Hey Barbie, it's Ken...

My sister had a great voice she used when Ken would call in from the road. Nasal and gutteral all in one. Ken was a businessman and he was always out-of-town. He called once a day to check in with Barbie. The conversations were typically short depending on how long we could control our laughter. That voice really cracked us up.

We never had a Ken doll, but since he was supposedly Barbie's boyfriend I guess we felt compelled to keep to the story. I didn't miss Ken and neither did Barbie. Barbie really didn't have time for Ken, what with all those clothes to try on and lunches with her friends who all looked exactly like her.

I recently asked my mom about the absence of Ken dolls at our house. She said she didn't like the idea of dolls modeled after adults. But Barbie had all the clothes and accessories that were fun, so she allowed her. What did Ken have? Some sleazy rubber loafers and polyester slacks? How much fun is it to slip yet another cheesy computer-knit sweater? I don't know if Mom would have felt differently if the Ken you could shave had been introduced when we were small.

I am nearly thirty-five-years-old and single. I am not fond of being nearly thirty-five, but I am fine with being single. Several years ago I created an ideal boyfriend in my mind. He would work as a roadie for a band that tours regularly over time like Bruce Springsteen or U2. A roadie would be perfect because he would be gone for extended periods of time, but when he was in town he would be handy around the house. For instance, he would excell at keeping my cords in order - my cords are such a mess (computer. printer, TV, DVD player, VCR, stereo, phone, various chargers, etc).

Do you think the two things are related? Sometimes I wish I wanted the things society tells us we should have and most people seem to want. But then would I feel bad because I was single or would I have found someone because I wanted that?