Johnnyboy is a queer recovering alcoholic. For the moment he is also the primary caregiver for his mother, who suffers from age-related cognitive impairment. She is happy as a lark and is surrounded by a crew of sober women which gives him the freedom he needs to get out of town. When he is not at home in Somewheresville, he is searching out the proper path to travel for happiness and joy. He is a photographer who believes in the digital age, but feels that film is still where its at. He has a darkroom and works in it. He is single and is in remarkably great physical condition for all the damage he has submitted his body to. His cardiologist is very happy. Johnnyboy is over the age of 35.
The break is upon us and I have been using the time to work on my own schedule, look at possible rentals and, of course, stay a little bit more sober than yesterday. All three have been going well and it is good to say that. So far I have been working a lot in the darkroom and the digital lab but the apartment search has been most interesting. For the most part it is much like anywhere with the same questions regarding power, water and so forth. The difference is…well, no differences really except that it is not in Greece, I am sober and I doubt I’ll skip out on the rent in the middle of the night. It has been 10 years since the last time I paid rent. That amount varies from 200E to 550E a month and no one includes water or power and there are few if any wifi hook-ups. We shall see. Siga-siga, as they say in Greece–slowly, slowly.
The person with whom I had a huge blow-up last year is back this weekend for a short visit. I have made a full amends to her and the two times I have seen her I have been cordial and polite if a little aloof. I have forgiven her for what she said to me but that does not erase those words or how they ended our friendship. I do not want her to be sad or hurt, but I am afraid she came here with expectations of being friends again. That may be my own imaginings. It would be ego-centric to believe any of this. Still, my amends give me the ability to stay on the same side of the street with her and not have to avoid any kind of further meetings. Tomorrow evening I’ll head to the regular Tuesday night AA meeting in Marpissa and talk about that if I need to.
All of this is not as important as I would like to make it out to be. In the long run, these are small blips on the radar. They point towards experiences from which I have garnered wisdom, like rocks in familiar seas I have learned to sail around.
I am also heading to Athens on Wednesday to pick up a camera I left for repair and see some friends. I hope to hit at least one meeting while I am there, maybe two.