The online dating thing may be as much about getting to know myself––as if I weren't myself––as anything.
I've been having fun chatting with a few people. No lightning-bolt connections, but I do feel the world open up a bit, which is great in this closed-in time!
Anyway, it's only been three weeks.
Julia met her "flame", as she calls him, online, after several years off and on sites.
"Look at it like taking a walk on the Greenway," she said. "You never know if you'll meet someone who wants to talk about dead bees" [something that happened to us on such a walk together].
She also said my online profile didn't adequately represent me: "Bookish" sounds too inside. I should add the photo she took of me a couple falls ago, with the girlettes crossing the road (like Abbey Road, but not).
I do feel very much my real (maybe best?) self when I'm with the girlettes, so I took her advice and made this my feature photo (for now):
And I tweaked my "About Me"--put friendship first:
I don't have many photos of myself with the girlettes, since I'm the photographer.
I like this one from Duluth--Marz took it.
I've started to think about what I might do to mark the change of decades next year: I turn sixty in March.
The last two decades, I walked the Camino de Santiago. That's not doable in the pandemic.
After last time, I'd sworn NOT to walk it again. (Long, boring, painful.)
But there's this cognitive bias, you know, that blots out the nasty parts of trips (the airports! the bed downwind of a pig farm! days of nothing but canned tuna and instant coffee!), condenses the rest, and presents it as a pretty postcard.
Even knowing that, I might walk it, if I could, so it's good that I can't.
But what, then?
Thinking about who I am---more a toy person than a contemplative hiker--I thought, maybe I could do a trip that incorporates toys.
Some sort of toy adventure...
On my bike?
A customer at work told me there are lightweight campers you can pull on your bike.
I looked them up, and found all these sleek designs---not cheap, but affordable compared to a Winnebago camper.
But this homemade one is the one I like best. Made by artist Kevin Cyr as a sculpture, but it is functional (sort of):
Off to work now!
I've been having fun chatting with a few people. No lightning-bolt connections, but I do feel the world open up a bit, which is great in this closed-in time!
Anyway, it's only been three weeks.
Julia met her "flame", as she calls him, online, after several years off and on sites.
"Look at it like taking a walk on the Greenway," she said. "You never know if you'll meet someone who wants to talk about dead bees" [something that happened to us on such a walk together].
She also said my online profile didn't adequately represent me: "Bookish" sounds too inside. I should add the photo she took of me a couple falls ago, with the girlettes crossing the road (like Abbey Road, but not).
I do feel very much my real (maybe best?) self when I'm with the girlettes, so I took her advice and made this my feature photo (for now):
And I tweaked my "About Me"--put friendship first:
Reader, writer, custodian of books.❧ ❧ ❧
Cheerful but serious.
Mends things, sometimes.
Plays outside.
Looking for new friends. A romantic partner (maybe not sexual) would be great too.
I don't have many photos of myself with the girlettes, since I'm the photographer.
I like this one from Duluth--Marz took it.
I've started to think about what I might do to mark the change of decades next year: I turn sixty in March.
The last two decades, I walked the Camino de Santiago. That's not doable in the pandemic.
After last time, I'd sworn NOT to walk it again. (Long, boring, painful.)
But there's this cognitive bias, you know, that blots out the nasty parts of trips (the airports! the bed downwind of a pig farm! days of nothing but canned tuna and instant coffee!), condenses the rest, and presents it as a pretty postcard.
Even knowing that, I might walk it, if I could, so it's good that I can't.
But what, then?
Thinking about who I am---more a toy person than a contemplative hiker--I thought, maybe I could do a trip that incorporates toys.
Some sort of toy adventure...
On my bike?
A customer at work told me there are lightweight campers you can pull on your bike.
I looked them up, and found all these sleek designs---not cheap, but affordable compared to a Winnebago camper.
But this homemade one is the one I like best. Made by artist Kevin Cyr as a sculpture, but it is functional (sort of):
Off to work now!
That is an AWESOME camper, but I bet pedaling it around would be very tiring. LOL
ReplyDeleteI like the pics of you with the girlettes. They definitely capture your playful side. (From what I know of it via your blog!)
Absolutely love the photos of you! Full of admiration that you walked the Camino TWICE!! You are young stuff and MIGHTY- I am old enough to be your babysitter, and you are old enough to be Sarah's babysitter- we should all meet when this covid thing is done, In LONDON, and have some great pub food-go shopping for sad toys. We do have that to look forward to!
ReplyDeleteA bike camper trailer! That's such a cool idea!
ReplyDeleteCute pix of you. Agree that you should come off at least as playful as you are bookish.
STEVE: Especially if you were pedaling in a wind...!
ReplyDeleteThanks for saying you like the playful photos. I do too.
LINDA SUE: I am 100% all-in for a London meet-up with you and Sarah! Maybe we could pop in on Steve, Dave, and Olga too. :)
As for sad animals---I just posted one today.
BINK: I'm seriously going to look into bike-campers.
Thanks---play + books is a combo I'm happy with!
If you are serious, I hope you look for a used one. I see one on display most of the time at the camper dealer near me. I think it would be wonderful. But then, I've done some off the main line things.
ReplyDeleteJOANNE: Good idea to look for a used camper.
ReplyDeleteBut upon reflection, simply carrying everything in my panniers--as I've done on other long bike trips I took (30 years ago...)--seems easier than pulling a camper.
If I were looking on the website, the photos say to me--this person looks pretty interesting like someone I might want to know.
ReplyDeleteThe camper on the back of the bike is interesting but I have so many questions: how stable is it, is the loft thing where you sleep--I'd be up all night wondering when it was going to blow over, and maybe having to worry about someone riding it away!!!
Kirsten