The Singles Cafe

The following is the preface from the original edition of my book The Joy of Not Being Married: The Essential Guide for Singles (and Those Who Wish They Were) (published in 1995) which is now being totally revised for sensationally single and sensationally creative individuals.

Whether by choice or by chance, more people than ever before are now remaining single. Marriage is less significant to North Americans.

There are more singles today than ever before, in numbers, and as a percentage of the population. Due to divorce, later marriages, and choosing to remain unattached, more of us are spending major parts of our adult lives being single.

Somewhere along the way, most of us have been indoctrinated with the notion of the ideal marriage that we all deserve. Many of us, however, are finding the story-book marriage difficult, or impossible, to create. Many singles are still locked into that dream, regardless of how unrealistic the dream may appear at times. Many people feel cheated because they haven't attained their dream marriage.

Some singles still hope for the fairy-tale marriage; others have given up all hope and resigned themselves to a life of despair.

The main focus of this book isn't on how to create that special relationship or dream marriage. The intention of this book is to help you make the best out of being single. If you still aspire to having a long-term intimate relationship, that's okay. You will certainly stand a much greater chance of attaining it being happy in your present situation, than being unhappy and desperate for it.

Alternatively, if you have shopped around for the ideal marriage, and concluded that it isn't likely to happen, then you must make singlehood worth living to get satisfaction out of life. To some readers, the title of this book may imply that I feel there is something wrong with marrage. I want to emphasize that I am not trying to undermine the institution of marriage.

The foundation of this book is that if people aren't married, they can make being single a happy experience. To warn you in advance, I make no attempt to be politically correct. I also make no attempt to cater to intellectuals (that's why I am very successful in what I do and why my books have sold over 550,000 copies). In my books, I avoid great detail, unending facts, and academic jargon, which only distract most sensible readers from what they really want to read.

The essence of this book is how to enhance your purpose in life, how to create a better sense of community, and how to celebrate being alone. I have discovered certain character traits are important for singles to be happy and live life to the fullest.

The common thread among successful and inspirational singles is they have an important purpose in life. They also have a strong sense of community, established through a number of close, meaningful relationships. Although these relationships aren't as intimate as typical marital relationships, the relationships are still very important for support and companionship.

Inspirational singles also have high self-esteem. Because they like themselves, successful singles know how to enjoy themselves when they are alone.

As you read the rest of this book, remember that there isn't one magical formula for being a happy single individual. Because some parts of this book may not apply to your present situation, you may want to utilize some parts, and disregard the rest. You get to take responsibility for what to apply to your life.

What you apply will depend on your interests, goals, and direction in life. Exciting lifestyles for singles have emerged which would have been frowned upon not that long ago. Today, regardless of your sex, age, or past marital status, you can create a happy and fulfilling lifestyle that will defy explanation to many single and married individuals.

Marriage is like a besieged fortress. Everyone outside wants to get in, and everyone inside wants to get out.
- Quitard

Intellectuals should never marry; they won't enjoy it; and besides, they should not reproduce themselves.
- Don Herold

I feel miserable since my wife left me - in fact, it's like having her here with me.
- Unknown wise person

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• I have a married women whom is a friend and i am single

The Joy of Not Being Married - Top-10 Reasons Why Singlehood Rocks and Marriage Sucks!

1. You always know where the scissors are when you are single.

2. You can spend a lot more time with your friends. This is really precious given that a study cited in Psychology Today found that people are actually happier spending time with their friends than spending time with their spouse or children.

3. You don't have to worry about a spouse getting fat on you and embarrassing you in public.

4. You can spend all your money on anything you like.

5. You can work at home according to you own timetable.

6. There are no obnoxious in-laws coming to your home.

7. You have the house all to yourself when you get home from work.

8. You don't have to listen to a spouse talk about all the really boring stuff that he or she encountered at work that day.

