I'm in the Army. Been for quite a while actually. Been meaning to post for a long time. So many examples to share I hope this one is acceptable. This happened a few hours ago and demanded immediate posting.

Away at major training event with a few thousand of my closest friends. We're at a social event, the kind where you are expected to drink one beer responsibly, make small talk, and call it a night.

Im sitting with a younger male friend. He's recently married, and kind of believes everyone his age should be.

So a girl makes her way to our conversation, we're talking work briefly when my friend notices she's single. She's halfway through her career, middle management, and 30. There is nothing physically remarkable about her at all and she's definitely on the thick side.

The tone was light and playful when my friend, the naive one, asks her why, with all these guys she's still single.

She gives the scripted speech. Can't find the right guy, a few guys have tried but didn't measure up etc. Spontaneously my friend says he's going to try to set her up. The following q&a went like a fucking script.

Him: So give us some parameters, what's your number one trait you want?

Her: He has to be 6' tall.

Me: He has to be 6', what about 5'11?

Her: No, 6' or nothing.

Me: Well how tall are you?

Her: I'm 5'. Well actually 4'11, but you know.

This goes back and forth as my friend asks her for more of her preferences. When she says the age must be between 30-35 I cut back in with my favorite "hypothetical" question. I ask her to tell us: living or dead, famous or not, who is the most desirable she's ever seen.

She names a 40 something year old celebrity. While they are talking about his accomplishments I quickly Google the guy, as expected he's attractive and married. This is my follow up.

Me: hey I just looked him up, wow, that guy does look good. Then I sighed, oh he's married though, but what if, I mean what if he and his wife were really open minded and .....

She cut me off. I didn't even finish my sentence when she said "oh, I'd be his side piece no questions asked".

We all laughed for a minute then I brought this up.

Me: Cool, so we know what you're looking for, what your open to etc but what do will tell these prospective guys about you? She kind of looks at me funny. I continue. You know, what do you have to offer? Silence.

I quickly back off a bit and say you know what do we tell him you are into, hobbies, interest etc.

She stammered and said well I like to read books, well not actually read them, listen to audio books sometimes.

The conversation trailed off, she walked off to get pizza.

I told my young friend the lesson: be valuable and you can have two, if you're not you get none, and even women who have absolutely nothing to offer know this.

My friends faith is beginning to waiver.

Amusingly in our organization there are several 30+ year old single females. In the last 20+ years this has really become a growing phenomenon. The way the army works, with age they will aquire more rank, more seniority, and the pool of what is acceptable to them will shrink.