af Saturday 10 August

[treetops]

MAE peepers.
Well I skipped Friday on MWO - but sure didn't skip it at work. Things are very stressful still and i couldn't do much except soldier on. I can't just sweep the work matters under the carpet unfortunately. Am trying to distract myself during the weekend but its hard.

SF - I posted about your work and the stupid AL messages you face at work - on the Thursday thread. Hope you get through your Friday post-work activities.

Mick - really really sad about your neighbor.

PPQP - welcome back to our own special madness here. I hope you get the eye problem sorted asap. Your holiday reminded me of why I am now reclusive about families. I still find it hard to get that people have to drink around the clock - and to me that signals pretty serious drinking patterns and damage. I am so glad you handled it for yourself and did not let it compromise your sobriety.

Cinders- glad that you are back in almost eating normally land.

Samstone, Pauly, Det, Lav - hi there too.

As you can see I am not exactly the perky bunny I usually am on a Saturday morning but I have much to be thankful for. Including being 10 months sober today.

Catch you later and have a good weekend - despite all the challenges around us.

[Mick]

af Saturday 10 August

late and dark o clock here...but had to post my congratulations to TT on her 10 months al free..so easy wasnt it ..in fact you did it standing on yer head!!!!:H


well done TT :happy:wave::yougo::wave::banana:

just had to revamp this the emoticon cops just nicked me!!!!!

[TheSunFlower]

af Saturday 10 August

TT...CONGRATS ON TEN MONTHS!!!!!!!! Well done.

Mick....maybe the fireplace thing is signaling a much needed break. Yep, why are there al limits? "Officer I am not drinking AND driving.....I put down the beer 5 minutes before I got in the car!" Not funny, but it is interesting how they word things.....so people who like to drink won't go all nuts on them. Found out today we can not use the word "spirits" in the ad. I asked my boss if they thought this indicated "you may see dead people"....left out...."or become one".

PPQ....sorry to hear about your sister. It's hard to watch people in the prison we worked so hard to get out of. I guess it's good your son let out what was bottled up....now it's just dealing with it appropriately. Do you think your ex is putting stuff into his head? Hope you can work out your job....more money always sounds nice, but sometimes can come at a price.

Lav....kid free sounds awesome. Mine are driving me nuts fighting with each other. Looks to be early to bed for them.

Sam....congrats on 90 days! Precious quiet time. Sounds perfect to me.

Cinders glad that your stomach is feeling better. Hope the doctor takes you on.

The work meeting was good today....always reminds me how grateful I am to have a job that I like. I went to the party afterwards....I had a good time....and even though people had drinks it was all very proper. Of course I had to check out what everyone had.....I found myself feeling very neutral towards al. Meaning I did not care to have any or cared that anyone else was.

[Mick]

af Saturday 10 August

morning all..and hows we all today now that we are into the weekend? still waiting for the big yellow thingy to appear in the sky.Tis Sunday tomorrow so wont be here tho I will try to check in on the phone.
My daughter passed her final exam in midwifery yesterday...so think she has got 2 more shifts left as a student and thats it... qualified.She then has to wait till October to get her registration pin and also her degree diploma..in the meantime .thee money tree is still growing!!:H Managed to get those tiles in the size I want, but they wont land here till next week they have still got to be fired and glazed..really lucky it was like in" the old storeroom "scenario..so all thats left to do is to refit the fireplace and mantel,and cant do that till next week, so next job is in the garden...digging in hardcore and laying flags for a bigger greenhouse

On with the show...tea n coffee on the go now

Hiya TT and how are you today? 10 months in ..wow hasnt that flown?Still getting niggled about the work issues?Time for the "f" word...forget them till it comes

Morning SF...hows you today?good attitude that its neither here nor there whether anyone else drinks..the fact of the matter is I am not..it shows you are getting more attuned to the without now and that you arent dependent on al, so well done you

Hiya ppqp...welcome back...we missed you..Holiday from hell? could be good or bad depending on the way you look at it...crap time yes...but look at the positives,,whilst your sister was drinking you discovered actually I dont need booze..now take that back a while ..would you have been able to do that ,Secondly your son kicking off...kind of cleared the air and some of the unsaid has been said and peace reigns.
As for the job...sometimes the dosh isnt everything,especially if it is minimal ,so thats one you need to think about..what I do (I am into writing things down!)get a sheet of paper and draw a line down the middle..on one side put the plus for taking the job, the other minus and see where it takes you..you can do that over this brew I made.

