I finally had a conference call meeting with my boss and the woman who is leaving today. We didn't get everything covered, but we got some of it covered. I talked to her one-on-one later for a while going over some of the processes. But my teaching tools still aren't here, and tomorrow is the last day.
I was supposed to go out to dinner with Dad and Eve tonight, and in fact Dad even called me this morning to find out where I wanted to go,; but when it got close to time to go he called back and canceled. He isn't feeling well again, and I'm hoping this isn't anything to do with his back.
But that left me on my own again tonight. I just went on home.
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
A post in which I am worried
I was up an hour before the alarm went off this morning. I hate that feeling. I tossed and turned, and tried to rest, but got up feeling all wuzzy and covered with sheet wrinkles. Ugh. But at least I wasn’t preoccupied with the meaning of life this morning. I sat on the porch, drank my coffee, and worried about this huge mass of work that’s headed my way.
This worry was exacerbated when the meeting to go over the Canadian bad debt function was re-scheduled today for the fourth time. Dayna is only here for two more days, and once she goes, that’s it. Her boss (and my new co-boss, lucky me) is terribly disorganized and never has a bit of time. My boss considers sending me spreadsheet “training”. So it’s not like I can count on any support for doing the new things that are heading my way. My boss seems to think that I should just be able to psychically intuit his wishes. Complicating matters, he will be in China for most of the month next month, so I won't be able to count on even his limited guidance. It'll just be me and Crazy (my new co-boss). Next month is gonna be hell.
After quietly freaking out in my head at my desk for a while today, I calmed myself down. I’ll get through it. It won’t be pleasant, but I’ll get through it. Not that I’m not thinking of retiring, buying an island somewhere (with what?) and raising macadamias or something.
I talked to Laura today. I called her because I didn’t hear back last night. She was having a trauma today though, and ultimately asked me to put off a visit to them. There were vague mentions of the weekend. The weather wasn’t pretty today anyway.
When I got off work though, I still didn’t want to go home. I was driving and thinking; just sure there was something I had been putting off that would be a suitable errand to eat some time tonight. Sure enough, I remembered that I really need some new work khakis. Since buying pants is somewhere near gum surgery in my ‘things I like to do’ list, I’ve been putting it off, but the ones I have I’ve been wearing for three years, and they’re looking decidedly raggedy.
I was resigned to paying retail. I’ve looked around a bit, but haven’t found anything I really liked. It doesn’t help that I really like the ones I have already. I’m at that age now where when something I like wears out I want another one exactly like it. It would have suited me fine to buy exactly the same pants again, but that wasn’t an option. I went in to Old Navy.
One of the reasons I hate pants shopping is that I seem to be at a magical size, which sounds much nicer than saying I have to buy clothes at the freak shop. Regular sized men’s pants just stop at a certain size. Then the sizes resume in the big and huge section. The problem is that there is a size gap between those two ranges, and I frequently fall in to that gap. Happily this was not the case today, and I found a pair of pants that fit me actually in the store. Usually at Old Navy, I have to go in, try things on, determine what will fit, and then order them on line. I was happy that they actually had something I was looking for that would fit me. But they had only one pair. They were on sale, which was great. The problem was that apparently people were stocking up on clothes to take to the Yukon or something. There were two registers open, both mounded up with incredibly huge orders. I wandered back and found a sales clerk (eventually, they weren’t exactly thick on the ground) and asked her for help with my pants. She confirmed that they had only one pair in the color I wanted to fit me, so I went back to stand in line. The same people were still checking out so it wasn’t like I lost any time or anything.
While I stood in line (befriending those around me and completing a short sociological study) I formulated a plan. I didn’t feel like eating what was at home. I would go to the other Old Navy store, buy the one pair of pants that they had to fit me, and then treat myself to a take-away from Brioso. That’s exactly what I did.
As much as I love their food, it is really hard for me to pay $10 for a plate of pasta (even if it is whole wheat and made there), which is what I did tonight. You can buy a lotta damn pasta for $10 at the grocery store. But I just decided I was treating myself, and that this wasn’t something I would make a habit.
