In a pickle? Colonel Brandon is ready to lend an ear and share his wisdom. Write to him at o8sis@wfaa.com.

Relationship journalist and radio host Amy Spencer is the girl to go to when people want to know how the whole love thing works.

Author Barbara Bérot knows how dramatic love can be. Her debut novel, When Europa Rode the Bull, is an erotic tale of betrayal and loss.

The process of dating someone is packed with joys and plentiful "love-drug" moments. But in between the hand-holding and dreamy bouts of staring at each other, there are some not-as-easy experiences.

You've probably been through high school science, so we'll assume you know who Pavlov was. He was the guy with the dogs and the bells who trained dogs to want food when he rang a bell, bringing to light the notion that animals can be trained to react a certain way when placed in certain situations.

This edition of The HookUp is out to do a little myth-busting. We'd like to disabuse you of commonly held notions about hooking up. The first is this: Contrary to popular belief, the gym is not the best place to find a date.

When your calling card is "the world's most romantic man," you've got some big boots to fill.

We need to rethink last week's plan to cure bad flirting with practice. We still think it's a good idea, but we've learned it may only be a good idea on paper.

If I were 24-years-old, smart, beautiful, successful, energetic, and a woman…I know exactly who I’d be. I don’t have any real desire to swap genders, but when you see someone you admire so greatly, you can at least see the smallest desirability in the proposition. One of my dear friends, Karlee, has got the stuff. She is quite simply, a surprise. At her young age she is already years ahead of her peer group in terms of a healthy understanding of herself, the people she affects and the larger world around her. The thing I love most about Karlee is her zest for life and her ability to embrace it and take chances.

A cousin of mine met her husband when he sauntered over to her in a bar 20-odd years ago and informed her that the ice she was chewing on was a sure sign of sexual frustration, something he thought he could help her with.

It's confession time. Not like every week isn't a confession, but this is real confession, like only between you and us. Here goes: We here at The Hookup are bad flirts.

So opposites attract, huh? How many people have actually found that to be true? You're probably better off seeking a partner with similar interests, be it English literature, the great outdoors, or late-night partying. So here's a guide to hooking up with someone you can relate to in North Texas.

For every possible relationship stage, from nonexistent to stuck-together-like-glue, writers have created reams of pages full of advice, admonishments, consolations, gimmicks, gab-fests, testimonials and therapies.

For years, Toinetta Jones played the dating game by her mom's strict rule. "Mom always told me, 'Don't you ever bring a white man home,'" recalled Jones, echoing an edict issued by many Southern black mothers.

A friend recently went on a blindish date. I say "blindish" because she and the guy had talked once or twice, but this was their first face-to-face meeting. It was also their first face-to-face in-depth conversation.

Date night is often movie night because some of the best smooch-a-thons are to be had on your date's couch with a DVD and a bowl of popcorn.

You always carry a torch for your first. Have you ever heard that saying? We have, and to our annoyance, we've discovered that it's mostly true.

Traveling alone to Seattle for a music-inspired vacation several summers ago, Amy Abern, 49, wasn't thinking about meeting someone. But the weather was warm and there was something in the air.

Getting dumped is one of life's inevitabilities, missed only by the lucky or the homebound.

We're coming up for air from the Harry Potter cave to talk a bit about alone time and how it can make or break your relationship.

Although plenty of psychotherapists make their livings helping people think about the past, as a culture, we tend to have an "onward and upward," "look to the future" kind of mentality.

People say the darnedest things. And by "people" we mean "male strangers."

Once upon a time, when I was wilder, younger and living in Austin, I decided to dye my hair. Purple. I also had about 10 piercings and a couple of tattoos.

Get the weather. Get a picture. Get a date – this instant. To add to the growing list of things you can do with your cell phone, now hear this: If you are feeling a little lonely or at loose ends, a growing number of cell phone services offer a chance to see if true love is just around the corner. Yes, sometimes the very one on which you are standing.

This is me flirting with you. This is me batting my eyelashes, smiling pretty and posing suggestively in your general direction – all in an effort to get your attention. I'm not sure as yet what I want to do with your attention once I get it; therefore I reserve the right to give it back at any time. This is also me not caring about your girlfriend. It's summertime, you're here, I'm here. You've got attention to give, and I want it. So this is me flirting with you. Hi!

Ever since Alexander Graham Bell said in his first telephone transmission, "Watson, come here; I want you," technology and romance have been intertwined.

Let's play a game. It's called "Seriously, What Is That." The rules are pretty simple. We describe a few dating conundrums that have ticked us off and made us ask "Seriously, what is that?" And then you provide an answer. Here we go:

While there are many phases of dating, there is one phase that I always find the hardest and most frustrating.

As a former "vice president of romance" for Dallas-based Match.com, Trish McDermott has seen her fair share of successes and failures in the dating world.

Last week's condom comment set off a firestorm of feedback, most of which centered on responsibility and self-protection and the like. For the record, women carrying condoms is still weird. But not weird enough to overlook the risk of herpes. Duh. So that's that.

Kerensa Vest is a longtime Dallasite, a graduate of SMU and a relationship and profile coach for Irving-based True.com. Vest met her husband on a blind date, and the two of them built the site together in 2003. It has 16 million members. Vest shared some online dating tips.

A few weeks back, we waxed psychotic on why a married man should wear his wedding band to signify his lack of availability. We're not going back on that. But we did realize that there's more to it.

Most 20-something and 30-something single women know all about “Googling” when it comes to dating.

If your guy had issues with his last girlfriend, chances are he'll have a version of those same issues with you.

I like him. He doesn’t like me. He likes me. I don’t like him. And so, it goes back and forth.

"I'm moving to Houston." As the words left his mouth, I felt the major bummer coming on. I liked this guy a lot and long-distance sounded awful. I didn't see how it was going to work.

Two North Texas baby boomers in their 50s said a few key listed likes and interests posted on an online site was all it took for them to find true love. They are part of the fastest-growing segment of users on Dallas-based Match.com, an Internet dating service.

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Younger men are great. We love younger men.

After breaking off an eight year relationship, I soon came to realize something new had popped up in the dating scene, and I was behind on the trend — texting.

The dynamics of a first date can be tricky: Should one person offer to pick the other up, or is that unsafe? Should you meet for a full dinner? At a bar? How long should the date last?

Do you enjoy striking up a conversation with a complete stranger? Now there's a way to meet the driver sitting in the next car over while you're both stuck in traffic. All it takes is a cell phone, a little curiosity and—perhaps—a little cooperation from the driver you're hoping to meet.

Since we all know how ranty the HookUp can get, let us first condense our weekend so that everyone is on the same page before we get on our soapbox.