Newbies Nest

[Lavande]

Good Sunday morning Nesters!

Yep, we had the first light frost last night - moving right along thru the season. We're getting some real pretty leaf colors to enjoy as well

Addy, that was quite a writing by a high school kid - goodness!
I'm sorry about your theft, that stuff stinks & just shouldn't happen but it does. Reminds me that we truly have no control over anything but our reactions. I hope you get the compensation you deserve & great that you didn't let the situation derail you!

I have a feeling I am going to have a very busy da so I guess I'll just get started
Have a wonderful AF day everyone!

Lav

[LilBit]

Checking in and a hearty hello to all. I always take one day per week to lay off the skating and working out; let the body rest & repair. And oh joy -- I also eat whatever I want on this day, which will start with "paint your own cookies" (clever!). Yesterday, I hiked a canyon just to get out and enjoy the Fall. Unfortunately, my part of California doesn't have a lot of Autumn colors. I missed the blazing orange, yellow and red hues, and long for the crispy carpet of leaves that crunch beneath your feet. So, I compensated by buying a pumpkin for carving and some ripe Gala apples & caramel dip for the Sunday eat-stravaganza.

Today, we'll go to the Trolley Dances, a San Francisco ritual whereby a modern dance company stages short performances at various stops along a trolley route.

Trolley-2013-05721-550x414.jpg

Yes, that is a man with facial hair in a pink dress. It's San Francisco. What can I say?

[Mr Vervill]

Great Poem Addy, Yes it's always good to look at both sides of a problem. So sorry about the theft, that's just crazy. Who would have even thought that could happen. Both you and Star are taking the right attitude with these thefts, and moving on, not drinking AT the problem.
G-man, you sound so positive keep it up, and keep posting, positivity is infectious. (and so is negativity, but we won't talk about that).
Rahul, glad to see you here. So sorry about the leg. Was it an actual fracture of a bone? If so which one? Or is it a knee. I ride bikes a lot too.
You've had some close calls in life for sure. It reminds me of one of the really stupid things I did when just out of high school. After a bachelor party, while really drunk, me and three friends loaded a keg into the back of a car, and we drove around with the keg, drinking beer as I dropped everyone off at their homes. On the way back to my house, I hit a tight turn and rolled my car over, totaling the car. I had just purchased the car the day before. I, somehow was not injured. I did not yet have insurance on the car (long before it was required by law), so I lost the car and all that I had invested into the car. I could not afford another one at the time, and needed to figure out a way to get to work. But, yet that still didn't open my eyes to a potential drinking problem, I continued to drink for decades, inviting lots of other problems along for the ride. Crazy.
Dutch, Kensho, how are you two feeling today?
LS fighting for 2 days running, well done, keep it up.

[Byrdlady]

Rahul and Mr V, scary stories of near misses behind the wheel! Man, both of you are lucky to be alive!
Addy, just when I think Ive heard everything! That beats ALL! I sell security stuff and it is mindboggling what people do! Im so sorry, but you are handing with grace and strength!

No plans today and I am thrilled. Its a gorgeous autumn day and I feel good and Im sober!
Hope evryone has an easy day! Byrdie

[KENSHO]

Hi Peeps. Gosh Addy, that stinks. Even if you keep perspective and have a good attitude - I would have been angry.

My ear thing got better into the evening. I increasingly don't think it's something serious - but it IS annoying. I've been to a Dr., and an audiologist, but will make another appt, maybe for an ENT.

Thanks Mr. Vervill for asking, I'm feeling good today. Making a grocery list of healthy foods (now I just have to find the time to cook them!)

Thanks G also for re-posting my "truths" - good to remember past revelations. I woke up this morning and tried very hard to remember how it felt to wake up after drinking. It was more than just a standard hangover definition. I would have to literally peel my eyes open because the alcohol dehydrated me. I would have hearing sensitivity (in a different way). I would have digestive difficulties. I would be irritable and very brain foggy. And I would be so tired, from tossing around all night. It really is about 1000 times better to sleep and wake up without any alcohol in my system!

Thanks for all of you...

[Lavande]

Just dropping in to wish everyone a safe & cozy night in the nest.
My granddaughter is back with me for the week. I need to find something interesting things to do with her.

Kensho, glad the hearing is improving & everything is going well.

Lil, now I want to go back to San Francisco, it's been a few years, ha ha!

Be well everyone!
Lav

[All done drinking]

Lav,
Those pumpkin patches are fun this time of year. Don't know what state you're in (or even if you're in the states!) but if so, we had a great time with my 2 year old grandson this week going to one. Hayride, petting zoo, and he got to pick a pumpkin and decorate it. I love living through a child's eyes. It's the best.

Addy

[Dutch1988]

Mr V that was quite the story, ir might not of helped you then, but it definitely helped me today.

Kensho I am glad your ears feeling better

Lav I second the pumpkin patch, it was pretty awesome for my daughter and nephew today.

Well I went to urgent care after work yesterday, they couldn't ultrasound so wife and I took the trip to the er . If I had two down there I would be less anxious, but since we want more kids and I was freaking out we just went. Turns out it's what I guessed from googling, which ain't life threatening but it will be a pain in the ass more than likely. For now I'll rest easier knowing my ball ain't going to burst. Today was tough but I didn't drink, woot.

[Lavande]

Good Monday morning Nesters

Sunny & very frosty this morning!!!!

