A Room With a View

    On Facebook, I made a friend named Raul.  We met adding citizens to each other's cities.  He lives in Andorra with this husband Alex and seems like a really cool guy.  We've talked about things like Mamma Mia! and favorite TV shows.  He's also invited me to give mini English lessons if I notice something in his writing.  I snagged this pic from his albums:

In an recent email concerning my lastest post below he wrote:

You seem a good guy, clever (by read your blog), creative, but If you are alone is you has had bad luck. So, good luck with all.  Don’t close your hearth.

First, a bit of gratitude that someone would read my blog.  I get hits from a few of you each day.  Humbled.

Second, I've heard a lot from friends that I'm a good guy with a lot to offer--and don't get discouraged because of the Jose's and Charley's of the world.  Sometimes I forget who I am, and it's always good to get a reminder.  It makes it even better when someone on the other side of the world can see the good shine through.

Third, I smiled when I read "Don't close your hearth."  At first, I thought of the mini English lesson.  Certainly he meant heart not hearth.  Then, I thought about a hearth--a fireplace.  A warm inviting place for friends and family to gather.  So not only should I do everything I can to not be bitter and jaded (Don't close your heart), but I should continue to strive to be someone others enjoy being around (Don't close your hearth). 

Thanks Raul

And PS--as of today, I have the Biggest Brain

Just when I thought it was safe to be interested in someone I danced with a Charlie's.
 
Next in my series of disasters:


We've been dancing for weeks.  I've been crushing.  He's a cop. He said he wasn't dating for awhile after a four year relationship.  Then last weekend I discover he's suddenly dating Drew who I introduced him to the week before.  I barely even know Drew--he used to come to line dancing all the time and has been gone after joining the military. 

I'm pretty sure I blogged about The Cornhole Game...and how my friend Liz and I had never heard of it called that before.  We know it as Bean Bag Toss.  Well, Liz sent these pics to my phone today:

I joined a group on Facebook called "I judge you when you use poor grammar."  I loved this picture they had posted:

...why I am the way I am:  here is my family.
This picture is of many of the people on my mom's side of the family out in Michigan this year for my cousin Tara's wedding.  I, unfortunately, could not make it.

It's rare...but it happens.  I took a day off of work.

Friday was fabulous.  Slept in a little.  Went and had coffee.  Filed a lien against a neighbor on behalf of my HOA (and even though I only had a dime for the meter, I didn't get a ticket as I ran around downtown trying to get a notary and the paperwork filed).  Then drove to Chandler to meet up with my friend Randy and his friends Blake and Art.

A couple weeks ago Blake said he'd pee on Jose's car for me, so he's certainly my friend, too.  Art is the bartender at Randy's neighborhood bar and served me tons of beers at Randay's b-day party.  So certainly a friend.  All four of us were off to Rocky Point (Puerto Penasco), Mexico for the weekend.

Randy, the world travler, kept asking me, "Do you have your birth certificate?"  Since my passport expires last fall, I need a bc and driver's license to get back across the border.  Somewhere between Gila Bend and Ajo, Randy said, "I forgot my passport."  So he had to drive back to Phoenix while I climbed into Blake's car and continued on.  Blake proceeded to call Lauren (Randy's Grace) and let her know.  She was the best one to give Randy shit. 

Blake, Art, and I stopped in Ajo (where Art grew up) to do some grocery (beer) shopping.  At the grocery store Blake dropped the 80-pack (not really that many) of Bud Light bottles on the ground.  They gave us a new one.  We bet the ladies at the stored shared the unbroken bottles at break.  We reached Rocky Point early afternoon, then hit the Pitaya Bar by the beach to start drinking Dos Equis. 

Friday was a beer fest.  Especially after Randy showed up.  The only thing I ingested that day besides beer and a soda and my morning coffee were three carne asada tacos from a little stand called Tacos Merry's.  So by the end of the night when we were at a nice bar called Elixir (and severely underdressed), when Randy ordered a bucket of Tecate beer, that was the end.  It's been awhile since I've gotten sick drinking--and it's usually not with beer.  And I almost made it out of the truck.  And I cleaned it up the next day.

