Of a certain age

Kim and I totally needed a mindless veg night on the couch last night, so we "Instant Q"-ed up a mindless-veg sort of bumbling romantic comedy and spent 90 minutes watching a storyline that's been done before but not necessarily better. It wasn't horrible, the cast was filled with mega-stars, and I've always had a thing for the leading lady, so I didn't mind.

But then this morning, it hit me: The window is closing. While the leading lady has still "got it," in my mind, she's moved from being the bumbling assistant-love interest to being the boss lady-love interest. And her erstwhile lover is now her assistant, and isn't it sort of scandalous how he's fallen for an older woman?

Actually, the ages aren't important, and in fact are rarely mentioned in romantic comedies anyway. But they're implied, and I realized this morning that all of a sudden, I'm not the demographic pictured on the screen. I'm *just* outside that not-mentioned 26-to-35 single, career-obsessed-but-wanting-love life that drives so many formulaic big-screen releases.

For a long time, Kim and I were good -- we were DINKs, and though married, enjoyed and identified with a good single-seeking-love comedy now and then. Really, I always felt just a bit too young for Hugh Grant-Julia Roberts, and was more of the John Cusak-grows-up-and-is-trying-really-hard type. But last night was different -- Kate is almost 2 now, and I can still remember when the actors who played the parents were romantic leads themselves ...

And that made me realize the window is closing, ever so slightly. Every day sees me creeping that much closer to 40, and while I've got a ways to go yet, wasn't it Meg Ryan who freaked out about that milestone once upon a time in her leading days? And isn't she herself playing a parent these days?