“Human beings are remarkable – at what we can learn to live with. If we couldn’t get strong from what we lose, and what we miss, and what we want and can’t have, then we couldn’t ever get strong enough, could we? What else makes us strong?” 

–John Irving

Welp, it’s been one week since xxxxx walked out of my life. And while I still think of her frequently, I’ve come to accept the fact that she ultimately did me a favor by revealing the true nature of her character. The fact that I fell in love with her is on me, though, and I still hope she finds peace and contentment in her life.

You take a risk giving your heart to anybody. But every time your heart gets stomped on, you pick it up, brush it off, and start looking for somebody else to give it to. You know the risk and you accept it, gladly, because the payoff is worth it. And any love that qualifies itself, any ‘I love her but I don’t trust her’ love, isn’t really love. If you’re not risking everything you have, it’s not love. Ya pays yer money and ya takes yer chances.

–Steve Rosse

My first tentative steps into the land of moving on are safely within my comfort zone–the sweet ladies I meet in the bars I frequent. Here’s the report from last night’s quest.

And as fate would have it, Jo served me my first beer. But before I could ask her to sit down and join me, she was off again. I saw then that she was already enjoying a drink with another customer. And not five minutes after that customer left, she was drinking with someone else. Well, that’s the biz, and she’s good at it. Being the hottest gal in the bar helps too. Oh well, I’m not the type who waits in line.

And wouldn’t you know it, right about the time I lost interest in Jo, I happened to notice another waitress sitting a couple of stools down from me. Not nearly as sexy as Jo, but she had a sweet “girl next door” vibe about her. So, I decided to chat her up some.

Or you can call her Novi for short. Sorry the photo quality is so poor, I was trying to be discrete. I hadn’t asked her permission and a sign in the CR says photography is not allowed in the bar.

Anyway, first impressions were all very positive. We had a nice chat, punctuated with some laughs, and I left hoping to get to know her better. Yep, looks like BarCelona will be in my regular rotation for the foreseeable future.

After leaving BarCelona, I walked the block to It Doesn’t Matter so I could visit Roan, who hadn’t been working when I stopped in yesterday. More beers and pleasant chat. Bought her the IDM daily special for dinner–bacon-wrapped chicken breast with steamed veggies.

I’m taking Roan to the optometrist tomorrow for an examination and new glasses. A belated Christmas gift. After that, I’m going to treat her to a Korean meal at the Seoul restaurant. I don’t know if that qualifies as a “date” or not. We’ll see how it goes.

I popped into Wet Spot to check on Aine before heading home. She was pleased to see me again and snuggled up right next to me.

I wasn’t hungry, but I asked Aine if she wanted to eat. She did, and preferred to eat at the bar instead of next door at Sit-n-Bull. No problem, they deliver. She had chicken fingers and I ordered a pizza for the other girls.

I stayed until 9:30, which is past my bedtime. Aine hinted a bit like she wanted to go with me, but I wasn’t ready to take that step just yet.

I also have Alma at Cheap Charlies in the queue of women I hope to get to know better. One thing all of them have in common is that they are older–mid-30s. I’m not sure how much that impacts the generation gap issues, but I do find that I’m more comfortable with them than the 20-somethings.

Alright, it’s Hash Monday so I’ll be giving the ladies a break today. Stay tuned.