Newbies Nest

[wagmor]

Re: Newbies Nest

[MENTION=19781]Rahulthesweet[/MENTION] - Huge congrats on 5 years!!! I'm so glad you stopped by the nest to celebrate with us, and I hope all is well with you.

Ava - bummer about the old boss but sounds like you nipped that in the bud - good for you! Your pups are both so cute.

Belle - sorry to hear about the health issues with your daughter and I hope everything resolves quickly and easily. But yes, as you and others have said, a sober mom is the best support you can give her right now.


Well, today's the big surgery day. We'll be heading to the hospital in about 4 hours. It's supposed to be outpatient but a lot depends on recovery from the anesthesia. Thanks to all of you for your support. Life's gonna be different for both of us for the next several months. I have planned in advance to head into this with a slightly lighter-than-usual workload and I've got the next 3 days fully off.

On the plumbing front, we got good news!!! The second plumbing company who came Monday (the ones we thought would have to send a camera into the house bowels to potentially find a broken pipe) were actually able to clear the pipe using a technique the first guy didn't try (and he tried a lot!). So no digging up the basement floor, at least not right now at this most inopportune time. The Monday guy said the pipe clearing he did could last a decade or it could last several months, so we'll have to see, but for now I'm just grateful to not be dealing with this on top of the surgery and essentially having everything else on my plate.

Ok folks, I'll check in as I can over the next few days but please send good thoughts to my partner. I'm so glad I, and all of you, don't drink.

Have great days everyone!!!

:heartbeat:

[paulywogg]

Re: Newbies Nest

Hi all,Rahul congrats on 5 years!! Awesome surprise for you Wags,hope all goes well with the surgery,LC,hope the bread turns out good,it's hard for me to make it right big waves to all and wishes for a happy AF day!

[Slo]

Re: Newbies Nest

I think a lot of us with alcohol dependence problems can also have problems with hoarding tendencies. I read Marie Kondo’s book when it first came out a couple years ago, so I went through all of my clothes using that method then and had a big purge. It felt good!

Good news, Kensho! Wishing you fun & success with the new direction that your work is taking you in with the new partnership. Yup, you made the space for this by taking a year to get off the booze and shut the door on it!

Rahul, so proud of your achievement in taking your tough & hard journey to find your way out. Thanks for checking in!

Belle, it’s too bad that your husband drinks at home in front of you, especially during your first month. It makes it that much harder for you.

Hope your loaf of sourdough bread bakes up beautiful, LC!

Hi to Satz & everyone!

[Pavati]

Re: Newbies Nest

Hi, All

Sorry I've been MIA - I took a few days off and have been out and about. I do like my job, but I REALLY do love some time off.

LC - I agree, don't beat yourself up. Regroup, and get back at it! You got this. I am sure that MWO helped me quit earlier than I would have. I was not at all ready for an in-person meeting, and still would have trouble mustering the courage to go. However, I think there are drawbacks to on-line support groups - at least for me. It is much easier to lie or withhold the truth here than in person - that's why I enlisted the support of a sober friend, my husband, and for the first few months, a therapist. I knew I couldn't lie to any of them, and it helped strengthen my accountability. Not that I lie here, I just wanted some extra insurance and accountability.

RAHUL! Congratulations! What a great post - I hope you are celebrating yourself and your success. Thanks for stopping by and letting us know how you are.

Belle - wow, what a doozy. It is amazing what we have to do as parents. I hope that talk goes well!

Hi, Satz, and thanks for dropping by.

I have been interrupted several times and can't remember what I read from whom, but HI to you all, and happy sober Thursday.

Pav

[Lavande]

Re: Newbies Nest

Good evening Nesters,

Today was a grand day of melting
All that snow that fell yesterday is 2/3 gone, yay! Last I checked it was up to 54 degrees, haha!!

Wags, I hope the surgery went well & your partner is able to return home tonight. Same day surgeries are great on one hand but can be difficult on the other hand for some. Good luck & congrats on your pipe situation.

LC, how did the sourdough turn out? I love that stuff & the best I ever had was in San Francisco!!

Narilly, I hope you don't get too much snow, really.

Hi there satz, Pauly & Slo!
Pav, you sound awfully busy. Stop for a breath or two every now & then.
Hello to the rest of the crew.

Wishing everyone a safe night n the nest for all!

Lav

[Byrdlady]

Re: Newbies Nest

Boudin’s Sourdough in San Fran? It IS the best! They ship, you know. Ehehehe. It’s addictive!

[available]

Re: Newbies Nest

Afternoon nesters

Well life has been full on and im doing my coworkers job and im done already. mads was not well today so i went to work at 5am, left at 9am and have worked from home. i will take her for a walk later and that should make her feel better, i know it does me.

