 America has been riveted to the bizarre Valentine month story about a female astronaut being accused of starring in what might be titled, "Fatal Attraction: The Sequel".
It seems the lovely Lisa Nowak, a test pilot, an astronaut and a suburban mom, is accused in Florida of attempted murder of someone she considered a rival for the affections of a fellow space traveler.
It couldn't get any stickier. The late night comedians are having a field day. It is Far Side comic strip meets Hallmark Valentine card.
This brings us to one of the dicier subjects having to do with the workplace, the office romance. What are the rules, both official and unofficial, both written and unwritten?
It seems this is a subject where most everyone knows what is right, but what is right is often not that relevant in something so commonplace, the tossing together of emotions and hormones in the office cubicle.
As for me, I am the unofficial poster child for office relationships - a serial transgressor. While it has caused some complications, they have to date been surmountable. The problem arises when such a relationship leads to favoritism, unwarranted pay raises and promotions.
Most all my relationships dating back 40 years have begun in the workplace. My first ex-wife was a reporter and I the editor of the university newspaper. My second ex was the PR director in the company I own with a partner. My current relationship, going on a year and a half, is with a work colleague.
The good thing for folks like me is that the stigma of the office relationship seems to be fading, though most people continue to believe that the boss dating a subordinate is wrong.
In a fairly recent survey by the American Management Association of 390 managers and executives, 30 per cent said they had dated a co-worker and two-thirds said they approved of employees dating in the workplace. Twenty-four per cent felt it was okay for employees to date their bosses.
This survey and others point to the inevitability factor. In other words, the office is a test tube filled with like-minded people that spend at least 40 hours a week together and share similar acquaintances, experiences and frustrations.
In the United States, many larger companies have specific prohibitions dealing with office relationships, particularly where a superior and a subordinate are involved. These policies are enforced abroad as well.
Under civil law in the United States, a company can have such laws without violating the rights of individuals so long as the company policy is applied consistently among men and women and at all levels.
A career website called Vault last year conducted what it called a "Romance Survey", polling 693 employees from all walks of life across the United States. It found that 21 per cent of those surveyed worked for companies with an office romance policy.
The most prevalent was a policy stating that employees cannot date a direct subordinate or superior. However, 15 per cent admitted dating a boss, while 20.5 per cent dated a subordinate.
Then, there is Ukraine. Though to my knowledge there is no empirical data available, observation suggests that there are many expats who date subordinates, and often this leads to long-standing relationships, even marriage. In such cases, the expat is not necessarily a guy.
For the record, most experts say office relationships can be disastrous. They can lead to awkward situations, financial loss, work disruptions, and even charges of sexual harassment during a breakup.
However, I personally think it is virtually impossible to write company regulations prohibiting office relationships. It would sort of be like outlawing rain on weekends. It's not going to be effective.
Take Ms Nowak, the astronaut accused of attempted murder.
She was a "Right Stuff" lady. She was a super mom. In a collection of Type "A" personalities, she was "A-plus". Whether suffering from the middle age crazies or the lovesick blues, she wigged out.
If it can happen to this highly trained astronaut, the rest of us don't stand a chance when it comes to palaver with the opposite sex around the office water cooler.
Ask me, I know.
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