Since I’ve spent the past week watching the stock market plummet and looking for a place for me and the boyfriend to move into, I have money on the brain. And it occurred to me that just because we were all worried the banks might fail (what do you think?), that didn’t mean people were going to stop going out, dating, or meeting strangers for coffee—it just meant that there was a greater need for things to do that wouldn’t cost as much money.

Like a lot of people, my roommate and I have a local bar that we frequent. There are a number of them to choose from in Old Town Alexandria where we live, but this particular bar has many features that we like. The best part is, while we do recognize and talk to other regulars from time to time, there are always enough new people to keep things interesting. We’ve never gone in there and not talked to someone we didn't know.

Yesterday was the last day of National Singles Week (Sept 21st-27th), described as a time to celebrate “the lives and contributions of unmarried and single Americans.” While I like the idea of calling attention to the advantages of being single, the past few days I’ve been thinking about the other side.

In every part of the blogosphere, new voices arrive, and old voices go. Sometimes, they are the same people moving to new blogs(and new identities), other times they are new bloggers who command a wider audience as if they’ve suddenly found their voice, or their topic (and sometimes they have).

The dating experience can be described in a lot of different ways. It doesn’t matter if you’re a self-described dating pro with twenty years of experience, or if you’ve been dating for two years, or only a few months. After you’ve been on a few dates -- and also after you’ve heard and read about other people’s experiences -- you’re going to have your own opinions about what dating is.

Friendship runs deep in individuals and in humanity. It's an essential fact of life for most people, a vast collection of relationships reported to lower blood pressure and the risk of depression and provide social interaction and connection in an increasingly disconnected age. It's immortalized in songs and in its own section at Hallmark. When it works it survives bridesmaid horrors, periods of remarkable self-absorption and the collection of bumps and bruises that life gives every relationship. It can be painful and it can be glorious. But should it be legalized? 

Most of the big decisions I’ve made in my life were motivated by boredom. I spent a semester abroad in college; moved to California and then back to the east coast; changed jobs after living in the DC area for less than a year -- all because I felt like I needed to do something different. When boredom starts to weigh me down, I start feeling like I need a major change in order to shake things up.

Earlier this week I went to see UK Trip-Hop artist Tricky at a downtown Toronto nightclub. The opening act was a local trio fronted by a young South Asian woman. Despite remarking to my best friend that I would have probably enjoyed the music 15 years ago when I could (barely) tolerate  the 'Lillith Fair Vagina Vagina' type of stuff, this singer was interesting and her topics were very timely.

If you decide to engage in online dating, you have to get used to being rejected. There’s no way around it. As a single woman who publicly proclaims that she’s “looking,” you’re no longer dealing with rejection on an occasional basis -- it’s not like meeting random people at a bar, or attempting to chat up a hottie on the Metro, or giving a sly smile to the person behind you while waiting for your lunch.

About a month ago, I found out that my niece is pregnant, and I’m not proud of how I reacted to this news. In hindsight, maybe it is because when she was a teenager I told her, "Don't get pregnant or I'll break your legs." Granted, unlike Alaska Governor Sarah Palin’s daughter, my niece will be 23 next week and a college graduate, but despite living with the father of her child, she is unmarried.

It’s been hard to miss the large increase of political-themed posts here on BlogHer the past few weeks. Notable events like choosing the vice presidential candidates and the happenings at the Democratic National Convention have inspired a lot of writing, videos, and comment-thread discussions. But it’s also possible you’ve been skipping over these posts, just as I have.

Having a sales office in New York has become a cool thing, especially since my sister and brother-in-law moved to the Tri-State area. I travel East at least once a month and get their guest bedroom, and now I get to see my niece and nephew grow up. I get to be Aunt Jory--the pinch story reader, bathgiver, and fun kink in the usual schedule for my niece and nephew.