starting over (again)

ok, so Rasputin finally hinted at making the decision to move apart enough for me to ask flat out whether this time, when the lease expires, will it actually happen... for the last couple of years he's mentioned moving somewhere else and ultimately nothing came of it, mostly because Precious costs a lot of money (more than she has to due to some irresponsible choices) and i've been around to bail them out time after time (which is why she still owes me $1580 for car expenses, I still pay for her cell phone, and Raspy still owes me more than $1000 for loans I gave him over the years)... but tonight (actually, Saturday night, but who's counting) when he sighed and said we have less than five weeks to decide what to do about the lease, i ask him if he was looking elsewhere and he told me he's been looking elsewhere for a while and found places... would have been nice if i was looking for a while too as what i am looking for is a lot tougher to find as he'll settle for a small room in someone's house and a shared bathroom while i will not... so i got right on the internet and started scouring roommate sits and this week i will cancel as much of my social plans as possible and start visiting apartment places in the area (might have to take time off from work for that) because i've got about four weeks to find another place, roommate or not, to live... staying here by myself at near $1400 a month would not be prudent or even necessary, though rushing into another lease in one month is not ideal either...

all that digested (as much as it can be, along with the chocolate indulgence that just happened to accompany me home last night as if i knew i might need some tonight), what i am finding is mostly young people, students, looking for roommates... that is to be expected as this is a college area and the semester starts up again in August... and humans being humans, most are very age specific... so my selection is quite limited and more expensive simply because i am an old man in the eyes of 95% or more of the people looking to share living space around here... the human prejudices really suck... but being the happy-go-lucky alien that i am, i have composed the first of many letters to prospoctive roommates that address the agism, however subtly or innocuously or inc9ompletely, for that matter, and that is what i present to you here and now for your critique and edification... and laughter, if possible, cuz laughter is the best medicine, after all...

more will follow, no doubt, but let's begin:

Hi :)

I was scanning Craig's list for roommate listings and came across yours. I am not what you are looking for as I am a student of life, but not a student in the sense you probably meant and while I am a professional, I am not young by chronological standards even though most of my friends are chronologically twenty or more years younger than I am because of my interests, evergy level, and perspectives), so if you found a compatible roommate, great (I'd greatly appreciate you passing me along to anyone you thought was cool but did not choose)... and I hope life gets better for you every day :)

If you are not finding the right roommate, well, maybe we can help each other out. It's a gamble, moving in with a stranger, and I haven't had to roll those dice in about six years. I am tossing the idea of cutting out a lot of the social fun and renting a one bedroom just for myself around in my head and might go that route, but first... maybe the right roommate can be found because the extra few hundred a month would be much more fun.

Your words describe much of what I look for in a roommate. Honesty is first. Openness and willingness to share and ability to respect are essential. Being responsible and reliable is the whole point of sharing expenses. I play softball a few times a week, but that's not enough for me and have been looking for other activities - tennis and racketball sound great to me. I too love cooking and have not enjoyed a kitchen in some time due to my current roommates (I'll happily explain details should we talk more).

You can find more about my on myspace:
http://myspace.com/candor (myspace)
You can find my social interests (and a photo) on meetup:
http://www.meetup.com/members/5019203 (meetup)
You can find my social calendar right here:
http://my.calendars.net/candor (calendar)
You can find what I want in a roommate here:
http://candoor.net/roommate.html (roommate)
You can find my personal website right here:
http://candor.8m.com or http://candoor.net (candoor)
You can call and ask anything you'd like to know at 407-325-1482

Simply, I believe in honesty without harm. I am an open book (just find my blogs) and welcome sincere questions for that is how we get to know each other and become friends. I love who I am at my core, feel secure and confident about most things, accept my imperfections, and strive to motivate myself (and find motivation) to improve things I know I can improve (like the 20-odd pounds I put on because I am a chocoholic and tore a hamstring a few months ago and sit at my desk at work too much, but we're not friends yet so excuse my introspective digression :)

I enjoy most experiences, from marathons to meditation, from the skydiving I tried last week to the computer conversations I have with imaginary audiences and a diverse mix of activities in between. In spite of the challenges my perspectives and choices present, I care about people and am open to sharing honestly, professionally and personally. I have tried both and for me, being vulnerable is better than beyond shut down.

I tend to babble on and on when I write, so I shall pause now and hope you do not have literary indigestion (self-mockery is one of my favorite my defense mechanisms cuz I love laughing at myself)... and I hope you are smiling :)

Enjoy your vacation and whatever you decide to do with me, may you find more smiles than frowns along your way through this life :)

so whatcha think? (sure could use some of that karmic come around stuff about now :)