Fyodor is organizing another DW Zoom call tomorrow, September 10th. Email Fyodor if you’d like him to send you the invite link.

Here’s what else we’re discussing this week in the forums:

Moving on after two years his spouse passed away

Coronavirus/ Covid-19/ At-Home Support Thread

Follow along on Facebook and Instagram.

If you have a relationship/dating question I can help answer, you can send me your letters at [email protected].

Today is my 44th birthday, so I’m extending the holiday weekend an extra day and saving the advice-giving for later in the week. In the meantime, I was wondering: Do you have favorite podcasts you like to listen to? Last weekend Drew took the kids to his brother’s in New Jersey to hang with their cousins and I had 50 blessed hours of solitude, which I used to do a puzzle, read a book, watch “Indian Matchmaking,” cook and eat whatever I wanted (which is more often than not sourdough toast with ricotta, sun gold tomatoes, one sliced hardboiled egg and a little salt and pepper—show me a better meal!), and I finally listened to a few podcasts I’d been meaning to check out. Because I don’t commute and I prefer listening to music on my walks and I don’t ever really have alone time at home, I don’t usually have the opportunity to listen to podcasts very often. Last weekend I listened to a few episodes of Call Your Girlfriend, Nice White Parents, and Michelle Obama’s new podcast. My favorite was Call Your Girlfriend. I could actually see listening to that one on a walk occasionally in lieu of music.

What about you? Do you listen to podcasts? (And if so, when is your preferred time for tuning in?) What are your favorites?

Francesco Ciccolella for the NYTimes

It’s Labor Day weekend here in the States – or maybe more accurately this year: Covid Super-Spread weekend, on account of all the college kids that will be heading home from their infected campuses and the large gatherings that are sure to take place in back yards, living rooms, and lake fronts across the country. I think it’s a Labor Day – sorry, Labour Day – weekend in Canada, too, and they likely won’t have super-spreading there because they don’t have a totally fucked-up government like their neighbors to the south do, telling everyone Covid’s no big deal, it only kills people whose lives aren’t of value, and it’s going to magically disappear any day now just watch. Anyway, happy end of summer, everyone! May I suggest you make a blueberry clafoutis before the season is gone in a flash?

Wedding announcement goes viral after groom’s ex publicly reveals he cheated on her when he met the bride

I feel attacked. We’re All Socially Awkward Now

I Don’t Know If My Relationship Will Survive the Pandemic

‘Is This Dick Really Worth Dying For?’ Single People Talk Pandemic Sex

This essay, “The Summer of Staying Put,” about some of the silver linings of quarantine, resonated with me and gave me a little hope.

This isn’t related to relationships or anything, but it was one of the more powerful pieces of (photo-)journalism I’ve read this year, and I think every American needs to see it: America at the Edge of Hunger

I received a different kind of email the other day from a reader who asked some questions that may be on the minds of others these days. She wrote:

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