Dating culture, upgrade culture

I was downtown, eating a huge bowl of pistachio ice cream and the weather was perfect: hot and after-a-thunderstorm breezy. I watched women stomping by wearing very high heels and uncomfortable dresses, which they kept tugging and adjusting. Men turned their heads to admire all the work and makeup. The excitement of presenting yourself on a platter....again. Gesturing dramatically in the street to make sure everyone stops to look. Presentation and dating are a lot of work. I guess it's the price people play for the assembly line of newness and endless beginnings. No situation is safe from the compulsive dater: 

funerals - I'm sorry about your loss; I gotta say though...you look hot in black!

ER - Wow, your friend was really bleeding a lot. It's really hard to get a cab home this time of night and I have a car; why don't we exchange numbers and I'll pick you up later - after your friend regains consciousness, of course.

You will see me alone a lot. I go to dinner and coffee shops alone and concerts. I am dating myself a lot lately. I got glammed up and went to see Gilberto Gil. It was beautiful and magical and there was an empty seat next to me - the other women kept looking over at me perhaps thinking either that my date stood me up or that I was dating Gil. Either way, it's all good.