It's official

[Bob78164]

My lawyer has informed me that final judgment in my divorce was entered a week ago Monday. Ms. 63 and I were able to keep things largely amicable, despite her lawyer's best efforts to create disputes (and consequent legal fees). It probably helped a lot that we were friends for 10 years before we were a couple.

We sold the house just after Thanksgiving. She has moved to Seattle, where she now has purchased a house. I moved out of the house and into an apartment in September.

By the way, this is another way in which the 2017 tax bill directly affected me. One of the provisions that didn't get much publicity was that alimony paid in divorces made final after December 31, 2018, is no longer an exclusion from income. (It's also no longer taxable income to the recipient.) Since the recipient will almost invariably be in a lower tax bracket than the person paying alimony, this is effectively another tax increase because it shifts the taxable income from the person in the lower bracket to the person in the higher bracket.

I'd hoped to put off filing for divorce until after our son graduated from high school. This change forced me to file in March to be sure there was enough time to finalize the divorce before the end of the year if Ms. 63 and I had been unable to reach an agreement. We were able to reach an agreement in which she essentially took an up-front lump sum instead of alimony, so it proved unnecessary to push to enter judgment in 2018. --Bob

[Beebs52]

Does one say best wishes? If so you gottem.

[silverscreenselect]

You might want to check out Match.com. I understand they have a seven-day free trial.

Seriously, though, I hope everything works out for you and your family.

[Bob78164]

Does one say best wishes? If so you gottem.

Thanks. I guess responding to a post like mine does tend to be on the awkward side. I appreciate the sentiment. --Bob

[Bob78164]

You might want to check out Match.com. I understand they have a seven-day free trial.

Seriously, though, I hope everything works out for you and your family.

Thanks. I'm told that, unlike when I was younger (before nerds were in), nowadays I'm a catch. I guess I'll find out. --Bob

[Bob Juch]

You might want to check out Match.com. I understand they have a seven-day free trial.

Seriously, though, I hope everything works out for you and your family.

Thanks. I'm told that, unlike when I was younger (before nerds were in), nowadays I'm a catch. I guess I'll find out. --Bob

Yes, but you're a shark. Watch your fins.

[Beebs52]

You might want to check out Match.com. I understand they have a seven-day free trial.

Seriously, though, I hope everything works out for you and your family.

Thanks. I'm told that, unlike when I was younger (before nerds were in), nowadays I'm a catch. I guess I'll find out. --Bob

Do you really want to swim this soon?

[Bob78164]

You might want to check out Match.com. I understand they have a seven-day free trial.

Seriously, though, I hope everything works out for you and your family.

Thanks. I'm told that, unlike when I was younger (before nerds were in), nowadays I'm a catch. I guess I'll find out. --Bob

Do you really want to swim this soon?

Yes. It's not that soon. I filed more than a year ago and I've been living apart for nearly eight months. And it's not as though things were hunky dory before I filed. --Bob

[BackInTex]

Thanks. I'm told that, unlike when I was younger (before nerds were in), nowadays I'm a catch. I guess I'll find out. --Bob

Do you really want to swim this soon?

Yes. It's not that soon. I filed more than a year ago and I've been living apart for nearly eight months. And it's not as though things were hunky dory before I filed. --Bob

There is "catch" and "swim" and "dory". It sounds like we are some version of Find....Hey! Look! There's another post in the And So It Begins thread.

[mellytu74]

Good luck with everything going forward, Bob Numbers.

[Bob78164]

Good luck with everything going forward, Bob Numbers.

Thanks, melly. --Bob

[BackInTex]

All kidding aside I wish you well in your new role as a single man. I do hope you find companionship (if that's what you want) to share your remaining life and experiences with.

I'm surprised you posted such personal stuff but then again we are a unique community, almost a family, as dysfunctional as that family may be.

I'm happy for you that it's over and you two seem to still be able to have a good relationship (as good as a divorced couple can). I'm sure your son is thankful for that.

[Bob78164]

All kidding aside I wish you well in your new role as a single man. I do hope you find companionship (if that's what you want) to share your remaining life and experiences with.

I'm surprised you posted such personal stuff but then again we are a unique community, almost a family, as dysfunctional as that family may be.

I'm happy for you that it's over and you two seem to still be able to have a good relationship (as good as a divorced couple can). I'm sure your son is thankful for that.

Thanks for the sentiments.

Know anyone eligible in my neck of the woods? --Bob

[Billy Bored Thornton]

Stick with ol' Billy Bored and I'll teach you everything you need to know for life as a free man.

Hell, if I can tame the babes on this Bored, imagine what I can do for you.


Brother.

[Bob78164]

Stick with ol' Billy Bored and I'll teach you everything you need to know for life as a free man.

Hell, if I can tame the babes on this Bored, imagine what I can do for you.


Brother.

That's very kind of you, Billy Bored, but I couldn't possibly accept. I'd immediately become your greatest competition and what kind of thanks would that be? --Bob

[Snow Globe Ass]

All kidding aside I wish you well in your new role as a single man. I do hope you find companionship (if that's what you want) to share your remaining life and experiences with.

I'm surprised you posted such personal stuff but then again we are a unique community, almost a family, as dysfunctional as that family may be.

I'm happy for you that it's over and you two seem to still be able to have a good relationship (as good as a divorced couple can). I'm sure your son is thankful for that.

Thanks for the sentiments.

Know anyone eligible in my neck of the woods? --Bob

I'm definitely eligible, sugar pie. Give me your number and I'll send you some bathroom selfies!

[christie1111]

As you said earlier, responding to this type of post can be awkward.

My best wishes to all of you. My parents divorced when my twin and I were 6 and our brother was 4. Kind of a different situation here though.

I, myself, would not be hurrying to the dating world. Too much work!

[Bob78164]

All kidding aside I wish you well in your new role as a single man. I do hope you find companionship (if that's what you want) to share your remaining life and experiences with.

I'm surprised you posted such personal stuff but then again we are a unique community, almost a family, as dysfunctional as that family may be.

I'm happy for you that it's over and you two seem to still be able to have a good relationship (as good as a divorced couple can). I'm sure your son is thankful for that.

Thanks for the sentiments.

Know anyone eligible in my neck of the woods? --Bob

I'm definitely eligible, sugar pie. Give me your number and I'll send you some bathroom selfies!

Thanks, babe, but I just couldn't. I'm afraid you're just too much for me. Best of luck, though. --Bob

[Bob78164]

As you said earlier, responding to this type of post can be awkward.

My best wishes to all of you. My parents divorced when my twin and I were 6 and our brother was 4. Kind of a different situation here though.

I, myself, would not be hurrying to the dating world. Too much work!

Thanks for the sentiments. The big struggle for me was whether to leave much earlier. I decided that my son really needed some stability, but the price was that he didn't get to grow up with a model of what I'd like a relationship to look like. I may never know whether it was the right decision but whether or not it was, I'm not getting a do-over.

I'm thinking that if the date feels like work, then the lady probably isn't the right one for me. Some of my friends have been encouraging me to use one or another of the dating apps. So far I've been resistant, but we'll see. --Bob

[themanintheseersuckersuit]

You gotta kiss a lot of princesses to find one who likes frogs

[Bob78164]

You gotta kiss a lot of princesses to find one who likes frogs

I figure if the princess is kissing me, that’s a pretty good clue. —Bob