When I got home I stuffed myself with pasta (which really was delicious) and then decided to put my new clothes in the hamper. I was merrily ripping tags off things when I noticed that one of the pairs of pants was inexplicably lilliputian. Turns out when I went back at the first store I had picked up the wrong pants. And I was so tickled to have that over. Oh well, I guess they can be exchanged.
This worry was exacerbated when the meeting to go over the Canadian bad debt function was re-scheduled today for the fourth time. Dayna is only here for two more days, and once she goes, that’s it. Her boss (and my new co-boss, lucky me) is terribly disorganized and never has a bit of time. My boss considers sending me spreadsheet “training”. So it’s not like I can count on any support for doing the new things that are heading my way. My boss seems to think that I should just be able to psychically intuit his wishes. Complicating matters, he will be in China for most of the month next month, so I won't be able to count on even his limited guidance. It'll just be me and Crazy (my new co-boss). Next month is gonna be hell.
After quietly freaking out in my head at my desk for a while today, I calmed myself down. I’ll get through it. It won’t be pleasant, but I’ll get through it. Not that I’m not thinking of retiring, buying an island somewhere (with what?) and raising macadamias or something.
I talked to Laura today. I called her because I didn’t hear back last night. She was having a trauma today though, and ultimately asked me to put off a visit to them. There were vague mentions of the weekend. The weather wasn’t pretty today anyway.
When I got off work though, I still didn’t want to go home. I was driving and thinking; just sure there was something I had been putting off that would be a suitable errand to eat some time tonight. Sure enough, I remembered that I really need some new work khakis. Since buying pants is somewhere near gum surgery in my ‘things I like to do’ list, I’ve been putting it off, but the ones I have I’ve been wearing for three years, and they’re looking decidedly raggedy.
I was resigned to paying retail. I’ve looked around a bit, but haven’t found anything I really liked. It doesn’t help that I really like the ones I have already. I’m at that age now where when something I like wears out I want another one exactly like it. It would have suited me fine to buy exactly the same pants again, but that wasn’t an option. I went in to Old Navy.
One of the reasons I hate pants shopping is that I seem to be at a magical size, which sounds much nicer than saying I have to buy clothes at the freak shop. Regular sized men’s pants just stop at a certain size. Then the sizes resume in the big and huge section. The problem is that there is a size gap between those two ranges, and I frequently fall in to that gap. Happily this was not the case today, and I found a pair of pants that fit me actually in the store. Usually at Old Navy, I have to go in, try things on, determine what will fit, and then order them on line. I was happy that they actually had something I was looking for that would fit me. But they had only one pair. They were on sale, which was great. The problem was that apparently people were stocking up on clothes to take to the Yukon or something. There were two registers open, both mounded up with incredibly huge orders. I wandered back and found a sales clerk (eventually, they weren’t exactly thick on the ground) and asked her for help with my pants. She confirmed that they had only one pair in the color I wanted to fit me, so I went back to stand in line. The same people were still checking out so it wasn’t like I lost any time or anything.
While I stood in line (befriending those around me and completing a short sociological study) I formulated a plan. I didn’t feel like eating what was at home. I would go to the other Old Navy store, buy the one pair of pants that they had to fit me, and then treat myself to a take-away from Brioso. That’s exactly what I did.
As much as I love their food, it is really hard for me to pay $10 for a plate of pasta (even if it is whole wheat and made there), which is what I did tonight. You can buy a lotta damn pasta for $10 at the grocery store. But I just decided I was treating myself, and that this wasn’t something I would make a habit.
When I got home I stuffed myself with pasta (which really was delicious) and then decided to put my new clothes in the hamper. I was merrily ripping tags off things when I noticed that one of the pairs of pants was inexplicably lilliputian. Turns out when I went back at the first store I had picked up the wrong pants. And I was so tickled to have that over. Oh well, I guess they can be exchanged.
