Happy Anti-Valentine's Day!

[oyceter]

I use my Nana icon of platonic love!

Since I can't have my normal anti-Valentine's Day party, which tends to consists of lots of good food, chocolate consumption, and the watching non-romantic movies (or guys in spandex, aka men's figure skating), I will instead have a mini party on my LJ! Alas, there is no food or chocolate souffle, but we will make do.

So, what do you enjoy about being single? People in couples and people not in couples are welcome to comment, though please, no couples-bashing. And obviously, the whole point of this is to rejoice in singledom, particularly if you have meddling parents/friends/relatives/random strangers telling you, "Shouldn't you get married soon?" So no "I can do that with my husband!" even if you can, lest we all turn green with envy and attempt to kidnap him and demand truckloads of manga for ransom.

I'll post something for couples on the 15th White Day (March 14), when I will have stopped rolling my eyes at the holiday (also, because I feel more holidays for chocolate = good excuse for me to eat some).

To start off the list:

I like being single because I can be just as messy as I want and let my little anime figurines clutter up the entire place. I also like being able to go to swing dancing by myself and not have to worry about giving my SO the wrong impression. I like not having to decide how to split my time between my SO and my friends without either feeling left out. And I like being able to do completely random things at the last minute without upsetting anyone's plans.

Comments

[yeloson.livejournal.com]

I like being single because I can be just as messy as I want and let my little anime figurines clutter up the entire place.

Really! I've got way too many books and movies that would have to get cut down on just to fit another person in the place! I also like no one telling me what I ought to be doing or not doing.

Stupid but favorite: I like being able to turn the heat up/down at will without anyone else complaining.

[oyceter]

Ooo, it's the little things. I discovered that I really, really enjoy being able to read late at night without anyone glaring at me to turn off the light.

[shati.livejournal.com]

More time for other things! No worries about being a total slob! And no worrying about SO-friend relations. Or relations with friends-of-SO.

[yeloson.livejournal.com]

I also especially enjoy not being dragged to music shows I don't like.

[jessibot.livejournal.com]

I like not having to pretend to care about someone else's interests. I like being able to have cereal for dinner and not get looked at in a weird way. I like talking/singing to myself and not worrying whether my SO thinks I'm batshit insane. I like being able to do what I want, when I want - even if it takes up the whole day. Basically I'm just too bloody selfish to share my life with someone else.

[oracne.livejournal.com]

More time to write. No need to tailor writing time to someone else.

[vom-marlowe.livejournal.com]

I like being able to have as intense, smart, and oomphy a dog as I want, and spend as much money on him as I want, without anyone complaining. I like eating nothing but zuchinis or green beans for dinner. I adore having my books just so, and my art supplies just so, and my desk just so--even if it looks like an unorganized wreck to other people, it is that way because I want it to be. Bwahahaha. I adore being able to just research whatever the heck I want, from yaoi to ink to behavior science to monkeys to flowers, without having to answer to anyone or make them feel jealous/nervous/whatever. Also, I can wear ugly socks to bed to keep my feet warm.

[the_rck]

Being able to watch or not watch (or listen to or not listen to) what I choose without negotiating or considering someone else's tastes.

[minnow1212.livejournal.com]

Not having to tell anyone where I’m going.

Control of the TV.

Can spend HOURS on the internet reading fanfic!

When have very good leftovers, can gobble them all down myself.

If I make some stupid mistake about finances or something, I don’t actually have to tell anyone if I don’t want to.

[telophase.livejournal.com]

No need to consult anyone else before making scheduling decisions. :) No waiting for the bathroom. No television negotiations. No having to carve time out of the schedule for relationship-maintenance activities. No fighting for computer time or bandwidth. No misunderstandings. No compromise. :)

[ellarien]

Pretty much everything everyone said, but the big one, for me, is that I can choose where to live and work without worrying about tearing anyone else's life apart.

[jinian.livejournal.com]

I really like not having to wait for anyone else's schedule when I want to see a movie.

[seraphcelene]

What I like about being single is that I don't have to worry about buising some big guy's ego because I am so DIY girl. I also Love the fact that if I see a hottie I can flirt to my heart's content or even snog him if I want to.

[sophia-helix.livejournal.com]

Um, I feel like I'm cheating since I'm not single... but sometimes I'm really sad I never got to experience singledom as an adult because I would love to live my life without having to consider someone else in every decision I make. It would be heaven to travel, get a tattoo, buy a new dress, etc., without worrying about what he'll think and whether it's too expensive and thus unfair to him. I'd like to know myself as a single person, since I think I'm very different than I might otherwise have been.

[rachelmanija.livejournal.com]

I like being single because...

I have friends, so I can have companionship and love without having to fit my entire life around someone else's life.

If the person I was going to go somewhere with cancels at the last minute, I can still go by myself (and they won't be mad and I won't feel guilty.)

I can do ridiculous things by myself at my apartment, and eat peanut butter and bacon sandwiches without worrying that someone might see, find out, or disapprove.

No fights over what to watch on TV.

[rachelmanija.livejournal.com]

So with you on the socks.

[laurashapiro.livejournal.com]

I love love love being alone in my own apartment, on my own time, making whatever I want to eat for dinner and slacking off with a novel and the cat on my lap. Maybe a little self-love before bed. Yeah, I don't get enough evenings like that.

[ginny-t.livejournal.com]

I can let it all hang out and be my flawed angst-ridden self without worrying about what he's thinking of me at that exact second.

The kitties rely on me alone, so I don't have to share their feline-facsimile of love.

Nobody messes with my books/stuff/knitting/&c. Nobody messes with my knitting time.

I can sit for hours working on the sovery geeky fansub project and not have to justify it. (Although one friend thinks he's allowed to tease me about that.)

Nobody says, "Are you going to eat that last chocolate/sorbet in the freezer/treat on the counter?" (I eat them when I want them, not because they're there.)

I could probably go on, and on, and on, but that's enough of a start. (Essentially, it all boils down to "I can make my own rules!" ^_^)

[em-h.livejournal.com]

Not wanting to muck up the concept, but you can wear ugly socks to bed if you've been in a relationship long enough ... I know I do ...

But as for singleness -- I really do miss sleeping in a bed by myself. I prize those times when I'm travelling and can be all alone and peaceful in the bed, with no one beside me snoring or thrashing around or whatever. And I miss being able to decide for myself exactly when I'm going to bed and when I'm getting up. And getting up in peace and quiet, so I can have a bath and coffee *by myself* before I have to engage with the world at all. Making my own decisions about what I'm going to eat when, without having to negotiate.

Also -- I miss flirting. I mean, you can do it a *bit* even when you're in a long-term monogamous relationship, but really you have to keep it pretty much in check. And I do kinda miss that. Does that sound trashy?

[cofax7]

Cheese and crackers for dinner, and letting the dishes pile up in the sink for days. Not having to justify expenditures on clothes, meals out, or traveling. Setting my own schedule, reading my own stuff, picking my own movies. Dressing up when it suits me, shlumping around the house when I want to. I can live on what's in my pantry and freezer for days if I need to.

And yeah, reading way too much porn on the internet when I feel like it, too...