The ride home

Well after my Saturday shift, I didn't go for the fried chicken. Though I did walk by it. I went to Coalfire, which was voted the best pizza in Chicago. To me, the best pizzas are cooked in a coal oven. And I certainly enjoyed the smoke flavor and crunch of the crust. I like a little chew on it and unfortunately there wasn't much to chew. And though I liked their sauce, I wanted more of it. The quality of the Berkshire sausage and the spice of the calabrian chiles defined the flavor of this pizza. While the pizza tasted really good and was well made, I can't say I'd get it again. I think I still prefer Piece.

I think about my schedule at work. I devote about 60 hours every week to my job and to the commute, and that's on the days when I don't work 6 days a week. But I think of all the things that I would like to do. I want to join a small group again. I would like to join the gym again and start running races. Shoot, I would even like to date, although that one may be the most farfetched idea. But it frustrates me that I have to miss out on Yelp events and can't watch a lot of games live. Don't get me wrong, I love being able to work and I'm thankful to be making a living again. But it's tough when you have to make sacrifices and especially when sacrifice is not your choice.

Online dating. A complete bust. E-harmony failed me six years ago. Match failed me even worse this time. A three month trial for $33 turned into a year for $220. All because their website confused me and I thought I had to put in a credit card as a placeholder. It looks like I'll get the charge reversed, but I will never use match again. No chance.

There are a few kinds of young women and almost all of them I meet fall into one of these categories: a catch who's taken, the free ones who have no interest in anyone, a free one who has one guy in her crosshairs and is waiting for him to make his move, while she ignores every other guy, and free ones who won't get much attention, and is shocked when she gets any from some hapless dude. The process is so frustrating and I wish I could not think about it and focus on something else. Hell, my 70 year old former therapist just got remarried. I'm less than half her age and all I've dated for more than a month are women who I settled for. I promised myself I won't settle again. Now I don't even have prospects who I'd put in the "settle" category. Maybe I should just be single and learn to be totally content with it. But if that was true, then I shouldn't have a desire to be in love, right?

I feel like I'm going right against the Valentine's Day post I wrote a few weeks ago. But that's the thing about love. It lures you, enthralls you, excites you, scares you, devastates you.