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
A post in which I want to be outside
It was one of those awful mornings this morning. I didn’t feel bad, I just woke up with the consciousness of being a rat in the rat race. My mind was a miasma of depressing ponderables: What is the point? Why am I here? Why am I pouring the (dwindling) juice of my youth down the insatiable gullet of a soulless corporation that doesn’t appreciate or care? Why do we waste our youth working, and then retire when we're too old and sick to enjoy life? Ugh. I hate those mornings. I got ready, got in the car, and joined the other rats on the way in for another day at the maze.
Today’s challenge at work was the continuing saga of trying to get my sign-on to work. Since my Canadian counterpart is leaving, my boss is trying to get me access to the Canadian account system. I actually was able to sign in to half of it today (since we have been mid-transition straddling two systems for several years). The other half is still a no-go. I don’t know if our system is hacker-proof or not, but through the labyrinthine multi-password system they have certainly succeeded in making it employee-proof. I’m starting to panic about all the new work at this point. The days before Dayna leaves are drifting away. Friday is her last day. And I haven’t received system access yet, not to mention a scrap of training. It’s gonna be hell.
When I left work, I went by to get a new battery put in my little clock. I got it at the beach several years ago and it had stopped working. I went to the Batteries Plus store in a trepidatious mindset. Usually this kind of thing turns into a ridiculously convoluted Quest for me. But no! The helpful and courteous clerk took my clock, said “That’ll be just a moment.” and just changed the battery! There was no “I’m sorry sir, we don’t have that size.” or “I’m sorry sir, this is a Guatemalan clock, and you’ll have to send it to Guatemala.” I thanked him profusely and left. The whole thing took about five minutes, and cost me three bucks. I left in a quite unreasonably jubilant mood. When I got home, I found that he had even set it for me.
It was an absolutely gorgeous fall afternoon; the kind of weather that makes you want to be outside. I couldn’t help but think how lovely it would be to sit with Kimbley and Laura on their fabulous deck and have a cocktail and a smoke. Sadly, though, Laura didn’t answer her phone. I left a message.
When I got home I opened all the windows and put a load of laundry in – I’m woefully behind. Then I ate some supper. I didn’t hear from Laura, but that was OK.
Tonight I watched my first episode of Glee. It was good, and I can understand what all the hoopla is about, although it was pretty high in teenage drama for me. Still, I’ll probably watch it. I’m wondering if I can finagle it into a weekly thing that I can do with Russ and Billy. Their weekends are so full that I would see more of them if I saw them during the week.
After that I fooled around on the computer a bit before turning in. My three-times-rescheduled meeting to go over Canada stuff is tomorrow. I need to be fresh for it.
Today’s challenge at work was the continuing saga of trying to get my sign-on to work. Since my Canadian counterpart is leaving, my boss is trying to get me access to the Canadian account system. I actually was able to sign in to half of it today (since we have been mid-transition straddling two systems for several years). The other half is still a no-go. I don’t know if our system is hacker-proof or not, but through the labyrinthine multi-password system they have certainly succeeded in making it employee-proof. I’m starting to panic about all the new work at this point. The days before Dayna leaves are drifting away. Friday is her last day. And I haven’t received system access yet, not to mention a scrap of training. It’s gonna be hell.
When I left work, I went by to get a new battery put in my little clock. I got it at the beach several years ago and it had stopped working. I went to the Batteries Plus store in a trepidatious mindset. Usually this kind of thing turns into a ridiculously convoluted Quest for me. But no! The helpful and courteous clerk took my clock, said “That’ll be just a moment.” and just changed the battery! There was no “I’m sorry sir, we don’t have that size.” or “I’m sorry sir, this is a Guatemalan clock, and you’ll have to send it to Guatemala.” I thanked him profusely and left. The whole thing took about five minutes, and cost me three bucks. I left in a quite unreasonably jubilant mood. When I got home, I found that he had even set it for me.
It was an absolutely gorgeous fall afternoon; the kind of weather that makes you want to be outside. I couldn’t help but think how lovely it would be to sit with Kimbley and Laura on their fabulous deck and have a cocktail and a smoke. Sadly, though, Laura didn’t answer her phone. I left a message.
