SSB- Secret Single Behavior

If you're as much of an SATC fan as I am, you'll recognize who coined the phrase making up my title today. If not, don't worry-- I won't judge you...too much. There's an episode of Sex and the City where the girls talk about their Secret Single Behavior. Charlotte's is examining her pores in a lighted magnifying mirror, which she feels she can't do when she's married to Trey. Carrie's is standing in her kitchen, eating saltine crackers with grape jelly, and flipping through fashion magazines. And Miranda's is soaking her hands in vaseline and placing them in heated gloves while watching infomercials. If I remember correctly, Samantha doesn't have any secrets.

I like to think for those of us who are in long-term, live-in, or married relationships that we still have our own Secret Single Behavior...we just have to find more creative ways to go about it when there are constantly guys in our space. Since L. and I are living together this summer in a room that measures approximately 8' x 12', I have to get especially creative.

But this weekend, I have an opening. All of the alums from L.'s a capella group The Octet are coming into town for their annual Summer Reunion, along with a couple of the guys who are here this summer. At first I was a little worried because I don't know a whole lot of people on campus this summer aside from L., and I thought I'd have kind of a long weekend by myself. See, the Octet Reunion has a strict schedule of events that take place each year, and many of them are bro-only. There are, however, parties both Friday and Saturday nights that I'll be going to. But in the meantimes, from Friday evening through Saturday and Sunday afternoons, I'll have a lot of time to myself. So I got to thinking...what sorts of SSB can I engage in this weekend?

I think some of my SSBs are as follows:

• Taking a long, hot shower, wrapping my hair in a towel and swaddling myself in my bathrobe, and eating cupcakes/pumpkin bread/blueberry muffins/other decadent baked goods while laying in my bed.
  
• Ordering greasy chinese or pizza or other equally awful food, getting into bed, and watching The Hills on my laptop.
  
• Okay...watching The Hills anytime.
  
• Grooming myself exhaustively (plucking my eyebrows, cutting my cuticles, clipping my nails and toenails, attacking my blackheads...yup, all the good stuff)
• Facebook-stalking...myself and L.'s old wall-to-walls and photos (we were friends for a while before we started dating so I personally think our old wall-to-walls, especially the ones from the summer before college before we even ever met (!), are hilarious. L. is not as amused).
  

I'm pleased to announce that this weekend, I plan to engage in nearly all of these activities. Here's what I'm thinking:

Friday after work I'll order a personal pizza and climb into bed and catch up on The Bachelorette. Then I'll use all my exhaustive grooming to get ready to party with the boys that night.

Saturday afternoon, while the boys play wiffleball and do god knows what else, I might take a hike on part of the Appalachian Trail, up either Mt. Greylock or Pine Cobble (making sure to let someone know where I'll be and when I should be returning, of course--don't be a foolish hiker!!!), and then come back, shower, and maybe peruse some of the books I just checked out from the library of literary criticism on Kate Chopin for my new thesis. (Quick update re: thesis: Saw Professor KK, aka the horrible-person-who-royally-screwed-me-over, at the Thai restaurant today while L. and I were getting lunch. A big part of me wanted to have a confrontation, but I decided to be the bigger person and just let it go.) After that, maybe I'll order some orange chicken and watch The Hills, and then meet up with the boys later.

I'm excited to have some time to do some strange, awkward, or just plain girly things without L. around to be weirded out by them!

Do you guys have any SSBs? Do you feel like there's things you just LOVE to do when your boyfriend/fiance/husband is away?