All Good Things...

...must come to an end.

I am sorry to let you all know that this will be my last post. The magazine has decided to discontinue this feature, including the blog, column, and events. I apologize for any disappointment or inconvenience. It has been such a fun and rewarding year getting to know you all. I hope to run into you at some of our favorite local watering holes.

If you are looking for a good group in which to find support during a time personal crisis, I recommend Changing Focus. They meet in a few different locations and times and have a great social network. Also Singles on Sailboats sounds like a fun way to get out there and do something good for yourself while meeting other singles.

Best wishes to you all.
Fondly,
Ann

Dances & Contests

We had fun at the LA Singles dance last Friday. It was good to see several familiar faces plus many new people learning about the Suburban Singles Scene. As usual, the dance hall was crowded and the dance floor was full. I tried my first Paul Jones dance, which was a fun way to meet new dance partners. Ladies, there are many men at this singles venue. The age range at the LA Singles dance is wide, probably swinging from 30-70 with the bulk between 45-65. Although there are many trained dancers on the floor, there are just am many untrained, freestyle dancers like me.

Thanks to Enar Sanders for arranging for the discount at the door and the table for us. This dance is held every Friday night. If you haven't checked it out yet, put it on your to do list for this spring.

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I'd like to remind you all of the Blind Date Contest running this month. Applications are still being accepted. You will see a link on the sidebar for details. I have been sorting through the applications received so far and am thinking we may need to double the opportunities. I will let you know what I can arrange.

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Since Mike & Ava have temporarily bowed out of the Mystery Barstool Contest, this month's barstool has not yet been identified. JohnJM has made two good guesses, and has been close, but not quite right. Anyone else want to try? This would be an excellent week to receive this prize! Here it is again.

Modern Marriage

A friend sent me the link below from an old coffee ad. Boy have we come far in our modern marriages - or have we? What irks you most about this video clip?

Dance this Friday night

Who is going to join us at the LA Singles Dance at the Knights of Columbus this Friday? LA Singles is a long-standing singles dance non-profit organization. Although there are some great dancers at this venue, there is opportunity for every dance level. Lots of open dance partners available.

We're going to have a table near the door. LA Singles opens their doors 8:15. The DJ usually starts by 8:30. I won't get there until 9pm. Look for our table and stop by and say hello. If you haven't signed up for the e-mail reminder list and the Suburban Scene weekly e-newsletter, be sure to sign our list.

If you say you are with Suburban Scene, you will get a dollar off your entry fee! There is a cash bar and free pretzels & chips.

I need to work on some of my line dances and this place is full of helpful guides. I'm looking forward to a fun night. Wear your good dancing shoes!

Mystery Barstool Contest

Here's one that is sure to be a challenge. Have I stumped you this time?

In a gesture of gentlemanly sportsmanship, Lucky Mike is bowing out of the competition. We're going to establish a new rule to the contest: you can only win once every six months.

So to win the Mystery Barstool Contest, you have to be the first commenter who correctly identifies the public establishment that is home to this barstool. (Sorry Mike, Ava, Precarious Girl. Money Girl can get back in the game though.)

Kissing in Doorways

The Baltimore-Washington Parkway is about to be in leaf, and on this misty spring morning, it looked beautiful. I hope all my friends who moved away from here have such pretty drives in their new clime. I didn’t even make any mobile phone calls, so I could enjoy the pretty ride home from a magazine assignment up in the Baltimore suburbs.

The B-W Parkway is so pretty, in part because of the preserved land on the sides. You can look beyond the shoulders and see streams and forest. It gives you a glimpse of what this town looked like before we were so civilized. I’m always happy to see land we haven’t paved over yet.

I was listening to music on this pretty drive and was prompted to think about the times I have kissed someone in a doorway. When I was 15, a farm boy I dated kissed me good night on my parents’ front porch. I leaned back against the house and rang the door bell.

Other times I have been the one going away. Sometimes I am the one going inside. I love when you both go inside together - or away together.

I think kissing in doorways implies a change. Do you remember who you have kissed in a doorway? Did the direction to which each of you parted describe something about your relationship? Which kisses stand out the brightest in your memory: the parting kisses or the greeting kisses?

Blogaversary

I let my one year anniversary of this blog slip by. My first post was March 14th of 2007. This is my 109th post, so I let that mile marker slip by too. But I am going to catch the one year anniversary of my print column. I am about to turn in my 12th column. The first one ran in May of 2007. (We only print 11 issues a year, combining July & August into one edition.)

