Well, a lot has been happening lately, and I figured it's time to put it in writing. Where to start...
I'm in the process of buying a condo. It's a first for me as I've always rented. My friend Deena talked about it and convinced me it couldn't hurt to see if I can qualify for a loan. Turns out my credit is much better than I thought, so it was off to the realtor. After checking out several condos in the Summerlin area (natives to Vegas know where this is) I found a great place for the right price and made an offer. It was accepted, but it's a short sale. For those who don't know, a short sale means the owner is upside down in their mortgage and giving it to the bank. It also means an average of 3 months of paperwork before I'll know if its mine.
Kinda sucks, so right now I'm in a waiting.
Deena and I are making a try at starting a business. She is a graphic artist and knows a lot of web design, but needs help on all the background work. I've stepped in and tend to do the grunt work; writing copy, registering add space, signing up for search engines, configuring email, etc. We've agreed to split the work 50/50 and are handling the money the same. She's teaching me a great deal about web and graphic design, and I'm teaching her what I lear about the background stuff. I never would have guessed how much stuff Google has there fingers in, or how much work it is to set up a basic ad with them. I'm learning Adwords, which has a whole citification process, but will look good to perspective clients, and look good on a resume.
I've started on a good diet and rigorous exercise regiment. I've lost about 10 pounds so far, but am starting to feel better. The workout sucks, but I want the results. I have an old picture of myself from when I was in the Marines that I hung on the wall. When I feel hungry or lazy, I look at it and remember what I was and could be. It helps some.
This last weekend, we went to Laughlin, Nevada. Deena, Vito and I drove down Saturday evening, drank and stayed up late, had breakfast Sunday morning, then drove back. It was a ton of fun and a great way to just relax. It would have been pretty cheep too, but we decided to eat at the Saltgrass Steak House, and anyone who has eaten there knows it ain't cheep. It was good, but not great, and definitely not worth what they charged.
We walked the river and did a bar crawl. We started at the northern most casino and stopped at every bar all the way down and had a drink. Well, one bar at each property. By the time we reached our hotel, Deena and I were quite drunk. It's been a long time since I cut loose and drank. Vito didn't drink. In fact, he didn't do much of anything except gamble and grumble.
This brings us up to today. I mentioned, in a previous post, that Deena and Vito were getting a divorce. Well, Vito begged and they have been trying to work it out. She's tried to fix the problems and mend fences, and he said he would make changes. He even started joining us to work out. While he's not as big as me, he's still got many extra pounds he's carrying around. Plus, he's a decent guy. After knowing him for the last few months, I figure he's very much like I was about 15 years ago. Still making his way in the world without any real direction. He likes the same things I used to, and gives much too much effort to very minor thing, while letting the major things slide.
Well, as I said, they were trying to work it out. That ended today. I'm not going to go into the details of why, but it came to a head and she told him that's it. He blew up and made a big seen, throwing a towel and his wedding ring at her, then stormed out of the house. Fortunately, I wasn't there, but I did get Deena's call wanting to get together and talk. That talk lasted hours and I think she's in much better shape to deal with what's to come.
I don't think Vito is the kind of guy to get violent, but I'm on guard now. Men trying to deal with heavy emotions can do things they normally wouldn't. When I was going through my own divorce, I almost lost my temper once. Fortunately, I recognized my condition, shut my mouth and walked out the door. After walking around the blocks a few times, I was able to come back and talk rationally. I just hope Vito sees when he needs to go for a walk too.
Also, he knows where I live and I have no illusions about my place in this breakup. Even though she's a great friend and I'd support her no matter what she decided, everyone knows I'd like Deena with me. My only hope is that Vito realizes that, for her happiness, I would have no problem with her staying married to him. I've pushed my feelings for her down hard, and even turned my eye to other women, but if she isn't happy, I'm going to support their breaking up.
And I'm not going to be the guy that swoops in to get the girl the moment the breakup is done. Personally, I'm a ferm believer in taking time to get your head straight before rushing into a new relationship. I've been down that road and it was nothing but pain.
Of course, all this could go out the window. Nothing is set in stone.
Anyway, it was a busy day and torturous evening. I need some sleep, so I'll let it off there. Let me know just how messed up I am. Do you think I'm doing the right thing, or not? I'll probably burn in heck for this. Good thing I don't believe it Hell.
Wolf
