A Sketch October 27, 2007
Posted by charmingbutsingle in Life, Single Girl Cliches, Wheat Thins and Wine.trackback
You know how in movies when they want to demonstrate how sad and lonely the spinster woman is, they show her working late and then grabbing take out from the grocery store? And she stares wistfully at the couples buying wine for a romantic dinner before going home to an empty house with nothing but her bills and eating alone while she watches TV?
And half of the people in the theatre feel sorry for her because she’s alone and the other half thinks she’s pathetic for living such a dull life?
Sometimes, despite all evidence to the contrary, like my wonderful family and friends and youth and social life, I feel like that caricature of singledom.
Tonight it was sushi and “Deal or No Deal.”
Last night was pizza and some rock band idol thing.
Mine was cereal and “Grey’s Anatomy”… Compare that with two of my best friends, who just got married within a week of each other…
The thing is, from time to time we all have those nights. When my husband is away on business I eat frozen pizzas and watch bad TV on the computer.
I enjoyed a mile long run on the treadmill, had some KFC wedges and chicken strips, and curled up with my favorite quilt to read…ain’t nothing wrong with the Single Life as far as I can see.
Rather than worry about being the Spinster, enjoy the freedom. It’ll happen when it’s meant to happen.
For me it was M&M’s and the new episode of Scrubs.
I guess I don’t really mind doing the takeout and tv thing though… I always look at the frazzled mother of 3 screaming kids in the grocery store who looks like she’s about to lose it and still has to go home and cook dinner and think to myself how lucky I am to be going home to enjoy my dinner, tv and wine in peace!
I have a cat, so sometimes I feel like I’m just a few short steps away from being “Crazy Cat Lady.”
I didn’t watch TV Thursday. I had a big Phonology exam. Otherwise, it would have been “The Office.”
I’m with Rachelle-the grass is always greener. At some point you will look back with nostalgia at your quiet evenings with take out. Buck up charming, the odds are in your favor.
ps. tonight it’s a book and a sandwich.
pps. Unless you meet some sort of international man of mystery–how could your married friend’s life be any more interesting than yours?
And somehow, your “dull life” always sounds interesting enough for ten people to comment on it and relate to it. Relish in the joy of a virtual ladies night that I bet some married women would be thrilled to join.
Sat. I was at 2 events. One which I planned and helped carry off, with 3 speakers I arranged, all well known officials coming from about an hour distant (if not slightly more). All arrived in time despite the 2 main speakers having major conflicts earlier in the day, and one almost missing his daughter’s forgotten dance recital. (Both mom & dad had forgotten that one). I had went ahead and scheduled a spare speaker just for such eventuality. I actually had 2 spares too. We got about 50-60 folks there. I had estimated 50 tops, but still did not run out of food. Good planning also ensured that we also did not run out of any deserts or drinks either. I was the MC for the event where somehow I managed to insult our one of our major donors for the day. She seemed to take it well though.
The invocation for our event was delivered by a new friend who was impressed with an impassioned letter to the editor I wrote the prior week in my small home town paper on the SCHIP matter wherein I called my rat bastard of a Congress-critter ‘benighted’ and it got heavier from there. It was about 680 words. Even the NYT’s famous Paul Krugman is only allowed 550 or so. The AJC would cut you off at 150-200, and refused to print most of mine. (I finally canceled the AJC after 25 years as a subscriber and picked up the FT, [FT.com], and feel more intelligent and better for it).
We collected a decent & middling amount of cash donations for our efforts on the day. The entertainment was widely praised, even if very traditional. Being a family friend I talked to one of them who told me he’s possibly going to a theological seminary in NC next year. We had at least 3 pastors at the event, all were non SBC, hence this gent’s thoughts that ‘I was not going to like where he was going’. We had a short discussion of the various merits of theological seminaries, and by turns were grateful that he did not want to go to Dallas. Still, he’s going to be doing Greek & Latin, so it’s a fairly traditional path, even if uncommon today. It’s attractive to him as they can pay most of his way for him to study. I leave him with the thought that if the question was open to the entire SBC membership ‘Which English dialect do you suspect Christ spoke? At least a plurality would answer forthrightly, ‘American’. His daughter picked up some of our musical door prizes, she seemed to enjoy them.
