Mia

Q: When do men stop asking to have sex all the time? We've been married for 25 years now, and I'm ready for that phase of our lives to be over already. I have a fat stomach. He has a fat stomach. It's not like it's all delicious or anything. What I want to know is, when does it end? In a way, I'm flattered that he is still wants me, but c'mon! Mia: Yo, girlfriend, I can't relate. Your man thinks you're hot and you don't like it? Women would love to trade places with you, but you have the nerve to complain.

Q: I'm in my early 20s and working at my first job. When I started, I was told numerous times by friends and others to avoid interoffice dating. But of course, on my first day there, I noticed a beautiful brunette girl. We ended up dating, and she admitted that she had recently dated another guy in the office, that things had ended badly and that he had certain . . . ahem . . . sensitive pictures of her. He wouldn't leave her alone, so she was forced to go to HR, and he was moved to a separate part of the company.

What's trendy to nibble when you're tired of tapas? At Mia's, the new restaurant at the Warwick Hotel, they're touting novel noshes they call mezzano. The Italian word, which translates as "middle," originated with early spice traders as a term to describe the cuisines of their Middle Eastern and Mediterranean neighbors. That tells you the background of the foods displayed on Mia's 25-foot-long bar. If the bar isn't crowded - and it wasn't at the time of my late lunch - you can walk up and down casing the goodies that are lined up there in big, colorful bowls.

Q: I'm a 40-year-old married man and, not to boast, I'm a fairly good husband. I do all the cooking and food-shopping, have a full-time career, help with the laundry, all the outside jobs, take the kids to school, etc. I shower my wife with affection, waking her up in the morning with backrubs, telling her regularly how hot she looks, spontaneously giving her hugs and kisses in the kitchen . . . and yet, none of that is ever initiated by her. It...

Q: If my first boyfriend from 40 years ago e-mailed me and sent me his phone number and told me to call, should I have called him? I've talked to him twice in 40 years. I didn't feel comfortable calling him. It has a lot to do with all of the rejection I've had all my life. At some point, you just give up. Mia: Miss talking to him, don't you? Don't play games, call that man, do it today. He'll be glad to hear from you. As for your man baggage, dump it. If you don't, you'll never find happiness in a relationship.

Q: I went to my high-school reunion last weekend and met an old lover I hadn't seen in 20 years. We chatted, caught up with each other. I told him I'm happily married and gave him no hint of interest at all, but when the evening came to an end, he made a pass at me! It was as if he thought he could have me again, just because of the past. I was more annoyed at his presumption than insulted. Did I make a mistake even talking to him? Steve: As Proust observed, "Time, which changes people, does not alter the image we have retained of them.

Q: I have been with my fiancée for almost six years. We were engaged and moved into a house a few months ago. Now she says she needs time and space to figure things out. Do I give her time? If so, how much? Steve: I suspect there's a specific reason for her cold feet. Find out what it is. Mia: If things drag on too long, it's not as if you have to sit around and wait for Miss Thing to make up her mind. You need to be living your life, and if that includes dating other honeys, then so be it. Don't be sneaky about it, though.

For all the pomp and excess of Madonna's Super Bowl halftime extravaganza, a single extended middle finger by guest singer M.I.A. is likely to be the most remembered piece of the show. The gesture, accompanied by a barely disguised expletive, came during a performance of Madonna's new single, "Give Me All Your Luvin'. " At the end of her lines, M.I.A. appeared to sing "I don't give a [expletive]," although it was hard to hear clearly. The incident was reminiscent of Janet Jackson's infamous "wardrobe malfunction" on CBS eight years ago. The brief exposure of Jackson's nipple during the 2004 halftime show raised a storm of controversy.

Q After 10 years of marriage, my husband and I have divorced. I'm in my 40s and wonder what kind of men are out there and how easy it is to find one for a serious relationship. Your thoughts? Steve: As Meg said in "The Big Chill," "They're either married or gay. And if they're not gay, they've just broken up with the most wonderful woman in the world. Or they've just broken up with a bitch who looks exactly like me. " Mia: If you're a vibrant 40-something woman, you'll do just fine in the dating market.

Q: I've been dating a woman for about a year now and we're headed toward marriage. Everything is nearly perfect except in one area: Cooking. My love enjoys cooking but is terrible at it. I have suffered in silence - it's usually only once a week - but if we marry, I can't imagine spending my life eating her cooking. I'm not very good at it myself, but I can make meals that are edible, at least. She really enjoys being in the kitchen, and I know she'd be crushed if I told her how bad her cooking is. I don't want to mess this up. Any solutions?