9. You can eat dinner according to your own schedule and biorythms - and not a spouse's.

10. If you a natural adulterer, you don't have to lie or pretend that you are married.

Many a promising career has been wrecked by marrying the wrong sort of woman.
- Robertson Davies

Is your career doomed to sink like a stone once you get married. Perhaps. A Jennifer Lopez album sold an average of 2.7 million copies before she got married. Her most recent effort sold 154,000.

There are many reasons why being married can hurt your career. Here the top 5:

1. Your creativity is compromised. A recent research study actually found that single men's innovative and creative ability was much higher than married men's, particularly in the 25-30 age group.

2. Once you get married, you are going to spend more time with your spouse and family and it can effect your job productivity, according to S. Alexander Takeuchi, a professor of Sociology at the University of North Alabama.

3. Since marriage is the biggest cause of divorce, you are likely to divorce sooner or later. Divorce proceedings will certainly affect the quality of your work and your career as a whole. So will having to pay alimony.

4. As Kin Hubbard said, "Never get married while you're going to college. It's hard to get a start if a prospective employer finds that you have already made one mistake."

5. For a marriage to work, you have to learn not to think all that much. Of course, being good at not thinking a lot is not going to make you a very creative and effective worker.

It is not easy being single in a society that is obsessed with marriage and coupling. Fortunately for today's singles, more ane more resources are appearing on the Internet to help the sensationally single be just happy - if not happier - than marrried people and unmarried couples.

Here are some of them:

• Unmarried America: Unmarried America is an information service for America's 100 million unmarried adults - who head up a majority of the nation's households.
• Alternatives to Marriage Project: The Alternatives to Marriage Project (AtMP) is a national nonprofit organization advocating for equality and fairness for unmarried people, including people who are single, who choose not to marry, cannot marry, or live together before marriage.
• National Singles Association: Description from Their Website: We exist for the purpose of uniting, representing, and serving Singles in all stages of life; providing information and resources that will offer ways to save time, money and to connect socially for the purpose of living a fuller life. Our mission is to enhance the Single lifestyle through education, advocacy and an array of benefits and discounts.
• 
  
  

How often Divorce is Searched in Search Engines

divorce statistics 1,435 2,530 1,411/day 523 242
statistics 947 1,670 931 345 160

For Retirees Who Are Single - The Retirement Cafe

How Singles Can Make New Friends According to The Friendship Cafe

Free Financial Advice on The Money Café

How Singles Can Benefit from a Recession

Is marriage that great?

If so, why do people spend so time on the Internet when they are married? The following search terms are searched the most for "married" related searches on the Internet:

• married personals 1,100/day
• Why did I get married? 464/day
• married but looking 580.2 /day
• married and looking 272.8 /day

These are the results for singles:

• singles 4,369.0 /day
• free singles 679.0 /day
• 
  

I recommend having no relationships except those easily borne and disposed of; I recommend limiting one's involvement in other people's lives to a pleasantly scant minimum.
- Quentin Crisp

When a couple decides to divorce, they should inform both sets of parents before having a party and telling all their friends. This is not only courteous but practical. Parents may be very willing to pitch in with comments, criticism, and malicious gossip of their own to help the divorce along.
- P. J. O'Rourke

So you think that sex and marriage go together. Think again!

Survey: One-third of married Japanese do not have sex.

A recent survery indicated that thirty-two percent of married couples - 28 percent of men and 34 percent of women - had not had sexual intercourse for more than a month, the definition of "sexless" under the survey.

Furthermore, 19 percent of married couples had not had sex for a full year, said the survey by the Japan Family Planning Association and the Health Ministry which questioned 3,000 people aged 16 to 49.

The study said timidity was a major factor, citing the reluctance in Japan to talk about sex openly, despite a culture awash with outward displays of sex such as pornography.

Forty-four percent of sexless couples -- and also 31 percent of people with an active sex life -- said they found sexual relationships "tiresome,"
the study found.