When I got home I opened all the windows and put a load of laundry in – I’m woefully behind. Then I ate some supper. I didn’t hear from Laura, but that was OK.
Tonight I watched my first episode of Glee. It was good, and I can understand what all the hoopla is about, although it was pretty high in teenage drama for me. Still, I’ll probably watch it. I’m wondering if I can finagle it into a weekly thing that I can do with Russ and Billy. Their weekends are so full that I would see more of them if I saw them during the week.
After that I fooled around on the computer a bit before turning in. My three-times-rescheduled meeting to go over Canada stuff is tomorrow. I need to be fresh for it.
Monday, September 27, 2010
A post in which I pay for playing yesterday
I woke up this morning feeling unexpectedly good after all of yesterday’s adventures. Thankfully the E-B seems to be gone, rather than hanging around as it did this spring. I had my coffee and headed on in. It was dark this morning when I went out on the porch. Season’s changing.
I had lots of chores to do on the way home tonight since I played all day Sunday. I put it off by dropping a book on CD at the library, then went on to the grocery store. When I got home I ate a salad and then started cooking. I put the squash on the stove and put the saffron rice in the rice cooker, then stripped the bed, re-made it, and started the sheets washing. I folded the laundry that had been in the dryer.
I finished eating supper while my rice cooled, then packed up all the saffron rice and squash into lunches for this week. By the time I had finished cleaning up the kitchen, it was storming. I did want to rest for just a few minutes, and sat down in front of the telly with my computer on to finish my birthday Oreos. It was raining hard enough that the satellite signal went out, but that was actually kind of nice. I could hear the rain outside snicking on the windows and the house felt cozy. The signal came back on eventually, but by that time I was pretty well done in. I gratefully tucked myself between clean sheets.
I had lots of chores to do on the way home tonight since I played all day Sunday. I put it off by dropping a book on CD at the library, then went on to the grocery store. When I got home I ate a salad and then started cooking. I put the squash on the stove and put the saffron rice in the rice cooker, then stripped the bed, re-made it, and started the sheets washing. I folded the laundry that had been in the dryer.
I finished eating supper while my rice cooled, then packed up all the saffron rice and squash into lunches for this week. By the time I had finished cleaning up the kitchen, it was storming. I did want to rest for just a few minutes, and sat down in front of the telly with my computer on to finish my birthday Oreos. It was raining hard enough that the satellite signal went out, but that was actually kind of nice. I could hear the rain outside snicking on the windows and the house felt cozy. The signal came back on eventually, but by that time I was pretty well done in. I gratefully tucked myself between clean sheets.
Sunday, September 26, 2010
A post in which it is a full, busy, and very pleasant Sunday
I woke up (eventually) to drippy rain today. I was disappointed, because usually when the barometric pressure rises, Russ gets a headache and doesn’t feel like doing anything. He had asked for a wake-up call this morning though, and just as I was preparing myself to make a disappointing call he sent me a text telling me to come over! I was very glad to get it. When I got there, Billy was up too, and going with us. Usually he doesn’t get up to go to the flea market, so it was a double treat.
But Billy and I were hungry. After discussion we decided to go to Denny’s. They have a build-your-own omelet special going on that sounded tasty to me. The omelets were good, but the price they give you on the commercial is for just a cheese omelet with nothing else. As you add ingredients, the price goes up. Our service was pretty slow, but she was nice to us so we didn’t mind so much.
Thus fortified, we headed out to the Barnyard flea market. I usually score here, and haven’t been in a while, so I was particularly keen to go today. It was still raining, and the bottom fell out just as we got there, but Barnyard is covered so it’s the market of choice in the rain. There were plenty of people there. We took our time and had a leisurely stroll through. I found a great deal on some glass too!
I bought three luncheon plates in my pattern for $5 each, two saucers for $3 each, and a Cameo handled plate for only $8! I knew all of these were good prices, and scooped them right up. Later on, I found a couple of small bakers in the Sapphire Blue Fire King kitchenware I collect also, for only $1 each. There were no lids, but for that price I couldn’t leave them.
By the time we did all that and I bought produce, we were quite surprised to find it was 2pm!
