Single life `isn’t an affliction’

Go ahead. Feel sorry for single people. View them as less than, as the smug marrieds do in Bridget Jones’s Diary. But guess what? There’s a growing contingent of folks out there who are single by choice, and loving it. “There’s no question that the pendulum is swinging in a different direction,” says Xavier Amador, co-author of Being Single in a Couples’ World (Fireside, $12). “Singles are happy being single. It’s a different world we live in these days.

Spinster…Really?!

I never knew I was a spinster until my bank told me so. It’s true I am an unmarried woman. I like to think of myself as an independent, financially secure woman who is capable of buying a home by myself. But I suppose that takes up too much space on the line next to my name. My married friends didn’t have to deal with this humiliation when they signed up for their mortgages. And my single guy friends were described as “bachelor.”

Ready for work

Angelique Thomas is shopping for more than a new jacket at Sears. She is in search of a streamlined look that will help her land a new job. Thomas, 30, was one of five local women participating in Sears’ Fashion Takes Action program, which kicked off Tuesday in Chicago. The program pairs women making a transition into the workplace with fashion experts. Sears provides each participant with two business-appropriate outfits, as well as cosmetics.

Old flame never went out

It was unusual for Terry Steczo to go out for lunch. He usually grabbed a sandwich from the snack shop in his office building and went back to eat at his desk. But on this day 2 1/2 years ago, he took his secretary’s advice to step out for a change of pace. On his way back from lunch, Terry noticed a sign in a window announcing that Kitty Loewy from WCKG-FM (105.9) would be doing a live remote broadcast from there the next day.

‘N Sync in charge on `Strings’

On their second album, “No Strings Attached,” the members of ‘N Sync get down and even a little dirty. But is that such a good idea? Do we really want to hear them shout out “Ho, ho, ho!” on the rambunctious “Just Got Paid,” and wonder if they’re repeating Santa’s mantra or are referring to that other kind of ‘ho?

Magazine now serving weekly dish

Glamour targets four risky habits that could make you a victim: You never check your credit report (experts say check for inaccurate information and take action immediately); You throw out old bills (shred them or tear them up); You use your birthday as a password (choose a password with personal meaning); You give out your Social Security number without question (it’s the most important information to protect).