Skype disappearing?
Posted on 31. Jul, 2009 by lisa in Communication, Other sites, Technology for Long Distance Relationships
SKype is having some legal problems. The company (which is actually owned by eBay) is in a battle with another company (Joltid – which is actually owned by the guys who started Skype) over access to the core technology that power Skype. Those Joltid guys ain’t dumb! When they sold the company to eBay, they retained the rights to the technology and were licensing it for Skype. Some issues have come up though, and now the license has been revoked.
They are due in court in June 2010 – so there is no immediate danger of Skype going anywhere anytime soon. Either the court case has to get resolved or Skype needs to develop its own core or else the service as we know it will disappear. I hope they are able to work it out!! Skype is important for a long distance relationship!
I know google talk exists, and I’m sure there are other voice communications tools out there. Anyone tried them? How do they work?
Creative Ideas for your long distance relationship
Posted on 29. Jul, 2009 by lisa in Creative/Fun Ideas, General Relationship Advice, Other sites
1. If you are interested in having kids, then you can start now – at least to see what they look like! http://www.makemebabies.com/ lets you upload pictures of you and your partner and then they are combined together. Results can be pretty funny.
2. Be his alarm clock. In a Yahoo answers forum, Meg had this idea for how she connects with her long distance partner: On weekdays, I often call my fiancé in the early morning so he can wake up to a pleasant voice instead of a loud alarm (my guy likes to hit snooze so I usually give him 15 extra minutes and call him again to make sure he’s up). It puts both of us in a good mood.
3. Call a radio station in your partners town and request a song. Ideally a song they enjoy. 
This is especially a great idea for special occasions.
Long Distance Relationship Quiz
Posted on 26. Jul, 2009 by lisa in Creative/Fun Ideas, Quizzes
Who likes quizzes? I just found an intriguing quiz here about long distance relationships. It’s titled “Will your relationship survive the long-distance test?””. The quiz is aimed at couples who are currently living close together, but will soon be doing long distance. Could be a fun thing to do if you are considering a long distance relationship, or if you recently started one.
The results aren’t specific – but they do give some food for thought about different aspects that are important for long distance relationship success.
Going the Distance Movie
Posted on 24. Jul, 2009 by lisa in Pop Culture
It turns out that Drew Barrymore and Justin Long are not the only stars in a new movie focusing on the trials and tribulations of a long distance couple. Christina Applegate is also in Going the Distance – she was recently photographed filming scenes for the upcoming movie in NYC. And so is Charlie Day from It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia. (Yah, I haven’t heard of him either…). BUT apparently he is kinda choosy at roles – so perhaps this movie will be a good one!
(Image from www.buzzsugar.com)
Long Distance Relationship Quotes
Posted on 22. Jul, 2009 by lisa in Love Quotes, Other sites
I recently came across some simple, but great quotes related to long distance relationships:
1. Absence is to love as wind is to fire; it extinguishes the small and kindles the great.
~Roger de Bussy-Rabutin
2. Laughter is the closest distance between two people.
~Victor Borge
3. Absence makes the heart grow fonder, but it sure makes the rest of you lonely.
~Charlie Brown
More of these can be found here, here and here. If you have any favorite long distance love quotes, please comment about them.
Technology for couples in LDRs
Posted on 18. Jul, 2009 by lisa in Communication, Other sites, Technology for Long Distance Relationships
There are two main pieces of technology that I, and other long distance relationship couples I know, couldn’t live without. (Well, on top of an internet connection – I’m kinda assuming that’s a given…)
1) Skype. Its free! Get a microphone (you can buy them used cheaply if you don’t have one) and start chatting. Its easy to use and for two people the sound quality is good.
2) Webcams. Visuals can be fun. And sometimes necessary when it comes to seeing what your partner is trying to say.
Being apart is not ideal, but at least if you have skype and a webcam you got two communication methods (sounds and visuals) covered. These guys are working on touch. So, now only if we can find some way to smell and taste from afar – hm, I think we are a few years away from that sort of technology.
Got other technology ideas that help you in your long distance relationship?
