decent proposal

If you're a girl, it seems like it's virtually impossible to keep in touch with friends post-college without being constantly inundated by wedding talk. I was on the phone with one of my unmarried friends the other night, and we were talking about all the girls we know who have already gone on to marry and start families. As our convo ended, my friend said something to the effect of, "We're the last ones left."

Which seemed completely INSANE, seeing as neither of us has even reached 30. The comment reminded me of something you're supposed to say when you're 40.

There is, it seems, this subtle expectation you're supposed to have an elaborate fantasy proposal mapped out in your mind -- even when you're not dating anyone. The heighened caliber of proposals, paired with a recent rise in self-help books heightening women's expectations of The Perfect Guy, makes proposals like this one almost commonplace. It involves a Chicago guy who constructed an entire art exhibit -- and gallery opening -- in hopes of surprising his now-fiancee.

Don't worry, cynics.

There are still scenarios that backfire, such as this guy's attempt to propose to his gal at an Astros game. When the Kiss Cam zoomed in on the guy, "the woman looked surprised, then mad at the sight of the ring, either spilled her popcorn or dumped it on the gentleman's head and left amid a chorus of boos."

In the end, I guess it's important to remember that life is a balance of rejections and grand romantic gestures, and single moment of bliss hardly guarantees years of happiness.