Some of you are new readers of the blog and column. Some of you have been with me for a while. In this first year, this endeavor evolved to include events hosted by local businesses for singles. I have met hundreds of local singles.

My goal with this blog-column combo is to offer some no-strings-attached support to people adapting to living an unmarried life for a variety of reasons. Whether or not your single status is deliberate and welcome, or an emotional upheaval, I want to encourage you to find peace, and maybe even happiness in your current status. I want to encourage you to expand your experiences and meet new people, whether or not they are your soul mates or true loves. I want you to know you are not all alone.

I have tried to create some fun and even daring possibilities for you with the monthly Mystery Barstool Contest and our latest project, a Blind Date Contest.

Many of you have shared ideas for events and topics for discussion. I have tried to include these when at all possible.

What have you enjoyed about the column, the blog, and the events? What ideas would you like to see me incorporate?

Physical Fitness

We've had many conversations shoring up each other's emotional well being, but today I'd like to talk about your physical well being. What do you do to keep in shape? Have you ever begun an interesting relationship while working out? The time you have to exercise depends greatly on the age and number of children you have. Do you consider time spent playing with your kids as exercise?

When I get a bit of unscheduled time, I often try to take a walk with a friend. It allows me to catch up on a relationship while improving my health. Don't get me wrong, I love to go out for sushi and saketinis, but sometimes a long walk is a healthier choice. Warm weather helps too.

I have walked around the fields around my son's lacrosse practice or during my daughter's dance lessons on occasion. I try to get to yoga, but my evening schedule is often interrupted.

Do you feel your fitness level is more important because you are single? First impressions are critical. No matter how enlightened we think we may be, we do care what someone looks like to an extent. Fitness shows how we value ourselves. I'd like this body to last for three or four more decades too, so I need to do what I can to increase my mileage.

Aside from working out, what else do you do to be healthy?
Does playing Guitar Hero count as exercise?

April Print Edition

Have you seen the April issue of the print edition of Suburban Scene magazine? A bunch of the great chatter about pets made it into my column. Thanks! I'm hoping to see some new folks joining our conversation about next month's topic: fitness.

I wrote two other articles in this month's edition. One was on Fidos for Freedom, a wonderful non-profit group that trains service dogs. If you love dogs and have some free time you are looking to use for a noble cause, this is the group for you.

Also, I wrote an article about a singles group based in Annapolis, but reaching all around the Bay called Singles on Sailboats. Did you see it? What a fun group! You don't have to have any sailing experience or a boat, just a desire to learn. They give you training and you get to participate on as many of the 31 planned sails as you can. Be sure to let me know if you try them out. It seems like a wonderful way to make the most of your Maryland experience while meeting singles that you might not encounter otherwise.

Be sure to notice the Community Choice Awards ballot on page 8. Let's be sure to support our corporate sponsors. Check out my sidebar listing for hints.

Trivia Contest from March Madness Mixer

In the excitement of the mixer, I never really announced the answers to the Trivia Contests. Sorry about that. Next time, I'll have a microphone.

Here are the questions. I'll post the answers in the comments section if you want to test yourself. We had two categories of questions for our March Madness Mixer:NCAA basketball playoffs, and "Madness."

1. In 2007, which state sent three schools to the NCAA Sweet Sixteen?

2. In 2007 who played Florida for the championship game?

3. In March Madness 2006, what college had both Men's and Women's teams in the Final Four?

4. In March Madness 2006, who upset North Carolina in the second round?

5. In March Madness 2005, who did North Carolina beat in the elite eight to advance to the final four?

6. Which #1 seed was the only #1 seed to make it to the Final Four in 2004?

7. Who was NOT in the first of the Hannibal Lechter trilogy? Sir Anthony Hopkins, Julianne Moore, Scott Glenn or Jodie Foster?

8. In the movie Psycho, where in Arizona does the movie begin? Phoenix, Flagstaff, or Tucson?

9. Along with Alice and the Mad Hatter, what other character of the book attended the tea party in Alice of Wonderland: Queen of Hearts, the Mock Turtle, the March Hare, or the Cheshire-Cat?

10. What singer’s concert tour in the late 1970’s was titled Divine Madness? Barbara Streisand, Bette Midler, Diana Ross, or Aretha Franklin?

11. In the 1960’s star-powered film “It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World”, which movie star played the police sergeant in charge of the treasure hunt investigation? Micky Rooney, Sid Ceasar, Milton Berle, or Spencer Tracy?

12. Who starred in the low-budget 1979 Austalian film “Mad Max”?

Picture of Lisa B. winning a door prize at the Mixer last Thursday.