Another pleasant Jockey Lot Sunday

Well I was back up at 5:30, thinking about forests, trees, and the proximity of my nose to my face.

Since I couldn't sleep anyway, I clicked over to TCM to see what was on. I was in luck. There was an old Joan Crawford coming on that I hadn't seen before - "Harriet Craig". For some reason, TCM plays all the obscure Bette and Joan at 2 fucking am, although there is always time in prime time for yet another salute to the endlessly identical war movies of John Wayne, or yet another showing of "The Guns of Navarone" or some crap like that. Meanwhile the gay people who actually watch are waiting to see "Torch Song" (which by the way I STILL haven't seen dammit). But I digress.

Harriet Craig was a good movie. Def a star turn for Joan, and just the kind of thing she would have relished - practically a type-cast for her. A woman obsessed with the perfection of her house and the complete control of the people around her. One wonders if someone at the studio was thinking she might take the hint. At any rate, it was an easy role for her to play. Some heavy-handed symbolism (a perfect, cold, porcelain Ming-dynasty vase that was they symbol for both her cold heart and her loveless marriage - no points for guessing what happens to it) was more than compensated for by a closing 20 minutes when all her lies came back home to roost, leading her to increasingly desperate ploys to try to hold her life construct together. From a sheer voyeuristic standpoint, it was positively gleeful to watch her get her comeuppance.

Anyway, by the time that was over, I had eaten and gotten mostly ready to go. I called Sherman at the hotel. He refused to let me cook breakfast for him. Since he was up, I led him over to the house by phone, both because he was checking out, and because he said he would drive today. I had coffee on the porch, and we had a smoke while I coordinated meeting Miss Kat at the Jockey Lot. On the way down, Sherman explained, a bit petulantly, that he would no longer try to help me figure things out since I obviously thought I had all the answers. Sigh. I bantered a bit with him, but basically refused to take the bait about getting into a serious discussion. I just reminded him that he was only four years older than me, and that I had limited tolerance for his playing Yoda.

Miss Helen came as well, as did dana. It was good to see everyone. I thought I had found a bottle dana might be interested in, but apparently I had over-estimated my bottle-spotting abilities, LOL. We did the first two rows of the yard sale part, but then everyone wanted to go inside to get out of the sun. It was viciously hot today, and very humid. So, I missed the rest of the outside, but I bought so much stuff yesterday I didn't really need anything new to have to find a place for today anyway, and there was nothing out there that was worth risking anyone having a heat stroke over. Also, we got kind of a late start, so everything had probably been picked over anyway.

By the time we got back to the car, I was ready to be in the air conditioning. Sherman and I got back to my house and relaxed with a cool drink for a moment, then decided to go on to lunch. I had one of my favorite lunches, chiles poblanos with Mexican rice. Over lunch, we started talking about cars. Sherman had picked out some special new Dodge muscle car that he wants (he is apparently very into cars) and was asking me what I thought about it, since I had been carefully non-committal when he talked about it the night before. Under questioning, I eventually told him that I just don't have the ego to drive a car that gets 13mpg. I just don't think that I justify that kind of carbon footprint. This of course made him defensive, and he went into the whole "its-my-money-and-if-I-want-to-spend-it-on-gas-that's-my-business" thing. Which of course kind of wasn't the point, but I didn't pursue it. He then explained to me that it wasn't an ego thing, he just liked the car. I understand that, but it's kind of a short-sighted view to me. I didn't go there. I could tell that after the self-justification died down, he would think about what I said, whether he agreed with it or not.

We ran over to Wal-Mart because Sherman said there was some stuff he needed to pick up. I'm afraid I kind of harshed his buzz about the trip, since he asked if I needed anything from there, and I just said no. When he asked follow-up questions, I just finally told him that I don't shop at Wal-Mart because they are evil, and explained why. He agreed as a former small business owner, but said he shopped there anyway, which I just don't get. But I was willing to go with him and people watch. He ended up not getting much stuff though.

After that, he left for home, and I laid down to take a much needed nap. I slept for about an hour, but the phone kept ringing, and then it would beep because I had missed calls. I heard from a really nice guy in Cola that I went out with a couple of times. I went on-line to check my messages, and had one from a guy name Tom that I used to talk to on Bear411. He lived in Anderson, but moved to PA to be with this guy that he met online. We had sniffed around each other at one point, but ended up never meeting. He told me that he was making plans to move back here, and said he wanted to call me.

It turns out the last year of his life has been hell. The guy he moved up there for turned out to be a shit. He lost his job. He's about half frozen during the winter. The people are bitchy and mean. And just basically nothing has gone right, and he's homesick. He was really broken up, and it just broke my heart to listen to him. He's obviously so miserable. About all I could do was listen, so that's what I did. I tried to re-assure him and tell him things will work out. I hope they will. He really is a sweet guy. He just needs to hie his butt home.

I've heard from a guy who lives in Asheville this weekend as well. We talked for a while before, but he's a young'un and I didn't think he would be really interested in me. He's making the noises though, and talked to me about going thrift-shopping. He doesn't talk like a usual 20-something, so maybe I'll meet him at some point. I did send him an email about how I wasn't worried about the youth thing now, but did think about in 20 years when I am 60 and he's still in his prime. I haven't heard back since then, so I may have scared him off LOL.

I've also been hearing from a guy named Scott*. I had talked to him last year, but we never met. He sent me a really nice email yesterday with his picture, which I definitely remembered. He is a good-looking guy, but we had ended up not meeting. There was some block there, but I can't remember what it was. We talked on the phone briefly yesterday and traded a few emails, but of course I have had so many irons in the fire that we haven't had time to really talk for any length of time until today. I had apparently mixed him up with someone else I talked to, and so the things that I thought I remembered were all wrong, which was embarrassing. But he was nice about it. I love the way he laughs, and he has a sexy voice. He has apparently been reading this blog, which gave him ample fodder to tease me with. I kind of like that, and it's flattering that he would be interested to bother reading more about me.

So it seems it's all or nothing. Either I can't get a date with fucking Green Stamps to offer, or everyone wants to meet me at once. Feast or famine. Just the way things go, I guess.

I was supposed to cook lunches this afternoon, but just really didn't feel like it. I have been on the go all weekend, and I am tired. I finally decided on sandwiches and ran to the grocery store for fixings. Of course, since I had counted on them having it, the Bi-Lo near the house didn't have any veggie balogna dammit. I hate that store. Every time I start counting on their carrying something, they quit carrying it, or stop stocking the shelves regularly. I didn't feel like driving across town to Publix, so just came home in disgust. I guess I'll figure something out.

I ate a bit of supper, watched some Fox stuff, and went on to bed. I am worn out.

*Name changed by request to protect an apparently strong sense of privacy.