Living alone

Here, the Washington Post describes how the D.C. area has seen a surge in single living. The piece seems to be slightly indicative of national trends.

With the exception of my immediate family and college roommates, I've always lived alone.

It's an arrangement I often ponder late at night, as my dog encourages me to go on Craig's List and find a roommate who will stalk us in our sleep. The discussion usually goes something like this:

On the plus side...

Living alone makes for an unrivaled level of privacy. Need proof? Refer to the many Fridays I spend watching "SuperNanny" while wearing my seventh-grade gym clothes.

But...

I really hate cooking for one. I buy ingredients only to watch them spoil, and on most nights I surrender to the convenience of microwave dinners.

Then again...

Sharing occupancy of my home would mean I'd actually have to be clean. That's not an ideal situation for someone who's on a first-name basis with the dust bunnies under her fridge.

However...

Being alone gets, well, lonely sometimes. And if I lived with someone, I might actually be able to enter the modern age and pay for cable.

Repeat, repeat, repeat.

Weigh in: What are the best and worst parts of living alone?