Happy Birthday To Me

I’m officially 36 years old today. As I enter the -- gulp -- second half of my thirties, I find myself feeling especially grateful for the life lessons this decade has taught me so far.

Job-wise, I’ve learned that one of my exes had it right when he said a career isn’t a sprint, it’s a long-distance run. It takes perseverance and hard work to get where you want to be, and to not lose sight of the big picture.

When it comes to friendships, this has been an era of rediscovering that proximity (or lack thereof) has no bearing on the true ties that bind. Many of the friends closest to my heart are geographically the furthest away, yet our bond remains unbreakable.

Of course, no birthday reflecting would be complete without a nod to the trajectory of my love life. It’s been a fabulous, tumultuous and often incongruous ride as a thirtysomething single gal -- but I think, at long last, I’ve finally learned to roll with the punches (okay, or at least try to!). And to laugh about the ups and downs along the way.

It’s nice to feel like I’m not only another year older but, hopefully, a little wiser too. Who could ask for a better birthday present than that?

A Double Dose Of Female Bonding

Saturday, I enjoyed a double dose of female bonding that began with galpal Amanda.

Pershing Square: This cozy bistro is conveniently located right across from Grand Central Terminal

Over brunch at cozy bistro Pershing Square in Grand Central, we caught up on work, life and dating. Amanda filled me in on PR plans for her upcoming travel memoir The Lost Girls, including a book club tour across the U.S. I told her about an industry award that could lead to winning Best of Show with my colleagues for the second time in my PR career.

We also talked about one of our biggest pet peeves in the dating world – text messaging. Phone-o-phobia, as Midtown Girl calls it, has reached epidemic proportions among single men. Both Amanda and I have recently gone out with great guys who choose texting as a means for making plans. Sorry, but romance simply doesn’t go hand in hand with messages of 160 characters or less.

Later, I headed to lively bar Joshua Tree in Midtown for my good friend and former colleague Cristina’s bachelorette party.

All Smiles: Bride-to-be Cristina and me

Over multiple rounds of cocktails and shots, we toasted the bride-to-be on her pending nuptials in Boston next month to longtime love Chris. Thanks to an endless loop of 80’s videos, I got my groove on on top of a chair – until a grumpy bouncer instructed me to sit down. I should’ve told him to relax, because I’ve done this particular maneuver several times over the years without incident.

Shaking My Booty: The music at Joshua Tree made this inevitable

After bidding the bride-to-be goodnight, I was feeling wistful so I decided to walk up Third Avenue for awhile. I remembered when Cristina got engaged two years ago and felt unnerved all over again about still being single.

But then I reminded myself of the upside about being unattached, namely the adventure of what’s right around the corner. HurryDater E is taking me out for date #2 on Friday.

Being Happy About Being Single

It’s that time of year again – when the sight of baby bumps and the sound of I Dos are as common as the mercury rising.

The other day, I spotted three pregnant women within a two-block radius. And I’ll be attending two weddings this month.

With all of this exposure to babies and happily ever after, I can’t help thinking about timing and what an impact it has on these milestones.

When I was in my twenties, I never imagined that I would reach my mid-thirties and still be single. Looking back at the trajectory my life has taken, though, I can’t imagine it having gone any other way.

Over the last decade, I’ve had the pleasure and privilege of following my dreams wherever they’ve taken me. From chasing on-camera stardom in Illinois and Delaware to living the good Aussie life as a Sydney resident for five months, I have truly enjoyed the freedom that comes with being unattached.

And, of course, along the way, I have made a few pitstops for romance. I’ve experienced my fair share of serious relationships and not so serious dalliances that have helped shape both the woman I’ve become and the partner I look forward to becoming someday. In the meantime, I’m happy to be single – and to be a part of the nuptial and parental rites of passage.

Who knows? Maybe I’ll even catch the bouquet.

Date With A Witty Accountant

Last night, I went out with Patrick, a 43-year-old real estate accountant and part-time comedian.

Patrick I and first connected back in March through TheSquare.com. With tax season finally over (his clients include Blue Parrot, the Hamptons restaurant co-owned by Jon Bon Jovi), he resurfaced a couple of weeks ago.

Accademia di Vino: This UES wine bar has a great menu…and mouth-watering cheese plate

We met up for drinks at my favorite neighborhood date spot, Accademia di Vino on NYC’s Upper East Side. Over a couple of glasses of white wine and a heavenly shared cheese plate -- five varieties including pecorino and parmigiano -- we talked about far-flung travel destinations and juggling our respective day jobs with extracurricular pursuits.

In addition to being a veteran of Gotham’s comedy club scene, Patrick has tried out for NBC’s “Last Comic Standing.” He gave me a sample of his repertoire and I was impressed with his ability to deliver a good punch line.

Also refreshing -- his honesty about how being single past a certain age often leads to questions. Nice to know women aren’t the only ones on the receiving end of this.

Patrick says he tells inquiring minds that, with life in New York being as full-on as it is, thirty and even fortysomething single hood isn’t so unusual. Truer words were never spoken.

Patrick walked me home and said he’d like to go out again, maybe even have me come and watch him perform. I’m not sure I felt sparks between us…which is why I’m looking forward even more to my long-awaited second date tonight with Rich.

The Conundrum Of Being Around Couples

When you reach your mid-thirties and still find yourself single, you invariably also find yourself, at times, surrounded by couples.

That’s turned out to be the case with Zog, the co-ed sports league I signed up for about a month ago. Our volleyball team of 10 people is populated with three couples, one of whom is fond of embracing at regular intervals before and after every game.

Speaking of touchy feely behavior, there was plenty of it at a dinner I attended not too long ago with three couples. One of them thoughtfully brought along a single guy for me. Still, I couldn’t decide what made me more uncomfortable -- being surrounded by couples engaged in PDA or the fact that I had zero chemistry with bachelor guy.

The Third Wheel: Sometimes it's hard to avoid feeling like one when you're around couples

Being around lovebirds often makes it difficult not to feel like the odd woman out. Which is why it’s refreshing when a couple manages to have the opposite effect.

Like, for example, my colleagues Greg and Danielle. The formerly closeted couple, who recently came out at Quinn & Co. with news of their engagement, had an adorable exchange in the office earlier this week.

Upon catching a glimpse of his fiancée all gussied up for a black tie event, Greg exclaimed--

"You look so hot!”

Pumping his fist in the air, he quickly added--

“Yes! I can [finally] say that now.”

Danielle gave him a reproachful look that quickly melted into a radiant smile.

I couldn’t help smiling too. Witnessing two people who are perfect for each other does that to you -- and somehow makes it feel more probable that, one day, you’ll be part of a perfect pair too.