lists.

when i was meeting up with the ex to get my super nintendo and give his damage deposit back, he mentioned that he was out at costco with his new girlfriend going shopping for food and it reminded me of all the things i missed about being in a relationship - not with him in particular, but just all those day-to-day things that i've now taken on by myself.

so, in no real order, here are the top five things i miss about being in a relationship:

::grocery shopping -- trading off the grocery bill, choosing food for dinners, mocking his choice of cereal.
::cooking dinner together. there's something really sweet about bonding over sliced vegetables.
::always having someone to cuddle with on the couch. i am seriously, seriously missing the cuddles. the problem with cuddling when there is no steady relationship is that it tends to be overrun by hormones and gets derailed into another thing entirely.
::couples nights. given that my bestest friends are coupled, i end up feeling like the fifth wheel when we want to invite their (wonderful) men along.
::"love you bye" to end phone conversations. "love you have a good day" kisses on the forehead in the morning. "love you have a good sleep" before i close my eyes. telling the cat that i love him doesn't have the same effect.


to balance this, here are the top five things i absolutely don't miss about being in a relationship.

::compromising. no, i don't mind that you want to play street fighter for hours on end when i would really much rather be watching judge judy. no i don't mind that you're still playing left 4 dead when i told you we had to leave 5 minutes ago to go to my mom's house for dinner. no i don't mind hanging out with your friends tonight to watch ufc. don't get me wrong - i appreciate that compromise is absolutely necessary for a relationship to work. it sure is nice to not have to though.
::sock balls, or stinky work boots, or some other such gross boy thing that seems to be left around the house. every man (roommate or lover) i've ever lived with seems to leave sock balls around. i get that you want your socks off after a long day, but ffs, leave those things in the bedroom. they breed, y'know.
::guilt-free girls nights. yep, i want to go dancing with the girls. nope, i don't want to pick up a dude. sometimes you need to just let go and you don't want to be checking your phone every two seconds. i might come home, i might not. who knows? who cares? i can take care of myself, thanks.
::the remote is mine! yep, mine. all mine.
::filling my life with work is completely acceptable. there's no "we never spend enough time together" discussions and there's never any need to try to rearrange my sleep schedule so that i can see you for 20 minutes here and there. i am answerable only to myself. i can play ball all weekend, i can work 3 jobs, i can volunteer.

hrmph.

i still miss cuddles, though. not kidding on that point.