We don't really smirk like this.
MARRIED COUPLE, EARLY FIFTIES.
SEEKS OTHER COUPLES FOR
CONVERSATION, COMPANIONSHIP,
AND FUN.
No, really. We’re not into anything weird. We’re just tired of talking about the weather and the price of gas. And we’re hoping there are others out there who might be feeling the same way. Here’s a little about us.
We enjoy traveling, partly because it reminds us that we’re not the center of the universe, and partly because it allows us to see that other people have bad weather and expensive gas, too. We like collecting things, I think because it creates the illusion that we have some control over something, and that we can turn a little part of the chaos into order. We also like gardening, even though it completely contradicts the previous sentence.
We’re not wealthy, or brilliant. We certainly don’t know everything, and don’t enjoy being with people who think they do. In fact, the older we get, the more we realize how much we don’t know. Wondering about things we don’t understand seems more interesting anyway.
We’re not big drinkers, although we made some red wine last year that came out surprisingly good. We don’t smoke, don’t go to church, and don’t belong to any clubs. That’s probably why we needed to go looking for friends in the first place.
We’re Americans, and have been living in Canada for the past twelve years. In some ways it’s been the best of both worlds. In other ways, it hasn’t. The truth is, there’s a line separating the two countries. It isn’t an imaginary line. It’s real. What is imaginary is the idea that people on one side of the line are inherently different from those on the other. They’re not.
We’d like to meet a few individuals or couples (or families) who don’t care where we were born, or at least wouldn’t base a relationship on it. Who’d like to get to know us as much as we want to know them. Who enjoy listening as much as talking, and learning as much as teaching. Just a few people who aren’t out to impress us. We’re not easily impressed. Nor are we that impressive ourselves.
In short, we’re looking for friendship. Not the fake kind you see on television. We’re all too busy for that. (And besides, the thought of spending every waking moment with our friends doesn’t seem all that appealing.) But a real-life connection, an authentic and comfortable relationship, now that seems appealing. It also seems to be getting harder to find.
Maybe it will find us.
This is more like us. Except, I don't wear yellow shirts.
Mostly Bright Ideas 
Carolee
June 8, 2010
Interesting post.
I don’t have a whole lot of close friends- probably because I’ve had some in the past that didn’t know when to go home!
I think I’m more of a loner….
Thanks for visiting my blog!
LikeLike
bronxboy55
June 8, 2010
Thanks, Carolee. I’ll visit again, and hope you will, too.
LikeLike
Marie M
June 11, 2010
I liked this post. Keep your eyes and opportunities open, and good luck!
LikeLike
bronxboy55
June 11, 2010
Thanks. I originally intended to get this published in our local newspaper. Then I realized it would most likely cause no reaction at all, which would have made me feel worse. And see? I’ve already gotten a response!
LikeLike
Amiable Amiable
June 13, 2010
My husband and I often say, “We don’t like people.” So, guess what? We have just a few close friends. I should say “genuine,” instead of close. There’s something to be said for this, however. It will be that much easier for us to pull up our stakes and move to Sicily! Nice post.
LikeLike
bronxboy55
June 13, 2010
We don’t even have stakes. Maybe we’ll move with you!
LikeLike
Mitch
June 17, 2010
You don’t wear yellow shirts? I have at least one! lol Interesting post and request. You know, I don’t think about it all that often, but my wife and I have lots of acquaintances. She has tons of friends; I have lots of acquaintances. I meet people much easier online than I do offline, probably because I’d have to leave the house more to do it in person, and I don’t leave the house unless I have a real reason to.
Americans in Canada; how did you get past the visa thing for so long? Hey, you could always come back; Americans love taking back ex-pats. 🙂
LikeLike
Charles Gulotta
June 18, 2010
We didn’t get past the visa thing. We spent a year jumping through a bewildering series of hoops to get our “landing papers.” (Sounds like we were being shot into space and headed for another planet, doesn’t it? And sometimes it’s felt that way.) We’re still US citizens, but we’re also permanent residents of Canada. We’ve toyed with the idea of moving back, but the problem is that we’ve adjusted to the economy here. In order to afford the cost of living almost anywhere in the US, we’d have to dramatically increase our income — and we’d have to do it before we made the move. (Mitch, I’d do it tomorrow. Any suggestions?)
LikeLike
Mitch
June 19, 2010
I’d have to have a better idea of the type of income you’re living on, but here’s the deal. If I remember correctly you were used to downstate economy figures, right? A condo in NYC that might cost $1 million in NYC will only cost $250,000 in Syracuse. A $950,000 home in Jersey City will cost around $125,000 here. Up north from here, about an hour, you could get the same home for even less. See, it all depends on the type of living you’d like. There are areas of West Virginia where you can get more for less as well, but you have to really go deep into areas without a lot of people.
LikeLike
Charles Gulotta
June 19, 2010
That’s one area we’ve never checked out. I’ll take a look online this weekend.
LikeLike
John Sullivan
June 22, 2010
Charles your a class act and I was delighted to get your emailmeform email 🙂 Then to see Mitch on here 🙂
A little bit about me I was born in 65 not 55 LOL 🙂 so I will be luckily 45 this August I was born in Jacobi and lived on 198th and Valentine as a kid
Coincidentally My Mother’s house if for sale in Rockland County CHEAP 🙂
I like Key West and have ties with Rochester and don’t like San Antonio much but have a 13 yo son here named Daniel and I have serving a 14 yr bid with my wife Norma LOL 🙂 The classic loveless marriage I was actually hoping you were in NYC 🙂
I look forward to getting to know more about you Thanks
Sound like my kind of people
LikeLike
bronxboy55
June 22, 2010
I was born at Westchester Square Hospital. We moved from the Bronx when my grandmother died in 1966. My parents bought a house in Nanuet! Why did you mention Rockland County, by the way? I commuted to Fordham University (Bronx Zoo, Botanical Gardens, Arthur Avenue!), eventually lived in Connecticut, then in 1998 my wife and I moved to Prince Edward Island, Canada. (I skipped over many long stories there, as I’m sure you did, too.) My wife has a daughter (26), I have a daughter (25), and we have a son together who’s almost 16. We haven’t been to NY in a few years, and we’re thinking about driving down this summer. Do you ever get back? Where’s your mother’s house?
Hope we can keep in touch.
LikeLike
absurdoldbird
June 29, 2010
Well, I live in the UK, so I’m way too far away to be a real life friend! But I’ve gotta tell you that over the years, long before I ever had a computer let alone internet, I met some really nice people via ads in various magazines, just ads looking for friendship. And it worked!
LikeLike