AF Daily~Saturday August 13

[papmom3]

Wakie Wakie!! Off to Sailie Sailie!! Be back tonite!!

[universal]

AF Daily~Saturday August 13

Morning abberoos!

Today I have a celebration for a friend of mine who has 1 year sobriety. I am so proud of her and looking forward to it.

Other than that, nada exciting here. Oh, but I did go and get a tatoo last night that I have been wanting! It is on the inner part of my right arm and says Live, Laugh, Love. That was exciting, I have wanted that for a while. It was something I hear at treatment and it has become kind of a motto for me for sobriety as well as for family.

That's it from the penut gallery for today!

One thing is for sure.......

[Determinator]

AF Daily~Saturday August 13

good morning dears. jeebers it's early. yawn. be well.

zoom zoom

[Determinator]

AF Daily~Saturday August 13

yay Uni! cool

[ItsJustMe]

AF Daily~Saturday August 13

Well CRAP! What I don’t want to do is exactly what’s about to happen. So last night I got a call from some friends that we used to do a lot with wanting to get together this evening. I tried the ‘been a long week’, ‘lots of stuff to do’, etc. to no avail.. So looks like we are going out to eat together. What ALWAYS happens is that after dinner we end up at their house or our house and visit until about 1AM. Mind you that I am usually the only one drinking but I just don’t feel like being social! Damnit! I’d rather try to open a beer bottle with my sphincter than be sociable.

Don’t get me wrong, I really like these folks. The wife has been my very best friend for many years and she is one of the few that I have confided in regarding what I am going through these days so they both would be very supportive. I just don’t freaking want to go out and be social. I don’t even want to drink and don’t feel tempted to drink. As I said yesterday, this is So unlike me….

I do have an appointment with my head doctor on Monday so I am certainly bringing this up. Maybe he can fix me….

Mornin’ Pap, Uni, and Det. Uni, what a great person to hang out with. That is a whole year of wisdom you can draw on.

Regarding the comments on my grass yesterday – I really can’t take credit for anything special. When you live in the deep south and have a contract with Chem Lawn it ain’t that hard!

Update on the freaking peacocks (or as DG calls them – pea cocks) – they are back. They used to be cool. But they piss off the dogs and cause them to go crazy. Yesterday morning they were prancing around on my patio and the dogs were inside losing their minds. They showed no fear! It was almost like they were tormenting them. 49.9% of me wanted to open the door letting the dogs out and watch those peacocks continue to ‘strut their stuff’…..

Lav – a blue egg? I’ll be the first to admit that the only farm experience I have is that I once stepped in a pile of cow manure….but I have never even heard of a blue egg!?!?!?!

Floor dudes just showed up so time for mass confusion. I’ll drop in later if they let me have a laptop in my padded cell…

IJM thought of the day: If pro and con are opposites, wouldn't the opposite of progress be congress?

Take care all!
IJM

[Doggygirl]

AF Daily~Saturday August 13

Good morning fABbies!

IJM: If you don't want to go to something, then call them and tell them you will not be going. That is all. It is OK to not feel like socializing all the time. I'm no shrink or doctor, but I DO believe we are not required to feel perky and sociable at all if we don't want to. It would take a lot more than not wanting to go out to dinner with friends to think I needed fixing by a doctor. Just sayin'. Don't let anyone start handing you anti-depresants unless there is a lot more evidence of an actual problem than this!

I wonder if pea cocks taste like chicken? My dogs would lke to find out.

Lav, how nice that your young ones are "growing up!" Yeah - no turtle necks and long sleeves for me either. Except yesterday I had to find a summery long sleeve outfit to wear to leads group (rather than explain the lepracy on my arms). Not a lot of that in my closet!

Uni - have fun at your friend's celebration today! Your tattoo sounds cool. I wish I was brave enough!

Det - don't shoot any pea cocks while you're out there, OK? (or maybe your event is not a shooting event? Don't eat them either... )

Just watched the OLD video that I know has been shared around here a million times Sugar: The Bitter Truth. Fortifying my resolve about the dietary changes. I didn't realize he talks about ethanol (booze) metabolism in that thing. It starts a bit after the 50 minute mark if anyone is interested in the (over my head!) technical explanation for what happens when we drink. (liver, brain, etc.)

One thing is for sure....no ethanol for me today. That's a poison and I'm not havin' any. No high fructose corn syrup either.

DG

[Marshy]

AF Daily~Saturday August 13

IJM - I wonder if it's because you don't see the *point* of socialising if you're not drinking? And maybe if you're doing the same things as before (dinner, going to someone's house) you'll be missing the alcohol more than if you were doing something different. Any chance of going to see a film/play or doing some other activity so you break the association of going out with your friends and spending the night drinking?

Hi Papmom, Uni. Det, DG, all to come. Have to run - at work! Will pop in later.

[Lavande]

AF Daily~Saturday August 13

IJM - here's my .02 on tonight.......if you don't want to go, just don't go
The last thing I need in my life (at the ripe old age of 29+) is to feel pressured to perform. I really resist that anymore when it comes up. My boundaries are what they are & that's it!