The house was a nice two-bed, two-bath house a couple blocks from the beach in Mirador area. 

Saturday we watched Heroes marathon on cable.  Burned hash browns, bacon and eggs for breakfast/lunch. Then loaded up a cooler of beer and went down to the beach and sunned.  Not a crazy busy weekend for people.  Only one hottie walked by with washboard stomach.  Enjoyed watching people get knocked down by the waves.  There was a guy with serious scabbing all over his body.  This one couple's Jack Russell ran and attacked this little girl's poodle.  And we quoted Steel Magnolias non-stop.

More Tacos Merry's.

Naps.  Bourbon (for me).  Clueless on TV.  Showers.  Manny's Beach Bar.  Tragic lady with her daughter who took a shine to Blake.  "Isn't my Mom hot?"  That "lady" proceeded to hit on every man in sight.

Dance floor?  Tragic!  Early in the night, kids were dancing as pimps and ho's as their parents watched.  Later, adults danced as pimps and ho's.  And the Electric Slide.  And, yes, the Macarena. 

Throughout the day, we had taken to saying "Oprah's vagajay."  Blake had seen something on TV making fun of Oprah.  Little by little, it became, "Jason's vagajay."  Have me say it for you sometime.  It makes me laugh. 

Sunday was more hash browns, bacon, and eggs.  Cleaning.  Kathy Griffin.  Pharmacia for Art.  Burger King, yes Burger King (we couldn't handle Tacos Merry's again). Back across the border.  Back in Phoenix to find my car had been egged--yes, egged.

Finally am taking a day off!
Feels so good not to be pulling into Starbucks right about now for my fortification for work.  No boring day of training (on stuff I already know) for me.
Instead...off to Puerto Panasco (Rocky Point), Mexico with some friends for the weekend.
Whoo-hoo!

I can barely believe it's been a year.
The 14th was the anniversary of my walk home from Charlie's when Jose ditched me.
The 17th was the anniversary of his phone message saying we should see other people.
Although my quest to find someone to pee on his car continues (I did find someone, but he lives across town), day by day I'm a little less bitter and a little less angry.
Good news:  whenever I get kind of weepy/emotional about the whole thing, I get a text from someone who says that I'm smart, goodlooking, funny, and just overall better than him.  That I have good things in store for me.
Amen to that.

Other news: 
1)  mixed signals from McStudly at the gym and at Charlie's last weekend.  That always happens when a) I least expect it and b) actually meet someone else.
2) was approached by a guy named Charley to dance last Saturday.  Although he claimed he was not a very good lead, he did a great job and we danced all night.  More to come this Saturday.  And, should there be actual dating, I'm already anticipating the confusion when I tell someone, "I'm going to Charley'/Charlie's tonight" and they won't know which one I'm talking about. Ha!
3) back in training for processing.  I won't go on my four day a week schedule until September.  September!
4) been without internet access for two weeks.  Getting high speed tomorrow morning. Whoo-hoo!  I'm a little Facebook deprived. 

Now that training is done, I'm in my new cubicle at work.  Whoo-hoo. 
I miss my old team/department/daily routine.
What's really strange is that my old department had merged into the department that is on the same floor I am.  So, I'm seeing all the same people.  We're just scattered about.  It's all very strange.
I feel like a fish out of water.  I'm a little disconnected from what's been going on.  When my team went to go play pictionary as this team competition, I'm like, "Hi, I'm Jason."
I was also hoping to be in training again this week.  Mainly to avoid a phone call from a client I spoke to several times last week from a client who upset when money that was supposed to go to a bank on file rejected because there was incorrect information.  He seems like a nice guy, but feels wronged by us.  I cannot find evidence where we have erred.  I got the call this afternoon.  So he's going to be liquidating his account.  I dreaded the call, but it went better than I thought.