Just to be perfectly clear, “ A mnemonic is a tool that helps us remember certain facts or large amounts of information. They can come in the form of a song, rhyme, acronym, image, phrase, or sentence. Mnemonics help us remember facts and are particularly useful when the order of things is important.”
Well, my date selection strategy over the years has not been at all effective. I seem to have the worst taste in men – imaginable. My whole life basically. So friend Colette had a brilliant idea, based on something one of her friends, June, did. June decided what she wanted in a man and set out to find the person that met those qualifications. If it worked for June, Colette reasoned, it should work for me. So we put our heads together and came up a mnemonic – all the qualities that I should search for in a man. It is CHASED, and here is what it stands for and the qualities sought.
C Charisma
H Humour
A Available
S Sexy/Smart
E Empathetic
D Dependable
So off I went looking for someone who met these qualifications. Perhaps the one we should define is Charisma . It is compelling attractiveness or charm that can inspire devotion in others. It has the best of synonyms: charm, presence, aura, personality, force of personality, strength of character, individuality; magnetism, animal magnetism, drawing power, attractiveness, appeal, allure, pull; magic, spell, mystique, glamour. It is definitely a WOW word and a WOW factor.
Now at this moment I am writing and laughing hilariously, BECAUSE, you know who has all of those qualities? Well, the Sultan of course. No person could ever deny that he is not all of those. His availability is a bit unusual as he is married but he can have more than one wife, and actually is encouraged to have more than one wife. It is a rather unusual cultural practice but he definitely can afford it. His father has six wives and seems to be handling that pretty well, there has been a recent snag but until June 2019 the father was doing quite well with the whole process.
But when I think, and when I look at the entire issue it becomes very interesting because you know who else has those qualities? Well me, actually. I am constantly told (twice today actually) that I am charismatic. That is a nice thought – hey who does not want drawing power, appeal, allure, presence force of personality? No one could deny that I am humorous. Since I have gotten rid of three husbands I am available. I am smart, that is for sure and certainly, by some considered sexy. (Well 103 but who is counting?), Hahaha). I am dependable in most instances and I am empathetic – too empathetic for my own good, according to scientific data.
I am laughing so hard as I sit in bed in the rain in the afternoon. I was up and about most early again, went to water aerobics at the Presidio YMCA after coffee and egg bites at Starbucks and then to meet with my financial advisor. Of course Personal Driver (whose new nickname is Dubai Guy) drove me around, including a trip to Marin. We shall discuss just why he is Dubai Guy in a subsequent blog. But at this point in time I am tired, exhausted actually. I feel in my typical manner I over did it. I am always doing that, over doing things, throwing in a bit too much enthusiasm. At Presidio Sports Medicine one staff member commented:
She: Alexis you have more enthusiasm than anyone. Anyone I have ever seen.
Me: Thanks, I guess.
So everybody wants the Sultan, he is the most popular guy in the whole world, there is no doubt about that. But I am no slouch either – somebody is almost always pursuing me . It ain’t pretty! And getting rid of them is a bit difficult and then all of a sudden, they come back again.
Like that guy yesterday – it did not last long with him but there he was, ripe for the taking and saying he wanted to come to San Francisco to see me. Well, he is not. He is in his forties from what I can remember. Now, he definitely was not a Sultan – I suppose he was A (Available) and H (Humourous), but he did not have the requisite other charms. And then, let us admit it, he did not have as much money as the Sultan but then – who does? Nobody I know of and I know some rich guys.
But also today a conversation with a man who knows me quite well, not real well but quite well. He said that for me life is an amusement park – that I would make the strangest and most wonderful Alice in Wonderland and gave rather an amusing story of how I would not be bothered by a haunted house but instead look to see how everything worked. I fell off my chair laughing, because, of course, he was right. He said that I was endowed with ‘natural charisma’ and that I was brutally honest with myself, but not necessarily with others. That I was non judgmental and that it gives people comfort to share things with me. He said the reason why rich and powerful men were attracted to me was because of my daring, because I do not censor myself with them and they often lack interaction with others because of their power and their riches. There is a certain truth in this, I know it to be true. One must remember that multibillionaire Joo Kim Tiah reached out to me (through his personal assistant) asking me to email him. That was within a week of when I first met him in the lobby of the Trump Hotel. The Sultan and I had a jolly chat, also in a hotel,, the one we were both staying in London. Then when at the Sheraton Heathrow on the way back to San Francisco I met a super rich guy who owned lots of land around Cambridge and also had a great deal of money and was most charitable.
This has been a most difficult year for me. In constant pain because of the total lack of cartilage in my right knee, according to Dr. Elizabeth Dailey who fixed it. The move from Vancouver was welcome, but most traumatic because of a woman in Flight Centre who mishandled all of the plans. The agony of finding a place to live and an incompetent physician who preceded Dr. Dailey. Some heart break with three men who were not quite who they said they were. Of course, the attempt on my life on August 18,2019 was not a high point. But at the moment everything is coming up roses. I am no longer in pain, I can easily get about, the location and the building where my apartment is located is ideal. Across the street is a wonderful Italian Restaurant which seems like my living room where they deal out hugs and laughter and “I love you mores”.
Some grouchy rude customers but they just make me look better.
But now I am getting my energy and fight back – it is time to look at things and figure out what is going on. And I really have no idea at all. Or where anything will lead or where my writing is going. But I have only been recovered for about two weeks. I am giving myself a break and moving one step at a time.
I had the strangest experience today and called Personal Driver to talk about it.
Me: You let me out of your sight for about ten minutes and I get in such trouble.
He: What did you do?
Me: Well on Instagram there was this offer on property in Dubai. So I went to the website and signed up. Honestly I did. Gave them my email address and they are promising to give me a free flight to Dubai – but unfortunately on December 1 and that is a bit early for me to get my shit together.
He: I cannot believe you.
Me: I cannot believe me either. But at least that country has an infrastructure.
He: You are crazy!
Me: You are right! But you have been to Dubai and you love it! It is probably better than Malaysia, where you have not been.
He: You may have a point there.
I can do the strangest of things and then just laugh at myself. Well obviously there is no way I can go to Dubai in a few days but maybe something could be worked out. One must maintain their flexibility. I do realize that this sounds a bit mad but Personal Driver grounds me.
The photograph is taken from Mercury Coffee, where they have the very best buiscuts, scones and coffee. Across the street is a mural, a very powerful one actually. I absolutely love this Hayes Valley neighbourhood
