Stories of imagination tend to upset those without

[AndrewP]

Good morning from Spooky, Frosty Upper Lower Middle Kanukistan.

Lots going on - nothing much to write about that's relevant here. Railway bridge in Arkansas caught fire which caused me a bad few days, I had a minor car accident, cooked some food, ate some food. Got a quote on a new furnace for next spring and paid the deposit on it.

Last week was our annual plant shutdown which didn't go as smoothly as hoped. The guys are in the middle of starting the plant back up now - fingers crossed. I didn't have too much involvement, I helped replace one of the control systems and actually got to push buttons on the main control panel (open and close the gate).

My job title change finally has been made public / official which caused a lot of confusion with my friends. One thing they were all interested in was if I got more money - which no - I'm still being paid the same. So many people are surprised that I'm not pushing for more. I'm making a number that allows me to be comfortable.

I had an interesting dinner with an old colleague last week. He also had stories of quite a few people who recently passed plus the nephew of his girlfriend who was an athlete just had an accident and is now a quadriplegic. Goes go show that you really can't count on anything can you...

It's always a bit odd when we get together because I mentored him back in the day and now he's an executive at a 3 B$ company and still uses the lessons I taught him to guide him. I didn't object when he used his company expenses to pay for dinner

He's been dating the same woman for about 3 years now. The second woman he dated and they started while he was just separated although his wife had moved out. I think she's maybe 10 years younger than him. It turns out that his two best friends also are divorced now and are with much younger women who they hooked up with within months of the "end" of their marriages. He was nudging me that I really should get back in the pond. I think he did appreciate my opinion that I would have no interest in dating anyone significantly younger than me especially if it involved getting back into raising children.

He did seem a bit confused when after he asked what I would be looking for that my response was "someone to help me think". I do think that one of the things that I "need" most in my life is someone who can give me the impetus to take action and get me out of my groove. Someone to bounce ideas off of and to in turn inform me with their own opinions and thoughts.

Certainly the women I've dated thus far didn't really do well on that front. My friend suggested that if I dated his ex-wife that she would certainly be able to inform me on how to lead my life. He's still in occasional communication with her despite their kids being mostly grown and said that I'm probably the only guy in the area that she's "not" dated yet.

He feels that she's continuing to actively chase after some sort of idealized life that she just can't find. They split after a long marriage because she had some affairs. Unlike me, he was able to more or less just "let her go" with minimal drama. Bought her out of the house and did the settlement as a single lump sum payment.

Anyhoodles - I've been typing this while processing through the daily plant production numbers which is now done. We did about 50% of our usual production yesterday and should be on track to get things running at capacity again tomorrow I hope. I'll be working from home as I have a tradesman coming by to give me an estimate along with of course welcoming the trick-or-treaters.

I'm trying to decide what to do with my day. Sunday baking and ironing of course. I think I'll go for a nice walk in our lovely village park and poke at things with my stick. I do have the itch to do something more substantial. The village brewery is doing their Oktoberfest promotion right now and I did spend a nice couple of hours yesterday with a couple of pints of their pumpkin lager and a good book of short stories along with chatting with the owners and staff.

I may go for a bit of a drive and perhaps stop by the gravesite of my uncle who recently passed. He was a lovely man - always optimistic and cheerful - a trait that now that I think of it, many of my uncles possessed. I'm down to 2 now who I rarely see - that generation is thinning out as time passes. He's buried at the same cemetery where I have a plot. I noticed the last time I was out that there are neighbours on both sides of me now.

[Dawn70]

We’re closer than you think, Andrew. That bridge fire you mentioned happened about a hundred miles from my house.

[BL42]

Railway bridge in Arkansas caught fire which caused me a bad few days

We’re closer than you think, Andrew. That bridge fire you mentioned happened about a hundred miles from my house.

I thought you were in Canada for some reason - nowhere near Arkansas.

My job title change finally has been made public / official which caused a lot of confusion with my friends. One thing they were all interested in was if I got more money - which no - I'm still being paid the same. So many people are surprised that I'm not pushing for more. I'm making a number that allows me to be comfortable.

You should ask for more if you think you're worth it - often employers take advantage of "comfortable" employees.

He was nudging me that I really should get back in the pond.

What's holding you back?

[AndrewP]

I thought you were in Canada for some reason - nowhere near Arkansas.

I am indeed a resident of The True North Strong and Free.

[Dawn70]

Hey….Arkansas isn’t so bad and we don’t get nearly as cold as y’all do in the great white north. Lol

[Traveler]

My job title change finally has been made public / official which caused a lot of confusion with my friends. One thing they were all interested in was if I got more money - which no - I'm still being paid the same. So many people are surprised that I'm not pushing for more. I'm making a number that allows me to be comfortable.

I guess my question to you is do you enjoy the new role and responsibilities more than your old role and responsibilities? If yes, I see no problem with this situation. As you say you're making enough to be comfortable and we spend a lot of hours at work. I got a new role and title 5yrs ago that I love. The pay followed later. The role/title in itself made me happy.

I think he did appreciate my opinion that I would have no interest in dating anyone significantly younger than me especially if it involved getting back into raising children.

