The South Bay and all its diversions

I made it back to Houston yesterday and it has been lovely seeing my family.  I'm left with a bit of pondering over the meaning of Christmas as adulthood only still barely makes sense and I hope that 2011 will be somehow different.

I did gain a whole new appreciation of my status as a single lady though.  Ah, the amazing revelations that occur thanks to the random seating on Southwest flights.  So, I found a window seat and waited to see who would squeeze down into the middle seat.  I started to hear the loud hectoring of a Chinese mom way before I could see her or the children and husband who she was directing to sit here, no there, stick your bag in there, no give it to me, ask that man to help you, no him!  She was a thin and pretty mom, a little on the nervous, stressed out side.  I was surprised when she said that her daughter is in college and I tried to make out age lines on her face.  Still an attractive woman beside her geeky tech husband.

Initially, I did try to pretend to be asleep, or Korean, so that she wouldn't talk to me.  But I felt bad about that and so started to engage her in Chinese.  She lives in Castro Valley.  Her husband does some tech stuff in Milpitas.  I think she is a housewife.  They've been to Disneyland several times and now the kids want to go to Disneyworld (even the college-age kid?  really?).  Her daughter at UC Berkeley planning to do premed and will spend the summer bringing medicine to Honduras.

And she asked me if I'm married.  Not receiving the most satisfactory response she checked for the next best thing, a boyfriend.  Again thwarted!  So then she asks me if it is because my standards are too high.  I was like, uh, you know, it's hard to meet new people.  So it's both then?, she said.  Uh, yeah, sure.  So, you don't meet high quality people in Oakland, you should move to the South Bay.  There are a lot of nice men who work in the tech industry and come from China.  Uh, yeah, that sounds fantastic...  You should move down there?  Why don't you move?  You like your job too much?

You know, I was polite.  Even while aghast-ridden and offended.  But the whole exchange gave me a new appreciation for being a single lady.  Career woman.  Whatever.  I don't need a rich, boring husband to provide me a good living.  To borrow from Destiny's Child, the house I live in -- I bought it (well, I pay my own rent); the clothes I'm wearing -- I bought it (or stole from my mom's closet);  I depend on me.  I depend on me!  And my mommy, of course.