Firstly, well written, Jack. I can relate to much of what you have written. For example, last June I went out with a man that I thought was just okay. I would have been willing to go out with him a second time, but I wasn’t overly excited. So, we didn’t have our second date until last Friday because (I’m sure) he felt the “not so interested” vibe and didn’t bother asking again. But the second date was a complete 180. I always knew he was cute but I had no idea how intelligent and funny he is. We’ll have a third date this weekend.

When I think about why I didn’t understand how great he is on the first date, I have to blame myself. I think that I was assuming he wouldn’t be worth the time because I’d recently (then) had a string of bad dates. That, of course, makes me wonder how many of those bad dates were bad because I anticipated that they would be.

But to defend Krisser (not that she asked), I haven’t really gotten the feeling that she doesn’t think there are worthy men left. After all, she is 35 (right?) and single and she knows that there is nothing wrong with her that would have resulted in that status.

I think that she may just be frustrated, as many of us are, at thinking we might have found “him” and then having to try to find “him” again after the first (or second or third) “him” didn’t work out, with the knowledge that we might get hurt…again.

But she also knows that the romantic kind of pain isn’t permanent and can be eased with a glass of wine and a trip to Target.

In any case, I love this letter and need the daily reminder.

(Also, very nicely done with the stacks. My then-manfriend didn’t have quite the same sense of adventure.)

And I like that Monkey used a logically structured syllogism in an email to you. Oh, my sides still ache.

And yeah, why aren’t you two married? Did Atlas Shrug after The Fountainhead?

happy new year!! =)

THAT BEING SAID, I do agree with the principle that the older you get, the more prevalent “crazies” are to the single pool — singles of odd proportions and strange habits that make them unfit for consumption. The problem is sorting these chaff from the wheat.

Unfortunately, single life is not geared to the 30+ crowd, even though it’s probably just as applicable. Hanging out at bars and nightclubs becomes purile at best (and the crazies are thick as flies) and there aren’t any mass-single arenas such as college available to people of that age. Work, even if it is populated with singles, either aren’t the type you want or are off limits because banging a coworker one day and opposing them on the budget the next was never fashionable.

So…good points, Jack. Amen to getting rid of the despair and darkness of the older single crowd. But the task is definitely harder than it was.

Well said, well said. (I agree with John, why aren’t you two already married?)