EpiCenter
at Yerba Buena Center
INFORUM at The Commonwealth Club
Contemporary Extension at SFMOMA
International
Hour and the International Diplomacy Council
SINGLES
& Doubles...
by
Jerusha
Singular Sensations
for 2004
The
Internet, how to books, extreme makeovers and TV dream dates
- what's love got to do with any of this? Probably not much
and the New Year promises more of the same. Is there a happy
ending? Where are Mr. and Ms. Right? Or should I settle
for Mr./Ms. Right Now? Searching in singleland, some
signposts on the horizon…
Simply
Single The next new thing is being single. Tired
of being marketed to by what the NYT recently called the
“Dating Industrial Complex” more unattached adults are taking
a break from binge dating and relaxing into the new normal:
being single. Look for the publication of Quirkyalone
by Sasha Cagen to hit stores this year in time for
Valentine's Day.
Tech
Tease HurryDate,
the company whose motto is dating should be fun and in mass
quanities announced a new way to increase the odds of finding
Mr./Ms. Right. Its new matchmaking technology called
“SetUpsTM” uses a complex matching algorithm to determine
a person's dating "type" based on their preferences from
the face-to-face introductions at a HurryDate
party and recommends new singles from HurryDate parties
they did not attend. Let's hear it for matchmaking mathematics!
“The
Weekend Pill" Cialis, the new competitor to Pfizer's
Viagra offers added value over the little blue pill, it
can be taken on a full stomach and it works for up to 36
hours. The drug has been nicknamed "the weekend pill" by
patients and e-mail spammers for its long acting effects.
Can an extended wear virility patch be far behind?
Discovery
of the “Third” Sex 2003 witnessed the coming out
of the latest sexual partner the much sought after “Metrosexual.”
Anointed the “ perfect” man", combining the female attributes
of shopping and self-care prowess with male earning power,
these individuals are highly sought after by big company
marketers and female heart hunters. Be careful the
new human hybrid could soon enter the ranks of endangered
species in major cities.
Too Hot
to Handle? Men are seeking a new way to
a girl's heart – by mixing it up in the kitchen.
The Food Network and the proliferation of celebrity male
chefs are credited with inspiring more men to tie one on
(an apron) and get busy. Thanks to the Naked Chef
Jamie Oliver, NY Restaurateur Rocco DiSpirito and Mario
Batali it's getting awfully hot in our kitchens!
Revenge
of the Nerds Redux! They hooked us while
we were looking. Yes those "Average Joes" really are hot!
Hot, enough for the sequel "Average Joe Hawaii" to be filmed
before the first one even aired. The nice guys may
have finished last with pretty girl Melena, but they finished
first in the ratings where it counts. Let's hope the
show inspires the rest of us to more realistic expectations
in our personal dating dramas.
Sex &
the Real Single Girl Forget the whiny, much-bedded
forever-unwedded thirty/forty-something quartet of “Sex
& the City.” After the success of sixty-something
Jane Juska's A Round-heeled Woman where
she details her adventures after placing a personal ad for
sex, real women's sexual adventures are the new “chick lit.”
In China, Li Li,
a 25 year old columnist and editor for a Guangzhou
magazine was penning her sexual adventures, Ashes of
Love , daily publishing the participants' full names
online. Online sex diaries or "Body Writing" on Blog
sites may prove to be more than just sex in another city.
TGFQ (Thank
God For Queens) "Queer Eye for the Straight Guy"
tuned into our fairy godmother fantasies and are changing
frogs into princes one guy at a time. Look for the Fab Five
to shake their wands at some undiscovered Cinderellas this
season. They'll help the “DUFF” (remember the “designated
ugly fat friend” from Average Joe fame) get the makeover
and the guy!
Diamonds
are Forever. They've been a girl's best friend
for decades. Now jewelers are encouraging women to buy them
for themselves. The “right hand” ring recognizes your independence
and your independent pocketbook. Your left hand lives for
love. The right lives for the moment. Raise your right
hand!
Send me your signs
of the times!
Email me at JERUSHA@viplineup.com
