I've seen this appellation in the microcosm of the legal market-- the response is always that firms are expecting MUCH higher hours (400-600 more billables) and making fewer partners. So loyalty is right out.

everyone I know is coupled up, as are most people they know!

Other than my roommates, pretty much everybody else I know is already coupled, too. Mostly, with at least one child already.

Most of my blind dates lately are friends-of-friends-of-friends. The most recent one, to take place, in fact, this evening, is a result of a conversation with a past-blind-date of mine with a friend of his. They were literally comparing names of girls they went out with, and when my past-blind-date's friend didn't recognize my name, he got my phone number.

amych! Belated congratulations on the marriage! Very happy for you and Mr amych.

JZ! More birthday wishes now that you're here to actually receive them!

They were literally comparing names of girls they went out with, and when my past-blind-date's friend didn't recognize my name, he got my phone number.

Nice. Go team networking!

Although, that reminds me of the people I thought I might set up, only to find out that they had met already, due to eating lunch at the same place. Whoops.

aww, thank you, Nilly! (and, once again, to all of you. I think I said it already, but the congrats just kept rolling in...)

I asked my best friend to set me up with any of his friends, and his choice was a standup that's not very good (absolutely no can do, since I have this comedy honesty thing) who closely resembles someone I dislike. His other suggestion was Dan Cortese, so he can't play anymore.

I have a really big conviction that all the men I might be interested in are taken, which makes any action on my part hesitant (of course there's a woman in his life somewhere -- she just hasn't come up in conversation yet)

I was just wondering how I'd go about dating if I suddenly found myself single

I'm wondering that m'self, and I've been single for 37 years now. I suppose the first 14 don't count.

Man, I wish my friends would set me up on blind dates.

I had a friend try to do this. I was utterly clueless and the guy was hung up on an ex, so it never worked out, but we did become friends. Then she fell head over heels for the guy herself. Then he became my (all too) platonic roommate and she became totally jealous. It was a whole soap opera, except with less sex. And no evil twins.

IoN, does anyone know when the Shrub's tv address will be tomorrow? I understand it'll be sometime in prime time, and I'm worried it'll pre-empt House.

The tv address should be about 30 seconds. All he can say is, "Freedom is on the march. Stay the course."

If I were to become suddenly single--excluding any consideration as to why that might happen--I think I'd take a few years to sit back with my books and cats and DVDs and enjoy the quiet. I'd also probably be sleeping with a sword in the bed, but, hey.

Although, that reminds me of the people I thought I might set up, only to find out that they had met already, due to eating lunch at the same place. Whoops.

Yeah, he called my apartment after not speaking to me for, oh, 9 months or so, and the first few seconds were awkward, because he asked me if I were seeing anyone, and when I said that I didn't, he didn't want to say "oh, good! So I didn't call in vain", because it's not the most polite thing in the world, to be happy about somebody not seeing anybody, but he was relieved. He ended up only saying the "not in vain" part of the "oh, good!", and it was all well.

Of course, these sort of friends-of-friends things are exactly what leads to having a second blind-date with the same person (when it happened to me, to my credit, I recognized it was the same person before I got to talk to him. A friend, however, was actually an hour into a blind date before either she or her date realized that they've met before).

amych, am I wrong in remembering that you were planning a wedding party? Did you just separate the ceremony from the party, or is my sieve playing its usual tricks on me?

I have a really big conviction that all the men I might be interested in are taken

Do you have any idea why? Or is that a too-nosy question (and sorry if it is)?

The tv address should be about 30 seconds.

Yeah, but then there'll be 55 minutes of analysis and rebuttle. And since I just fell for House about two weeks ago I'm in that giddy gotta-have-it stage with my new fandom.