Last Girl Standing - January 2007

01/29/07

Super Sunday

I received a mass text message the other day that read: "Do you know what COLTS stands for? Count on Losing the Superbowl." (I'm willing to forgive the sender's misspelling of Super Bowl since COLTSB just doesn't have the same ring.)I think it's safe to say every red-blooded Chicagoan has the Bears on the brain this week (including the staff of Chicago magazine; check out the web exclusive "Now and Then," in which staffers recount where they were when the Bears clinched this Super Bowl and when the team was last Super Bowl-bound). Even if you claim to watch the game only for the commercials (ladies), you'll need to do it somewhere with unobstructed sightlines. And if, like me, you're staying in Chicago-call me crazy, but I'd rather watch the Bears in Chicago than Miami-don't count on...

Posted at 08:01 PM in Nightlife | Permalink | Comments (9)

01/25/07

From One Bachelorette to Another

She's baaaaack-and this time, she's not appearing on a reality show. Jen Schefft, now 30 and Chicago's most recognizable bachelorette, can add author to her r‚sum‚. Her first book, Better Single Than Sorry (William Morrow, $15), came out this past Tuesday. Since I'm living the better-single-than-sorry life myself, I decided to dig in-and what I found was a candid, straightforward, well researched piece of self-help literature. Based on interviews with 100 or so women-married, single, and in-between-the book presents a refreshing perspective on the questions plenty of single women ask themselves: Do I need to settle in order to settle down? How will I know whether he's "the one"? (Trust me, we ask ourselves these questions-often.)I've known Schefft since her Bachelor days in 2003,...

Posted at 01:05 PM in Relationships | Permalink | Comments (14)

01/22/07

Party Politics

Given the social set I usually write about, this may surprise some readers, but I've been hobnobbing with politicians my entire life. My dad was a state representative for 14 years (he's now a circuit court judge), and his work took me to places like the governor's mansion in Springfield, where we attended Passover Seders in the 1980s hosted by Governor Thompson. One year I even found the afikomen and was awarded 18 silver dollars! My brother found it the prior year and received a $10 bill signed by the governor himself. I spent most of my preteen years stuffing envelopes, knocking on doors, and wearing T-shirts and toting signs emblazoned with "People for Preston." I sort of miss the fundraisers and block parties-the chance to rub elbows with those who really make our city tick.So, in...

Posted at 07:01 PM in Nightlife | Permalink | Comments (22)

01/18/07

The Superior Sex

The New York Times reported this interesting fact the other day: 51 percent of American women are now living without a spouse. That's up from 35 percent in 1950 and 49 percent in 2000, according to the Times' recent analysis of 2005 census results. My initial reaction when I read the article was, Woo hoo! We won!Why does this make me want to squeal with joy? Maybe because I no longer feel like I'm in the minority. The proportion of married people my age, especially, has dropped significantly. According to the article, "Among 25- to 34-year-olds, the proportion dropped to 58 percent, from 82 percent." Score! If you think about it, though, is it really all that surprising, considering almost half of all marriages today end in divorce? What this really tells me is that I'm doing something...

Posted at 07:51 PM in Relationships | Permalink | Comments (4)

01/15/07

A Little Friendly Advice

When I last blogged, I had modern technology on the brain. Thanks to those who shared their opinions, including this practical poster: "I believe that texting is a proper form of communication when being used to convey short messages that are of little importance or simply casual conversation." Another reader agreed: "The best is an in-person meeting, of course, (and I don't care who it is-but I'll walk out on anyone who spends excessive time on the cell phone when they're supposed to be with me)." Point taken! Add to that input from friends and family, and I've decided not to be so heavy-handed with texting, especially when I'm with others. It's not like the text-message approach to dating is particularly conducive to a successful relationship, anyway.You'd think I would have learned...

Posted at 02:46 PM in Relationships | Permalink | Comments (7)

01/11/07

My So-Called E-Life

I don't have TiVo. My DVD player doesn't work. I don't even subscribe to HBO. But I have unlimited text messaging on my nifty, new T-Mobile Dash smartphone, which is Windows-based and has built-in WiFi, should I need even faster Internet service when I'm on-the-go (which, often, I am). Although I'm challenged in some areas of modern technology, when it comes to communication devices, I'm totally addicted. (I've owned a Treo and two Sidekicks in less than two years.)My life has become so dependent on these communication devices that a malfunction would leave me more frustrated than a single guy who's hard up. Which is exactly what happened a couple of days ago when my laptop decided to freeze up-my shiny, new, 15-inch MacBook Pro that's less than six months old. As I waited at the...

Posted at 03:00 PM in Relationships | Permalink | Comments (10)

01/08/07

Late Nights and The Apprentice 6

If I've learned one thing from writing this blog, it's that you need to be thick-skinned-and thank God I am, because people will say almost anything in an open forum if they can remain "anonymous." Try spilling the details of your personal life with your name and face attached! In spite of a few nay-sayers, comments have been mostly positive; some have even inspired me. I was especially encouraged by the woman who wrote that she's "in the best exclusive relationship of my adult life with the most loving, tender, and sexy man." Wow. I'm intrigued! Since I've never been one to follow "the rules," I've decided to just go with the flow about where and when and how to meet and date men (like my brother originally suggested). Whatever happens, happens. Most of...

Posted at 05:14 PM in Relationships | Permalink | Comments (6)

01/04/07

Casual Sex

Since I last blogged, I've been pretty much partying non-stop. 'Tis the season! To recap: Christmas Eve is a big night out for us Jews. This year I skipped the Retro Eve party at Enclave and headed instead to Rockit Bar and Grill's slightly smaller Rockmitzvah, where my friend had a table waiting. I haven't gone the online-dating route yet myself, but the frequency of the following vignette during our night out didn't encourage me to do so: Girl enters bar. Guy stops her and, in front of his drunk friends, says, "Hey, why didn't you ever call me back after we went out that time?" Girl gets flustered and hides in the corner of the bar the rest of the night. Sound familiar, J-Daters?Traveling in groups makes it difficult to meet guys, but my girlfriends and I were having so much fun that...

Posted at 01:33 PM in Relationships | Permalink | Comments (19)

January 2007