My boyfriend of 18 months moved in 6 months ago. I own my house, which is an income property, and have always relied on the rental income from my tenant and roommate.    
      I charge my boyfriend the same rent that I charged previous roommates, which works out to cover half the bills, and I pay for the other half with income from my rental property.     
      My boyfriend thinks that this is unfair and that I'm taking advantage of him because he feels that he pays me and I live for free.
      I maintain that unless he wants to buy into half the mortgage and take on the liability, this arrangement is fair. This is a major issue of contention. Am I being unfair?
      - My House

You may be a fair landlord, but in the role of girlfriend you’re not wise. A live-in lover deserves a different deal than a “roommate,” when you’re the homeowner. This should’ve been worked out with mutual agreement beforehand, so it wouldn’t become a divisive issue.     
      Your response about his buying half the mortgage is good business … but not realistic in this case since he moved in after only one year dating -  too early for a major financial commitment, and, apparently, too early for the kind of emotional commitment that’s needed to handle rent versus sharing.    
      Go to the heart of the matter – are you partners for the long-term, or not? If Yes, can he contribute to your property income (e.g. repairs, maintenance, out-door work) without paying rent? Or, if you both have an outside job, consider that both pay equally for your shared space from those incomes.     
      If you’re unhappy with these possible solutions, you two may just not be ready for sharing your lives, let alone living space.

I’ve learned that knowing about a friend's affair can not only end up risking the friendship, it can also create problems in your own relationship with your life partner.      
      Three of my longtime friends are having or have had affairs while married. One was having an affair with her co-worker and it created doubts in me whenever my own partner was staying late at the office or checking his Blackberry during the weekends.       
      I became more suspicious of him - unfounded - and he wanted to know what caused this change in me. Eventually, I told him in confidence what was going on with my friends.       
      As you mentioned in your article (October 15 column) I told my friends that I didn’t want to hear any more information about their on-going affairs. I knew I had to put up some boundaries. My friends respected my wishes initially but eventually I was kept out of other social functions; today, I realize it was a blessing.      
      One of the first signs that the friendship was at risk was when I started to empathize far more with the innocent wives than my own friends. I thought that if they could so easily deceive their spouses, it wouldn’t bother them to deceive me (a friend).      
      Honesty and integrity begins with ourselves first. Your ultimate betrayal is to yourself when you choose to live a lie.
      - Been There

Many thanks for your personal story, which highlights so effectively the damage done by the foolish, careless way some people talk about their extra-marital affairs. Some brag, others seek approval; only rarely do they truly want a close friend’s advice and follow it.    
      Your experience reveals the responsibility of the “listener” to be true themselves.

I’m gay and in love with a straight guy; I told him because I though he was okay with it, because we see each other constantly. I’ve discovered he deleted me on Facebook! I'm guessing, he’s mad?    
      My friends say to forget him, but it's hard. He’s always around, in my mind or in person. I thought he’s not the type to judge, but I proved myself wrong once again.
      - Sad

He’s not in love with you and doesn’t want to encourage you. That’s the main message and not judgment or anger … after all, he still sees you frequently, isn’t avoiding you, and presumably, you still can talk to him.     
      It’s highly likely that he didn’t want mention of a possible gay relationship between you two to appear on his social networking site. If you still want the friendship, don’t judge in reverse … in time, you can talk to him about this, as pals.