Life is Good

I finally spent enough time with my new boyfriend to want some time away from him. This is a good thing. In the past we would spend a short period of time together and then I would be sad when we had to part. This time I spent the perfect amount of time with him and when I said good-bye I felt really happy. I feel much more sure of our relationship now. I'm confident he really doesn like me and I will see him again soon.

He invited me to the cottage this weekend. I'm REALLY excited about it. However, I heard he has no air conditioning at the cottage. (Bummer) I'm just glad to spend the time with him at a place he really enjoys. We worked out a way to see each other even if he is away at the cottage. He will be there the next 3 weekends but he invited me out one weekend, the following weekend he will come back early to spend time with me on Sunday afternoon and the last weekend I'm too busy to see him but we will have dinner during the week. He is making an effort to make me a priority in his life and that is all I really wanted.

Life is good at work too. I'm busy enough not to get bored but not so busy that I feel like my head is going to spin off. The Ann Arbor Art Fair starts tomorrow and I dread it a little. All the traffic and craziness of the crowds sets me on edge. However, it is a nice time to catch up with old friends that visit the art fair and stop by to see me.

So life is good.

Making The Best of Things - Part 2

The saga continues -- another weekend where my boyfriend is at the cottage and I'm left behind to design some sort of fun weekend for myself. It was actually a very cool weekend without him.

I saw John Waters at the Power Center in Ann Arbor on Friday night. I've never seen any of his films but he looks unusual and I hear he is sorta strange and I thought it might be interesting to see his show. I saw his show and loved him. He is so funny.

I went to a party after the show and I was told that John Waters was going to be at the party. He actually DID show up! It was interesting to watch the crowd interact with him, of course everyone was sucking up to him and telling him how much they loved him and such. Bragging on about how "they were making movies too" and running ideas by him.

I walked up to him at the bar and said "I know everyone has being saying to you tonight that they are your biggest fan but I'm not one of them. I'm not your biggest fan because I've never seen any of your films but you were really funny tonight on stage so ..... Where do you suggest I start?" He said "Start with Polyester" and we said a few more things and then other folks in the crowd got his attention.

I really wanted a picture with him so I tracked him down a little later by the buffet and he agreed to a picture and we had about a minute of conversation. Since I know nothing about him I asked if he had been to Ann Arbor before and then I asked if he was enjoying his success and he said "Yes". I bragged to him about my friend Martin that used to show his films at midnight at the Biograph in Washington, D.C. He seemed so darn nice, really smart and kinda strange and I like that combo. It was a pleasure to meet him.

I decided to see one of his films. My friend let me borrow "Pink Flamingos". (Waters was right; I should have started at Polyester.) Even though Pink Flamingos was rather gross (in parts) the story was entertaining and it was fun to see shots of Baltimore. I think Devine is an excellent actress/actor.

The next day I went to Kelly's Island, OH and enjoyed a day of fun. Driving the golf cart around the island, drinking beer and having snacks by the waters edge and taking the ferry over made it seem like a mini vacation. It was a sunny day too.

Today is Sunday and I finished all those mundane chores that must be done in life. I took a nap and that was nice. So it was a good weekend.

I suppose I will see my boyfriend this week but I'm not so sure that I'm excited about it. I know I might be asking for too much here but I want someone who REALLY wants me in his world. This man doesn't really need me in his world so I'm not so sure I want him in my world at all either.

My dad had a stroke yesterday. It is his first stroke and he will be 64 this Saturday. It makes me sad and a bit afraid. I can remember a time in my past where I would call my boyfriend when I was sad and afraid and he would be there for me. Ed did NOT get a call about this today and I'm not sure when I will tell him.

I suppose I'll call him when I actually feel he IS there for me.

Making The Best Of Things

A long 4th of July weekend is supposed to be coveted and enjoyed. I had a long weekend of loneliness mixed in with a little fun. Strange mix but I'm sure I'm not the only one that had this type of weekend.

My big dream for the weekend was to spend enough time with my new boyfriend to get really sick of him and want him to go away, for a while. I know it is a funny dream but that is what I really wanted. As is true in much of life, I didn't get what I wanted so I made the best of things.

1. I rode my bike 26 miles on Monday and 25 miles on Tuesday. I walked all 4 days of the long weekend for at least 1/2 hour. All this exercise is due to the fact I LOVE food and my weight is at an all time high. Bummer.

2. I called a few friends and discovered one of my friends was about as bummed as I was about the weekend. Oddly it made us both feel better to realize we weren't alone in our loneliness.

3. I chatted with my friend Martin. He NEVER seems to be lonely which always amazes me because he lives most of his life rather alone. I wonder how he does it, if I could learn the secret of his "success" then I would never have to feel lonely again! (ha-ha) He always makes me laugh and there is always something fun/interesting to chat about. So that made me happy.

4. Got Buddy high on catnip. I rarely let my cat have this treat but I decided to buy a small amount. I put it in my purse, came home, plopped my stuff on the counter and went back to shut the door. When I turned around to unpack all my bags the cat was on the table with his face stuffed way down the in the purse and at first I couldn't figure out why. Then it dawned on me that I put the small bag of catnip in my purse. Buddy has a REALLY good nose for catnip, I quickly scooped out a little and put it on the floor for him and he enjoyed rolling around in it. It sure was nice to have him mellow for a while.

5. I participated in the Plymouth 4th of July Parade. I rode in a white 1960 Thunderbird convertible, perched above the backseat of the car and I held a sign that said "Save the Penn" (Penn Theatre) and I felt like the queen of England waving to the town people as we drove through the city streets. We were in the parade to encourage people to support the restoration of the historic Penn Theatre in Plymouth. (Historic Theatres are important to me because they serve as a community gathering space and promoted economic growth in a community. They should be protected.)

6. Saw "An Inconvenient Truth" and "The Devil Wears Prada" as a double feature. I work at a movie theater so a double feature is an easy thing to do. I like movies that make you think so that should give you a hint what movie I liked better. Here's one more hint: I'm not really into fashion.

7. Went to Frankenmuth, MI to have a little German food and shop at Birch Run. Bought a few things that I really didn't have the money for and those items make me feel pretty happy. I bought a modern-looking (hip) silver necklace, pink tank top, pink hat, shorts, and Khaki pants. I don't think I spend more than $50 on everything, so I don't feel too bad. I ran into a friend who lost her husband to cancer 7 years ago and is now raising 3 children all alone. I did reflect that she must feel intense loneliness in her situation. It put my loneliness in perspective.

8. Lastly, I cleaned both my box fans that I place in my windows and I can't tell you how exciting that was. I spent enough time with those two fans to be totally sick of them by the end. Now that they are clean I feel like I have two new fans. Yippie!

Yep, it was an exciting weekend.