A recent Marie Claire story describes the widespread phenomenon of 30-something men in seemingly great relationships, who are finding it next to impossible to pull the trigger and get married. The story calls 30 "the new male midlife crisis," which, to someone who hopes to live beyond 60, seems like a bit of a stretch. But other parts of the story really hit home. Take this excerpt, for instance (oh, and PS, it’s a guy talking):

First of all -- let me just say that when it comes to weight and body image, my heart does hurt for Khloe Kardashian. In any other household, hers would be the Amazonian body by which all others are judged. But in the ’Dash house, she's the chubby one forced to suffer critical comments from such wackos as stepfather Bruce Jenner (who, let’s face it, is neck and neck with Mickey Rourke in the category of Most Horrific Male Plastic Surgery Recipient).

Recently, I asked readers to leave comments about topics they'd like me to cover -- sort of an "Ask a Married Man" idea. One said she'd love to hear how a guy would like to be informed that he’s, um, way overdue for a manscaping sesh.

Well the fact is, most men (at least this one) don't spend a lot of time thinking about the way that they'd like to be informed of anything. But we do think about the times that it's been done badly. Bottom line? Embarrassment sucks, and avoiding it is a major man goal. It's hard to explain, but I guess my favorite way to be informed is one that leaves me thinking that I've come up with the idea myself. Some women are great at finding a way to put things in motion without hitting a guy over the head with it.

I was reading TheNest.com message boards when I came across this post by Imoan, describing how unexpectedly hard it was for her to have the "baby talk" with her husband. Her point was that even though she has the kind of relationship that Jack and I do -- where open, honest communication is the glue -- when she tried to discuss the baby issue, she found herself suddenly crying and unintelligible. Here's what she wrote:

"I seriously have never had a problem talking to my husband about anything...but bringing this up was like taking that jump out of a plane."

When Jack and I were first dating, I was a social machine. I was forever throwing parties and cooking for big groups of people. With my door-is-wide-open policy, the holidays were out of control at my house. I invited everyone who wasn't flying home to be with family to come for what I called Refugee Thanksgiving. I tended to get lots of people who either didn't have a family to go home to or who were estranged from theirs -- and together we'd reclaim the holiday (fist in air).

Even though it sounds like a National Enquirer headline (albeit an R-rated version) this story is actually completely true. Julie Boyd dated her now-husband Mike for years. But it wasn't until their wedding night, when the couple first did the deed without a condom, that Boyd realized something was really, really wrong. Experts call the painful-sounding issue seminal plasma hypersensitivity -- which is just a fancy way of saying “sperm allergy” -- and say that it affects up to 40,000 American women.

A new poll by British retailer Debenhams has connected men's underwear-buying habits with the status of their romantic lives. The poll said that between the ages of 19 and 23, men buy the most undies (up to 31 pairs a year!), believing, apparently, that fresh drawers will help them land love. Huh... Not the worst strategy I've ever heard. But 31 pairs a year? Dang!

Store representatives explained that how much underwear a man is buying can indicate whether he's looking for a partner. Buying lots? He's on the prowl. Next-to-none? He's in a stable relationship and may have found his soul mate. The biggest reveal? When a man is really ready to settle down, he'll "let" the woman in his life start buying the briefs. So, congrats, all you ladies with your man's waist size scribbled on your shopping list. Guess it means he's really, really into you.

At nearly every wedding Holly and I have attended, there's a moment -- usually in the final minutes before the ceremony -- where people start to panic that everything isn't going to happen exactly as it should. Something small happens (like the father of the bride isn't where he's supposed to be) that reveals a deep lack of organization that no extra 10 minutes of rehearsal could have prevented. I hate to say it, ladies, but that’s when you all start freaking out. We guys? Not so much.