Am I saying that I can’t be friendly with members of the opposite sex? No. I can think of three or four men who I really enjoy hanging out with every time I see them -- but who I’d never call or hang out with alone -- without a damn good reason. There’s something about chatting on the phone with a man that gets a little weird for me. It feels flirty and boyfriendy.

Now, after saying all of that you should know that of course, I still have a few male friends who I get together with occasionally (all writers). I think Jack gets that it’s about career and shared dreams and whathaveyou, so he doesn’t question it (not that he ever would, we are totally self monitoring in that way). These friends of mine all have serious girlfriends or wives, which helps. But even then -- there’s still sexual tension. It’s long been established that nothing will ever come of it, but it’s there. Maintaining these friendships is a delicate dance. If we started hanging out too frequently, exchanging late-night phone calls or going for drinks alone -- the whole thing would go south fast.
I’m sure this will infuriate lots of readers. But I’m just being completely honest -- and calling out things other people choose to ignore. If you hang out with members of the opposite sex regularly -- just ask yourself -- “what am I getting out of it?” Maybe for you there isn’t any sexual tension. For me there is. So my answer to that question is usually validation. There’s nothing wrong with enjoying a bit of attention here and there, but identifying it helps me get honest about what I’m doing and where I’m putting my energy.

OK -- bring on the rage. What do you guys think?