Snapshot of July

 In homage to Sarah H. at Death Wears Diamond Jewelry, who is no longer blogging but is missed.

Listening…Morbid podcast. This is a true crime and ghost store podcast.

Reading… No reading going on here although I am thinking about getting the book Positve Evolutionary Psycology.

Watching…Psych, This is a mindlessly annoying show. Most of the time I fall asleep during the episodes. Surprisingly, there are a lot of celebrity cameos on this show.

Playing …  Borderlands 2, I got one of the twins interested in playing with me.

Hoping… For another date before the end of the year.

Buying… This weekend I bought a new hot water tank for the condo.

Loving... Nothing is really exciting me right now.

Planning… On creating a five year plan for the condo complex.

Missing… The early 2000s, seem like everything was more fun then (I still like this one).

Max and Dating

I work from home on Wednesdays. Max came over during his lunch break yesterday, and I made him a turkey burger. While he was eating, he confided to me that he was on the dating apps Bumble and Tinder. I am glad to see he has considered dating again. It has been two years since he broke up with his last girlfriend, and hadn't shown much interest in dating until now.

I looked at his profile and offered a few suggestions. Max is a good-looking guy, but like his father, he doesn't put much effort into his profile. Dating is an area I can offer some advice if he is open to it. I don't want to overwhelm him with it, but it is a common interest we can bond over. 

Up-Date

Sunday, I made plans with TopGun for a dinner date this Friday. She seemed to be looking forward to it. I suggested a place in nearby New Baltimore, and we agreed to meet there. I dropped her a quick text today just to show I was still interested, and she replied back. However, later in the day, she sent me another text saying, "It was nice meeting me, but she has been talking to a few people and has decided to move forward with someone else."

I told her I understood and if she changed her mind to shoot me a message. So no second date. I am not broken up about it. I was lukewarm about the whole thing from the beginning, and perhaps she could sense that. I think if I was more interested, I would have pursued her more strongly.

In the meantime, several issues have already been brought up to the condo association. We have a unit whose dogs attacked another dog and its owner. The roofs still need to be scheduled. Road repairs needed to be approved, and I unit had their hot water heater burst, causing damage to the unit and the one below.

All this in my first week on the board. This is going to be more work than I desired. Hopefully, it settles down in the winter.

A Date

Last Friday, I had a date with a new woman. We met at Beyond Juice for drinks. I don't believe in planning long dates for an initial meeting just in case things don't work. That way, it is easy to end things quickly.

We met at 6:30 pm. We were both on time. She was actually there before me. I dressed in jeans and a button-down short sleeve shirt. She wore a green and white floral dress. We ordered drinks and sat side by side in the empty restaurant. I will give her the name TopGun for the blog for reasons that will be apparent to some. TopGun is 47 and a nurse. She has curly red hair and blue eyes. TopGun has three children, twin girls, 21, and a 19-year-old boy. One of the twins and the boy still lives at home.

Our conversation came easily. TopGun enjoyed my stores. At one point early on on the date, she showed me a deck of Uno cards she had brought. Just in case things, the conversation was slow. I indicated we wouldn't need those. I have no problem talking.

TopGun and I seemed to be getting along, so I suggested we take a walk around town after a while. It rained earlier, but the night was clear and warm. We walked and continued talking for over an hour. We have plans to see each other again this Friday for dinner.

Election

Thursday evening, I dug a folding chair out of my basement and walked over to a grassy area at the front of our condo complex. Twenty other chairs were already arranged in a crude circle when I arrived. I set up my chair in the circle and surveyed the group. It was not a large showing. The annual condo association meeting never garnishes a large group, but with the proxies collected, we would have a quorum.

There was a grill set up outside the circle, and the property management company had a folding table with cookies, potato and macaroni salad for the homeowners.I grabbed water and waited for the meeting to begin.

I have been having a lot of conversations with Lily, who is a very active member of the board. Earlier in the summer, I suggested she be proactive and solicit proxies. so that she would be able to sway the vote. We discussed the various issues first. The roofs need replacing. The roads need fixing, and the landscaping is getting out of control. 

When it came time to vote for board members, there were three existing board members on the ballot, Lilly and two other women. Two other board members were not up for reelection, although one has been on the board for years and doesn't even live in the complex. He rents his unit.

 Another homeowner (I am going to call him Hollywood) and I raised our hands to be considered for the board as write-in candidates. Lilly had enough proxies to sway so that both Hollywood and I were elected. The two women who lost did not seem very happy. I find it funny, considering they were not very active in the first place.

I am not considering this a win. Just another job that needs to get done. So now the headaches begin. I have a feeling there will be more posts to come concerning the activities within the community. 

 

Vacation

 I took some vacation days and had off the first week of July, nine days in total, and though I did not do much that was productive, I enjoyed the time away from work. My biggest accomplishment thus far this summer has been getting this plant to bloom. I think it is a Star Gazier Lilly. Last year it was blooming when I bought the plant, but could not get it to bloom again. Removing it from the pot and planting it in the ground seems to have helped.

Tonight is our annual condo homeowners association meeting. The board has been mismanaging our association for years. Because of this two builds are in desperate need of roofs and we do not have the funds. I think I will need to nominate myself for the board to help get things in line.

The Scene Of The Crime

Four Years Ago

On a partly cloudy day, Billie and I drove to Sterling, Michigan, to go kayaking on the Rifle River with our friends Tink and Tech. Little did we know it would be our last trip together.

"She is cheating on me," I tell Tink and Tech as Billie headed to the bathroom.  The night before, I discovered incriminating text messages on her phone. All morning a growing pit of anger and despair was forming within my stomach. Unsure of what to do, I elected to go on the kayaking trip anyway. We booked the long route, which can take six hours or longer. Midway through the trip, the river became congested with intertwined inner tubes carrying inebriated campers, resembling oversized floating lily pads. Billie and I got separated from Tink and Tech. We navigated through the chaos without slowing and reached the end an hour ahead of Tink and Tech.

Last Weekend

I returned to the Rifle River at the invitation of Tink and Tech. We were joined by two other couples for a kayaking excursion. I had been jokingly referring to returning to "the scene of the crime" when friends and coworkers asked about my plans for the holiday. However, revisiting the exact location didn't evoke many memories. Once again, at the halfway point, where the river became congested with tubers, I lost sight of the rest of the group and finished over an hour before they did.

I won't be going back. I cannot stand the crowds of drunken partiers. It is not my idea of fun. That is Tech and Tink's. Although they are getting too old for that, in my opinion. Still, the Rifle River leaves me sour.

It is the fourth of July. I declined Sam's invitation to go to the annual party friends put on. I am not pleasant company lately, and I cannot shake it. Back in March, the Psychic said 2023 was going to be a dry year in the dating market. She indicated I am going to start wondering if there is something wrong with me, but not to get caught up in that negative energy. Even with that warning, I feel like that is exactly what is happening.