old letters from the attic
Okay, since there is so much that has happened this summer... and I have already done all the hard work of chronicling my adventures... through letters to my dearest friends... I thought it would be fun to copy some of those old emails HERE, where I had written them with fresh memories and clear eyes. As now, the details and images are fuzzy in my mind. But the vibrant email accounts are still there in my "sent items", ready to share!
As I said in my first entry, I have tried dating and have failed... over and over again!! I've failed MISERABLY. Not sure why that is.... ;-) This is a letter to my friend, Melanie... she lives in San Francisco and is one of my very best friends... we've known eachother for over 22 years.
Date: Mon, 2 Aug 2004 07:33:01 -0700 (PDT)
From: Dee
Subject: Re: Saturday
To: Mel
Hi, Mel !!! I am so sorry I've been so bad about emailing. There is just so much happening, it is just a whirlwind. The kids and I are doing really good -- we're pretty settled into our new place. Once I get all the boxes out of my livingroom, and get things hung on the walls, and the pile of books out of the middle of the livingroom floor, I will get my camera out for some pictures, and I will send them to you. I almost had everything unpacked this week, and then I made another run to the old house yesterday afternoon, and packed my car with MORE stuff. I can't believe how many books I own! [not that I'm complaining....]
It sounds to me like you are having a GREAT summer now!! I'm glad things are better.... I remember a few weeks ago you felt like everything was going wrong for you. I've *been there* many many times.... so I'm happy to see things working positively for you. Especially I am happy that your husband is HOME!!! Your trip down the Pacific coast will be great... [my daughter] and I enjoyed that SO much when we were out there. Sounds very romantic for you two. Any particular destination?? Carmel-By-The-Sea was perfect. Again, I can't tell you how happy I am that you have your husband home, safe and sound.
Hey.... about family.... I never hear from [my eldest daughter]. That could be a good sign. She's at a point in her life where she's just absorbed in her own world, and only reaches out to the parents when she needs something...... so, like I said.... her silence is a comfort, in a way. I get news here and there from her stepmom. [My eldest daughter] doesn't call her either, but she is working for her father's company... so he's been keeping an eye on her, and he sees how she's doing. It comforts me GREATLY to know her father is right there, nearby, all day. So I don't worry about her... but I miss her terribly!!!
[My youngest daughter] LOVES our new place.... she loves it so much, she never wants to leave - like when it's time for me to go to work, she doesn't want to go spend the day at her grandparents' house - she wants to stay home, and maybe go in the pool. I can't wait to get some pictures taken of the place. I have two bathrooms, and got them decorated SO CUTE. And the funny thing is, I've never had a dishwasher before, but I have one now... I LOVE IT. But the first day I tried to use it, I didn't know how.... like, I didn't know how much detergent to use, and where to put it. Crazy, huh? And WOW... I even have a garbage disposal in the kitchen... oh, and central air!!! I'm the same as my daughter... I never want to leave home now. We also have this nice patio with sliding glass patio doors... and the patio has shade ALL day, it's so wonderful and breezy there. Sher [my best friend] and I were sitting out there with my kids last night, just enjoying the evening air. The neighborhood is really peaceful.
So, life is looking good, I just have ONE big HUGE obstacle to conquer. It's my old place. My old landlord is screaming at me for money.... I told him I'd be all settled up with him by the end of August. I had to pay double-rent for August on the old AND the new place... and last month had to scrape up a security deposit for the new place. So I told the old landlord he'll get his friggin' money, but it will take a few weeks for all of it. He's being a complete asshole, and the man has known me for almost TEN years, and he knows me to be a very good person, and we've always gotten along great... he told me a few times I'm one of the best tenants he's ever had. So now his behavior really pisses me off.... yeah, he threatens to take me to small claims court and everything. I don't think he can, if I owe him less than $1,000. I only owe him $720. What a jerk... he'll have it soon. I guess he's panicking because I've moved already and he has nothing to hold over my head.
Oh, and I met someone new recently..... But you might remember last month I'd tried dating this really sweet guy named Will --- but I cut that short. He had gotten all gropey and was kissing me really hard one night and all I could think of was *I gotta get OUTTA here!!!* I'm not sure if I told you about all that??? He and I had a few really great times together, just going out and enjoying eachother's company.... but once he started getting physical with me, it just creeped me out.... it wasn't sweet or romantic or anything... it was sudden and forceful... I likened it to a "bear mauling" when I was talking to Sher about it one day. So of course, I don't see him or talk to him anymore, but I was very gentle and kind when I broke it off with him... so at least it wasn't an ugly ending.
So anyway... I met this man named Mike, he's 35 years old. And remember I told you that Sher and I were dabbling with Yahoo Personals this summer?? Well that's how I met Mike... and we have been emailing eachother for about three weeks now. He's been writing me these really nice, long, scrolling emails almost every single day. I really felt like I got to know him pretty well that way. WELL.... come to find out we both work in the same industry in this area..... and I told him my company is a member of an organization that Mike is the chairman of .. he RUNS everything. So, COME TO FIND OUT he knows my boss. What a small world, huh?? Talk about *COINCIDENCE*. We got a good laugh off of that.... I can't believe how that worked out. We might have eventually met eachother anyway! Mike thought it would be funny if I mentioned him to my boss, so I did. My boss was shocked that I'd met Mike [of all people] in a non-work-related way. Now my boss is digging to find out how I actually *met* Mike, but I won't tell him the details... not about Yahoo!!!
