The library, a history museum, restaurants and antiques shopping.

 Since I last talked about getting out of the house and doing things, either by myself or with others, I have actually made some progress on that point.  And I've tried some new recipes at home as well, which is always fun. I finally made it to the Greensboro Public Library and got my library card.  I can check that one off of my list, now.  And I actually checked out several books.  I have not finished them yet but I will.  I think I was too excited to be there and just should have checked out one book but oh well.  Since they don't charge late fees, I'm not that worried about it LOL  I also went to the Greensboro History Museum that day as well.  That was absolutely fascinating and I cannot wait to go back.  For a museum like that to be free is pretty awesome.  If you have never been, I highly recommend it.  And since LeBauer Park is right down there as well, I spent an hour exploring that.  Some really beautiful gardens there and it's a nice place to walk around.

I have frequented several locally owned restaurants over the past month as well.  I met my friend Shelby out for lunch one day at Fishbones, one of my favorites. Luckily, it's right around the corner from the house.  We hadn't had lunch together since the fall, so it was very good to catch up.  I went to Saffron, an Indian restaurant, and had the lunch buffet one day when I was off.  I actually ran into a friend and former classmate in the next booth!  I have also been treating myself to breakfast out several times a month.  If you're in Greensboro and looking for a good, well-priced breakfast, I suggest Breakfast, Brunk and Dinner and Miam's.  Both were fantastic.

I treated myself to a showing of Hadestown at the movie theater.  I knew nothing of the show except what I'd seen on the Tony Awards years ago.  It totally blew me away.  And it was fun to go to a movie theater.  I had not been in one since the pandemic. And my life would not be complete without visiting antiques shops.  I made several visits to Antiques Market Place here in town.  I left empty handed each time but that is alright.  I have to really love something to bring it home with me now.  And I went to Freedom House Thrift.  They often have some great collectibles but this time I left there with some new clothes and stationery.  I'd call that a win.

That's what I've been up to really.  I can't wait to see what the next few weeks holds in store for me!

You're a nice guy but...dating

 I never really dated in high school.  I did go out a few times with different girls and had a very nice time but obviously it never went anywhere.  I did not date because I knew, but had not dealt with, that I was gay.  I just did not want to put myself through the emotional roller coaster of more pretending to be something that I was not or to lead anyone on.  I'm afraid I did lead some people on but that was not my intention, and I am very sorry that it happened.

After I finally came out in college, I wanted to try dating.  Alas, I found myself in the straightest theatre department in the state and other gay men were few and far between.  LOL And I did not have much of an outlet at the time to meet others like me. I am pretty sure there were groups on campus but back in the days before the internet (remember those?), learning about these groups could be quite difficult.  So, in my college years I did not date much either.

Actually, now that I think about it, I am just not good at dating period. I don't want to say that I blame my parents for that, but I blame my parents for that LOL. My parents had a very loving relationship that had its ups and downs like all relationships do.  But they set the standard for me.  You fell in love with someone and you worked hard at making that relationship work.  They were in it for the long haul and that's what I was looking for.  And, because of that, dating never worked out for me.  I would either scare someone because I was too much too fast or I would become obsessed with someone and make it my sole purpose to prove that I was good enough to build a relationship with.  Sorry about that, DH.  I know now that those feelings I had were more to do with not liking myself than with liking someone else.  

Because of the inner turmoil I was experiencing, I never just went out on dates for the fun of it.  And, for me, dating and hooking up are two very different things!  I have dated several times since I've been single, and it is really difficult for me not to get too far ahead of myself.  Because of that, three dates is my magic number.  After three dates I either get completely ghosted or I get the "You're a nice guy but..." speech which I mentioned in an earlier post.  

I believe that I have missed out on an important part of life by not simply dating.  And, sadly, it does not interest me anymore.  At least not where I am right now.  The ideals of planning fun evenings out and having that kind of social existence have gone by the wayside.  I mourned that loss for a long time, especially when I thought I had it all and discovered I had nothing.  If you're out in the dating scene, I wish you well and hope all the best for you.  The best for me is where I am right now and I am amazingly optimistic about my future.  I just wanted to express how I felt about my dating life....or lack thereof LOL

The budget's going well

 

For the past six weeks, I have been giving myself a biweekly budget.  Several days before I get paid, I gather up all of the financial obligations that I will have come out of that paycheck:  bills, groceries, gas, etc. and I create my budget around that. It helps me not only to see where my money will be going but also is helpful to look back at previous budgets and see where I am spending my money.  Overall, it's been working pretty well.

Each budget period, I have managed to stay within my budget.  I do take into account surprise expenses that either I have forgotten about or that just come up unexpectedly.  Only then can I take money out of my savings as I am trying to accrue my savings into something not quite so sad.  When that has happened and it's only been once so far, the next budget will include a "savings" line item and I will return that money to where I borrowed it from.  It works for me.

My biggest issue is dividing up my money within the budget.  Having a few budgets under my belt will help me with that.  Some weeks I give myself $150 for gas and I only spend $50.  Or I will give myself $75 for entertainment and I spend $120.  Overspending in one of my line items does not really bother me as long as I am staying under the grand total and so far that has been the case. For my next budget, which I will work on this coming week, I will look back at the previous ones and get a better sense of how to disburse my money this time. I think that will work.  

Either way, it's going well so far and I am proud of myself for finally sticking to some kind of financial goal!  I'm not saving for retirement because, let's face it, I will never be in a position to retire but it's nice to really focus in building something for when I need it. 

