Because I'm bored before bedtime

Glamour Magazine's 36 Things Every Single Girl Must Do Before She Settles Down (complete with my check marks):

x  1. Go to a movie alone.

x  2. Lift weights. When I bench-press 45 lbs., I feel like the bomb.

_  3. Try surfing, water-skiing, or some activity you don’t already know how to do. Could be riding a bicycle.

_  4. Take out the trash, set a mousetrap, do your taxes, build a bookcase.

x  5. Live alone, or at least move apartments in NYC without the help of family.

_  6. Train for (and finish) a huge physical test like a half-marathon.

_  7. Go to a scary doctor’s appointment by yourself. I once dragged myself to a CAT Scan in the dead of winter, all the way over on 1st Ave., post-break-up. I felt like I had balls of steel.

x  8. Quit your job. It feels so good to take a job and shove it (and not be affecting anyone else’s livelihood).

_  9. Fly to a foreign country by yourself. I was nervous on my first solo trip to Europe, even though I almost always have to travel alone.

x  10. Learn to stand up for yourself. (If you’re not naturally assertive, may I recommend moving to New York City? It did wonders for me.)

_  11. Witness something once-in-a-lifetime, like Jokulsarlon, a lake next to a melting glacier in Iceland.

x  12. Revel in being able to watch all the reality TV you want. I’m pretty sure no man will be able to stand as much Bravo TV as my roommate Erica.

x  13. Get drunk during the day, just because you can. Attend Santacon, the convention for santas, or similar.

_  14. Go on a date with someone who actually makes you nervous.

_  15. Go out with an older man who takes you somewhere nice and makes you feel like a million bucks.

x  16. Go out with a guy who makes you laugh ‘til it hurts.

x  17. Be a good wingwoman. It’s not always about you.

x  18. Chill with your widowed and single grandma. She knows “alone”!

x  19. Volunteer.

x  20. Do at least one Valentine’s Day alone.

x  21. Attend a wedding (or 15) alone.

x  22. Date the creeps. You’ll really value the nice guys afterward.

_  23. Buy yourself some flowers.

x  24. Invest in a LBD (little black dress) and some sexy stilettos.

x  25. Sit at a bar by yourself and drink a martini. Cool.

x  26. Buy something frivolous and expensive that you LOVE wearing.

_  27. Finish all your schooling if you can. Not that it was ever my goal to go to grad school, but I did, and it would’ve been tough dragging a guy up to isolated New Hampshire and making him sit there in the cold for two years while I studied (and partied).

_  28. Throw yourself into something time-consuming, like learning a foreign language. You may not have time to do this again until you retire and the kids are off to college.

_  29. Make a list of all your faults.

x  30. Learn to cook well. I’m still working on this.

x  31. Get some hobbies. Something’s gotta keep you occupied—plus it’ll make you seem interesting.

x  32. Let your married friends edit your online dating profile. My dear friend Cheryl has caught a few doozies.

_  33. Get your finances in order.

_  34. Babysit someone’s baby for an hour.

_  35. Help a friend through her divorce or a bad break-up.

x  36. Host a girls-only night. I think some coupled-up women forget how much we need each other.