Carl has puppy school today, i swear if he draws blood from my hands one more time!!!!!!!! Mads has actually been playing with him until he annoys her and then shes done. i am feeling the same. ha ha. lucky he is so cute. he wees when he is excited bless him.

Lav, i just stopped smoking again as i knew i would not stop if i kept going and i am accountable to a smoking clinic pharmacist whos CO2 measuring machine does not lie. I even thought today, oh its Friday i can have a few smokes, like wtf Ava. Just plodding along at day 35 so i am happy.

Hope the surgery went well Wags and he is a good patient for you.

Off for a nap and then a walk. Enjoying the pleasant days of autumn.

congrats on 5 years Rahul, time flies when you are having a life doesnt it. you sound happy

take care xx

[lifechange]

Re: Newbies Nest

Good Morning, Nesters!

TGIF! I'm quite happy that it's Friday! It's been a full on, hard week at work, but one where I've given myself fully so I am fulfilled. Yesterday I was done around 4 (usually it's around 2) and I thought, gosh, I still have 5 hours before bedtime! It was nice to have so much time..
Slo, it is the Marie Kondo method I've been inspired by.. it's so much fun. I don't really have a lot (thanks to moving so much) but I do have clutter and I'm not organized.. so my flat always seems messy to me.. and I refuse to buy any more shelves or cupboards (here, everything is free standing, no built ins).. so it feels good to pare down! Clothes and linens are done, books today.:happy2:
Pav, I'm glad to hear you had some lovely, restorative days off! Did you get some good hiking in?
Byrdie, the bread wasn't Boudin's! But it was pretty darn good, anyway... We had a sourdough workshop a year or so ago at work and gave starter kits to anyone who was interested.. yesterday was the "reunion" where we asked everyone to bring in a bread from that starter and were so surprised and touched by how many people took part. We had such a beautiful variety of breads,.. you could see the diversity of tastes and personalities. Have you had time to bake any cakes lately?
Lav, so are you supposed to be warming up there? I know the chickens don't like extreme cold, but are they curious about snow?

ok, off I go! See you all later.. have a nice Friday!xx

[Byrdlady]

Re: Newbies Nest

LC, thanks to your tips about giving myself permission to dig deeper in my closet, I went in with a new eye. I cleared out 6 more items, and thanked them for their service. I really appreciate those tips, they have helped me let go of things in there that I now realize I've NEVER worn, just enjoyed 'having'. I know there is someone else out there might might really enjoy the pieces, that helps, too. Thank you for giving me those new tools.

I LOVE bread, what a neat experience that must have been to see all the different sourdoughs. I haven't had time to do any baking lately, but I plan to this weekend!

It's only Friday, everyone, NOT a ticket to BoozeVille! Hugs to all, Byrdie

[wagmor]

Re: Newbies Nest

Happy Friday all! I have a sudden craving for sourdough

We're home from surgery - been home about 12 hours I think. All went well, but unfortunately once they got inside my partner's shoulder they discovered it needed the absolute max amount of repair they had even possibly anticipated. That is both good news and bad news - bad in the sense that she has a couple of extra incisions that will have to heal and of course the additional repair work inside as well. The good news is that the eventual healing should be more complete. Apparently the standard in rotator cuff repair is that if a tendon is less than 50% torn they don't repair, so there was a chance they were going to just leave a couple of minor tears as is. When they got inside, they discovered that the tears all qualified for repair and they were also quite inflamed, which explains part of the tremendous pain she has been in.

So now the healing begins, and for this surgery it's a long a painful road, but we're well-prepared and have a good team of friends and neighbors to help out. I'm very glad I have the next two days off and a light load overall.

I have to pause for a moment and give a shout out to nurses in particular, but all of the medical workers who are really on the front line of experiences like this. Yes, the surgeon and the anesthesiologist are critical players in any surgery, but the non-doctor staff are the ones who truly make or break the overall experience - both for the patient and for family members. I know we have some nurses and other hospital workers (current or former) here in the nest, and yesterday we once again witnessed that nurses and staff are the true heroes and hearts of the medical field. We had direct interaction with at least 5 nurses yesterday and they were all spectacular, compassionate, super-competent, and kind.

I also want to acknowledge that I said "she" when discussing my partner above. I am tired of not being fully open about this here in the nest, as I'm pretty open elsewhere in my life. I have had no reason to suspect I needed to keep this a secret, but I'll be honest - even in the 21st century there are people everywhere who still hold ill feelings toward the LGBTQ community, and most of us are pretty damn cautious, partly out of a self-preservation instinct and partly to not risk losing people who matter to us. But I'm tired, and when I saw [MENTION=18725]NoSugar[/MENTION] refer to my partner as she/her a couple of days ago I decided it was time to open up. I'm happily married to a wonderful woman who is my heart (even though she drinks two beers a day ). She's steadfast in her support of my quit, and life in general is easier as a member of a team, be that a partnership or a chosen family or a circle of friends or an online nest :heartbeat:

Ok, that's all for now. You all mean the world to me and I hope you have fabulous Fridays and weekends. On this end, wish us luck and the nerve and muscle blocks wear off and we shift to meds for pain management.