Here's a picture of my adult Amerucana (blue egg layer)



Here's a blue egg



The inside of the eggs are completely normal, just the shell color that's different

papmom, hope you are sailing in dry weather hon - it's pouring here!!!!

Uni, a tat??? Good for you! Enjoy your friend's celebration today.

Hi Deter!

No ETOH for me either today DG

Marshy, I like doing new & different things these days to help keep my mind out of the wine bottle. I think we owe it to ourselves.

Ugh, wet, wet day.

[DogLvr]

AF Daily~Saturday August 13

afternoon all - crazy work week - so didn't take the time to write this week (although I did check in and read a bit).

I stayed AF this week - tempted slightly on the plane (going and coming back). THankfully my colleague didn't pressure me - he had his makers mark, and I had my sierra mist - also got in a great run on the beach in redondo after work with him - so saw a nice sunset and walked our sweaty selves to eat dinner at the bar in a nice restaurant. I watched the bartender pouring the large glasses of white wine (that I would have normally ordered), but enjoyed my soda just fine.

Went to the Friday night 5K again last night (for a dog rescue group), and I mentioned to my husband how I think this is a great way to kick off our weekends - he agreed! Just a different kind of Happy Hour - I guess.

Det - hope you had fun with the scorpion; I loved the youtube video - sent it to my brothers -who should get a kick out of it too.

Marshy - so glad you are safe over there - it's so hard to live in that uncertain fear.

M3 - enjoy NH - hopefully it's cooler than in DC

PapMom - hope the interview went well. Re: the "metric" - if they ask you about a goal you set (e.g., improve student engagement in the classroom), then the metric would be how you measured it - attendance %, student survey results, etc.

Treya - laughed out loud about the Pheasant - and you husband feeding it. I know my husband feels that way about me sometimes )

IJM - I thought the same thing that Greeneyes did - way jealous of the green b/y. And those peacocks are amazing - Maybe you could take Treya's pheasant too.

UNI - OMG about the tattoo - how much did that hurt????

Generally trying to handle the stress better. I got to day 21 during July - then - while on business travel, my colleagues asked me to go to dinner with them - when I ordered my cranberry/soda - they had the waitress place a glass of vodka next to it - which I refused for the first hour. Work conversation turned pretty heated, and then I broke and poured just some of the v in my drink. Not happy about it. 7/31 became my new day 1.

[Doggygirl]

AF Daily~Saturday August 13

DogLvr it's so good to see you!!! 5K for happy hour. Wow. I need to step up my exercise!

Lav, I love your chickens. And the blue egg.

Hi Marshy!! XNGF gets home tomorrow, right? Are you doing something special?

LVT - I thought of you while I was watching some of the National Diving Championships. Those young boys are practically nekkid, and nearly every one of 'em has a small tattoo somewhere.

One thing is still for sure....

DG

[Lavande]

AF Daily~Saturday August 13

DogLvr, that would have totally pissed me offf......someone putting a glass of whatever in front of me when I had already said No Thanks

Just had the 3rd heavy shower here & the real rain wasn't supposed to start until tomorrow. Too wet now to do anything outside - bummer.

[Doggygirl]

AF Daily~Saturday August 13

Lav, it rained here this afternoon too. Haven't looked at the forecast to see whether this is a long term thing or just some showers.

Mr. Doggy will be selling Cooper (his young German Shepherd) He's a super nice dog and will make someone a nice pet once he learns some manners. He's not tough enough for Schutzhund. We had a long talk and agreed we cannot turn into dog collectors. If he is going to be a sport dog guy, he is going to have to be willing to let one go to another pet home before continually getting another one.

So....anyone in the market for a German Shepherd Dog with a fabulous personality / attitude, and no manners?????

DG

[Marshy]

AF Daily~Saturday August 13

Doggygirl;1163023 wrote: Hi Marshy!! XNGF gets home tomorrow, right? Are you doing something special?

Yeah, I'm schlepping across riot-torn London to meet her at the train station :H And I have a present for her - a huge ORANGE spider that has taken up residency in one of my flower pots that I'm too scared to get rid of so she will have to deal with that :H. It's the fact that it's ORANGE that bothers me more than its size I think.

Lav - didn't you get a blue egg once before?

DogLvr - It's very difficult to resist in-your-face temptation in the early days. Good to see you're back on track - and what a great idea to have a plan for Friday nights.

Has Queen Greenie disappeared under a pile of builder's dust?

I'm tired after a stressful week and long hours at work, so off to have a bath and then bed.
Me & GF have rented a cottage near my parents next week so we can do a bit of walking in the same area that we met just over a year ago and pop in and see mum on a regular basis. Looking forward to getting away.

:bedtime:

[greeneyes]

AF Daily~Saturday August 13

I wish I had watched the diving championship.... that is all.

Not really. :H But sort of.

Got paint samples for bathroom #2. I know. Glutton for punishment.

Friend that's moved back from overseas is coming for dinner & movie.

Dog-lvr, I'm with Lav - I would have been pissed off. But people who don't have an issue, don't get it.

Lav, somehow pretty pictures of eggs in a basket is just comforting.