Quotes about Sex and Marriage

What do I know about sex? I'm a married man.
- Tom Clancy

Last time I tried to make love to my wife nothing was happening, so I said to her, "What's the matter, you can't think of anybody either?"
- Rodney Dangerfield

Marriage is the price men pay for sex, sex is the price women pay for marriage.
- Unknown wise person

My wife only has sex with me for a purpose. Last night she used me to time an egg.
- Rodney Dangerfield

Marriage is for women the commonest mode of livelihood, and the total amount of undesired sex endured by women is probably greater in marriage than in prostitution.
- Bertrand Russell

I know nothing about sex, because I was always married.
- Zsa Zsa Gabor

Many ignorant married and single people cite studies that have repeatedly concluded that married people are happier than men and women who are single, divorced, or widowed.

Indeed, marriage is widely considered an indicator of overall happiness, along with measures of job satisfaction and high incomes.

But when it comes to relating marriage to happiness, it comes down to: Which came first - the hen or the egg? (Actually, it was neither - it was the rooster.)

The problem is that people who cite these studies are ignorant of other studies that have found otherwise. And there are just as many studies that have found that marriage in itself does not make people happy.

For example, recent research, which analyzed data from 24,000 men and women over a 15-year period, found that happiness is more a reflection of the people who get married than it is of marriage itself.

"People who get married tend to be happy before marriage occurred. If you are already happy to begin with, you are more likely to get married and stay married, but you have less to gain in terms of happiness," stated Richard Lucas, assistant professor of pyschology of Michigan State University.

The research findings, which were published in the Journal of Peronality and Social Pyschology, indicate that people have a base line of happiness and while social excitement around the act of marrying may offer a brief boost, people eventually return to that base-line level.

"For people who are single, this might show them some comfort," stated Professor Lucas, author of the research report. "Life satisfaction can stem from a strong social network and not just the companionship of marriage."

"For people who are getting married, they should realize marriage isn't going to lead to some great increase in your overall happiness. People shouldn't have false expectations," said Lucas. "On average, people are no happier after marriage than before. But there are indidvidual variations."

NOTE The Joy of Not Being Married cites another important study conducted by psychologists at the University of B.C. which found that singles are happier than married people on three out of four parameters.

Artist Pierre Roland Renoir, Great Grandson of the great Pierre-Auguste Renoir - and Real Success Author Ernie Zelinski in front of La Table de Renoir Restaurant in Edmonton.

Artist Pierre R. Renoir, Great Grandson of famous Pierre-Auguste Renoir and Author Ernie J. Zelinski in front of La Table de Renoir Restaurant in Edmonton.

Pierre Roland Renoir is the Great Grandson of Pierre-Auguste Renoir.

Michael Attwood and Ernie Zelinski and Pierre Renoir at La Table de Renoir Edmonton

Michael Attwood and Ernie Zelinski and Pierre Roland Renoir

Waitress Kasia Litner Taking Photos in La Table de Renoir Restaurant

Author Ernie Zelinski meeting fans at La Table de Renoir

Bestselling Author Ernie Zelinski getting to know fans at La Table de Renoir

Dr. Zelinski (as waitress Sarka at the Bistro Praha calls him) getting to know fans even better at La Table de Renoir

Ernie Zelinski signing Spanish edition of Real Success Without a Real Job for Female Fan at La Table de Renoir in Edmonton

Fan Holding a Copy of Real Success Without a Real Job by Ernie Zelinski

Fan Rewarding Ernie Zelinski
for writing Real Success Without a Real Job: The Career Book for People Too Smart to Work in Corporations

Ernie Zelinski being rewarded by Kasia Litner (holding Polish edition of The Joy of Not Working for visiting La Table de Renoir Restaurant

Author Ernie Zelinski relaxing on patio of La Table de Renoir in Edmonton

NOTE: ABOVE PHOTOS BY FORREST BARD

Zsa Zsa Gabor once appeared on a television show on which celebrity panelists attempted to solve marital or relationship problems.

One of the women guests on the show with a relationship problem asked Zsa Zsa, "Miss Gabor, although my fiancé has given me diamonds, a mink coat, an expensive automobile, and a stove, I am being forced to break up with him. What I should do?"

Without hesitation, Zsa Zsa replied, "Give back the stove."