Morning Lav...one huge brew for you the noo..well whats it like with peace all around you?no tantrums moaning or cartoons? bet you are lost!:H any plans? Longwood?

Samstone ..well done on 90 my friend keep at it mate :happy:

Hiya Cinders..glad your tum is a bit better today....what are your plans for the weekend? anything special?

Hiya Pauly how are you with your rock hard peaches?So you had a soft banana instead? oh boy,I could turn this into some innuendo conversation!!!:H any plans for the weekend?whatever have a good one

Hiya Det how you doing mate?enjoy your hiking and shooting this weekend ..its always better to stop hiking before you shoot..especally if you are in company and they are in front :H

right peeps orf we go ..so have a good one...... hand

A man walked into his back yard one morning and found a gorilla sitting in a tree, staring back at him. He tried unsuccessfully to get the gorilla to leave, so he called a gorilla-removal service, and soon a serviceman arrived with: a stick, a Chihuahua, a pair of handcuffs, and a shotgun.
?Now listen carefully,? the serviceman told the homeowner. ?I?m going to climb the tree and poke the gorilla with this stick until he falls to the ground. The trained Chihuahua will then go right for the privates of the animal, and when the gorilla instinctively crosses his hands in front to protect himself, you slap on the handcuffs!?
?Got it.? the homeowner replied. ?But what?s the shotgun for??
?If I fall out of the tree before the gorilla,? said the serviceman, ?shoot the Chihuahua.?

People in other countries sometimes go out of their way to communicate with their English-speaking tourists.
Here is a list of signs seen around the world.
Cocktail lounge, Norway:
LADIES ARE REQUESTED NOT TO HAVE CHILDREN IN THE BAR.
At a Budapest zoo:
PLEASE DO NOT FEED THE ANIMALS. IF YOU HAVE ANY SUITABLE FOOD, GIVE IT TO THE GUARD ON DUTY.
Doctors office, Rome:
SPECIALIST IN WOMEN AND OTHER DISEASES.
Information booklet about using a hotel air conditioner, Japan:
COOLES AND HEATES: IF YOU WANT CONDITION OF WARM AIR IN YOUR ROOM, PLEASE CONTROL YOURSELF.
Car rental brochure, Tokyo:
WHEN PASSENGER OF FOOT HEAVE IN SIGHT, TOOTLE THE HORN. TRUMPET HIM MELODIOUSLY AT FIRST, BUT IF HE STILL OBSTACLES YOUR PASSAGE THEN TOOTLE HIM WITH VIGOUR.
In a Nairobi restaurant:
CUSTOMERS WHO FIND OUR WAITRESSES RUDE OUGHT TO SEE THE MANAGER.
On the grounds of a private school:
NO TRESPASSING WITHOUT PERMISSION.
On an Athi River highway:
TAKE NOTICE: WHEN THIS SIGN IS UNDER WATER, THIS ROAD IS IMPASSABLE.
On a poster at Kencom:
ARE YOU AN ADULT THAT CANNOT READ? IF SO, WE CAN HELP.
In a City restaurant:
OPEN SEVEN DAYS A WEEK, AND WEEKENDS TOO.
One of the Mathare buildings:
MENTAL HEALTH PREVENTION CENTRE.
A sign seen on an automatic restroom hand dryer:
DO NOT ACTIVATE WITH WET HANDS.
In a Pumwani maternity ward:
NO CHILDREN ALLOWED.
In a cemetery
PERSONS ARE PROHIBITED FROM PICKING FLOWERS FROM ANY BUT THEIR OWN GRAVES.
On the menu of a Swiss restaurant:
OUR WINES LEAVE YOU NOTHING TO HOPE FOR.
Hotel brochure, Italy:
THIS HOTEL IS RENOWNED FOR ITS PEACE AND SOLITUDE. IN FACT, CROWDS FROM ALL OVER THE WORLD FLOCK HERE TO ENJOY ITS SOLITUDE.
Hotel lobby, Bucharest:
THE LIFT IS BEING FIXED FOR THE NEXT DAY. DURING THAT TIME WE REGRET THAT YOU WILL BE UNBEARABLE.
Hotel elevator, Paris:
PLEASE LEAVE YOUR VALUES AT THE FRONT DESK.
Hotel, Yugoslavia:
THE FLATTENING OF UNDERWEAR WITH PLEASURE IS THE JOB OF THE CHAMBERMAID.
In the lobby of a Moscow hotel across from a Russian Orthodox monastery:
YOU ARE WELCOME TO VISIT THE CEMETERY WHERE FAMOUS RUSSIAN AND SOVIET COMPOSERS, ARTISTS, AND WRITERS ARE BURIED DAILY EXCEPT THURSDAY.
Hotel catering to skiers, Austria:
NOT TO PERAMBULATE THE CORRIDORS IN THE HOURS OF REPOSE IN THE BOOTS OF ASCENSION.
Taken from a menu, Poland:
SALAD A FIRM?S OWN MAKE; LIMPID RED BEET SOUP WITH CHEESY DUMPLINGS IN THE FORM OF A FINGER; ROASTED DUCK LET LOOSE; BEEF RASHERS BEATEN IN THE COUNTRY PEOPLE?S FASHION.
Supermarket, Hong Kong:
FOR YOUR CONVENIENCE, WE RECOMMEND COURTEOUS, EFFICIENT SELF-SERVICE.
From the ?Soviet Weekly?:
THERE WILL BE A MOSCOW EXHIBITION OF ARTS BY 15,000 SOVIET REPUBLIC PAINTERS AND SCULPTORS. THESE WERE EXECUTED OVER THE PAST TWO YEARS.
In an East African newspaper:
A NEW SWIMMING POOL IS RAPIDLY TAKING SHAPE SINCE THE CONTRACTORS HAVE THROWN IN THE BULK OF THEIR WORKERS.
Hotel, Vienna:
IN CASE OF FIRE, DO YOUR UTMOST TO ALARM THE HOTEL PORTER.
A sign posted in Germany?s Black Forest:
IT IS STRICTLY FORBIDDEN ON OUR BLACK FOREST CAMPING SITE THAT PEOPLE OF DIFFERENT s*x, FOR INSTANCE, MEN AND WOMEN, LIVE TOGETHER !IN ONE TENT UNLESS THEY ARE MARRIED WITH EACH OTHER FOR THIS PURPOSE.
An advertisement by a Hong Kong dentist:
TEETH EXTRACTED BY THE LATEST METHODISTS.
Tourist agency, Czechoslovakia:
TAKE ONE OF OUR HORSE-DRIVEN CITY TOURS. WE GUARANTEE NO MISCARRIAGES.
The box of a clockwork toy made in Hong Kong:
GUARANTEED TO WORK THROUGHOUT ITS USEFUL LIFE.
In a Swiss mountain inn:
SPECIAL TODAY ? NO ICE-CREAM.
Airline ticket office, Copenhagen:
WE TAKE YOUR BAGS AND SEND THEM IN ALL DIRECTIONS.
On the door of a Moscow hotel room:
IF THIS IS YOUR FIRST VISIT TO THE USSR, YOU ARE WELCOME TO IT.

