whole foods for the single soul

i should be more embarrassed that i almost went to a singles event last night. i should be, but i'm not...have i become desensitized to the stigma attached to being a "single and desperate" soon-to-be-30something? perhaps.
after a few quick seconds of perfunctory discussion, we didn't end up joining the long line of women, who were all probably successful and not at all bad looking, stretching to the door...in the far distance, i caught a glimpse of a man's back near the front of the line. that man must have been congratulating himself on his unbelievable luck.

i've long thought of dating in new york as the least ideal of possible worst case scenarios.
first of all, you've got your wildly uneven ratio of women to men...witness (exhibit a) a gorgeous woman clinging to the arm of a much shorter, balding man...there are hundreds of these couples thronging the streets of new york.
secondly, most of the men here, having been snapped up by these hot women, are not eligible.
thirdly, that leaves the rest of us wondering, just how gay is that man standing on the corner? perhaps the manbag over his shoulder is a sign of metrosexualism rather than gayness? yeah i know, wishful thinking...
and finally, let us consult the voice of authority, the new york sun (exhibit b).
"Singles in New York City have a harder time meeting people than in other cities, a doctor and relationship counselor, James Walkup, told The New York Sun. 'The stress level here is higher, and people don't take their time to slow down enough to really make connections, Dr. Walkup said."
i agree with dr. walkup. we don't slow down enough, and we are stressed. but sometimes the situation at hand is really not conducive to meeting other people.
which is why we turned straight around and went to go enjoy $14 all-you-can-eat mussels and french fries with half price drinks.