Quotes by Zsa Zsa Gabor

I am a marvelous housekeeper. Every time I leave a man I keep his house.
- Zsa Zsa Gabor

Artist Pierre R. Renoir and Ernie Zelinski and Forrest Bard

Pierre Roland Renoir and Forrest Bard

NOTE: PHOTOS BY MICHAEL ATTWOOD USING FORREST BARD'S CAMERA

So how much pretending and outright lying are married people doing when it comes to saying, "I love you," to their partners?

Here's something to ponder:

Not so long ago Canadian couples were asked, "Do you love your lover?"

Here are the results of the survey:

• About 65 percent of men don't love their lovers.
• About 57 percent of women don't love their lovers.

I would imagine that the results for American couples would not be much different.

Near as I can tell, single life isn't all that bad.

A husband and wife in their early 60s were dining at an expensive restaurant when a stunningly beautiful young woman in her late 20s came over, gave the husband a big kiss, and told him that she would meet with him later.

His wife glared at him and demanded to know, "Who is that?"

"What's the big deal," replied the husband. "That's my mistress."

"Your mistress!" snapped the wife. "I want a divorce and I want it now!"

"No problem," said the husband. "Just keep in mind that I have arranged that everything that I own is protected in an international corporate trust. You can sue me in divorce court but you will get very little if anything at all."

"What this means," continued the husband, "is that there will be no more shopping trips to Paris for you, no more wintering in the Carribean and South America, no Mercedes for you to drive, and no more country club where the rich and sophisticated hang out. The decision is up to you."

Just then the wife noticed one of the couple's neighbors from the ritzy area where they lived. "Who's that young woman with Bill Richards?" asked the wife.

"That's Bill's mistress," answered the husband.

"Ours is much prettier," declared the wife proudly.

As a single individual, it is easy to fall into the psychological trap of repeatedly asking oneself "What is the meaning of life?"

Trust me on this one: Married people are just as likely to ask themselves the same question as often as single people.

Entrepreneur George Montegu Black, father of former media baroon Lord Conrad Black, suffered a few career disappointments and became melancholy in his later years. Shortly before his death, he is reported to have proclaimed, "Life is hell, most people are bastards and everything is bullshit."

Perhaps the elder Black experienced true enlightenment when he made this statement. Or is there more to life? In a study reported in the Journal of Humanistic Psychology, three academics analyzed 238 quotations from 195 wise people ranging from Rousseau to Bob Dylan in an attempt to find a clue as to the meaning of life.

Here are are their findings:

Top-10 Clues to the Meaning of Life

• Life is to be enjoyed. (17 percent of the sample)
• We are here to love and help others. (13 percent)
• Life is a mystery. (13 percent)
• There is no cosmic meaning. (11 percent)
• We are here to serve or worship God. (11 percent)
• Life is a struggle. (8 percent)
• We must make a contribution to society. (6 percent)
• Our mission in life is to seek wisdom/truth, and to become self-actualized. (6 percent)
• We must create meaning for ourselves. (5 percent)
• Life is absurd or a joke. (4 percent)

One more note on the meaning of life: While discussing this with one of my friends, he replied, "My dad once worked with an educated man.
He told my dad the following: 'There is only one truth ... everything in life is a fraud.' "

Ever since human beings developed the abilities to reason and explore,they have searched for the big secret. Philosophers, scientists, and theologians alike have been searching for the undisputable answer to the question: "What is the meaning of life?"

This perplexing question has resulted in a wide range of conclusions and arguments, including scientific theories, authoritative dogma, philosophical conjecture, and spiritual explanations.

As a matter of course "What is the meaning of life?" is the most profound question most individuals ask themselves at some point during their lives. The question in itself is open to various interpretations:

Why are we here?
Who are we?
Where did we come from?
What is the purpose of life?
Will we experience life after death?

To get the upper hand on everyone else, you yourself may be determined to get to the bottom of this mystery called life - not even sure how much longer you can hang on if you don't find it.

