The Crotchety Old Man

Category: My Life

  • Almost There

    The last six months have been crazy. I haven’t experienced this much change, over such a short period of time, since coming out more than thirty years ago. I dealt with my father’s illness in June and his passing in July; got my book deal in August; split up with my partner of twelve years…

  • I Gotta New Attitude

    When I joined the gym last fall, I really didn’t think I’d stick with it. Nothing about my track record gave me reason to think otherwise. After a few weeks of sporadic and half-hearted use, any home exercise equipment I ever purchased went unused. I don’t know what made me think I’d go to the…

  • A Cure for Complacence

    Over the last few years, I became complacent about my life. To make sure complacent was the right word, I looked it up. Showing smug or uncritical satisfaction with oneself or one’s achievements. Self-satisfied. Unconcerned. Yup. That’s the word all right. Long before July, I’d fallen into a rut. I took much in my life…

  • iDating 2012

    The prospect of dating again…or not…is the best and worst part of being single again. Don’t get me wrong. I’m not interested in settling down or getting tied down in the near future. Frankly, I don’t have the time. If you don’t believe me, just ask my ex. Be that as it may, as a lifelong…

  • Life in the Fast Lane

    Things have been crazy for me since July. If you’re new here, just click on “select a month” over to the right under Previous Posts, pick July, and skim through until you’re caught up. You don’t have to do it now–the posts will be there later. The point is, that because of all that’s happened…

  • Lost in iSpace

    Last Saturday, I finally got around to switching from Android and a piece of shoddy engineering known as the LG Ally to the beautiful and magnificent iPhone 4S. Now I know how Helen Keller must have felt when she figured out how to communicate with the world around her. OMG! It’s like the fifth dimension…

  • Trial Run

    The dogs and I have been on our own since Thursday when my ex left for his dad’s wedding in Hawaii. We’re getting used to doing our own thing. For one reason or another, he hasn’t been here on weekends since we decided to restructure. This ten-day separation is a trial run for being on…

  • Hitting Home

    The housing crisis has hit home…literally. Turns out, the asking price we believed to be well below market value is too high. The five-figure difference is significant. By significant, I mean painful. We’re talking serious ouch. I was devastated by the news. The cost is so high that I can’t afford to get out of…

  • Old Habits & New Technologies–New to Me, Anyway

    I’ve always been the kind of person that balances my checking account every month. The habit started when I was in college. When every penny counted, the last thing I needed was a bounced check charge–or ten. Have you ever bounced just one check? No. They come in runs. Fortunately, it’s been ages since I’ve…

  • Stressed!

    Okay. I admit it. I’m stressed out. My upbeat, positive attitude has helped me to cope. But the quantity of major life events I’ve experienced this year has just about depleted the sunshine I’ve managed to set aside for dark and cloudy days. In graduate school I remember reading studies about a stress scale that…