April 2010

So March was my "Fine, let's take a look at this whole dating thing again." decision.

If I don't sound happy about it, it is because I am not good at pretense.  I am only dating to spend time with folks, I am not looking, desperately, for my soul mate because I have concluded that what I need to do is find people who do not despise the things I do before anything else.  This sounds simple, right?  Wrong.

I am not certain what checklists women are using when they are looking for dates but my supposition is that it resembles the following:

1. Looks like Brad Pit
2. Built like a Greek god
3. Loves children
4. Hates all women but me
5. Richer than Gates
6. Sensitive
7. Loves to do housework
8. Is a man's man
9. Thinks I ...

As mentioned previously, I took the holidays off from dating.  My original New Years plan involved time with friends for board games, good food, good drink, conversation, movies, etc. and I had planned to invite one of the women I was seeing but my son had mentioned he wanted to have a gathering of friends and I made my excuses and apologies and we planned for that.

The gathering ended up not coming off so it was just my son and I on New Year's Eve, which was fine as I was beginning to feel poorly.  I didn't realise this would continue for two and a half months.  I'd get cold symptoms, I'd get better, I'd get a light fever, I'd get better, I'd get worse cold symptoms, I'd get a little better, I'd get high fever, it'd break.  When I finally went to the doctor they tasked at me, mentioned pneumonia, gave me a once a day seven day course of antibiotics that forced me to flee from sunlight and gave me symptoms of hypoglycemia and cause the tendons i ...

The last time I went out on a date was in the late 1980s.  In the ensuing years I had learned a few things.

1. Never date anyone at work
2. Make certain anyone you date meets their own obligations
3. Make certain anyone you date has their own set of friends and hobbies
4. Cute fades, confidence lasts forever
5. KiSA gear chafes your life

One of the things I still had not learned was how to date.  So in September of 2009 I set out to date casually for a year and made certain that everyone I dated or talked about dating knew exactly what I was doing, that I was not exclusively dating,. that I expected nothing of them, and that I fully expected they were dating other people as well.

With this type of communication, what could go wrong?

Yeah, everything.  I really am so bloody naive.  Did two ...

Not in the dating arena, rather in the blog reporting arena.

No doubt at some point this blog will cause me to lose dates.  Good.  Dear God I am already wondering why the hell women are more insane than I could have ever imagined.  If this blog prevents me from having to endure time with specific ones, great.

A bit of background, I was born in 1961, do the math.  I have grey hair and a short trimmed grey beard.  My hair is not as thick as it once in the way back and I could stand to loose a few pounds.  I am a father, a gamer, a writer, a fighter, and actor and a geek.  My kids are grown, I love playing board and video games, I write poetry and fiction and  other things, I teach and train in TKD as well as doing SCA heavy fighting, and I act in plays and improv groups and as part of the Street Circus at the PA Ren Faire.  I am active physically and run circles around most men 15 ye ...

The USA finally has a start on a health care coverage system that just may provide affordable care to its citizens.  Just so folks understand, I've been a moderate Republican for the last 31 years.  During my life time I have experienced every aspect of the health care system in the US.

• Raised in a military family where full health care was provided at no cost
• As a young adult I had no health care
• Sustained an injury and had to wait over 5 years for treatment due to lack of insurance
• Joined corporate America and bought low-cost health insurance
• Worked for a start up where 11% of my gross income was dedicated to buying health insurance for my family, this was $8500 in 1999
• Watched my children roll off my health care with trepidation
• At 48 I underwent surgery to repair my shoulder.  Because I had insurance my cos ...

Along the Autumn of 2009 I had spells of feeling poorly but they'd always pass after a day or so and I chalked it up to weather and exhaustion and ignored it.  Christmas came and I still had bouts of a day here or there and this continued on into January and February.  The, around the Middle of February, I got sick.  I didn't feel bad, I didn't have a bad couple of days, I go consistently and persistently sick with fever and chills and intestinal discomfort and aches and pains and mucus the color of the rainbow spewing from my body. 

The flu, right?  It'll pass.  And then I was sick a second week, and a 3rd and a 4th and every time I thought I'd turned the corner I would just get sicker.

An intelligent person would have gone to the doctor in November or December, maybe waited until January, but only a complete and utter moron, like me, would have waited until the middle of March to go the doctor, get examin ...