I didn?t write this?I just read it on the internet?so it must be TRUE then, huh? Hahaha.

Most men have been there. Many won?t admit they?ve been there: involved with a high-maintenance date or girlfriend. You can run from a high-maintenance woman and you can hide, but your best chance of going unharmed is to avoid her all together.

?Once I get a whiff of one, I steer clear,? says Brian, 40, an advertising manager in Omaha. Ross, 43, a consultant in San Francisco, found that he hasn?t attracted one in recent years. ?I really don't date high-maintenance chicks as a rule.?

To avoid them, you?ve got to know how to spot them. Consider these tips on spotting the classic high-maintenance woman:

High H.B.A. factor. Rookie observers, remember the H.B.A. acronym (which stands for ?Health, Beauty & Accessories?). As in, obsessed with H.B.A. Scan the latest trendy store, restaurant or bar and you?ll spot high-maintenance women easily in their natural habitat. Ground zero for the high-maintenance species are beauty salons, malls and occasionally, the health club. (Yes, female gym rats can be high maintenance, although scientists say it?s a rare occurrence.) Is she dressed to the nines at the grocery store? Is she sporting full-tilt makeup and big hair at the health club when other women are in sweats and no makeup? Look closer and you?ll find what constitutes high-maintenance is as varied as her patchwork quilt or designer bag, her intricately painted toenails or her voracious appetite for beauty treatments.

Emotional insecurity. High maintenance women can be as insecure as a lost toddler. They can freak out if you even so much as give an extended glance at another woman, among other indicators of emotional neediness. Her neediness often requires her to control and direct your behavior.

Controlling. Is she always instructing you to call her or sets rules around things? (Example: ?Call me at work tomorrow at 2 p.m.?) Worse yet, she might express anger or manipulate you to get you to do what she wants. A range of ploys such as her demands to call frequently, fix-it items, and transportation needs (?Can you pick me up??) are all ways to keep you on a short leash or otherwise attempt to control your behavior.

Communications. Guys, if she talks like this, run: ?Like, oh my God, I was on the way to the mall and?? (At your own risk, remind her that ?Valleyspeak? went out in the 1990s with Frank Zappa.) Pay attention to what she talks about for it?s the critical indicator of what might ? or might not be ? going on in her brain. Is it all about her, shopping and her friends? Chances are you have a high-maintenance girl on your hands. I say ?girl? because rarely are mature women really that high maintenance. If they are, they may be limited to the divorcée set, who brandish fake dark tans, fake body parts, overprocessed hair and enough bling-bling to make you squint.

And, if you still have doubts, consider these stories:

Look in the mirror. Make absolutely certain that you?re not the one crying foul. Could you be high maintenance yourself? Consider the case of Michelle, now 42, who a decade ago broke up with a serious boyfriend, Jeremy. They had dated a year and a half and Michelle graciously declined his proposal for marriage and broke it off. ?He accused me of being a materialistic you-know-what. Guess he was pretty raw, even after I told him not to buy an engagement ring.? Michelle was never high maintenance. She drives an older car that?s paid off, makes her own coffee every morning and has owned the same home for many years.

The picnic test. If you have doubts about her high-maintenance level, put it to the test. See how she handles an impromptu picnic. Suggest casual food from the deli, a cookout, or wine, bread and cheese. Then, gauge her reactions carefully. Dirk, a Minneapolis marketing manager, didn?t discover he was dating a high-maintenance woman until it was too late. When he was in his early thirties, he dated twentysomething Jodi for a couple of years. ?On our way to a picnic, we had to stop so she could buy a new outfit, out of my pocket of course, because the one she took an hour to pick out on her own wasn?t good enough for the picnic.?

That was the first ?picnic incident.? The second one was even sadder. The couple had spontaneously decided to go on a picnic, so they stopped by a deli at a grocery store near a nice lake area. ?When the clerk weighed each of our salads, hers weighed more. She stormed out saying that I made her look like a pig because I wasn?t eating as much as she was. Kinda nuts, huh??

?So, are you a HIGH-MAINTENANCE girl? :-)

I don't think I am.......a girl I mean!!!

no

and i'll never date them either

Hmmm..Maintenance...is like on Car...oil change...no I use baby Oil to keep skin soft it smell good and cheap. If someone not afford that he the otherway around....a CHEAP SKATE!

Beside I do my own...MAINTENANCE!

(Do it you self it done right...first time...lol)

High maintenance is hitting gaming

HK firm develops cyber girlfriend

By Jannat Jalil

BBC News

For men without a partner, help may be at hand - in the form of a virtual girlfriend.

The Hong Kong company Artificial Life, which developed the new game, says the girl will appear as an animated figure on the video screen of a mobile phone.

But there is a downside to the virtual girlfriend - she will require more flowers and gifts than many real women.

Artificial Life is hoping to launch the new game later this year, on the latest 3-G mobile phones.

All virtual girls will look the same - but each girl will behave differently - depending on how much money is spent on her.

On top of a general subscription, men will be charged a fee to buy flowers and gifts for the virtual girlfriend.

In return, she will introduce them to different aspects of her life, like letting them meet her female friends - also electronic images.

Cash counts

If players neglect her, she will refuse to speak.

The company says the amount of money players will have to spend has yet to be determined.

But unlike other computer games, it seems that cash, not skill, will enable players to climb the different levels in the game.

The virtual girlfriend is slim and dark-haired, like the Lara Croft character in the game Tomb Raider, which won a huge male following.

The company has plans to introduce a virtual boyfriend for women, although it remains to be seen how it will persuade them to spend extra money on the game.

But it may be encouraged by the success of a Japanese company that recently created a Boyfriend Arm Pillow - for women who miss being hugged by a man at night.

The product is reportedly a big hit with the ladies

I can be both, depends how long i wanna keep the guy

LOL

S1Lv- it seems you hit on something of interest to the ladies. For Thai Tfer's this term has been in use for about 15-20 years. Here is my speil: Thing about this topic is- this is the make a break for most guys (not all as some will do anything to keep a babe). Usually, we peg if a lady is HM or not within the first 7-10 minutes of conversation. Really it's that quick, at least when your older. Maybe when were younger we just don't know any better and therefore put up with some pretty stupid childish and wacko crap but later the fog disipates. Also- There are many opportunites to turn this peg or ID around as most of us are dogs but in the end- if a lady is HM- we through them back into the pond. It does't matter if the lady is hot or not. No one needs HM- lifes to short. They make funny friends though. Kitty- sweetie- I don't think you are HM but than again I've never seen you on trip. Trips are excellent HM exposers.

I haven't had I HM GF in about 12 years- (I graduated to low tolerance, LM and High quality after college.) Before I was with teh Mrs. the last 3-4 gf were not HM but they were a bummer. They were in order- argumentative, mentally unstable, stalker (everyone should have one of those once) and the strangely "not activity oriented"- just wanted to stay in Bkk all the time. Oh, yea and then there was the one that realized she was gay. Now that was funny! She's still my friends to this day. Just wich I could have been involved in the activity when she realized this! Darn!

Ris baby! HEY HEY HEY! Admitting that you are HM is half the battle! Good on ya girl. lol Only 50% of the way to go to achieve Low Maintenance. As mentioned in another journal comment section- you may be able to obtain this nirvana by 30. Yes, I know that means 5 more years for you, but you seem to be torn between the fun times of the "the Player" and the desire for love as a verb. They are tough to reconcile. love ya baby! :-P

2U that's nice. My only question is who is this girl you speak of? hehehe

2U- that is not room is it? With the flowery headboard? Tell me it is not.