Welcome to the Psychiatric Hotline.
If you are obsessive-compulsive, please press 1 repeatedly.
If you are co-dependent, please ask someone to press 2.
If you have multiple personalities, please press 3, 4, 5, and 6.
If you are paranoid-delusional, we know who you are and what you want. Just stay on the line so we can trace the call.
If you are schizophrenic, listen carefully and a little voice will tell you which number to press.
If you are depressed, it doesn?t matter which number you press. No one will answer.
If you are delusional and occasionally hallucinate, please be aware that the thing you are holding on the side of your head is alive and about to bite off your ear.

3 buddies die in a car crash, they go to heaven to an orientation. They are all asked, ?When you are in your casket and friends and family are mourning upon you, what would you like to hear them say about you?
The first guy says, ?I would like to hear them say that I was a great doctor of my time, and a great family man.?
The second guy says, ?I would like to hear that I was a wonderful husband and school teacher which made a huge difference in our children of tomorrow.?
The last guy replies, ?I would like to hear them say? LOOK, HE?S MOVING!!!?

Wife: Why do you wear your specs only when I come in.
Husband: The doctor has ordered me to wear my specs whenever I get an headache.

[Cinders]

af Saturday 10 August

MAE Abbers,

First of all, major kudos to TT and SS for their milestones. :l:l

PPQP, You made me smile at the $$ calc verus hours. I would be chuffed, too, in your place but giving up so much flexibility and freedom is tough. Hopefully you are in a place financially that will allow you to do what is best for you. I remember when I first went to work for my last company, I had a manger who said that in life we juggle three balls, work, family, play. Only one of them is glass. Guess which one? I wish I had heeded that person's advice.

