? And to the young studs who seem to think they're God's gift to women and fantasize about supermodels: The women in those magazines don't really exist; they've been airbrushed. And those women who are gorgeous enough to make the grade will definitely not be interested in cooking and cleaning for some twerp who hasn't got two nickels to rub together.

From the Single File blogDEAR BLOGGER: Herewith a letter from a reader of many years, a man who calls himself Single by Choice and simply refuses to enter the world of relationships: "A short while ago, you published an 'angry' (your word) response to my take that the 30-something young lady who regretted rejecting potential suitors was getting cosmic payback. Why do you find my opinion to be 'vengeful' (another of your words)? I have no problem seeing women get a taste of their own medicine. Gender relations are at an all-time low, and your pipe dream of 'gender reconciliation' has been shown again to be a bad joke."DEAR SUSAN: I agree with a fellow blogger who said a marriage license takes care of many legal situations in a fairly simple way. Trying to cobble together other necessary parts with multiple legal documents might not cover everything. I see that you're offering an alternative to those who are not yet ready or willing to give up their "single" status. Believe me, as a gay man in a long-term relationship, I more than understand what the lack of that "piece of paper" can mean. My partner had a health scare last spring. I was thankful that everyone at the hospital was fantastic; they could have been sticklers about my status.

From the "Single File" blog

DEAR BLOGGER: Your hospital visitation experience is a sharp reminder of the complexities possible when no legal document is in hand. It is one of the major issues of the unmarried community, and it can cause much anguish when hospital staff members are not so understanding as they were with you.