Addy & Dutch, I am in Pennsylvania & am surrounded by farms. Many are Amish farms so the grandkids are getting the full farm experience here, ha ha! We actually did go one day last week & selected a few pumpkins, gourds & decorative corn. Right now ABC Mouse is handling things, LOL

Dutch, glad nothing too serious is going on down there!!

Wishing everyone a terrific AF day & week ahead!
Life is good

Lav

[LilBit]

Thanks G also for re-posting my "truths" - good to remember past revelations. I woke up this morning and tried very hard to remember how it felt to wake up after drinking. It was more than just a standard hangover definition. I would have to literally peel my eyes open because the alcohol dehydrated me. I would have hearing sensitivity (in a different way). I would have digestive difficulties. I would be irritable and very brain foggy. And I would be so tired, from tossing around all night. It really is about 1000 times better to sleep and wake up without any alcohol in my system!

So agreed, Kensho and may I add one more? I'd wake up and have to chug a beer, just to "feel right." Seems like the time when I began drinking on the morning after, just to feel OK was when the full effects of being an alkie really started to manifest themselves. That beer restarted the crave-o-cycle and then it was back on the insane hamster wheel.

Last week, I watched an Intervention episode in which a heroin addict said, "Understand, I only use to feel well." And, from what I could tell, that was true. She had long since stopped seeking a high and just want to reach her new level of feeling normal so that she could function. Non-addicts might not understand this, but we do.

My new normal is waking up, raring to go and ready to face whatever comes. I slept through the night and dreamed of riding the bow of a small cruise ship in the Caribbean with bubbles foaming at my feet. It's going to be a great day.

[Starfish1]

Good Morning Everyone.

Lav, I think the Byrdlady needs to post a tutorial on cookie/cake decorating, that way your grand daughter and the rest of us could be entertained and enlightened at the same time.

Byrdie- your talent is just awesome, but what do you DO with all your confections? Surely, you can't eat them all? I'll p.m. you my address and you can send some of the extrys down here if that will help you out :friendly_wink:

Dutch, I'm so glad it's not as serious as it could have been. I hope you continue to feel better.

Kensho, I'm glad your ear is better too. Girl, I know what you mean about having the time to cook that healthy food. For the past little while, I have been buying mostly fresh, as opposed to frozen veggies for my family. They taste so much better, but boy oh boy it is certainly time consuming to prepare them. I usually spend the better part of my weekends preparing food for the week. I'm sure it pays off, in the long run.

Mr. V and Raul- those were really scary stories. Glad you guys are okay. What would we do without you!

ADDY- wow, I hate that for you. Thieves are the worst! I love your attitude though and I thank you for it. Because of some circumstances in my personal life, I have become very aware and compassionate about the less fortunate (homeless/hungry) and no matter what happens to me or how angry/upset I get, when I think of those that are worse off than I am, I gain a little perspective.

LilBit- I LOVED your vivid description of the autumn sounds and sights. Autumn is my favorite time of year. Thanks for painting that picture for me. And riding on a cruise ship in the Carribean would just be heaven for me....no joke!

G-man :llama: you make me smile. This is our time. We've got it now! :heartbeat::star:

Hi Pav, Ava and anyone else I missed.

Make it a great one, all!

[Byrdlady]

Good Morning, all!
LilBit, those Intervention shows are real eye openers. While I may not have a heroin or "other" drug habit, AL was plenty bad enough and it translates to addictions across the board, I think. Long gone were the days I drank to be festive, I drank to feel normal (for me). I drank to get numb from it all. What a shame...now I wonder what I was running from. Facing the demons and sorting thru them really takes away their power. I love being sober now and I am so grateful for it....but it took a long time for me to get here. It has been worth it.

Yesterday, we watched '28 Days' with Sandra Bullock. She was an active drug/AL addict who faced the choices of getting sober or going to jail. It was an entertaining movie, but I don't think it captured the recovery process at all. 'Flight' did a much better job of depicting the angst that happens on a daily basis as we make promises in the morning, only to break them in the afternoon.

It as a beautiful fall weekend, I am so thankful to be able to relax and enjoy it!
Hope everyone has a peaceful day. Byrdie

[All done drinking]

Byrdie,

Had to add to the movie list. "When a man loves a woman" with Meg Ryan and Andy Garcia is fabulous as many of us can relate to hiding the bottles (as Alice does) and it really shows the role of the co-dependent husband and how the children are affected with her problem. However, what's most interesting about the movie is everything isn't all roses when Alice goes into recovery. It shows the struggles they have there as she deals with the difficulty of not drinking and dealing with new roles as he isn't care taking her all of the time. It is an awesome movie and a bit older so easy for a netflix rental or anywhere else I'm sure.

Have a safe day everyone!

Addy

[Byrdlady]

Addy, that movie, "When a Man Loves a Woman" came on years ago and it hit so close to home that I insisted we turn it to something else 'less depressing'. Truth was, I didn't want hubs to get any ideas that I was doing what she did (and be outted!!!) I will have to check it out now that I am sober!!! Thank you for the recommendation!!! B

[TJAF]

If you want a gritty no nonsense look at Alcoholism from Hollywood Check out Barfly, the semi autobiographical work of Charles Bukowsk. Its not a pretty picture. One of the worst Hollywood treatments on alcoholism was a" Little House on the Prairie" episode where "Pa" gets a neighbor sober in one week by working him to death. What a crock of cow manure.