It's Saturday night. Most people my age are out partying and getting wasted while I waste away at home binging on Netflix and home-made sugar cookies. I haven't been on a date in five years. I like being by myself these days. For one, I don't have to get dressed and pretend to be something I'm not. But more importantly, I get to watch shows I want to watch without having to bicker and agonize over consensus building as a couple. I snuggled under my cozy blanket which I hadn't washed in months. It had the sweet smell of old dirty socks. But since it was my dirty socks, I wasn't offended by it. I decided to start a new three-season series of a show I recently discovered when I realized I was out of snacks. Sure, I had plenty of carrot sticks, celery, and fresh fruits lying around. But all those were just for show. What I really wanted was a jumbo-sized bag of hot spicy chips that can last for a three-hour binge.Watching Netflix without having snacks is like having sex for no good reason, especially when you're not even in the mood. I looked at my phone and realized it was late evening and the local convenience store was about to close. I hurriedly got dressed (put on some old sweatshirt and sweatpants), took my keys off the rack and made my way out the door. When I stepped outside of my brownstone apartment, I had forgotten it was winter.As I walked down the snow-dusted sidewalks, a couple passing by gave me long dirty looks whenever the wind wasn't cutting into their faces. They must think I'm either homeless or lost. After all, I happened to live in one of the finest parts of the city.I was greeted by the familiar door chime as I entered the local store. The owner pretended not to notice me but I saw her look away just in time. In the city, it's impolite to greet customers as it implies you are about to steal something and they just want to let you know that they know. "May I help you?" translates to "Don't even think about it."I scanned the shelves around me. There were gums and candies but they all had a stale look to them. I graciously stepped aside to let the other customers go by. On the corner of the counter was a makeshift newsstand rack stocked with newspapers and magazines. Below it was a shelf filled with local coupons, religious pamphlets, and rental booklets. I happened to spot a book titled Sara Love's Ultimate Guide to Successful Dating. It was the only copy. I snuck it between my two bags of chips and made my exit before the owner took notice.I took one last sip of my cheap wine and emptied the rest in the sink. It tasted bad the first time and even worse the second, but I had nothing else to drink. I looked down on my phone and saw that my internet service was restored so I threw the book in the trash and made my way back to the living room.Feeling a little buzzed, I was invigorated. I promised myself tomorrow I will make an effort to go out and greet the world again and see what it has to offer. There are so many places I have yet to see, countless things to experience, fascinating people to meet, and I had plenty of years ahead of me to do it all. Heck, I may even try dating again. It had been a very long dry spell.But tonight, I am behind on Netflix.