Plain and simple, it is unlikely that you will succeed. All things considered, there likely will never be an answer. Many individuals with greater talent and knowledge than you and me have come up empty-handed. You will find that the deeper you go, the more the mystery will deepen.

You may even decide to go traveling around the world in search of the magical answer to life. The further the better,you think - maybe even ashrams in Colorado or the Himalaya Mountains in south-central Asia. Once you get there, you will make an interesting discovery: The only answers and
enlightenment you get to experience in ashrams in Colorado or mountaintops in India are the answers and enlightenment with which you arrived.

This doesn't mean that you shouldn't learn more about the world. It's rewarding to explore and discover the fascinating aspects of life. By all means, keep looking to improve your understanding of many things around you. It's best to let some of the more profound things remain mysterious, however.

Sometimes too much understanding of something beautiful - such as the scientific explanation for what causes the Northern Lights to be visible in the
night skies of northern U.S.A., parts of Europe, Russia, and Canada - makes it less beautiful.

In the same vein, having the absolute understanding of life - if there ever will be one - would undoubtedly make life less enjoyable. Richard Bach in his book Illusions wrote, "Learn what the magician knows and it's not magic anymore."

Not to mention that desperately contemplating the meaning of life can lead to stress, ulcers, high blood pressure, and a lack of success. At the extreme, people frantically searching for the meaning of life have been known to commit suicide. Even if you discover the absolute meaning of life, you may realize that it doesn't really make any difference to the quality of your existence anyway.

Your answer may be that ultimately life is pretty meaningless,that we are all insignificant grains of dust in the grand cosmic scheme of things,that we are all leading random lives, that our existence doesn't affect anything or anyone.

George Carlin may have actually found a far better answer to the meaning of life. Now don't get too excited,because his answer isn't as profound as you may anticipate. Carlin once said that the ultimate meaning of life is "to find a place to put all your stuff."

This,indeed, is as good of an answer as any other. In short,if you want to reduce the existential angst in your life, give up your self-adopted role as chief investigator of what makes this universe rock.

No amount of brooding about the meaning of life can take the place of going out there and enjoying all it has to offer. The mistake most people make about pursuing the meaning of life is searching for the answer instead of living it. The search in itself may give some people meaning but it seldom brings a smile to their faces.

How right Rita Mae Brown was when she said, "I finally figured out the only reason to be alive is to enjoy it." When you learn to enjoy all that life has to offer, there is no need to understand it. Viewed in this way, the meaning of life is to live fully - to enjoy the ride, in other words.

Note: This life lesson for singles (and for married people too) is adapted from the book 101 Really Important Things You Already Know, But Keep Forgetting. The E-book with 17 chapters of this book is available as a free download at Creative Free E-books.

All Rights Reserved - All Content is the Copyright of Ernie J. Zelinski

101 Really Important Things You Already Know, But Keep Forgetting

Download the Free E-book of 101 Really Important Things You Already Know, But Keep Forgetting with 17 free chapters at Ernie Zelinski's Creative Free E-Books Website.

Purchase 101 Really Important Things You Already Know, But Keep Forgetting at:

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About the Author

Red Room Author Ernie J. Zelinski is a leading authority on early retirement and solo-entrepreneurship. He is the author of the international bestseller How to Retire Happy, Wild, and Free (Retirement Wisdom That You Won't Get from Your Financial Advisor), which has sold over 110,000 copies and has been published in 7 foreign languages.

Ernie J. Zelinski is also author of the unconventional Career Success Without a Real Job (The Career Book for People Too Smart to Work in Corporations). Download the Creative Free E-book Editions of Ernie's The Joy of Not Working and How to Retire Happy, Wild, and Free at:

Creative Free E-Books

LOS ANGELES, Sep 17, 2008 (BUSINESS WIRE)

Many single women1 are ill-prepared and unlikely to achieve a financially secure retirement if they don't take action now, according to the findings of the Ninth Annual Transamerica Retirement Survey.

