First of all, I bought a condo as a single woman five years ago, and it turned out to be a great decision. Yes, the windows are small, there's very little green space, it's a bit claustrophobic, and it's not nearly as atmospheric as the house I'd been renting, but that just forces me to get out more. I made a decision that as a single person I would rather spend my free time at the gym or the lake or a salsa class than home alone working on a house. Because my condo is old and didn't cost much, I was able to pay off the mortgage, free up a lot of extra cash, and hire a maid service, which has given me even more time to pursue hobbies. I don't have to worry about taking care of a yard or keeping up with exterior home repairs. The worst I have faced so far is a couple of clogged drains and some loose wiring in the electrical sockets, all low-cost repairs. I've had some skanky neighbors, but they were evicted after a year,and there have been some great neighbors as well. Overall I feel more secure than I would in a house, and my place has appreciated in value, though probably not nearly as much as a house would have.

I'm in my late thirties, have a dream job at a nonprofit and, because of the condo, I'm in great financial shape. But after a couple of years of intense internal debate, I recently decided to put all this in jeapardy, quit my job, rent out my condo, and move to a major (and expensive) city on the coast. The truth is, my cozy, comfortable, secure life has become a velvet rut. I've done all I can to recharge it and have come to the (unfortunate) conclusion, after several years of effort and waffling, that only a major move is going to make life fresh for me again. I'm sure it's an early midlife crisis, but I'm looking at the second half of my life and don't feel inspired to stay on with the status quo. Lots of women quit their jobs and then proceed to have two or three children, hardly an economically wise decision, but because that course is socially sanctified, we don't see it in those terms. If you don't follow that expected course I think it is easy to get in a rut and feel like you can't justify making changes in your life that might cost you economically. So I think the LW needs to decide if the changes she desires are worth the econonomic cost. They may well be.

And you never know, a change may lead to an even better job and a better financial situation in the long run.

These women may well be making up boyfriends because they do not want to date the LW and do not want to hurt his feelings. I do agree with the LW, though, that there is something fishy about people who can never be without a significant other in their lives. I've seen people get divorced and within a month hook up with someone new. What's up with that? As a single person, I'm actually insulted by that type of behavior, as it suggests that being single is such an abhorrent state that one should get out of it as soon as possible. If I were with such a person I would wonder if he really liked me or was just desperate. Also, you learn a lot about yourself when you are single, and I feel that people who are permanently attached miss out on that.

Strip your hotel bed when you first arrive and look for bedbug signs along the mattress and in the box spring. Also check the headboard.

There are also precautions you can take to avoid bringing bedbugs home. Old fashioned, hard metal suitcases are better than cloth ones, because bedbugs can't grip on to metal. Always keep your luggage closed and on a luggage rack, away from the bed, or in the bathtub. You can also keep your clothes in plastic bags and then throw them in a hot wash and dry before putting them away or even bringing them into your home.

Bedbug bites are often first mistaken for mosquito bites, but they linger for weeks. They can also blow up into welts and cause asthma. They can take up to nine days to appear because the poison from their saliva has to work it's way through your system.

Perhaps global warming is another cause of the increase in bedbugs?

I don't think the solution to this lw's problem is going to be as simple as just "getting out there." It seems that the most accomplished women around the globe are facing the existential crisis of possibly living out their lives alone. The best piece I've read so far on this phenomena is "Single Professional Women: A Global Phenomenon: Challenges and Opportunities" by Linda Berg-Cross , Anne-Marie Scholz, JoAnne Long, Ewa Grzeszcyk, and Anjali Roy, which can be found through Google.

This book review is right on target. I read an advanced copy of this book and although passages of it were interesting I was left totally confused as to what the author was trying to say. A truly muddled piece of work.