JP Tries Again

JP is back on the “dating” sites with Daddy’s assistance.  I caught a glimpse of JP’s profile picture while he was trying to show me pics of guy he’s been chatting with.  I guess any picture taken this century is now considered current.  I would hit JP up online if I saw his profile picture and didn’t know him.  It’s a very good picture depicting JP at the height of his handsomeness.  Sadly, his looks have faded as he’s aged in the fifteen years since the photo was taken.  He no longer looks like the man in the picture.  I believe most older gay men, including me, think we look better than we do.  We have an image in our head as to what we look like but are often slapped into reality when we see a photo taken of our current self, or when we look at ourselves in the mirror at the start of the day.  Most of men JP encounters are not interested when they meet in person.  And he can’t figure out why. 

It’s Over

My father died in his sleep early Sunday morning.  His health had been declining for months.  The last week saw a rapid acceleration in the decline.  His hospice nurse advised he was actively dying. 

My father stopped talking to me a few years ago.  I made no attempt to repair the relationship.  He was always emotionally unavailable and distant.  He was disappointed with two cousins who married outside of their race.  He told me I got “the gay” from my mother’s side of the family.  I’m not sad.  I don’t miss him. 

Although born into poverty he died with wealth which was the result of endless frugality along with only spending money on necessities.  Being consumed with saving money ruined my parent’s marriage. He never enjoyed the money he accumulated.  He told me he was never happy. How sad is that?

I Concur

This appeared on a neighbor’s fence over night. Timing is everything!

I Didn’t Plan On Buying A Refrigerator

I’ve grown weary of having workers in my house.  I miss the solitude of my house.  The floor refinishers were here for five days making most of the house unusable.  I lived most of the time in the primary bedroom.  I could exit out the bedroom’s French doors, cross the courtyard and enter the garage to come and go.  Thankfully the weather was pleasant, so I was able to get caught up on yard chores.  I had seventy-five bags of mulch delivered which needed to be spread out in the garden.  A major house cleaning ensued after the floors were redone. 

Next up were the painters.  They were here for eight days.  Most only spoke Spanish, so I used a translator app on my phone for communication.  A couple of times a painter would call the owner so she could translate for me.  I lived in chaos for those eight days as I had to empty the rooms of furniture.  The office, guest bedroom and garage accommodated the misplaced furniture and art.  On the second day of painting my refrigerator stopped working. The repair estimate was $1,800 given the age of the appliance.  I wasn’t planning on buying a new refrigerator, but it was more cost effective to buy a new one.  The new refrigerator was marked down substantially for a Memorial Day sale .  Sadly, it took four days for the new one to be delivered.  I lived out of coolers while Double A took most of my frozen food to his house until the new one was delivered.

The painters finished on Saturday.  Another round of house cleaning ensued during which I discovered the guest bath had a slow drain. One costly snake drain later the plumber showed me the wipes which were the cause of the slow drain.  Someone who had used that bathroom flushed wipes.  I haven’t had a house guest in over a year, so I suspect one of the workers. 

The kitchen refresh starts on Monday which will be followed by carpet cleaning in the bedrooms.  After carpet cleaning, house guests arrive for a week.  Peace will be restored sometime in June.

Entitled

On Tuesday, I was doing a leg workout on the second floor of the gym which houses a selection of machines allowing one to do a full body workout.  The man in the picture was texting on his phone while watching a video on his tablet.  He sat there for at least twenty minutes.  The machine was not in my rotation, so I didn’t have to disturb him.  I went downstairs to use leg press machine leaving the man still engrossed with his devices.  The sense of entitlement at the gym is unparalleled.

Who Pays the Tariff?

After spending a month in the psychiatric ward, I feel refreshed and renewed ready to resume my life.  Wouldn’t that be a great way to explain not posting?  Thankfully, it’s not true although I’m sure I could benefit from some time with a psychiatric professional.

The truth is I have not felt like posting.  Every day brings at least three appalling news headlines related to the pathological liar running the United States and his corrupt administration.  I find it nearly impossible to keep up with the proclamations and ensuing lawsuits.  And there seems to be a protest or two every week.  Sadly, I missed the last two.

I’ve also been toiling in the soil.  It’s prime garden season here although annuals should not be planted until after Mother’s Day for fear of death by a late season snowstorm. 

I’ve also embarked on a partial house refresh by having the hardwood floors refinished, new paint in a few rooms along with a kitchen update.

My interior design neighbor helped me select new kitchen cabinet hardware at a local showroom.  Thanks to the felon’s newly instituted tariffs, the total rang in a little over $1,200 even with her 30% discount.  Who did the man guiding the country into a recession say would pay the tariffs?

Protesting Again

I was among the thousands protesting in the cold at the Capitol on Saturday.  The current Colorado Attorney General, Phil Weiser, was the keynote speaker.  The son of a holocaust survivor hopes to be the next governor.  It was a well-behaved crowd with anger and rage expressed in posters. There were also protests in Boulder, Genessee, Fort Collins and Greeley. 

2 Years

I saw this sticker on a pole at a construction project in Cherry Creek while on a five-mile urban walk with Kelly.

Kelly has been unemployed for two years.  No job prospects in sight.  She’s had several interviews but no offers.  She lowered her salary requirement down to $20k a month in the hope of landing something that will allow her to mitigate the financial drain on her savings. 

Kelly’s husband recently had surgery for a torn retina.  He has a long recovery road ahead of him which prevents him from working.  Thankfully, they qualified for Medicaid, so the financial impact has been minimal. 

The change in administrations along with the stock market decline has dried up the job market in her field.  Recently, one company decided not to fill a position she was interviewing for due to economic uncertainty and political unrest. Being a sixty-year-old woman has also been an obstacle.

Kelly has gone from a highly paid executive to unemployed depending upon Medicaid for health care.  A place she never thought she would find herself in after she graduated with her MBA and was dating investment bankers while living on the upper east side.  One never knows what road life will take you down.                                                                                                                                                                                  

My Current State of Mind

Have you seen this floating around online?

My dating era has come to an end.  I’d like to thank all those who participated.

I’m still single.  I’m just giving up.

It’s actually rather freeing. No more time wasted on apps. No more disappointing first meetings. I’m still open to any opportunities that come my way. I’m simply not actively looking.

Retirement

How retirement started:

How it’s going now: