'Tis the Season ...

Welcome to the "Hi, I'm still single" holiday season. It's the time where we see family and friends that we haven't seen in awhile - all the while. The enevitable question will be asked, the enevitable answer will be given and everyone, including myself, will hang their head in disbelief. Them because every holiday for the past five years has been the same way (even when I did have a boyfriend in tote), and me because they still need to ask.

Besides family and friend functions - there is also work. The glorious holiday party at a small-service agency, like mine, is the most dreadful part of being single. When you only have 17 employees - two of which are married to each other, everyone pretty much brings a date. This year the added pressure is on because I planned it.

I finally buckled down about a week ago and asked #4 to join me, he agreed. Score. Date done. Of course, there is that hotel room at the end of the night and the promise that I won't have sex with anyone unless I'm in a committed relationship blocking my way. And not that I'm quiet about my rendevous, but there's always the introduction factor to my co-workers significant others. How do I say it as not to put Mr. No-Commitment not on edge but appease my co-workers with warm fuzzy thoughts that I'm settling down?

"My date" is too formal and too sixth-grade. "My boyfriend" off kilter and off base, not to mention anthrax in the palm of this guy's hand. The best I can come up with is, "This is #4" and let the enevitable "How did you guys meet?" question come into play. I can see the evening now. My conservative boss's even more conservative wife askes the question of death - "How did we meet? Well, I was trashed at this white-trash bar and in he walked. Too many beers allowed me to reasonably believe that I was the hottest chick in the bar, so I should reasonably hit on the hottest guy. I gave him my number, he called. We went out, he woke up naked and I was 1/2 naked." On second thought, perhaps "Singing karoke" is a better answer.