You don't miss raising kids? With my D about to go to college and an empty nest in sight, I'm undecided if older/wiser me would like another go OR just enjoy world travel. I wouldn't date someone who wants kids NOW, but if I found someone and we had a strong connection spanning a few years, I'm thinking I wouldn't be opposed to trying again.

He did seem a bit confused when after he asked what I would be looking for that my response was "someone to help me think".

It sounds like you should prioritize intelligence when dating. One perk of the XGF I was hung up on so long here was she was an ex Harvard professor. Deep thinker! I'm okay with my career focus being technobabble, but I prefer when my partner can follow along when discussing nuanced topics in business, finance, hr, etc.

Andrew, you've been talking about dipping your feet in for so long. I hope you do soon! I think, like me, you won't have much trouble finding dates (minus your small area) given your stability and sense of humor.

[AndrewP]

I guess my question to you is do you enjoy the new role and responsibilities more than your old role and responsibilities?

Actually the "new role and responsiblities" are my old role and responsibilities prior to be being dragged into a large corporate project (which was related to my old title from a couple of years ago). My title has just finally caught up to the reality - more or less.

Depending on the day, the pay scale for what I actually do could vary. Because we are a small plant, everyone does a bit of everything. The one thing I like is that if something needs to be done, I can just go do it. The key thing is to not let ego or title get in the way of getting stuff done that needs to be done. I forget where I read it, but I recall a story about someone seeing something and thinking to themselves "someone should deal with that" and then realizing that they are indeed someone themselves ...

You don't miss raising kids?

Nope. This was driven home when I was dating "B" where I was taking them to and from activities, feeding them, cleaning up after them ... I've done that with mine and don't want to start again. It's kind of like a neighbour of mine was telling me, after you live alone for a certain amount of time you can appreciate it.

It sounds like you should prioritize intelligence when dating. One perk of the XGF I was hung up on so long here was she was an ex Harvard professor. Deep thinker! I'm okay with my career focus being technobabble, but I prefer when my partner can follow along when discussing nuanced topics in business, finance, hr, etc.

I've known some academics - to me they seem to lack real-world experience. I have no expectation that others have as wide of a field of interest as I do, but someone with a strong grounding of common sense would do just fine. I think that Dawn appreciates my interest in farm girls as being a good choice

Andrew, you've been talking about dipping your feet in for so long. I hope you do soon! I think, like me, you won't have much trouble finding dates (minus your small area) given your stability and sense of humor.

If past experience is a predictor of future results, that may be the case. Even though I live in a rural area I'm in easy distance of multiple urban centres including many world class academic and artistic institutions along with major industrial hubs. Where I'm sitting right now at the plant is a 20 minute drive from two premier universities including my old alma-mater. A good number of mature people in my area are - in some ways like me - ex-pats from those areas who have moved for the quieter lifestyle it affords while still being close to darned near everything. And checking the census information available, there certainly is a strong contingent of well educated single people of both genders around.

Not that I'm counting on it being "easy" but I like to think that I have a pretty clear idea of what I can bring to the table and what I don't. I like to think that I'm in a place where I've not tied my future to any particular outcome. After-all - correlation does not imply causation.

Right now I'm thinking that perhaps I'll start looking around again in the spring.

[AndrewP]

I had an interesting encounter yesterday. I was at the open house for the flower shop I go to and was chatting with one of the clerks. She happens to be the first person I asked out waaaay back and long ago. We've remained friendly ever since. A lovely person with a big heart. I believe she has been with someone for the last year or so although I could be wrong. No clue.

As is my usual practice, last week I gave her some Halloween treat bags for her and her son (I think he's about 10 now). She mentioned during the open house that her son continues to be impressed with the chocolate coins I hand out and was actually showing them off and bragging about them to one of his friends.

She also mentioned that she had driven past my house the previous Sunday and her son had grilled her about "where's the boat".

It seems I must have made an impression that has stuck. Or perhaps I'm "the one that got away". I do sometimes wonder if she regrets that our paths went in different directions than they did.

In hind sight, it's probably for the best that we never dated for reasons I've gone in to here before.

PS - Halloween was good. Quite a few less kids than I'd expected despite the decent weather. My new inflatable prop pirate ship was a big hit with the kids and a whole lot easier to set up. I have a fair surplus of candy to deal with though but I have a few people I know who will happily accept it I'm sure.

[bttrfly]

Andrew, kids remember things like fantastic Halloween displays - heck I still remember one spectacular display from when I was about 9 .. doesn't mean she's thinking of you as the one who got away.

[AndrewP]

doesn't mean she's thinking of you as the one who got away.

Awwe shucks - let me have the ego boost :P

I heard from 20S today. She's already moved in with the latest beau after just a few weeks - if not even faster as I've not heard from her lately. Let's hope it works for her this time and that she finally picks up the last car-load of stuff she has here. Each time she moves in with a new guy she generally takes some of her stuff.

She's not known for making good choices and had to get a restraining order against the last guy (she took her kitchen stuff when she moved in with him).

First snow of the season that appears to be sticking. I'm going to start some of my Christmas decorating today I think along with the usual Sunday baking / ironing etc. Now where did I put that Michael Bublé CD ...