Ladies' Night

Say you want to live a Bridget Jones lifestyle -- no, not necessarily the "Why can't I get a man?" part. We're thinking about an urban tribe of witty girlfriends (and a token gay male) -- a support system for discussing, among other things, your dating woes. Sadly, it's a universal truth that the older you get, the harder it is to make new friends.

One solution reminds us of speed dating -- except it's the nonsexual Speed Networking Business Card Exchange and Margarita Tasting, for señoras y señoritas only. The name says it all -- it's a chance to meet other potential friends and/or business contacts while tipping back one of the ultimate girl drinks.

"It's for women to meet each other, because they don't have anyone to run around with," says coordinator Elizabeth Floyd. "They don't know any women their age, or all their friends are occupied or married or otherwise engaged. They don't go to a lot of places to meet other women just to go and do things with, like lunch or just a running-buddy kind of thing -- especially when women get older, which is what we're finding."

The girls'-night-out shindig is open to singletons and married women, and it's similar to speed-dating in that every four to six minutes (depending on the number of participants), the coordinators will conduct a new introduction. After each round, business cards will be exchanged, but that's it -- no match sheets or folderol like that. Participants must be at least 21; according to Floyd, many of those who have signed up are 35 or older.

"I'm expecting a pretty decent turnout now that the holidays are done and now that women can do something for themselves," Floyd says. "Sometimes, that's people's New Year's resolutions -- to get out and mingle." Which was probably one of Bridget Jones' resolutions, too.