P3 went sailing?

Uni, how nice you were able to help your friend. :l

IJM, I hope tonight works out for you and you enjoy yourself.

DG, ick - that's sort of sad to have to find home for little doggie. I'm sure it'll work out.

Marshy was XNGF teaching or taking the class? Is that a regular thing?

Det, make sure you are eating well & getting good sleep, etc etc etc. We're eating garlic popcorn in your back yard!

Hi treya & anyone else on page 1 that I can't see from here.

Better go poke around in the kitchen.

Hi marshy I didn't, but sure could have! Getting away?? You just got back from Greece - methinks you're getting travel spoiled. You better pony up with the pictures then!

[papmom3]

AF Daily~Saturday August 13

hey Hey! Back from a gorgeous first outing for dad's new boat. IT's a C&C 25 (in case anyone else is a sailor) and she is VERY cute but needs a ton of TLC. That wasn't really what he was looking for-he is 84 after all and is way past the high maintenance but sometimes what you see ISN'T what you get afterall.

Regardless, she sails super nice and super fast! Because of a slight case of memory loss, we had to go back to his place when we were half way there as he had forgotten to put the boat keys on his ring. We could have just sat on the boat in the slip I suppose and had lunch but that really wasn't the whole point of the day. :H

We finally got down there, he futszed around a bit and we let go of the lines. That's where the fun began! He had to back out of the slip and do a 180 to get out into the channel. Only the current didn't turn us the way he expected and the motor and tiller didn't work together too well. Remember, this is my dad's maiden voyage with this boat. Next thing I know I am SPRINTING to the bow and pushing us off the boat in front of us with about 1" to spare! I don't sprint. ever. Not even in agility. So we reverse, try to swing around again, put her into forward and yep, headed towards another boat! the motor didn't respond to reverse fast enough so I do another push off. By this time my sis is up on the bow with me and we try to go forward and starboard one more time. This time we were on a collision course with a boat with a much lower profile and not much in the stern to push off of. By now we're both screaming "reverse! reverse!" and we're coming closer and closer to the boat. The guy in the slip next to us is up top by now asking if we need any help and my dad is like, Yeah, got anyway to turn this thing in the right direction?" He was kidding but I think the guy thought we were landlubbers of the worst kind! :H I could see him silently praying: "Please don't hit my boat, Please don't hit my boat!" Meanwhile up on the bow we're coming closer and closer-I lean over as far as I can and finally am able to push against some part of the boat-I'm pushing as hard as I can but we keep moving forward and I'm pushing and pushing and thinking, OH CRAP we're going to crash! At the last minute and I'm talking you probably couldn't get a credit card between the two vessels- our boat finally starts moving backwards. I push with all my might to swing the bow starboard so we can get the hell out of dodge. My goodness!

Thankfully the rest of the sail was uneventual and she is safe on a mooring tonite instead of in a slip. All I can say is thank god my dad didn't try to do this himself last week!!! Can you say "Insurance Premium Increase"????

It was so great to be out on the water again after a 2 year hiatus. I think this will probably be my dad's last boat so we've all agreed he won't skimp on supplies and mods in order to be safe and comfy. Needless to say we are all set for Christmas and Birthday gifts for him for the next couple of years (West Marine gift cards!). I was very thankful neither he or my sis wanted to go to the local pub after we came ashore. That would have been a HUGE trigger for me and very hard to resist even after all this time. Boating and coctails after are pretty much de rigor.

Now all i have to do is figure out a way to combine sailing and agility!!

Glad everyone had a great day. Doglvr-sorry about your relapse 2 weeks ago but glad you're back on track. Give some thought to what you could do differently when that happens again (and it will undoubtedly). Great idea about the Friday nite 5ks. Are you and hubby running or walking them?

DG- I can only imagine how wrenching a decision it was for Mr. Doggie to decide to sell the young GSD. He will find a great pet home for him I have no doubts. My breeder friends go through the same heartbreak but the alternative is to end up on Animal Hoarders. There is nothing like finding the perfect home for a beloved pup tho and getting updates and seeing how wonderful they are fitting in, learning and growing.

IJM-you've probably already left for your event. I don't think there is anything wrong with your for feeling the way you do right now. You fell off the wagon pretty hard last time and I think right now you are going through a very protective phase and socializing isn't part of it. Probably won't be for a while. Cut yourself some slack, be true to how you feel and don't compromise anything. If they are real friends, they and your wife will understand and will know this is just temporary. :h Now as for the Chem Lawn bit..... Nah, don't get me started :H

Marshy-I thought the same thing as Greenie when I read your post :H. Hey, the fact that you will be close to Mum is the important thing here. If you've got the time to take then by all means, go crazy! We're all just jealous!!

Lav-no rain here until tomorrow nite and then watch out!! Love the blue egg and girls pics.

Uni-loved your post!!

Hope Kas is safe and sound up north. Cinders-where are you today? AFM, Jenny?

OK, got to get off the 'puter and go lie down. The room keeps bobbing up and down and I'm feeling sea sick :H Don't quite have my sealegs I guess!!