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?