So I'm having my coffee, typing away, and rushing to leave in time for the early exercise class, when my workout buddy Vi, a fellow single mom, calls and says we have an emergency.

She asks anxiously, "Do you know how to tie a tie?"

"Of course." I mean, I think of course.

Her son, who just graduated from college, had his first real interview in an hour, and her live-in boyfriend had left for work.

"No problem, I'm on the way."

I always say "No problem" even if it is a problem.

I have lived with men most of my life and, rushing over to her house, I was reviewing "Tie 101" in my head.

But, when I got there, before I experimented on her son, I felt I needed to tie one on myself first.

Let's see: skinny part in the left hand, then wrap the thicker side with the right hand around twice, and come back up though the collar loop, and stuff it down under this wraparound part, and out the other side and pull.

Voila!

But I'm choking, and the tie is up to my breasts.

I try again — and again — and again.

How could I forget this?

Apparently living solo with a daughter and not watching men get dressed up anymore has taken it's toll.

I decide to try it around his neck the next four attempts: too short, too square,
too tight, too too.

This handsome young man was being very patient. I could not let him down.

So I grabbed the tie off his neck and tried it on myself one more time -- I know this thing should just slide on and off.

Aha! I have made a classic tie.

I slip it off my neck and onto his and it was perfect!

I wanted to follow him to the interview, just to see if anyone noticed or commented about how crisp his tie looked.

I am relieved.

However, just to be sure I keep my skills fresh, I've decided to start inviting more men over to watch them "get dressed."

(Wink)

What a fabulous new research project.