Single forever?

I hate my new schedule. Working weekend nights plus early AM Monday through Wednesday might kill me (from my body clock being out of whack) or my social life. I worry sometimes that I'll turn into one of those people who is single forever because of their strange work hours. It may sound like I'm being dramatic but I do know people like that who work in media. More people than I care to actually. I've always felt sort of bad for them and now I wish not to turn into one.
I just feel so alone now. There are things that I'd much rather be doing than sitting home alone on this Sunday night of Labor Day weekend. I just got back from work (it's 11:30 PM) and have to leave again for work again at 4 AM (working in the media sucks sometimes). How am I supposed to have a life when I have to go to bed before 8 PM some nights to get up to be at work for 5 AM? (It does not help that work is 45 minutes away without traffic). I like my job and I knew about the schedule when I took it but that does not mean that I have to like the hours.
I'm young. I want to be out partying like I should be at my age, savoring my youth and all.....but here I sit. Alone at the computer. It is frustrating when I come home from work and people are already out and drunk and, well, basically can't come out and play with me because they're already too busy for me and my late/odd work hours. Selfish, a bit. But that's what blogs are for sometimes.

SAFRAN MEAN BOSS MAN:

OK, first of all, I have no sympathy for your schedule woes. I worked overnight for something like six years. Your schedule isn't THAT bad. I know it can feel sometimes like you will be "single forever," but you are WAY too young to be in that mindset. If anything, this is the right time for you to be on this kind of schedule. You don't want to be doing this when you're married. The hoary old news chestnut of "paying your dues" is a cliché for a reason - we all have to do it. And you'd much rather do it now than when you're trying to start a family. I hate to sound like the Old Fart that I am, but I can't possibly count how many holidays I missed, parties I couldn't go to, and milestones in my kids' lives I wasn't there for. (I found out about my daughters first steps over the phone.)

You're just starting out. Working the ugly side of the day will give you a deeper appreciation for a real schedule when you get to that point. In the meantime, I suggest the ol' "come into work on the weekends straight from the bar" plan so many journalists master in the early days of their career.

There's nothing wrong with blogging your woes or being "selfish" as you put it. We're all selfish. Especially me.