It’s not always easy. Some couples have interests that are mutually exclusive—she gets up early to train for triathlons; he likes hitting the bars until last call. He lives to hike to backcountry lakes and cast for mountain trout. She hates to be dirty.

When I first started working as a journalist, I could never articulate why I’d chosen the environment as my niche. Then in 2007, I saw writer Barry Lopez speak, and it made sense: “It’s OK to be in love with the world,” he said, “and to articulate that.”

I should probably mention that the reason my mom went out with my dad in the first place is he had told her he was dying and she felt bad for him, so she met him at the neighborhood park to fulfill his “last request” for a date. Of course he was lying. It only took a few years before she realized that she was only destined to become his golf widow.

Love and sex are fun, but there are always possible consequences and bigger issues at stake. Local author Kate Buckley recognizes this and, with her 2009 young-adult novel Choices brings one of the most heated and emotional debates in America and the world to the forefront: abortion.

We know that American teenagers have always under-reported on surveys that gauge sexual activity and drug use, so we can be pretty sure that what mainstream media has termed the “shocking frequency” of so-called sexting has been, so to speak, lowballed as well.

You had your portrait taken, now it's time for eternal internet fame.

For some folks, Valentine’s Day is the holiday they love to hate. Not me. I heart any tradition that involves chocolate, sexy music and anonymous poetry.

Yes, like most holidays, Valentine’s Day has its commercialized dark side. But there also are plenty of ways to acknowledge your long-time love, secret crush or single self without breaking the bank (since, let’s face it, the banks seem pretty much broken already).

Not to make any aspiring aristocrats of the social networking scene feel inadequate or anything, but the half-naked cartoon woman on the cover of this year’s Love & Sex issue probably has more friends on MySpace.com than most living, breathing, actually desirous-of-friendship cyber socialites.

An interview with Homies creator David Gonzales.

There are three universal truths, according to Santa Fe florists: Women love flowers, for the most part; men buy flowers for women, for the most part; flowers from florists are way better than flowers from supermarkets, always.

Suggestions for getting down, without getting down and out.