So, Mike and I had our first date [our first face-to-face] this past Friday night... he was anxious to meet me, and we really hit it off. What a great time!! We went out on the town in downtown Milwaukee, and both got quite tipsy on beer... smoked some cigarettes, and just were really absorbed in conversation all night long. And somehow, after many hours, we ended up making-out right there in this one bar... it was packed in there, and we were off in a corner just smooching. For some reason, it felt really natural to me... which is weird, because I don't normally warm up to a man that quickly, and usually never kiss on the first date. Maybe it was because we'd corresponded for so long before we met and I felt acquainted with him already? So anyway, he called me yesterday afternoon and wants to see me again, this Tuesday night. We're planning to have dinner, and then go to this one beach on Lake Michigan where we can build a little campfire and share a bottle of wine. That sounds SO nice.
Oh, and Saturday night was even better. I was just hanging around the house all day with my kids, and I rented some movies for me to watch... for after the kids were in bed. Well, at around 8pm, while I was getting my little daughter ready for bed, my buddy Jay from Chicago called. I'd been planning to see him sometime this weekend, but decided to stay home instead with the kids. But he asked me what I was up to, and I told him I was going to watch some movies on DVD..... and he said I should pack up my bike in my car and come down to see him right then and there. He asked if I wanted to *live life* or just *watch life on DVD*. haha [he had a point there!!]
So, I got my little girl in bed, and my son was more than happy to have the place and the DVD player all to himself, so he told me to just go ahead!!! So I drove down to Chicago and arrived at around 9:30... Jay lives in Lincoln Park, just a couple blocks from the zoo and the lakefront. Jay put my bike together for me [I have a quick-release front tire so the bike fits in my car], and we rode out to the lakefront, where right away you can see the Chicago skyline. It was SO beautiful that night... and romantic! There is a bike track all along the beach, that goes for miles -- all the way into downtown, so we rode it... there is alot of bike and pedestrian traffic on that route at all times of the day. Jay and I were riding our bikes... just talking, laughing, and holding hands... and sometimes doing "crack the whip"... We probably looked like dorks holding hands on bicycles, but that didn't matter.
Well, his plan was to take me to dinner on Navy Pier... it was awesome... we sat in this outdoor bistro, with live jazz on stage. We were at first seated in front of some really loud speakers, and Jay asked the waiter to move us someplace quieter so he could hear me talk. [is he a sweetie or what!!!] Navy Pier was awesome... docked right there were the Tall Ships that come around every year... with the big sails and masts... [they will be arriving for the Tall Ships Festival in Wisconsin next weekend!]
So anyway, that was very cool. I've told you about Jay... we had gone to Blues Fest in June, and I've been seeing him about every-other weekend this summer. We are so comfortable around eachother since we've been friends for all these 20 years... ever since we were wild teenagers hanging out together, getting into trouble. And it is SO romantic riding around through parks and down the lakefront on bikes with him in the city at night... the lighting was perfect, and there was also a full moon that night. He kept stopping along the way to look at the cityscape, or to smooch and cuddle with me. GOODNESS. But regardless of the fact that we love all the passionate kisses and stuff, I don't want to start up another heated love affair with him again, like we did two years ago after my separation from my husband. It was much too intense, and I'd really like to see how things develop with this new guy, Mike. So Jay and I are just really enjoying some nice sweet moments without getting too terribly involved and complicated. I like that.
Anyway, I finally got myself home at around 2:00am [long drive back to Milwaukee!! But worth it.] Once I got home, I couldn't sleep so I was up until about 4:00am. Then my sister and her husband and my nephew [from Green Bay], came to visit in the late morning, and we took the kids to the pool... that was really nice, but I was SO tired and crabby. As you can imagine! But the family time was really great.
So that is what's been happening around me in the past week or so....... busy busy, working, and just enjoying summer. Oh, and I still get phonecalls from Jeff... remember him? He's having this on-again, off-again relationship with this one woman [the one he was seeing behind my back... the one who "planted" her stuff in his bathroom!!]. So whenever he's blue or lonely, he calls me to chat... usually pretty late at night. I don't mind too much, I do like talking to him, but I could never date him again. Sher says that Jeff and I have this whole *love/hate* thing going on... and she thinks I'm nuts that I don't tell him to just F*** OFF. Oh well... maybe eventually he'll stop calling. Maybe. But he's been hinting that he wants us to start seeing eachother again, says he misses that so much..... uhhhhhhhhhh..... NO.
Well, sweetie... I should probably get some work done this morning. I just really felt like chatting with you and letting you know what was happening around here. I'd love to call you again on the phone sometime - it will be great to hear your voice again. I miss you very much. Write again soon, I love hearing about your life and what you're doing too. I wish I could be there, and be part of it all.
LOVE YOU.
Dee
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