Recipe of the Week - Thai Shrimp Pasta

 I am always looking for new ways to make shrimp as it's one of my favorite foods.  I found this recipe in one of my Taste of Home cookbooks and decided to give it a try.  Mainly, I had all of the ingredients except for cilantro on hand at the time, so it was very budget friendly for me.  I had not cooked a Thai style dish before this and so that was another challenge for me.  I know it's not authentically Thai, but it was easy and I enjoyed it.  Definitely will make this one again.

Thai Shrimp Pasta

8 ounces thin flat rice noodles.  

1 Tbsp curry powder

1 lb uncooked shrimp

1 can light coconut milk

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

1/2 cup minced fresh cilantro

Soak noodles according to package directions.  In a large skillet, toast curry powder until it's fragrant, 1-2 minutes.  Stir in shrimp, coconut milk, salt and pepper.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer 5-6 minutes or until the shrimp turn pink.  Drain noodles.  Add noodles and cilantro to the pan and heat through. Serve immediately.

Enjoy!

Other breakfast options

 So far so good with eating breakfast every day.  And it's not always a huge, cooked breakfast.  Many days it is yogurt or toast with coffee.  I have cooked some good eggs, though.  I do love eggs!  But what I am trying to do is eat enough so that, during the week, I am full until lunchtime and don't snack during the morning.  It does not always work but it is getting better.  Speaking of, I need to incorporate healthier snacks to have on hand in case the urge strikes me!

I am trying to vary what I eat for breakfast each day so that I do not burn out on any one item.  The reminds me, I need to pull the mini bagels out of the freezer LOL I have several boxes of cereal that I got on sale awhile back that I need to start using....and not just for casserole toppings haha! I still do not like milk though, so it is always dry cereal.  And I am also trying to make myself eat more oatmeal.  I don't love it but I don't hate it.  I think I just prefer it in cookie form.  Still, I have it and so I need to eat it. 

I have enjoyed taking myself out to breakfast too.  But my rule of thumb there is that I have to be hungry to justify the expense.  Not that it's terribly expensive to eat breakfast out.  Money is money though and if I am going to spend it, I really want there to be a hunger.....literally.  

What are some things you like for breakfast?  I want to have more fresh fruit at breakfast.  A few weeks ago, I had the best cantaloupe that I have had in years.  I need to buy from farms for things like that I believe instead of just picking it up in the grocery store. I also would like to try my hand at cooking eggs different ways.  I do love my scrambled eggs, and they can be fixed up so many different ways.  BTW, toppings for scrambled eggs were not really something I grew up with but am loving it as an adult. Still, I would like to learn how to cook them other ways.  I do fry them, but that's still easy haha!

But, so far so good for this month's challenge! 

Going to the beach....hopefully

I am looking at planning a trip to the beach this fall.  Just a few days, mind you.  And by myself.  I have been looking at places to stay and trying to find something that is economical.  It's out there, I just have not found it yet. I have not been to the beach in about 4 years.  Going to the beach was such a part of my life when I was young.  Even though I do not swim, I do enjoy being near the water.  There is something so relaxing about hearing the waves crash on the shore.  I just love it.

When I was young, like pre-kindergarten, we would spend a week each summer at Kure Beach.  Someone from Monroe had a house there that we rented.  It was a great old house.  And it was old.  I remember that there were no closets, but each room had a wardrobe in it.  There weren't light fixtures but a bulb hanging from the ceiling.  Front and back screened in porches with swings.  I spent a lot of time on those swings.  There were two bedrooms downstairs and several bedrooms and the living areas upstairs.  I caught my first fish at Kure beach.  Mom and Dad loved to surf fish.  I actually caught two flounders at once with my plastic fishing pole made for kids.  That was pretty awesome.

That house eventually got sold and we tried other beaches.  Topsail, Ocean Isle, Holden Beach, the Outer Banks.  Each summer we would go.  I remember Mom planning meals weeks before and doing lots of grocery shopping for the trip.  We might have gone out one night for dinner, but Mom and Grandmother did most of the cooking.  That was also, especially in our younger days, one of the few times Bill and I got to have sodas daily.  They were the old Check Sodas that Mom would buy at Food Lion. But we went every year for so many years.  

I've been a few times as an adult and it has been fun.  I made several trips with Michael's family and made trips with friends.  It's just a place that I love to go to.  So, I hope to make it this year, even if it is by myself.  We shall see!

Playing cards

 Playing card games was a huge part of my upbringing.  Solitaire, hearts, spades, gin, war.  There were card games going on almost weekly in our home. For years, my parents belonged to a couples' bridge club and Mom belonged to a women's bridge club.  Grandmother belonged to one as well.  I never learned to play bridge but it's on my radar! Still, there were always card games going on it seems.

And because of that, we had many decks of cards.  I used to love to just look at them and the fun designs on the backs of the cards. I was always very careful in selecting which deck I was going to play with.  And then there were the decks that were worn and soft in the middle of the cards.  Still playable though. The sets were often in pairs, always complementary of each other. 

And I loved the vintage packaging they came in.  Some were in the faux velvet boxes where the drawer pulled out to reveal dual decks of cards.  Some had the plastic containers with the clear tops so that you could see the card designs.  They were fun and colorful! 

Somehow, I don't have too many of the old sets of cards we used.  I do have some but not many.  I guess I did not think about it at the time when households were broken up that these cards would be of sentimental value to me.  But I cherish the ones that I do have.  And if I see some fun cards out while shopping, I'm always tempted.  I haven't bought any but I'm always tempted LOL

Do you have any old decks of cards?  And if so, do you use them?  Or are you up for a game of gin?  Let me know!