DR. WALLACE: I've been dating this guy at my college for the past eight months, and over the summer we literally got into three scuffles while being out socially in the evenings.

For whatever reason, he usually has this "smug smile" on his face, and he has a habit of staring at people and holding his gaze on them for far too long. Every now and then, the combination of his smug smile coupled with his glaring gaze will set someone off. It's usually some guy who will notice this, then walk up and make a snide comment back to him about this staring.

One thing leads to another, some pushing or shoving ensues, but fortunately each time it happened this summer was in a public place like a restaurant, so it was brought to a halt very quickly by other people. What is up with this? Why do you think he does this? I ask him sometimes why he gets this unusual smile on his face and then starts staring, and all he says back to me is, "Some people are really weird." I don't get it. Do you have any idea what he's talking about or why this continues happening? — His Stares Lead to Scuffles, via email

HIS STARES LEAD TO SCUFFLES: You've asked him directly about this, and he gave you an evasive nonanswer. The fact that you have witnessed this exact same experience three times tells you that it was not a one-off thing or a mistake.

For whatever reason, and you may never know, he is intentionally carrying out this behavior. Yes, you may have invested eight months of your life dating this guy, but do you really want to invest more of your future time knowing that this is his consistent mode of operation?

Imagine that this happened on the very first two dates that you went out with him. Wouldn't you have likely cut things off at that point? The fact that he waited until you were dating steadily before he revealed this behavior is telling, in my opinion.

My advice is to start thinking seriously about moving on from this relationship rather than trying to figure out a guy who intentionally and repeatedly does this while out in public society.

MY GIRLFRIEND WANTS THINGS TO BE MORE INTERERESTING FOR US

DR. WALLACE: My girlfriend recently told me that I need to "make things a little more interesting." I was really surprised to hear this, and so I asked her exactly what she meant.

She said she was referring to the fact that our social life revolves around only doing the same things at the same places with the same people and going to the exact same three restaurants all the time. She even scolded me for ordering the same entrees at these restaurants each time!

I come from a family that's very set in their ways, and it's quite natural for all my family members to find a comfortable routine, then ride that groove forward indefinitely. You could say that we are from the school of "If it ain't broke, don't fix it."

I understand what she's saying to me, but I'm hardly the right person to become "Magellan the Explorer" overnight for her. How in the world am I going to come up with ideas beyond what I already know? — "Interesting" Is Her New Buzzword, via email

"INTERESTING" IS HER BUZZWORD: You could ask her where she wants to go, but that would defeat her purpose. She could easily provide you a handful of suggestions that would please her, I'm sure. But what she's driving at here is for you to come up with, on your own, more interesting places to go, things to see and do.

So roll up your sleeves and get started! A good place to begin with is to contact your closest friends and ask them for suggestions. Ask them what restaurants they like, what day trips they've enjoyed, what sightseeing they found interesting or even fascinating. There may be hiking trails, unique shopping stores, museums, art galleries or even music events the two of you may enjoy attending.

Expand your horizons and think about things in the back of your mind that you've often thought about wanting to try someday, and make the present be that timeframe. If you truly put some effort into this, you'll come up with a handful of really good ideas. You might even invite her out a time or two without telling her where you're going in advance. Simply mention that it'll be a surprise and that you hope she enjoys it. Some she may enjoy more than others, but there's no doubt in my mind she will absolutely appreciate the effort you put forth.

Dr. Robert Wallace welcomes questions from readers. Although he is unable to reply to all of them individually, he will answer as many as possible in this column. Email him at rwallace@thegreatestgift.com. To find out more about Dr. Robert Wallace and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.

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