This demographic, which makes up a majority of women in the U.S., dreams of a retirement filled with traveling, pursuing hobbies, and spending more time at home with family and friends. However, many may never realize these dreams and many may not be able to afford to retire at all.

Single women estimate needing a median amount of $500,000 by the time they reach retirement. However, more than one-third report that they have saved less than $25,000 for retirement, while only one in 10 report having saved more than $100,000.

When asked how they arrived at their estimate, nearly two-thirds of single women admit they guessed the answer. Notably, only 6 percent completed a worksheet or calculation, or received their estimate from a financial advisor.

The survey found that single women most frequently cite self-funded savings like 401(k) plans and IRAs as their expected primary source of income in retirement, yet only 69 percent of single women who work full-time report that their current employer offers them a 401(k) plan. This can be explained, in part, by the fact that a majority of single women (56 percent) would prefer a job with a higher salary over one with excellent retirement benefits.

For single women who work part-time, the picture is even gloomier: the survey found that 64 percent of them have no retirement benefits offered to them by their employer.

As for single women who have access to a 401(k) or a similar plan through their employer, not all take advantage of the opportunity to save. The survey found that only 70 percent participate in the plan with a median contribution rate of 6 percent.

"Too many single women are still not saving for retirement, and those who are should be saving much more," says Catherine Collinson, president of the Transamerica Center for Retirement Studies, a non-profit corporation. "For most single women, their current savings rates are unlikely to build a large enough retirement nest egg. It's important for everyone to conduct a proper analysis to estimate their retirement needs and to create a plan that will help get them there."

A Difficult Balance: Today's Necessities vs. Tomorrow's Dreams

Single women face competing financial priorities which influence their ability to save for retirement. The majority of single women cite either "just getting by" (33 percent) or "paying off debt" (30 percent) as their greatest financial priority while only 17 percent cite "saving for retirement."

Further, the survey found that single women frequently (46 percent) cite "outliving their money" as one of their greatest fears about retirement. Their fears are well-founded in that studies have shown that elderly women are more likely to live in poverty and marital status is one of the critical factors that determine whether they will become or stay poor in retirement.

"Despite greater financial independence, women also have longer life expectancies and they are more likely to work part-time or take time out of the workforce to be mothers and caregivers," says Collinson. "These circumstances make it much more difficult for many women to adequately save for retirement, so it's important they remain mindful of the implications of their life and employment-related decisions and how to adapt accordingly."

Take Action Now to Increase the Likelihood of Achieving a Secure Retirement

"Balancing today's financial priorities with saving for retirement is quite challenging for many," says Collinson, "yet, single women can take action to help improve their outlook for a secure retirement."

Single women can increase the likelihood of achieving their retirement dreams by taking the following steps:

• Get educated.
• Take advantage of information and assistance available through employer-sponsored retirement plans and other reputable sources to learn about retirement planning and investing concepts.
• Take advantage of self-help tools such as online calculators to help assess retirement needs.
• Assess current financial priorities and long-term savings needs.
Assess competing financial priorities and seek a balance between immediate needs and saving for retirement.
• Calculate retirement savings needs and create a savings plan for achieving them. In the event of shortfalls, seek a balance between
  saving more, investing more effectively and working longer.
• Translate plans into action.
• Start saving as soon as possible.
• Be sure to consider retirement benefit offerings when assessing future employment opportunities.
• Make the most of employer-sponsored retirement plans. If possible, save for retirement outside of work as well.
• Avoid borrowing or withdrawing from retirement account prior to reaching retirement age.

To learn more about single women and opportunities to improve their financial well-being, please visit www.transamericacenter.org.

The Transamerica Center for Retirement Studies
("The Center") is a non-profit corporation and private operating foundation. The Center is funded by contributions from Transamerica Life Insurance Company and its affiliates. It may be funded by unaffiliated third-parties. For more information about The Center, please refer to www.transamericacenter.org.

