I’m old, and that’s not news, but the elderly need love too. Meanwhile, the adventure continues. Such as it is.

Grocery shopping day at Royal, and I spent too much as usual. Still, spending the money there is better value than in the bars. Starting next month, I’m going to set a budget for each of my spending categories and do my best to keep it balanced.

Another area where I’ve been overspending is in my charity budget, but again, that’s for some hopefully good causes. If I have to cut back on lady drinks to give more here, that’s a sacrifice the bargirls will have to live with.

Looking forward to a good time come Friday.

I mapped my walk to my future home and coffee with Swan.

And then I took a different route home (the way Swan comes) to see if it was a better way to go.

And I didn’t forget commenter Soju’s request for a “vagina” hike.

Kevin Kim had a post called “Give yourself to the dark side” that included this link to a Myers-Briggs personality test. I’d done several of those over the years but couldn’t remember the results. I had some time to kill, so I waded into the questions and scoring, and it turns out I’m an INFP (introversion, intuition, feeling, and perceiving). It sounds about right. Hey, if the shoe fits, wear it.

The big news from the bar scene was that last night was slated to be the opening night for the newly revamped Maze.

As you can see from the arrows above, the bars are mostly interconnected, so you can do a bar hop without ever leaving the building. So, naturally, my plan for the evening beer ingestion was to do just that.

Things don’t always go as planned. I had noticed coming home from the grocery store that Sloppy Joe’s was still open at the old location. I decided to stop by there on the way to the Maze to see what was happening.

So, as I made my way to the Maze, I intended to start on the third floor at Barcelona, then work my way back down with stops at La Oficina and Alaska. Upon arrival, I saw that the stairs to BarCelona were dark. Then I realized it was Tuesday, and BarCelona and La Oficina are closed on Tuesday. It seems Daddy Dave’s big announcement about the grand opening was a bit premature.

Now, the old Alaska opened at five p.m. When I arrived at the new venue yesterday, it was a bit before six. And when I looked inside there were busy construction workers but no customers. Hmm, time to retreat and rethink my plans. I crossed the highway and climbed the stairs to Cheap Charlies.

I had a good view of the Maze from my CC vantage point, and after about thirty minutes I noticed what appeared to be customers visiting Alaska. So, I headed back across the highway to check it out. Sure enough, they were open. When I walked through the entrance I heard one of the dancers calling my name. Ah, it was Joy. Come on down for a drink then.

So, I went over to where owner Jerry was sitting and said, “Hey, I noticed they spelled Alaska wrong.” He seemed surprised and turned around to see the writing on the wall. I laughed and told him, “made you look!” He admitted I’d got him and later sent me over a free beer. Good times.

When I’d had my fill, I walked through the new door connecting Alaska to Wet Spot and finished my night there, drinking with Daddy Dave and, of course, Aine. So, I didn’t do the bar crawl I had imagined, but things turned out okay. The Maze will be there when I’m ready to try again.

Rough night last night after I went to bed. That pain in my side is back and worse than ever. I had a coughing fit, and each cough felt like being stabbed. Rolling over in bed was also painful. This morning I sneezed, and jeezus, that hurt. I decided to forego the Wednesday Walkers group hike and have an appointment with Dr. Jo this afternoon. I’m pretty sure it is some muscle issue, but I want to get confirmation it is not something more serious.

And that’s what’s new with this old guy.