The Secret to Marriage--3,000 Miles?

Learning a little somethin' from the old timers. Maldwyn Hughes, 86, from Bangor, in north Wales, has been married to Shirley Luck-Hughes, 79, for nine years. Their secret? Shirley lives in America, 3,000 miles from Maldwyn. They speak twice a week on the phone and they visit for only a few weeks during the year. It's not what you expect from traditional happy ending. This couple's has rewritten the story and their's ends like this, "and they lived apart happily ever after." Would you consider living apart from your spouse? Here's a link to the full story.

It's Back

Ladies and Gentlemen get your ovens ready. Yes, it's here and Hitchedmag.com has your holiday survival guide to make this season one that you can deal with. Our resident experts have you covered-from the inevitable stress of the holiday season, to dealing with the relatives, to making the holidays a little hotter under the sheets. Make sure to stay tuned as hitchedmag.com covers you with some holiday help.

Still Time For Flu Vaccine

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has sent us a reminder that it's still not too late to get your flu vaccine. The release says:

CDC recommends that beginning at 6 months of age and up to their fifth birthday children get a flu vaccine each year.

Children under the age of 5, even if they are healthy, are among those at highest risk for flu-related complications such as seizures and ear infections. The flu, which can cause symptoms including high fever, headache, cough, nausea, weakness, and muscle aches, is contagious and often transmitted through sneezing and coughing. While some people suffer mild symptoms, others are too ill to work or attend school.

Individuals who received the vaccine last year likely won't be protected from this year's influenza because the flu viruses change from year to year which is why the flu vaccine is updated annually.

To find out when or where to get a vaccine, contact your doctor or local health department. To find a clinic near you, visit the Web site, www.flucliniclocator.org and enter your zip code.

Warning Signs of Emotional Affairs

The OC Register has 10 warning signs of emotional affairs. According to this article, some of the signs include purchasing inappropriate gifts, sharing intimate emotions, thinking and daydreaming about the person and looking forward to the next time that you see that person. Each item goes into a little more depth in the article. So have you ever had an emotional affair problem in your relationship? What did you do about it? And what's worse, a physical or emotional affair? Let us know what you think.

Paperback Swap

Here's a neat website for you book readers. It's called PaperBackSwap and can be found at www.paperbackswap.com. Essentially, book lovers list the books that they would like to swap and receive credit to swap books every time they send one out. When sending out a book, you're responsible for the postage, but it comes around when others send books your way. The site says postage typically runs $1.59 per book. The website boasts over 800,000 books in circulation. Members also rate books, so it adds a little web 2.0 panache.

Chris Calls It Quits

Funny man Chris Rock is filling for divorce from his wife of nearly 10 years, Malaak Compton-Rock. Married in November of 1996 Rock once told NBC's Stone Phillips that marriage was "beautiful" but added, "If you're a guy, [your individual self] is dead. Get rid of you. Take yourself to the door and wave. Hey, see you later. It sounds horrible. I'm happier than I've ever been now that I've shot myself in the head." Ironically, Rock is currently in post-production for the film "I Think I Love My Wife." Maybe they could have gotten some pointers from the best resource on marriage... that's right, hitchedmag.com

Marriage Deal Breakers

According to this article Nicole Kidman has told her husband of four months, Keith Urban, that he better check-in to rehab or she's gone. This got us thinking. What are some other deal breakers in marriage? Obviously infidelity or any kind of abuse. But when someone has a problem like this, do you think it's the role of the significant other to try and help them or drop an ultimatum? Let us know what your deal breakers are and we may turn it into an article. E-mail us at feedback@hitchedmag.com

Spec Your Hood

Do you know the makeup of your neighborhood? Neighboroo does. It's a pretty neat website that uses U.S. Census data to give maps and information about everywhere in the U.S. For example, you can see how many Republicans or Democrats are in your hood. Or find out how many married households or crime rates or household incomes, or just about anything else you want to know. Okay, so their are limitations, but it may open your eyes to where you live.

Mobile E-mail Made Easier

Are you serious about getting your e-mail on your phone? Then get a Treo or Blackberry. But if you're not ready to fork over the big buck's your friends at Google, Thursday, released a new version of its mobile Gmail application that makes it much easier to access e-mail on your phone. Google's new mobile Gmail software, once it has been downloaded, is relatively easy to use-archiving a message takes 11 clicks on the old version but only two clicks on the new version. People who own one of 300 different phone models will now be able to view PDFs, Microsoft Word documents and attached photos, Google says. Although getting e-mail on your phone isn't the easiest thing to do, at least it's a step in the right direction for non-PDA users.

14,888 Years of Marriage Knowledge

In Toledo, OH over the weekend, 344 couples met at a church to renew their vows. Among the couples attending some were celebrating 60 and 50-plus years of marriage. Among some of the knowledge they shared included: "It's all about family," John Grosswiler of Norwalk said. "That's been our life, the two of us and our children." That, he said, "and my wife putting up with me all these years."

Diane and Jerry Podgorski of Toledo, who have been married 50 years, have differing opinions on the secret to long marriages.
"You bite your tongue a lot. You walk out the door and take a walk," she said. He said: "You get hearing aids and you can shut them off."

Alice Bauer, said, "Never hold a grudge. If you have an argument, never go to sleep without kissing each other good night. You may not be talking, but at least you're still kissing."

For more words of wisdom, check out the article here.