Good things occurring on schedule. I will comply with whatever this schedule reveals.

I want to do a current status report.
The most important item is that I called someone (L-Joliet) who lives in Joliet that I had met in September 2010. I didn't start it off right with her back then. I did my regular thing of sex or close to it as soon as possible. Then I blew her off and went into a different direction.
I subsequently suffered a very painful rejection and ending of a month-long relationship, and also failed in a week-long rebound from this rebound.
By the time I had called L-Joliet fifteen days ago, I was nearly at the point of learning my lesson, that I would never attempt to establish a physical connection without a thorough building of friendship first. I didn't call L-Joliet back until yesterday morning--not for reasons of newfound autonomy, but because I had again taken the easy way out and pursued someone with which I thought I might have a quick reward relationship. That was my week-long rebound from the rebound to which I referred above. It also ended painfully. The lesson had finally been learned.
L-Joliet texted me that she had gotten my message, she was at the gym, and could she call me when she was done? She texted me and invited me to meet her for lunch. When she arrived, I complimented her on her prettiness, but did not reach out for any physical contact whatsoever. We sat and enjoyed lunch, and talked nonstop. She accepted my invitation to go for a walk afterwards to walk off the calories. We went into her house where she looked for a hat. Then we went for a leisurely, long walk and sat on a bench. We continued to talk, and I never reached out for any physical contact. She invited me in for tea afterwards, and we sat leisurely drinking our tea. Through it all, I discovered that she is way smarter than she makes obvious, with appreciation for finance, computer code, free enterprise, an ability to conduct as an amateur her own legal case in court and win, physical fitness, a love for the poor of all races and ethnicities, an appreciation for my talents and a dedication to her role as mother to her three daughters. After five hours together we agreed with her need to do some other things, and I went home. She is focused on a court case which reconvenes this Wednesday, so I promised to attempt contact next Thursday, and I will not make any contact until then.
This outing gave me much renewed hope that I might find success in developing a healthy, functional relationship; it also helped me understand way better how to do that, and avoid sabotaging it. I also learned from it that all of this alone time that I am spending is indeed helping me grow.
I have been possibly, somewhat disappointed in my therapist. If I don't have time to make a business phone call during business hours this week (a highly likely situation) then my appointment with him this Friday will be the last one of the year, and I will ask him what the length of one session is and set my iPhone alarm clock to make sure that we do not exceed the time limit, so that my six free sessions will have been completed, and I will cancel at that time my last remaining appointment, because we burned through multiple sessions on two occasions when he extended the length of my appointments.
I attended the Universalist-Unitarian Church of Joliet this morning and thoroughly enjoyed myself. I hadn't been there in over eight years ( funny what a coincidence that this coincides with the beginning of my relationship with Elaine ). I am back there, and need to stay there, even if/when a new relationship develops, instead of morphing my identity so that I think I am safer from losing the new relationship. That is another of my longstanding dysfunctional tricks.
I don't know when my next relationship will work. I will continue to be with me, and try to learn everything I can about me until then.