We had dinner scheduled tonight in Spartanburg. James and Jeff are out of town, but Amanda is going to be at the house. I went home for a quick lie-down and a brush-up before returning to Russ and Billy’s house to head out.
Amanda and Morgan were on the porch when we got there (it was still raining), and we visited for a bit before Andrew showed up. We all went out to Cici’s Pizza for supper, which was quite adequate to the purpose, and where I ate several pounds of cinnamon buns. Man I love those things. They're like warm soft pillows of sweet cinnamon cushlin-y love.
After supper, though, Morgan and Andrew took off. We went back to the house and watched a couple of old re-runs of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, which Russ, Billy, and Amanda seemed to enjoy re-watching (I of course was clueless).
But before you knew it, it was time to go home. I’ve had such a lovely weekend. I hadn’t had a full Russ and Billy day in far too long. It’s hard to think about going to work tomorrow. Its Dayna’s (my Canadian counter-part) last week of notice, so I have not only my regular things, but her things to learn as well. Sigh. But I have that pesky food and shelter addiction.
But Billy and I were hungry. After discussion we decided to go to Denny’s. They have a build-your-own omelet special going on that sounded tasty to me. The omelets were good, but the price they give you on the commercial is for just a cheese omelet with nothing else. As you add ingredients, the price goes up. Our service was pretty slow, but she was nice to us so we didn’t mind so much.
Thus fortified, we headed out to the Barnyard flea market. I usually score here, and haven’t been in a while, so I was particularly keen to go today. It was still raining, and the bottom fell out just as we got there, but Barnyard is covered so it’s the market of choice in the rain. There were plenty of people there. We took our time and had a leisurely stroll through. I found a great deal on some glass too!
I bought three luncheon plates in my pattern for $5 each, two saucers for $3 each, and a Cameo handled plate for only $8! I knew all of these were good prices, and scooped them right up. Later on, I found a couple of small bakers in the Sapphire Blue Fire King kitchenware I collect also, for only $1 each. There were no lids, but for that price I couldn’t leave them.
Cameo 10 1/2" handled plate in green by Anchor Hocking, circa 1930 - 1934
By the time we did all that and I bought produce, we were quite surprised to find it was 2pm!
We had dinner scheduled tonight in Spartanburg. James and Jeff are out of town, but Amanda is going to be at the house. I went home for a quick lie-down and a brush-up before returning to Russ and Billy’s house to head out.
Amanda and Morgan were on the porch when we got there (it was still raining), and we visited for a bit before Andrew showed up. We all went out to Cici’s Pizza for supper, which was quite adequate to the purpose, and where I ate several pounds of cinnamon buns. Man I love those things. They're like warm soft pillows of sweet cinnamon cushlin-y love.
After supper, though, Morgan and Andrew took off. We went back to the house and watched a couple of old re-runs of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, which Russ, Billy, and Amanda seemed to enjoy re-watching (I of course was clueless).
But before you knew it, it was time to go home. I’ve had such a lovely weekend. I hadn’t had a full Russ and Billy day in far too long. It’s hard to think about going to work tomorrow. Its Dayna’s (my Canadian counter-part) last week of notice, so I have not only my regular things, but her things to learn as well. Sigh. But I have that pesky food and shelter addiction.
Saturday, September 25, 2010
A post in which I watch the game with Miss Kat and dana
I had promised myself all week that I would sleep as late as I wanted to this morning. That promise I kept.
I had talked to dana last night about visiting tonight, and she called me just as I was thinking about getting moving. That ended up being about noon. She told me to head on over whenever I felt like it. I wanted to go right then, but the house looked really bad. I haven’t done much you could call housework since before I went to the beach. I thought as I looked around that DSS was going to take the cats if I didn’t do something. I made a compromise with myself and decided I would clean until about three, then get cleaned up and go on over.