Lav, Whew. You made it through the power babysitting. :-)

SF, I imagine you were quite surprised at your attitude about drinking once you got to the do. It is heartening to see the progress you have made this last year.

Det, I agree with Mick. Let's not have a Cheney incident there in Reno. :H:H One of my bucket items is to learn how to shoot. All the men in my family are sharpshooters but my dad had the very old fashioned upbringing that women didn't hunt or shoot. While hunting is not my cup of tea, I have always enjoying target practice. Hubby just bought a .22 rifle, I think I will check into safety classes here in town and see about target shooting. I do know it can get to be an expensive sport, though. We bought the rifle to take out the raccoon that was wreaking havoc in my back yard, but the critter was thankfully taken out by a car last week, thus saving both of us from having to kill it. Whew. Close call, actually.

Mick, I forgot to mention my research on the mice situation. We first thought that is what was digging all the tunnels in my back yard, although it turned out to be ground squirrels. Here is what we discovered after much Googling. There can be hundreds of those little buggers under there. Ick. We tried the usual mice bait but they didn't seem to take to it. What we did was stick the mice bait in blocks into the tunnels where they run so that birds and other critters wouldn't easily obtain it.

It turns out that the addition of peanut oil on the bait can attract them to the bait, which is what we have done for the ground squirrels. However, hubby has never put the traps he made for the ground squirrels out because both of us just hesitate to put out such serious poison into our environment.

I have a large pot on my chest of drawers filled with green pellets that look like green Cocoa Puffs covered with peanut oil. I have put a sign on there that says poison.

I am casting about ways to get rid of this mess so I can get my large cooking pot back. It has been there for over a month.

I did see a cat walking off with one of the ground squirrels in its mouth. I am hoping that the cats are the answer and not the poison.

I hate to kill things other than insects and arachnids, those are free game.

I actually wake up at night worrying about that stupid pot of poison on my chest of drawers.

Okay, enough typing. Woke up early this a.m. and was sitting here bored.

Kindle is working again. I think I'll download a new book and enjoy some quiet before the usual morning bustle.

Have a wonderful sober weekend, my friends!!
Cindi

[Lavande]

af Saturday 10 August

Good morning Abbers!

I haven't seen sunshine all week, don't know where it is!
Still hot & humid too, not my fav weather.

CONGRATS to TT on 10 AF months - yay!

Sam, CONGRATS to you as well on 90 AF days!

Greetings Mick, Cindi, SF, YahYah, PQ & everyone!

I've been so tied up watching my granddaughter these past 5 weeks that I've seen very little of my grandsons. SO, I am off on an adventure with my DIL & the boys today - they want to go to IKEA!
That should be tons of fun :H

Wishing everyone a terrific AF Saturday!

Lav

[porqoui]

af Saturday 10 August

MAE ALL...

TT...thanks for kicking us off and CONGRATS ON 10 MONTHS :wd:
Hopefully you can put the work woes out of your mind for the weekend. Your work issues really make me think about the job offer as I would then have to deal with "Attila the Accountant". :wow:

SF...what a great way to be..."neutral" And of course you had to check out what everyone was having! :H I think the ex is in his depression state of his bipolar illness and it is very hard to be around him and watch. He blames everything, including his illness, on me and I'm sure that comes through when he's talking to my son. I am not saying I'm totally innocent in the family struggles, ie alcohol, but like me he has to take responsibility for his own actions. When I was in rehab one of the counselors told me my ex would use his manic/depression to control me. He advised me to not go back to him. Wish I had listened, it would have saved us years of torment.

Mick...thanks for the coffee and I missed you guys too. Have you considered starting another money tree from a cutting? If it's too much of a hassle just mail it to me, it will have a place of honor in the community garden. Oh the garden, haven't thought about that in 2 weeks! Great minds think alike...I started my pros & cons list last night. There is definitely more to a job than just the pay cheque. I plan on working on it over the weekend and sending it to my boss before we get together on Monday. He and I have always been able to be open and honest with each other and for that I am grateful. I suggest you take the weekend off as you'll be busy next week finishing the fireplace.

