This just in

Sheila and me on our "Urban Picnic" before the PB&J show - thanks Bruce F. for the pic!

Much better today because they saw me at the doctor's office and gave me all kinds of prescriptions. Didn't hear anything in my chest, though, which worries me. (So, why does it hurt, then?)

Now, when I say "they" saw me, what I mean to say is a young, not-all-that-doctory man saw me. Not my normal doctor, or anyone I've ever seen there, and his name wasn't on the door or anything. He had to have been like 28? at the most? He had a silver ring on his thumb, and his clothes were sorta old and ill-fitting. He was seriously like 12. How could he have finished med school already? And, he seemed a little scattered. Are there 3rd-tier doctors who just need a job like everyone else? But he helped me, so...

Or am I just getting old?

OK, online dating update:
S, the web guy I went out with Saturday, called me today to see if I was feeling better. He got my voice mail and said he'd call later. Still not sure on him, but what a nice guy!
J, the fun-to-email-with advertising guy, asked me for my pictures because he's too cheap to actually pay for the site and could only see my main pic. I sent them this morning, early, and this is the longest he's gone between emails to me. Good riddance.
P, the nice one who lives in the neighborhood, and I are still exchanging fairly innocuous emails, but he did apologize for the delay of three days before writing me back. No plans in sight. Makes his own furniture.
M, the journalist, had some stuff come up for him at work that precluded our tentative plans for last night, and tried to reach me via email but messed up my addresss. I was sick anyway so we are postponing til next week. All sorta good.

We'll see.

DG update: I am reading a great book, "The Surrendered Single," and I am so hyper-aware of my patterns, defenses and fears about relationships now (between the book and my own thinkin' about what happened with him) that I know if I'd just read this before meeting him, things would be so incredibly different. Which is sad to admit, but very hopeful for the next guy I feel that strongly for. I wish it could be him!! I can honestly say, though, that I am SO, SO, SO thankful that he came into my life, so that I really focused and realized that I am simply not interested in dating for dating's sake - I am really looking to meet someONE special and - gasp! - eventually get married. I'm not even scared to say that 'out loud' anymore. And I'm glad also that I started seriously swimming again, that's thanks to him, too. He was my fitness kick role model...which is funny. But if those two things are the only ties I'll have to him, they are still great ones. I also just know, now, what I do when faced with intimacy (react with fear and control and a false 'independence' that reads as rejection), and that's so important to recognize about and learn to avoid. Sometimes "self-help" books are a valuable confirmation of what you're discovering on your own.