I don't know about you, but when I screw up, people let me know. It's made me a bit self-conscious. If it's not one of the boys, or my Mama, you know it's the ol' lady.

When you're at work, and you screw up, you usually don't care too terribly much because of the personal detachment. Aside from the fleeting anxiety over the threat of getting fired, fallouts at work are usually easy to forget about or get beyond. If your boss gets on your case about something trivial, fuck him. Your work speaks for itself. Co-worker getting dramatic and throwing a tantrum? Who cares? They're nobody to you.

On the other hand, violate boundaries with someone you care about, or who cares about you, and apologizing becomes a catalyst for quashing troubles. Think back to when you were in grade school; how sheepish you felt when you crossed your parents to the point of needing an apology, before life returned to its rudimentary pace.

Standing before your parents and working up the nerve to say those two simple words felt like being on trial for your life. Especially when you got older, when dollars and the family name were at stake. It was easier to face the judge than your father when you got picked up by the cops for underage drinking. Smashing the car didn't really sit too well with your folks, and we all would have rather paid for it with our spring break money than have mom and dad find out.

Getting into a spat with one of your friends can be a real pain in the ass if it gets personal, and it sucks to have to break out the game face and show your teeth to one of your cronies -- nobody likes to see friends fighting. Especially when it's within a clique or circle of friends, and it makes social events and outings uncomfortable. And between men, no one wants to be the bigger man. Of course, everyone wants a resolution, but no one wants to take the first step. Swallowing pride comes second only to swallowing hemlock on the "Top 7" list of worst things to swallow.

Now that you're older, you've probably realized that the most serious arguments are with dating partners. Phrases such as "sleeping in the doghouse" indicate that not only do tiffs between you and the "missuz" suck, but that they last for extended lengths of time. And if you are spending nights on the couch (or indeed with the canine), you're obviously not getting any. This in itself is a huge cause of frustration, as I'm sure you don't need me to point out. Unless you're this guy.

You've got enough to worry about (for example, looking good) without being upset about getting your girl's panties in a bunch (and I don't mean that in a sexual way, pervs). You want to stay out of the dirt for as long as you can, and when you do get your boots muddy, you want a quick and easy way out.

Well, wake up, junior! Haven't you seen Rocky IV? "There IS no easy way out!" As with everything, patience will have to become your bedfellow, and you will have to be tactful to redeem your place in the bedroom, as receiver of favors and spoils -- and by those I mean turkey sandwiches with lots of mayonnaise -- well-deserved after an, ahem, long, hard night of, um, work.

With your parents, you can bring it up with food in your mouth, or late at night drunk while your dad's watching the game and your mother's reading. Do some chores to make it up, and it's like a regular episode of The Sopranos again. Healing most fraternal rifts usually involves beer, wrestling, and really, really mean jokes, usually aimed at a third-party. But you know that already. Unless you're this guy.

The real trick is patching things up with your little lady. Sometimes, this can take more than you think, especially when you don't speak the same language. Unless she reads romance novels, is in her first relationship, actually likes getting a box of chocolates, and dresses up like a damsel in distress most of the time, the standard bouquet of "I'm sorry" flowers isn't going to cut it. It is far too clichéd (from her point of view - and I know her point of view 'cause I'm sleeping with her).

Men. We don't like to say we're sorry. It makes us look weak. In addition, it often implies we have done something wrong, or screwed something up. And we hate to admit we've screwed up. We are stubborn ("no, we're not!") and need to be right 110.11% of the time for our egos (read: our penises) to function properly. Admitting our errors translates to a submission of sorts, and since it's all a contest to us, and we have to be the winners, apologizing doesn't fit into our world view, or "g-code," if you will.