Cinders...I am still not financially independent as the kids are paying all expenses so was able to survive on a part time job. I am responsible for food, cooking and cleaning and that's ok cause I gotta do it anyways. Sometimes I get down on myself for being so dependent on them and a full time job would help with that, but then they'd probably want rent money from me. :upset: I'm glad you didn't have to deal with the raccoon yourself. I love guns, always jealous when I read Det's posts. I can spend the entire day target shooting and not get bored.

Lav...sounds like things are getting back to normal in your life. An "adventure" to IKEA is definitely how you have to look at it. Remember to take only enough cash that you can afford to spend. It's a real pain to have to use their American Express card or cash only but it does help me keep an eye on my purchases. Enjoy your day.

Sam...quick shout out to you...CONGRATS ON 3 MONTHS :wd:
Not sure if you're familiar with AA and the milestone chips they hand out for 24hrs, 1/3/6/9 months and 1 year. A very wise poster on this thread informed us it's because those dangerous periods have been found to be when people slip (or choose to drink). That really hit home for me as I had to achieve 90 days twice. I am coming up on my year soon and I keep that information front and centre in the old brain. Actually it's sitting on the beast at the moment.

Looking forward to my Saturday visit with my Dad. It feels like forever since I've seen him and it was only one Saturday that I missed. I've gotten used to putting everything out of my mind and just being in his world with him. I've missed that as I think it gives me a chance to re-evaluate my priorities and I always feel so much calmer and confident after my visits.

Have a great AF Saturday all and all to come....PPQP

[paulywogg]

af Saturday 10 August

woo-hoo congrats on 10 months tt!! now thats something to feel good about! and samstone on 90 days,awesome,awesome work,i hope everyone has a wonderful,productive(or lazy)weekend

[YoungAtHeart]

af Saturday 10 August

MAE Fabbies!

Well done, TT on 10 months! Very good work, you! I hope you enjoy your weekend and don't ruminate about work too much.

Congrats on 90 days, Sam. Special kudos for getting through that accident without hitting the sauce afterward!

I'm so sorry about your neighbor, Mick. There but for the grace go all of us. I feel for his family.

It sounds like you are doing well, SunFlower. So glad to hear it.

I am glad to hear that perhaps the cats will deal with the ground squirrels for you, Cinders. That is preferable to having to poison them yourself, I think. I'm glad that your tummy is feeling a little better.

It is so nice to have you back PPQP. I missed you while you were gone.

A funny thing happened to me today, although it was not funny when it happened. I tried to deposit a couple of checks at the ATM today, and it took the checks but didn't deposit them or give them back to me. The branch had just closed, but the staff was still in there, and the manager could see I was about to have a MAJOR MELTDOWN in the parking lot that would include both hollering and tears. (Given my broke summer, nothing will send me out to Planet Mongo faster than thinking an ATM just ate $300.) Anyway, the staff wanted to go home, clearly, but they got the ATM apart, found the checks and deposited them for me. Nothing like a WOMAN ABOUT TO GO CRAZY to make people jump. I was very grateful for their efforts and made sure they knew of my appreciation.

On a positive note, I have a potential buyer for my house. I am almost afraid to let myself feel hopeful; it has been such a dreadful summer financially. So please send out good vibes or say a prayer to whatever deity you observe that I get a decent offer on the house. It would sort out a number of complicated issues in my life. :fingers:

Anyway, hi to Lav, Pauly and others. I hope you're having a great weekend!

:l
YahYah

[Mick]

af Saturday 10 August

Yah fingers crossed ,wee prayer said for you ..and the best of luck...tried to get a lucky rabbits foot ...but they werent for having it

[Determinator]

af Saturday 10 August

happy Saturday ABerooooooos!

boy am I tired but happy. had a marvelous hike/shoot and feel invigorated.

maga huge kudos to TreeTops and Sam Stone for outstanding achievements in the field of sobriety!

Cindi and PPQ, I didn't know you two enjoyed the fine discipline of marksmanship...how cool! I'm an avid collector and competitor. I have some rifles that would cost more than $7K USD to replace. yes it can be expensive if you get competition grade gear. of course I have just as much fun with my 100.00 plinkers too! today a friend brought his massive .50 magnum (yes .50) revolver and it just about flipped me on my back. wow! anyway, you two come and join me anytime and we'll have a safe, fun time.

tonight Dx and I are going to a late movie so I'm still drinking coffee I tend to get sleepy at night these days, which is a good thing of course. I still remember my blurry years as a 20 YO partying til 3am, then up at 7am to work. ugh.... what a dumbass.

be well everyone!