Today on PhillyDailyNews.com: Jan Ransom's Tax Scorecard. CITY COUNCIL held a marathon of hearings the last two months on Mayor Nutter's proposed budget, but some members were missing in action. The Daily News kept tabs as to which Council members showed-up to the hours-long hearings and which didn't. Councilman Bill Green missed the most - 15 out of 16 scheduled budget hearings. The absentee runner-up was Republican Councilman Brian O'Neill, who missed 11, followed by Councilwoman Marian Tasco, with nine.

Q: I went online recently and noticed that a guy I've been seeing, sort of off and on, is back on the Internet dating site where we originally met. He has new pictures and says he's ready to settle down and that he wants a long-term relationship. His description of the type of woman he's looking for sounds a lot like me. Meanwhile, I haven't seen him in a few weeks. Whenever we get together, we have a nice time but there's no spark. We never kiss. Just hang out. He pays for dinner, though, and is always a perfect gentleman.

Q: My husband and I got married two years ago. I thought we did everything right. We went to the courthouse and got a license. After the ceremony, the rabbi gave me the pink copy of the license. He also told me that he was going to file his copy at the courthouse in the next few days. Well, time slips away and this piece of paper did not seem important. In the process of buying a house recently, the bank asked for a copy of our marriage license. I went online to the department of vital statics to order one, and it seems there is no record of our marriage.

Q: In an earlier column, you posted a letter from a woman wanting to know when her husband of 25 years was going to stop asking for sex all the time. I want to know why my husband of 28 years has stopped asking for sex at all . In the early years of our marriage, I initiated all the time. He almost never refused me. But I got tired of that and backed off. Now our sex life is all but dead. I have asked him why he never "starts something," but his answers are vague and not helpful.

Comedy doesn't always translate between cultures. But murder does. A growing body of police procedurals from around the globe is making its way onto DVD in America. Australia is ably represented by two shows, one a period piece, the other a gritty contemporary thriller. Based on the novels from Kerry Greenwood, Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries: Series 1 from Acorn Online ( http://acornonline.com/ ; $59.99 DVD or Blu-ray; not rated) stars Essie Davis as Phryne Fisher, a well-to-do, sexy woman of leisure in 1920s Melbourne who solves crimes for kicks.

Q: Because I'm a smoker, my girlfriend will not let me do oral sex on her. I think she's being too cautious. She says I don't care about her health. We've been together about six months. I'm trying to stop smoking, but it's hard. Mia: E wwww , I'm with your girlfriend. I'm not a doctor, so I don't know if her private parts are at any kind of risk because of your puffing away on cigarettes, but who wants to deal with that? She ought to close the goodie jar until you get a nicotine patch and get serious about kicking the habit.

Q: I went to my high-school reunion last weekend and met an old lover I hadn't seen in 20 years. We chatted, caught up with each other. I told him I'm happily married and gave him no hint of interest at all, but when the evening came to an end, he made a pass at me! It was as if he thought he could have me again, just because of the past. I was more annoyed at his presumption than insulted. Did I make a mistake even talking to him? Steve: As Proust observed, "Time, which changes people, does not alter the image we have retained of them.

Q: When do men stop asking to have sex all the time? We've been married for 25 years now, and I'm ready for that phase of our lives to be over already. I have a fat stomach. He has a fat stomach. It's not like it's all delicious or anything. What I want to know is, when does it end? In a way, I'm flattered that he is still wants me, but c'mon! Mia: Yo, girlfriend, I can't relate. Your man thinks you're hot and you don't like it? Women would love to trade places with you, but you have the nerve to complain.

Q: If at the end of an evening together I invite a man into my apartment, why does he always assume I want to sleep with him? Often I just want to continue the conversation, maybe over a glass of wine. For some reason, men think I'm inviting them in for sex. It ends up being awkward and embarrassing. How can I make it clear that's not the case without alienating him? Steve: Ah, the old gender divide. After an evening out, when a man invites a woman into his home, it's for sex. Thus, when a woman invites him in, he assumes it's the same.

Q: I was single most of my life. I raised my children alone. Throughout my life, I was frequently invited to events and attended alone. I have reached the point in my life where my daughter's friends are getting married. The problem is I got married two years ago, and I am still receiving invitations addressed only to me. I understand that when you have a catered event, the number of guests is very important. I would love to attend these special events with my husband, but I don't want to be rude.