Since it was so late I decided to skip the flea market. I need produce, but Russ and I have tentative plans to go to the flea market tomorrow. I can get that then. I hauled off the recycling and then went by the library to pick up a book I had requested. When I got home I cleaned out the fridge, took out the trash, and then hauled the garbage and recycling cans outside and scrubbed them. That had needed doing for quite some time, but I hate doing it and had been putting it off. Leaving those on the deck to dry, I headed inside and dust mopped all the wood, and then thoroughly vacuumed. I ran over the baseboards, got under the furniture, and then did the rugs. By the time I got done, the house looked much better. I felt justified in going on to my much-anticipated visit.
I decided I wanted some cheerleader beer to drink during the game, but couldn’t find any. I ended up having to go to the grocery store, where I found some bottled malt drinks that claimed to taste like a mojito (meh, kinda) and picked up some snacks. I got over to Miss Kat’s place about 4:30.
We had a great time. We visited while watching a movie (Evan Almighty, which was OK but not really anything I would want to see again), then ordered up a cholesterol feast from a local greasy-spoon and watched a bit of telly while we ate supper.
The official designated activity tonight was the Carolina game. dana was pretty surprised that I was interested in watching the game with them, but I enjoy a football game every now and again if I have a team to route for and someone to explain things to me if I don’t understand. dana is a devoted Gamecocks fan, and the team has won the first three games this year. Sadly, the game against Auburn tonight broke the winning streak. They had a phenomenal quarterback that Carolina just couldn’t seem to stop in the second half. Still, we enjoyed most of the game, and it was great to be hanging out with Miss Kat and dana, two of my favorite people. I had a really nice time.
I had talked to dana last night about visiting tonight, and she called me just as I was thinking about getting moving. That ended up being about noon. She told me to head on over whenever I felt like it. I wanted to go right then, but the house looked really bad. I haven’t done much you could call housework since before I went to the beach. I thought as I looked around that DSS was going to take the cats if I didn’t do something. I made a compromise with myself and decided I would clean until about three, then get cleaned up and go on over.
Since it was so late I decided to skip the flea market. I need produce, but Russ and I have tentative plans to go to the flea market tomorrow. I can get that then. I hauled off the recycling and then went by the library to pick up a book I had requested. When I got home I cleaned out the fridge, took out the trash, and then hauled the garbage and recycling cans outside and scrubbed them. That had needed doing for quite some time, but I hate doing it and had been putting it off. Leaving those on the deck to dry, I headed inside and dust mopped all the wood, and then thoroughly vacuumed. I ran over the baseboards, got under the furniture, and then did the rugs. By the time I got done, the house looked much better. I felt justified in going on to my much-anticipated visit.
I decided I wanted some cheerleader beer to drink during the game, but couldn’t find any. I ended up having to go to the grocery store, where I found some bottled malt drinks that claimed to taste like a mojito (meh, kinda) and picked up some snacks. I got over to Miss Kat’s place about 4:30.
We had a great time. We visited while watching a movie (Evan Almighty, which was OK but not really anything I would want to see again), then ordered up a cholesterol feast from a local greasy-spoon and watched a bit of telly while we ate supper.
The official designated activity tonight was the Carolina game. dana was pretty surprised that I was interested in watching the game with them, but I enjoy a football game every now and again if I have a team to route for and someone to explain things to me if I don’t understand. dana is a devoted Gamecocks fan, and the team has won the first three games this year. Sadly, the game against Auburn tonight broke the winning streak. They had a phenomenal quarterback that Carolina just couldn’t seem to stop in the second half. Still, we enjoyed most of the game, and it was great to be hanging out with Miss Kat and dana, two of my favorite people. I had a really nice time.
Friday, September 24, 2010
A post in which it is husbands on the hoof - well, kinda
Tonight was the ‘Takeover Upstate’ dinner for the month – the first I’ve ever attended. On the third Friday of each month, the Facebook group determines a local restaurant, contacts the restaurant manager, and then send out an email about which restaurant we’re to meet at this week to ‘take over’.