[paulywogg]

Re: Newbies Nest

Oh Wags((hugs)) glad the op went well! I appreciate the healthcare workers too,I wanted to be a nurse but knowing what a crybaby I am now I'm glad it didn't work out,thanks for being honest about your spouse that's defo nothing to hide LC,I was wondering what"reunion" meant haha thanks for explaining,when I lived in Utah they were doing a "friendship" bread at my shop like that,I think I must have just tossed my starter cuz I sure as heck don't remember making bread with it,Belle,hope your daughters tummy issues get sorted,maybe its a food allergy? I know some peeps can get blood if something is irritating their gut,I do have been decluttering Byrdie but I'm just too darn sentimental! I do have 2 bags that need to go if I can quit opening them and pulling stuff out! Can you believe the school district called for a snow day today? Its sunny and bare outside haha,oh well,have a fab AF Friday!

[KENSHO]

Re: Newbies Nest

Howdy and happy weekend!! I’m feeling positive about today. Sometimes you just wake up on that side of the bed. Much more often when not drinking, I might add.

Hi Rahul! MAJOR HUGE CONGRATS! To 5 years!! So happy for you! Keep lovin’ the sober life my fellow poet friend!

LC, glad you're enjoying the organizing work! There is a good “Clearing” program on Daily OM that I started - inspiring:
A Year to Clear What is Holding You Back! | DailyOM

Hi [MENTION=9094]satz123[/MENTION]!

Thinking of you [MENTION=21027]wagmore[/MENTION]. Glad the surgery went well!! Nurses are the best when we need them! Thank you for sharing about your partner. Full support for you and your family here! RE: the plumbing… things tend to work out if we give them time. Glad this won’t be major upheaval in your house!

LAV, hope you don’t have too much mud with all that melting. You might end up needing a chicken wash!

I LOVE this Ava….
“time flies when you are having a life doesn’t it.”

I attended a swanky design event last night and ended up behind the bar pouring wine for guests - we all had turns. It was strange, but not tempting. The smell and actions of pouring. I would have left if it was hard, but the truth is that it just felt like serving food - it was for OTHER people. I didn’t want it, I didn’t crave it and I really enjoyed the other parts of the event. NOTE: it is easier to chum up with the big magazine editors when not loaded.

Have a lovely start to the weekend everyone. I have not regretted a single one of my 439 days without alcohol. Life is better.

[Pavati]

Re: Newbies Nest

OH NO. Just lose a LONG rambling post. Probably ok - ha ha.

A quick summary:
Bread-delicious.
Kondo-life-changing
Nurses-rock
Wags-thanks for sharing, love is love...

Love to everyone else.

Pav

[Slo]

Re: Newbies Nest

Happy to hear that the surgery was a success, [MENTION=23208]wagmor[/MENTION]! I needed multiple repairs too when I had that surgery done, so I have three incisions. Yes, it is a painful one with a long recovery. I’m glad that you have taken a few days off of work to give her 24-hr. care, as I was immobilized, frantic with pain, & snowed under with lots of Vicodin initially. Luckily my sister came to stay with me and took care of me for a few days.

Ava, I love the reinforcement that you have set up for yourself with a CO2 measuring machine. I would think the feedback showing improvement would be encouraging.

Pav, you probably have more energy & enthusiasm for your job now that you had a few days off. How’s your foot?

LC, yes her show has brought her “tidying” methods outlined in the book to a much, much wider audience. I did her exact order too: first clothes, then linens, then books! Then I purged recipes & recipe books. “Hoarding” tendencies was maybe too strong of a word, but I think lots of us alkies struggle with clutter & a lack of organization.

Byrdie, I regretted throwing away all the scrunchies that I had been saving for my youngest daughter for 10-15 years, as as soon as I tossed them, they came back into fashion the next month!

Hope it’s going well for you, Minstar! Hi to Pauly, G, Kensho, Lav, Belle, Narilly & all.

[Guitarista]

Re: Newbies Nest

Hola friends near and not so far,

Nurses do indeed RAAAAWK! I've experienced their kindness first hand, in hospital and out.....

Wagorama! Glad surgery seems to have gone well. LGBQTI....LBIGIQ......GLBJKS......I'm just making up acronyms now lol. Who cares? Ok some people choose to live rigid lives with the horse blinkers on and point a finger at anyone barracking for a different footy team, using different potting mix, having green hair, driving an older model car....the list goes on! Love is love and love is beeeeeeauuuuudiful. Like you.

Working weekend here gawd dammit. I could do with some time off as really busy lately. Lucky i like my work.

Big waves to y'all. No ticket to boozeville round these parts pardners.