The Center cannot give tax or legal advice. This material is presented for informational purposes only and should not be construed as advice. Interested parties must consult and rely solely upon their own independent advisors regarding their particular situation and the concepts presented here. Although care has been taken in preparing this material, The Center disclaims any express or implied warranty as to its accuracy and any liability with respect to it.
1. Single Women include: Single, Never Married, Divorced, Widowed, and Separated.
2. Roberts, Sam. "51% of Women Are Now Living Without Spouse." New York Times. 16 January 2007.
3 Lee, Sunhwa. Shaw, Lois B. Institute for Women's Policy Research. "From Work to Retirement: Tracking Changes in Women's Poverty Status." Summary of the AARP Research Paper. February 2008.

SOURCE: Transamerica Center for Retirement Studies

The Joy of Not Being Married

Retirement Poems on Squidoo

The Best Places to Retire in the World on Squidoo

Career Change on Squidoo

This event happened in 2005 in Italy.

A man sentenced to nine months of house arrest begged to sent to jail instead because he couldn't stand his wife's nagging.

After a week at home with his spouse in Northern Italy, he turned up at his local courtroom and pleaded to be taken into custody.

Luckily for him, the court granted this request.

At the same time, this took place in Germany:

A German man ran afoul of the law after a marriage-guidance counsellor told him to run around naked shouting at trees.

The German man told police that venting his anger on the trees had stopped him from shouting at his wife and that taking his clothes off at the same time made him feel more relaxed.

Near as I can tell, it would be easier to be single.

It appears that Madonna's husband has had almost as much sex as I have had in the last 18 months. This is exerpted from an article called 'No sex for 18 months' - Madonna and Guy

Pop star Madonna and her estranged husband Guy Ritchie didn't have sex for 18 months as their marriage crumbled, it has been reported.

The couple - who announced last week they were separating, ending months of rumours - reportedly didn't get close beneath the sheets because the Hung Up singer was too tired for love due to her gruelling daily four-hour workouts.

A friend close to the pair said: "Guy got more and more frustrated as she spent nearly half the day exercising. When she did eventually get home she'd be too tired to make love.

"When the cracks first started to show, Guy would plead with her to spend more time with him but she wouldn't. She'd insist she did her four-hour workout.

"They've been apart so much in the last two years that their opportunities to make love would have been fairly limited.

"They've also been in separate rooms a lot after big rows so there wasn't any chance to make up."

It has also been claimed that Guy, 40, found 50-year-old Madonna's super-toned body a turn-off, and yearned for the soft, womanly curves she had when they first fell in love after meeting in 1999.

The RocknRolla director is reported to have confided in a friend he was finding his superstar star spouse less attractive the more fitness obsessed she became.

The pal told Britain's News of the World newspaper: "After a few drinks one evening, Guy said it was like cuddling up to a piece of gristle. All the soft feminine tones had been replaced by the build of an athlete."

In 2007, the New York Times published the results of its census analysis stating that 51% of U.S. women live without a spouse.

Bert Sperling, lead researcher for Sperling's BestPlaces begs to differ. Sperling's conclusion is significantly different than the New York Times. In the 379 metro areas nationwide, 34% of women 25-64 are single.

Generally speaking, people tend couple up more in the smaller towns.

Despite all the attention to this new milestone for single women, the difference between the number of single men and women is not as great as one might think. Nationally, 32% of men are single.

The Top Ten "Solo Cities

1 San Francisco, CA 44.7
2 Detroit, MI 44
3 New York, NY 39.8
4 Boston, MA 39.2
5 New Orleans, LA 39.1
6 Los Angeles, CA 37.7
7 Fort Lauderdale, FL 37.2
8 Las Vegas, NV 37
9 Miami, FL 36.9
10 Albuquerque, NM 36.8

Once upon a time a guy asked two different gals "Will you marry me?"

Both gals replied, 'NO!'

As a result, the guy lived happily ever after and rode motorcycles and went fishing and hunting and played golf a lot and drank beer, wine, and scotch and had tons of money in the bank and traveled to places like Istanbul, London, and New York and lived in a house that he could truly call his own and left the toilet seat up and farted whenever he wanted.

The end

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