I have thought this is a clever idea. It’s hard to meet men if you’re beyond bar age. Online meetings seem to be more labyrinthine every day. Between the closet cases who refuse to post face pictures, through to the guys who want every measurement on your body before they’ll talk to you (I had one guy in Atlanta tell me that he wouldn’t speak with anyone until he had a shirtless picture from the waist up), it is just difficult. Of course the area doesn’t help. I also figured this was pretty much for skinny people (a good portion of the gay populace, wherever you are), but until I had tried it, I decided that I couldn’t complain. I also had Russ and Billy to go with, and since Russ knows half the eastern seaboard it wasn’t like I would lack for someone to talk to.
I headed for their house after work. I had packed a bag of clothes to change into, which led to the first dilemma I face. If I dress up, I feel like I set an unrealistic standard, because I never dress up. I don’t want to try to be someone I’m not to attract someone with expectations I’m going to disappoint. On the other hand I didn’t want to show up looking like a slob either. In the end, I picked out a decent pair of shorts and a t-shirt and let that do it.
The restaurant was The Cazbah in Greer. I must confess that when I heard we were going to Greer I had limited expectations. I was quite pleasantly surprised, however, to find a very nice little restaurant in a quite hip little section of downtown Greer – I had no idea. We quickly met up with a couple of guys that we knew from the bear group and headed upstairs. The crowning glory of the place was a fabulous rooftop bar, built like a deck, but complete with lights and tables open to the sky. The weather was perfect and the outdoor area was just beautiful.
We had met a guy down at the bar name Ronnie. Now I knew he was too young, pretty, and skinny for me; but he was nice, and engaging, and we were soon chatting away with him. He followed us up to the rooftop to continue the conversation. I was slightly encouraged, until his lover arrived and he introduced me. But they were a very nice couple, and we enjoyed chatting with them.
This seemed to set the tone for the evening. Counter to my hope for husbands on the hoof, this appeared to be a gathering of couples on parade. They arrived two by two. I counted seven single men during the course of the evening. One was me. Two were guys I knew from the bear group. One was Doug, my ex’s old bowling partner. A very nice guy, but he has never been the slightest bit interested in me. Of the other three, two were young'uns, and the third one seemed to lose all interest after he found that I have never been to Southern Decadence. I talked to each of them, but none demonstrated any interest in continuing the conversation, although they were nice about it.
As I had feared, I was under-dressed. The Fag Blouses were on prominent display. Oh well, I'll know next time.
I sat and talked to Doug (and a very nice lesbian friend he had brought with him) for a while, catching up. She was charming, and he is a sweetheart, but eventually I decided I had monopolized enough of their time. I joined Russ and Billy at the table they had (finally, the place was a madhouse) procured and a waitress brought me some quite tasty nibbles. One of the reasons I never go to The Cazbah downtown is that the food is pretty horrendously overpriced. But I was here for a good time, and since all the single guys had been eliminated, I thought screw it, I’m gonna eat. I did.
Eventually, Russ and Billy decided we would head out for some ‘real food’, and we rounded up the new couple we had met (Ronnie and Chris), along with John and Brian from bear group, and headed over to Copper River Grill. Russ invited several other people who just didn’t make it over – it was that kind of evening. Yours truly was riding 5th wheel (or 7th, in this instance) as per usual.
I had eaten some already, and didn’t really need a full meal, but the nachos I ordered, though absolutely delicious, were far more food than I needed. They were so good I just couldn’t stop eating them though. I had plenty of time to eat too. We were at a big round table, and Russ was finding out all about Ronnie and Chris. I ate until I was just miserable.
By the time we left the restaurant, we were all too full to feel like doing much of anything else. The group split up, and I went back to Russ and Billy’s place with them. It was good just to spend some time with them. We’ve all been gone a lot lately, and I just haven’t seen them. I’ve missed them both – I love them so much. Russ and I went out on the smoking porch for just a little while, but he had to work tomorrow, and since I felt like a bloated whale anyway I headed on home shortly.
So it was a nice evening, even if it didn’t meet quite all of my hopes. You gotta get back out there some time. I loathe going to things like the takeover, but I’m really lucky to have friends that will help me out.
