The lament of the chronically single...

When a women is getting close to nearing the completion of her child-bearing years, but hasn't yet found a man to give her those kids, she will often comment that her "biological clock is ticking".

Men don't really have the same issue. We don't start shooting blanks sometime around middle age.

But when you are a single guy and it seems like everyone around you who is your age is getting married, it can get kind of depressing.

It struck me a couple weeks ago when a coworker was talking about going to another coworker's wedding. I felt kind of sad and couldn't figure out why - then I realized that in the last couple weeks, 2 coworkers - one who graduated my year, the other who graduated a year before me - had gotten married. I also recently found out that another person from my graduating class who works for the same organization is engaged. Heck, one of my college roomates, who got married soon after graduation, just had his first child.

Yet MadAnthony is still alone in the world.

There was an article in the Wall Street Journal's Taste section about how people are getting married later - and how it's not a bad thing, because people are choosing better mates. The article blames much of it on careers and education - people in their twenties are focused on postgraduate studies and careers and put off finding a mate. It makes sense, and there probably is a little of MadAnthony in this. I'm about 8 months away from getting my MBA, and I spent much of my career working overtime almost every Saturday, which kind of killed both my time (try going out on a Friday night when you have to be at work at 7:30am the next day) and my desire to do anything but work.

But in some ways, these are excuses. I liked work, because it gave me an excuse to not have to deal with my lack of a social life (well, I also liked the fact that it gave me enough money to put 10% down on Casa De Mad, my sprawling estate... err, 1150 square foot townhouse). I doubt I would have gone out if I did have the time. Heck, the summer after my senior year in college, I actually did go out all the time - I was living on campus, working for tech services, and just minutes away from a number of bars. But my evening were generally spent smoking cheap cigars, drinking Yeuingling, and talking with my roomates, not hitting on girls.

The fact is, while my schedule has contributed to my single-ness, it's my personality (or lack of), my total lack of self-confidence, and my slovenly appearance (which has been made slightly less slovenly thanks to having lost some weight, but I still aint exactly Brad Pitt). It doesn't help that I work in IT, so I don't meet single girls at work, and most of my hobbies are solitary (ebay, working on the house, bloging) or girl-free (going to hamfests). I work out at the gym of the college I work for, so I'm surrounded by cute athletic single college girls... that I would get fired for dating (not that MadAnthony covered with sweat is a sight that gets the ladies hearts a-twitter). I go to church sometimes, but despite what they say about meeting girls at church, I've never gotten that to work out for me - since most of the girls my age at church seem to be married with kids - and how do you use a pickup line at church, anyway?

So I'd like to join the Wall Street Journals group of professionals marrying late, but I fear I'm more likely to be marrying never....