Ask James: ‘What Do I Do When A Guy Cancels A Date Claiming His Dog Is Sick?’

What does one do when a guy cancels a date claiming his dog is sick? Should I give him another chance or is this a dog’s dinner? Should I put the date on paws? Or am I barking mad to give him another chance? Anon, Cork

This, to me, shows he has a gorge dog and cares for other peoples (dogs are the same as people, let’s be real). A good sign TBH! I’d do a quick Insta search and make sure he has a dog. If he does, then give him a second chance for sure. But if he cancels AGAIN, release the hounds.

My boyfriend looks like Paul Mescal but doesn’t play GAA or wear jewellery. How do I get him to wear a chain and a kit? I need the Mescal fantasy, even once. Robin, Dublin

OK, I’m shaking with jealousy that you have a Paul Mescal twin as a boyf. So jealous in fact that I don’t even want to reply. But I don’t wanna get fired, so… Step one: Seed sowing. Let him catch you looking at pics of Paul in his GAA kit and gush about how good he looks. Step two: Buy a GAA kit (and chain) and leave it out one evening. Light some candles, set the mood (maybe the Normal People Spotify playlist?), get into some sexy lady lingerie and encourage him to get into his man lingerie. Let’s be honest, the lads’ equivalent of Victoria’s Secret is Snickers workwear, grey sweatpants and GAA shorts. Have fun!

Everyone seems to be on the Rosé train except me. What would you recommend? Caoimhe, Dublin

ALL ABOARD, CAOIMHE, ALL ABOARD. I’m presuming you’ve not had rosé wine before, which is BANANAS, but we don’t judge around here, As a rule of thumb, I always look for the palest rosé; you want a faint pink or peachy blush, You don’t want Ribena-looking rosé, IMO. Brand-wise, I love La Fage and Whispering Angel. Ugh, my mouth is watering even typing this. To serve, you want it BALTIC; last it in the freezer for 30 minutes before serving. No ice. Who the hell wants watery wine? My top tip would be to not drink a magnum of rosé in one sitting by yourself – I may have done this during a Zoom quiz (RIP Zoom quizzes).

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