Dear Advice Diva:

My new roommate and I live in very close quarters with a tiny bathroom. In the morning while he is in the shower, I can hear him blowing his nose repeatedly and it totally grosses me out.

I don't think he knows I can hear him; he probably thinks the water drowns it out. How can I ask him to stop without telling him he disgusts me?

— Sick of "Snotty" Roommate

Dear Sick:

Better he blow his nose in the shower than at the breakfast table. Here's the real gross-out: If he's blowing his nose in the shower, he's probably not using tissue, which means his snot may be landing somewhere in your tiny shower. Eww! We would spray everything with a disinfectant before entering.

And to your question about how to tell him: Just say it, withholding the gross-out part, but don't count on him to change. Our advice: Turn up the tunes and look for a female roomie.

DIVA'S MAILBAG

Dear Advice Diva:

This is in response to the letter about the girl with a lot of body hair, and her friend wanted to say something to her about it. As a person with a lot of body hair, I get very irritated when someone says, "You're hairy." I want to tell them, "I know that already!" Or usually, I say, "Wow, I didn't know that!"

Do those people think I never looked in the mirror before? Some said I should shave. Once in a while, I'd shave my body hair but it's too time-consuming. If I could afford laser treatments, I would've done it a long time ago.

When someone keeps pointing out that I have a lot of body hair, all it does is make me too self-conscious to take my shirt off in public. I'm not asking for advice here. I just want to tell that letter writer that you don't have to tell someone that he/she has a lot of body hair. That person already knows it and has probably been insecure about it for years, so shut up and leave that person alone.

— Tired of Hair, Honolulu

Dear Tired of Hair:

Despite the trend of metrosexuals dehairing their bodies to the point they look like little girls, hairy-chested men are still the ultimate in time-honored, testosterone-fueled sex-symbol status. So don't knock yourself — be proud of your body and when people remark that you are hairy, reply with, "Why, thank you very much!"

Perception precedes reality, my friend.

The Advice Diva welcomes your questions — particularly the more amusing ones. Write her at advicediva@MiamiHerald.com.