Relationship Ideas – Realizing simple things
Posted on 15. Jul, 2009 by lisa in Communication, General Relationship Advice, Other sites
Here are four great relationship ideas from Jen, who runs an inspiration blog. Her and her partner were separated for a couple of months, and that experience caused here to realize the following:
1. Stop relying on movies and media to formulate your idea of a great relationship. Romantic proposals and tears don’t mean a damn thing if they’re not delivered with a real, genuine connection with someone.
2. You can’t pour love from an empty pitcher. If you don’t fill yourself up with love and joy, you will not have anything genuine to share with anyone else, and you’re going to try to suck love and joy from other people. Romantic relationships are the most susceptible to this kind of thing. You may think your clingy-ness or deep need to be with your partner 24/7 is proof of love, but it’s not. Real love is the love that you give yourself, and your gift to your partner should be your own personal love, growth, and strength. If I’m full of love for myself, I’m full of love for him.
3. Relationships are the best place for personal growth. Interacting with other people is a great teacher for us. The pain our egos suffer when things don’t go our way in relationships, the hurt we feel when we don’t aren’t loved the way we want to be, the loss of control we experience when things go in a different direction than we planned: these are beautiful gifts meant to teach us important lessons. Take advantage of them. Learn what makes you feel crappy and why. Figure out how to improve yourself and your relationship. Think of every fight as a way to get to know yourself and your partner better.
4. Be grateful for your partner as often as you possibly can.
Creative Ideas
Posted on 12. Jul, 2009 by lisa in Creative/Fun Ideas
Here are few “picture” related creative ideas that long distance couples can do together:
- Postcards – One couple I know doing long distance will always be on the look out for funny/cute/interesting postcard which they send to each other, with a quick story of what they were doing when they found it. Neither tells that its coming, just a nice surprise when it does!
- Taking pictures – of day to day stuff that your partner wouldn’t necessarily get a chance to see. Your office chair, mundane things that are always there on your commute, favourite restaurant platter, and other things that have just become familiar to you – can also become familiar to your partner.
- Practice your art skills – Decide on something to paint/draw/sketch. It can be of a specific object, a place you both want to go, an emotion, anything! Then each of you can work on your own piece separately, sharing the artwork next time you see each other.
Do’s and Do Not’s in long distance relationships
Posted on 07. Jul, 2009 by lisa in Communication, Distance Factors, General Relationship Advice, Other sites
Admittedly, these are stolen from this great article about long distance relationships
#1 Do: The greatest difficulty in LDRs is being a part of each others daily lives. The big things usually get talked about, but the smaller ones (e.g. funny thing at the office today, updates from a friend, etc) can get lost. After a week they aren’t important – but on a day to day basis these are the things that create a sense of interrelatedness. These small things are what makes you each feel that you are part of each others lives so, do share them with each other often.
Also:
- Do trust your partner unconditionally, don’t be suspicious
- Do get all mushy and romantic
- Do have a common hobby/passion (e.g. investing in stock market and making money out of money)
- Do plan for the times together. Spend a day or two exclusively with each other when you both are in same town. The articles authoer used to go on a 2-3 day short vacation everytime her spouse returned back home (once in every 4-6 months).
#1 Do Not: Not maintaining a life of your own is the biggest mistake people make in long distance relationship. Yes it is important to have interrelatedness, but stopping the rest of your life in order to do it is not helping anyone. Do not drop your friends, family and activities that you enjoy.
Also,
- Do not sweat the small stuff. Learn to let go. No matter how frustrated you are, remember that this too shall pass away; this is not how it is going to stay forever
- Do not forget to have fun together
Our Anniversary!
Posted on 06. Jul, 2009 by lisa in coupledtogether
Its the 6th month anniversary of the blog today!
I would like to thank everyone who has stopped by to read anything written at coupledtogether. I’ve gotten a few emails from people telling me their story or asking for advice – and I want more Have questions? Have suggestions on what you want to read about? Let me know – lisa@coupledtogether.com.
Thanks for reading. I really really really appreciate it.