I told an ecumenical joke making the rounds about our drought that was well received. Everyone seemed to have a fun time, even our resident grouch who wanted a ‘piece’ of (argument with) one of our speakers. Happily I imagine, she needed to get going soon after speaking. I got my picture taken for the paper. (The last time they did that with one of our former Governor’s and they did not want to pint it. It looked too goofy). A successful and relatively painless event, that took all of 2 months of planning, but still exhausting.
The next event was another sort of Halloween fund raiser. My wife arrived back home to attend this rare early evening outing. Entry cost was more than double ours. The event was at a luncheon restaurant owned by one of their bigger supporters. There were no real deserts, just Halloween candy. I was hungry as I had barely gotten to eat much all day due to my duties at the first afternoon event. Strangely enough the menu was more limited than usual, but they did have more raffle items. We won one of those, but found most of rest to be reasonably unattractive. Happily we were outbid on several items that we thought only modestly attractive. Awards were given out for the best costumes. We wore none other than what we were wearing all day. I was again complimented by their director for my prior letter as she noted it in the paper. They played almost exclusively older 1970’s & 80’s dance & disco numbers. The sole bathroom kept on locking it’s self and one of the staff had to be on hand to jimmy open the lock with a spare skewer several times. The oldest folks there were in motorized wheel chairs. Her husband had just retired from teaching in Chicago at 80. She had donated 2 of the prizes. I told the young lad who won one that he was going to have to chaperoned by this cheerful old soul for his use of her property up in the mountains. After some more light drinks we went home by a little after 11.
It was a good day all around. And I was reminded again as a recovering academic that I’ve never felt I made more of an impact with my writing as I do now when writing short pieces for my local paper.There it’s actually being read & appreciated. But this is what passes for big excitement in our little southern town.
Cheers & Good Luck, ‘VJ’
some nights I crave for that stereotype of a night
But wouldn’t you agree that some of those nights are just what the doctor ordered? I crave those nights and usually need to have them every other day or so. I like spending time with just me.
Sometimes I’m a little jealous of That Girl and her freedom. Sure she works late, but then she gets to choose what to eat and when to eat it and what to do with the rest of her night, without anyone telling her what to do or making her feel guilty about it.
My sketch was pizza and re-runs of Friends.
Sometimes I’m okay with it.
Other times I’m not.
Just have to pick our battles.
My version of that is Moonlight and Numb3rs, with a dinner of popcorn with lime and chile (yes, I’m Mexican and that’s how we like it)
moonlight is an awesome show.
The past ten days for me were cereal or some derivation of nachos, followed by television with a cat on either side of me. And then bed at 9:30 or so.
It was actually kind of nice.
You are not a spinster! I admire you for your (mostly) optimistic attitude and for figuring out who you really are before taking the plunge, as they say. When you do get married, and you will if you truly want to, it will be just that, because you truly want to marry. And marry this guy. Not just someone you’ve dated for a long time and feel like you should. I am 27 too. I don’t think finding someone later in life is bad, in fact, I think it is almost better. You’re established in your outside life and within yourself. Own it. They’ll see it too and love you for it.
I only feel sorry for the filmmakers for having to resort to lame cliches. Now THAT is something to be depressed about!
Yup. I was camped on the couch this past Sunday and was watching “Bridget Jones’ Diary.” That opening scene with her narrating…identical, only I was having tea and cheesy poofs while watching her watching Frasier while drinking wine and eating a chunk of moldy cheese. It was uncanny.
ok, yes, that is the stereotype. (you left out the kitty cat, btw! because everyone knows, if you are a single American woman, you MUST own a cat!)
BUT….if you think about it, aren’t we ALL stereotypes? i mean, i don’t know anyone who doesn’t remind me of a character from a movie, a book or a tv show. we are ALL stereotypes.
don’t let it get ya down. there’s worse characters to play. besides, single girls get control of the remote. which is something paired up girls miss.
example: i have been forced to watch a large amount of Howard Stern television. Because listening to it in the car isn’t enough for CN.
feel better?