Sunday, August 21, 2005 : Hello Mom? This evening is one of those times I would have picked up the phone and called Mom. But she's gone now, and I don't have anyone to talk to like I talked to Mom.....
"Hi Mom. How's it going? Liking your new pain-free body? Great. My body is aching a bit this afternoon. I worked out today for the first time in about a week, and then I got one of those "Rug Doctors" from Sav-On and shampooed my carpets. You know I put my condo up for sale right? Yes I know I'm crazy, but I'm doing it anyway. I'm selling and with the money I make from the sale, and from the sale of your estate Mom, I'm going to move to Barcelona and start a new life there. Thanks by the way. I hope you did not die early just to help me out. I know you saw how stressed and unhappy I was with work and all. But I have a feeling your in a much better place now, right?
Anyway, I don't know what do to about Kitty?! He's 17 years old and I don't know if he can take the long trip to Spain. Do you think Julie will take him? I'll ask her.
Anyway, I just wanted to call and see how you were and to let you know I'm getting my condo ready for sale, and things are going well. I only have two more weeks of work and I'm off!!!! I plan to have a little fun here in West Hollywood with my time off, as well as get my own "estate" ready to sell.
Wish you were here, but I know you're having a much better time wherever you are....
Friday, August 19, 2005 : Change at Locomotive Speed
I ended up in Ajijic Mexico on Lake Chapala for about a week. Although the flies had a feast on my ankles, I actually had a really great time. Not because I was thrilled with the town, but because of the wonderful people I met while staying at the bed and breakfast I was fortunate enough to stay at. As I commented to a few of the guests I got to know, the place was like a spiritual vortex which drew us all together. It was no simple coincidence that we were all together in that place at the same time.
Since getting home about a week ago, I have put my condo on the market, and gave notice at work. I am retiring and selling all my possessions and enrolling in Spanish language school in Barcelona, Spain. I will become fluent in the language, find a place to live, and enjoy life! I will strive to keep my life unconflicted (is that an oxymoron?) as this article so wonderfully points out. I will travel Europe, take art classes, photography, write, and maybe even teach English if I get bored or think I need to earn some money. If I return to the States it will be to my favorite US city, San Francisco.
I am truly blessed. Truly.
I will eventually start a new blog which I will reference from here, which focuses on my travels. Perhaps something like a "Retired Gay Expatriate Travel and Photography Blog" or some crazy thing like that.
I've done my homework and research and now I need only to execute the plan. My years as a project manager are paying off now in my personal life as I plan my next reality.
My biggest challenge over the next month or two will be to untangle the bureaucratic quagmire of the Spanish Consulate as I attempt to get my student and resident visas taken care of.
Stay posted for a most incredible and exciting ride!
I only arrived yesterday in what was to be my future lakeside paradise and today I am bored and ready to move on.
But before I say anything more about this town that so many expatriots adore and love, I want to pause and say "thank you" to the several of you who have written me recently to send me encouragement about my job and family situation of late. I must admit I have not logged into my email in a while and so I did not see the messages until today. But THANK YOU so much, your kind words touched me, especially today as I sit here alone and lonely and bored in this Mexican village.
Sure, the Lake Chappalla area is a great place to retire, especially if you don't have a lot of money and need to live on a tight budget. But beware this town is not a tourist town and there is little to do here other than nestle into your new home and watch TV or surf the internet! Especially you gay boys, there are no gay bars or gay life to speak of. Puerta Vallarta this is not! Nor Malibu, nor Lake Tahoe, nor the U.S. with all it comforts.
And now, I am going to cut this short. You know why? Cuz the damn computer I am on in this internet cafe is not working well, and the flies are biting my god damned legs!!!!! I'm outta here! Stayed tuned until I can find a more comfortable and critter free environment from which to give you an update.
In my last post I said that I had lost my job. My employer decided I was "too valuable" to lose so they created another position for me at the same rate of pay. Most would think this is a good thing, and it is. It is one more example of how the Universe seems to take such good care of me, and how I am blessed greatly.
But all the stress of thinking I was out of a job, and my survival instinct, caused me to do a lot of thinking about what I wanted to do with my life. And so I have a grand plan, which I'll share with you momentarily.
First, sadly my mom passed away a few weeks ago. She had been in the hospital for some internal bleeding, which scared the Hell out of me, as I was the only child around to be with her in the hospital and to sit by her side in intensive care while the doctors tried to figure out what was going on. And so my sisters all came from out of town to be here during this awful time, and then suddenly she got better! My sister was still here and staying at mom's house when it happened. My mom had a massive stroke and was found in her bed unable to talk and paralyzed on one side of her body. She was rushed to the hospital yet again, only this time not to recover. She passed away four days later. Sadly she did not recognize me or anyone.
I could go a lot more into Mom. And I probably will do a lot of posts on her over the years. But for now it is all too new and raw for me to talk about, and so I will move onto my grand plan.
Escape is a better word for it. I plan to escape from the prison of what has been my work for the past million years, and start a new life. A new chapter, a different course. Whatever you want to call it, I'm leaving the country and becoming an "expatriate" and retiring somewhere I can afford to do so. I have money saved in my retirement accounts (which I can't touch until I'm 60 without a penalty) and thanks to dear ole' Mom, I have a bit of an inheritance and plan to live on the investment income of that. It's not much mind you, but I think I can do it with careful budgeting and investing. Then when I turn 60, then 65 I'll have my retirement and Social Security (if it's still around by then).
At first I was thinking of going to Mexico, where I've been visiting for the past gizillion years for vacations (most notably Puerto Vallarta) and the cost of living is very low and the exchange rate good for Americans. In fact, I'm leaving for Ajijic Mexico on Lake Chappalla tomorrow for a week to check things out. But I've already felt a tug toward someplace else "across the ocean."
Barcelona Spain calls me. I've never been there, and I won't go into the mystic way I think it's calling me, just suffice it to say my next scouting trip will be there probably in October and if all goes as planned I'll be quitting my job and leaving by the end of the year. I'll sell my estate and condo in Weho, and take off. I'll start in a Spanish language school which provides housing as part of the tuition, and learn the language while scoping out the town, looking for a place to live, and getting my visa's in order.
Knowing me I will work. But I'm planning things so I don't have to. That way I work on my terms, when I want, and I don't have to worry about the salary. I'm going to take classes, art, guitar lessons (I can play and sing already, but I'm rusty and want to get it going again). In other words I will explore my creative side and "discover myself." For work I may do some photography, writing or teaching English as a Foreign Language. Or I'll get a rich Spanish boyfriend who will take care of me (yeah, that'll happen).
I got a new digital camera which takes great pictures and I'll try to take pics and post them on my page(s).
I say pages plural, because since I am moving into a new chapter of my life, I don't really relate to the "I'm gay so what" any more. I will probably start a new blog as an American expatriate living abroad, but will leave a link on this page to get to any new blog I post.
Formerly "A Day in the life of a Gay Guy", I've changed the name to reflect more of how I'm thinking. Being Gay is not the focal point of my life. I'm a guy with interests like everyone else, I just happen to be Gay.
