Quirkyalone

Hey Bay Area, come out and play with us on Quirkyalone Day!

Feb 01, 2012 - Written by Sasha Cagen  |  Filed under: Uncategorized

I am excited to announce the details for the NINTH annual International Quirkyalone Day party. This alternative take on February 14 first took root in 2003 with a party in San Francisco (there were also parties in New York, Providence, and Glasgow that year). This year the party moves to Oakland to one of the quirkiest bars in the world, Van Kleef’s.

Come find your quirkyalone (and quirkytogether and quirkyslut) brethren at:
Van Kleef’s
Tuesday, February 14
8 – 11 pm
1621 Telegraph Ave

What to expect? Quirky mixing and mingling, perhaps a surprise reading. The most quirky ambiance in the world. This is not a typical singles’ gathering. Quirkytogether couples are invited and often come. Celebrating all kinds of love is the order of the day on IQD, and that includes love for your friends and love for your lovely self. But you never know. Two quirky souls have been known to meet at IQD gatherings in the past. Van Kleef’s is famous for its Greyhound, a fresh grapefruit juice cocktail. Van Kleef’s is within walking distance to the 19th Street BART, so if you are coming from San Francisco, hop on and demystify Oakland.

Earlier in the evening, between 6 and 7, I will join Rubberband Girl for her FOURTH annual Quirkyalone Day show on KALX. Excited. She invites you thus: “Finding yourself flying solo this Valentine’s Day? Have no fear, my uncoupled friends – come celebrate your independence with Rubberband Girl (and Citizen Zain!) as we host the FOURTH annual Quirkyalone radio special on KALX 90.7 FM!!” KALX streams online, so you can listen anywhere.

Will there be a Quirkyalone Day Party 2012?

Jan 19, 2012 - Written by Sasha Cagen  |  Filed under: Uncategorized

Today I got this email:

Hi there,

I was just wondering if there will be an IQD party in the bay area for the upcoming IQD?

The short answer is yes. The long answer is, I am in the Bay Area this year on February 14 and I would love to do a party this year to bring together quirkyalones and quirkytogethers and yes even those quirkysluts on our special day. This will be the ninth annual Quirkyalone Day! It’s been celebrated in over 40 cities all over the world, and in the Bay Area, we are ground zero as the birthplace of the quirkyalone movement. I am open to suggestions about where, when, and in what way we should celebrate. Remember: The quirkyalone movement is a grassroots movement. Don’t ask when IQD is coming to your town—bring it there yourself.

Share your ideas in the comments. I will be percolating and if anyone wants to co-host, please send me a shout!

What Me, Marry?

Oct 20, 2011 - Written by Sasha Cagen  |  Filed under: Uncategorized

Stories this searchingly comprehensive don’t come around that often. The only omission is the quirkyalone movement! Alas! Still, this Atlantic Monthly cover story is a fantastic piece that provides the social context for the increasingly quirkyalone world in which we live.

The Power of Admitting You Don’t Have It Figured Out

Aug 15, 2011 - Written by Sasha Cagen  |  Filed under: Personal Growth, Uncategorized

I am training to be a life coach. It’s an honor to help people go down a path of honesty about what they really want to create in their lives and then help them go for it. I love coaching others. Any coach will tell you that the most important part of the training is the work that you do on yourself. We can only share (and embody) the approaches that resonate with us. So I have been on a wild ride lately, examining my own limiting beliefs, looking more closely at what I want in my life, and even, what is my unique life purpose (I have many thoughts on that whole concept, to be shared in a later post).

A few weeks ago my wonderful peer coach from the program was coaching me on the phone. We were talking about my life (my career; relationships; whether I will have a child). I broke down in tears and said something to the effect of, “I can’t believe I don’t have it all figured out yet.” I have published books and a magazine, started a company, traveled extensively, and despite all that, I sometimes feel like I am at the beginning again with a blank slate. There is so much uncertainty in my life, so many paths that can be taken (or not taken). I get the feeling that from the outside I look strong and sure, but I often feel small and confused. Like a child. Breaking down in tears to my peer coach felt potent and real.

Later that weekend I snuggled on the couch rereading an old favorite book: Care of the Soul: A Guide for Cultivating Sacredness and Depth in Everyday Life by Thomas Moore (Harper Collins, 1992). I stumbled on a perfect passage to clarify why admitting that I don’t have it figured out–that I feel like a child–actually felt very pressure-relieving.

Sometimes you hear adults in their thirties and forties say lightheartedly, “I still don’t know what I’m going to be when I grow up.” No matter how lightly this common sentiment is stated, the feeling is full of inferiority. What’s wrong with me? I should be a success by now. I should be making plent of money. I should be settled. But in spite of these wishes, the sense of the child who is not yet ready for success and settling is strong. This recognition can be a soulful moment. It bears a melancholic tone that is a signal of soul reflecting on its fate and wondering about its future. It is a potential opening to imagination, and to some extent this is the power of the child. The child’s smallness and inadequacy is the “open sesame” to a future and to the unfolding of possibility.

Continue Reading →

Worried About Growing Old Alone? Don’t!

Jul 12, 2011 - Written by Sasha Cagen  |  Filed under: Uncategorized

Most people fear growing old alone. Research shows senior singles are among the most satisfied singles: “Older singles (ages 65 and over) report the greatest level of happiness over the past 12 months, followed by 21-24 year olds.” Check out the full findings in this fascinating match.com report.

My Unplanned Adventure

May 09, 2010 - Written by Sasha Cagen  |  Filed under: Uncategorized

This year, I am shaking up my little world by living in Brazil and traveling elsewhere. I started a new blog to chronicle my travels . . . it’s called My Unplanned Adventure and you can check it out here.