We have the right...

Hank Sartin's Singles Bill of Rights published in the Feb 9-15 issue of Time Out Chicago declares the right of the unattached to a safe, happy place to dance solo...price-off or other deals that don't require a tag-along...a good table for one...more. 

Sartin also salutes the Valentine's Day kick off of a new reading series at the Cobra Lounge in Chicago. Next date is April 16. Read about it and an associated blog at Solo in the Second City. 

Thanks to my pal Decker for passing this along.

Whiner guilt

I'm feeling bad about my last post. Because I pushed my problem onto Ben and Matthew. I should have told them straight up, it's you I want to spend time with. If we can't do that now/next week, when can we? 

Not sure why I want to keep my disappointment under wraps. Always more to learn.

Royal we...or is it me?

Maybe it's just my crowd. 

Pretty much the minute someone couples up, formally or otherwise, a new protocol slips into place: love to see you--come hang out with us! 

Over Christmas, I took 3 days of vacation and traveled 1,000 miles (again) to a part of the country I detest to visit my brother Ben. We've always had a mellow relationship, even more so now that our parents are gone. But as usual, I had to pry him loose from the swarm of relatives connected to his first and now second marriages to have any time for the two of us. I went home feeling gypped.

I called him two weeks later and told him I didn't get enough of him in all the chaos holidays. "Same here," Ben said. "Would you come my way in the spring?" I asked him. "Lizzie just isn't made for the city, Sydney. Could you meet us halfway?" he wanted to know. 

While I was fighting for time with Ben, against all odds my friend Matthew was morphing from committed single to married. Matthew and I go back 10+ years. In different sectors of the same industry, we have the same politics, volunteer for the same organization and are both musicians. After living with Paula for two years, during which time Matthew and I sustained our friendship, they got married on Christmas Eve. 

Riding in a taxi, on my way to the airport last week, I texted Matthew inviting him to a concert. He accepted and offered to deal with the tickets since I was on the run. Nice. A few minutes later, he texted an update: Three tickets, row H. Can't wait. So instead of an the old-shoe evening I imagined, we'll be "Getting to know you..." 

"Getting to know you..."

Singles more engaged

New York University sociology professor Eric Kleinenberg says "One's a Crowd," as reported in The New York Times on February 5."Compared with their married counterparts," Kleinenberg writes, "single people are more likely to spend time with friends and neighbors, go to restaurants and attend art classes and lectures." 

He goes on to say that being more engaged with culture and community is characteristic of single adults, elders included. If that's true, and Kleinenberg points to ample evidence, should singles be better courted by eateries, theaters, schools and recreational programs?  

What's your experience?

Welcome...

WELCOME...to One Per Household, a conversation about indie living—the ups, downs and in-betweens of being single in a coupled world. Whether you're on your own because it suits you best, it's where you are for now or you're considering going solo, the mike is open.


I have lots ideas and opinions that I'll share soon enough. Right now, I'm interested in what YOU want to sound off on—or know more about. Please jump in. I'm all ears!