I have thought this is a clever idea. It’s hard to meet men if you’re beyond bar age. Online meetings seem to be more labyrinthine every day. Between the closet cases who refuse to post face pictures, through to the guys who want every measurement on your body before they’ll talk to you (I had one guy in Atlanta tell me that he wouldn’t speak with anyone until he had a shirtless picture from the waist up), it is just difficult. Of course the area doesn’t help. I also figured this was pretty much for skinny people (a good portion of the gay populace, wherever you are), but until I had tried it, I decided that I couldn’t complain. I also had Russ and Billy to go with, and since Russ knows half the eastern seaboard it wasn’t like I would lack for someone to talk to.
I headed for their house after work. I had packed a bag of clothes to change into, which led to the first dilemma I face. If I dress up, I feel like I set an unrealistic standard, because I never dress up. I don’t want to try to be someone I’m not to attract someone with expectations I’m going to disappoint. On the other hand I didn’t want to show up looking like a slob either. In the end, I picked out a decent pair of shorts and a t-shirt and let that do it.
The restaurant was The Cazbah in Greer. I must confess that when I heard we were going to Greer I had limited expectations. I was quite pleasantly surprised, however, to find a very nice little restaurant in a quite hip little section of downtown Greer – I had no idea. We quickly met up with a couple of guys that we knew from the bear group and headed upstairs. The crowning glory of the place was a fabulous rooftop bar, built like a deck, but complete with lights and tables open to the sky. The weather was perfect and the outdoor area was just beautiful.
We had met a guy down at the bar name Ronnie. Now I knew he was too young, pretty, and skinny for me; but he was nice, and engaging, and we were soon chatting away with him. He followed us up to the rooftop to continue the conversation. I was slightly encouraged, until his lover arrived and he introduced me. But they were a very nice couple, and we enjoyed chatting with them.
This seemed to set the tone for the evening. Counter to my hope for husbands on the hoof, this appeared to be a gathering of couples on parade. They arrived two by two. I counted seven single men during the course of the evening. One was me. Two were guys I knew from the bear group. One was Doug, my ex’s old bowling partner. A very nice guy, but he has never been the slightest bit interested in me. Of the other three, two were young'uns, and the third one seemed to lose all interest after he found that I have never been to Southern Decadence. I talked to each of them, but none demonstrated any interest in continuing the conversation, although they were nice about it.
As I had feared, I was under-dressed. The Fag Blouses were on prominent display. Oh well, I'll know next time.
I sat and talked to Doug (and a very nice lesbian friend he had brought with him) for a while, catching up. She was charming, and he is a sweetheart, but eventually I decided I had monopolized enough of their time. I joined Russ and Billy at the table they had (finally, the place was a madhouse) procured and a waitress brought me some quite tasty nibbles. One of the reasons I never go to The Cazbah downtown is that the food is pretty horrendously overpriced. But I was here for a good time, and since all the single guys had been eliminated, I thought screw it, I’m gonna eat. I did.
Eventually, Russ and Billy decided we would head out for some ‘real food’, and we rounded up the new couple we had met (Ronnie and Chris), along with John and Brian from bear group, and headed over to Copper River Grill. Russ invited several other people who just didn’t make it over – it was that kind of evening. Yours truly was riding 5th wheel (or 7th, in this instance) as per usual.
I had eaten some already, and didn’t really need a full meal, but the nachos I ordered, though absolutely delicious, were far more food than I needed. They were so good I just couldn’t stop eating them though. I had plenty of time to eat too. We were at a big round table, and Russ was finding out all about Ronnie and Chris. I ate until I was just miserable.
By the time we left the restaurant, we were all too full to feel like doing much of anything else. The group split up, and I went back to Russ and Billy’s place with them. It was good just to spend some time with them. We’ve all been gone a lot lately, and I just haven’t seen them. I’ve missed them both – I love them so much. Russ and I went out on the smoking porch for just a little while, but he had to work tomorrow, and since I felt like a bloated whale anyway I headed on home shortly.
So it was a nice evening, even if it didn’t meet quite all of my hopes. You gotta get back out there some time. I loathe going to things like the takeover, but I’m really lucky to have friends that will help me out.
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