Newbies Nest

[NoSugar]

Re: Newbies Nest

Pav, I was really annoyed with some friends who I feel "jumped the line" to get their vaccines. But as things have evolved, I've started to see it differently. There is no overall protocol with defined rules. Each state and each county within each state is making it up as they go along. And -- the parameters change almost randomly with no good dissemination of the new information. Places with 'no appointments available' suddenly have them so if you're willing to spend the day online, you might get lucky. I would still have my dogmatic 'obey the rules' opinion if there were concrete rules to obey. At this point I feel like anyone who has the opportunity to get vaccinated should do it. It's good for the person, the community, and the world overall. Ironically, within a couple months we'll probably be begging people to get vaccinated!

Good for you being proactive and getting your appointments, Lav.

I didn't react to my second shot either. Like the first time, the injection site is sore if I press on it but otherwise I'm fine. If I were in a clinical trial, I would be convinced I has received the placebo!

Well, Wags, Puppy is fun/annoying. We had a couple very bad weather days so the potty training suffered. She would not stay out long enough to get the job done and we weren't up for standing in the cold, windy rain either. She is in the biting stage so that is a challenge, also. But, her training is going well (as long as I have chicken it my hands!). And thankfully her cuteness and enthusiasm outweighs her challenges.

I'm enjoying my solo weekend! Walked with friends this morning then worked in the sunny backyard, cutting down grasses and other stuff from last fall. I love this time of year with all the promise it holds.

Have a good weekend, Nesters.

[Rahulthesweet]

Re: Newbies Nest

Last COVID year brought so much gratitude,
More appreciation for smaller things in life,
Felt happy while getting a COVID vaccine,
Vacation next ... with kids and family

On the beach one evening
Sipping my Heineken Zero
Which tasted like piss
just to give company to someone
Who was drinking

Then I saw a dude sitting alone
With his glass
Big head phones on his head
Enjoying

I thought I saw myself from past
He was seeing the waves
And in his own trance
enjoying the lovely winds

he canÂ’t hear the lovely sound of waves
maybe not even the calm evening
for he was busy with the company of whisky

“Excuse me” he said
“What are you drinking ?”
“I don’t drink this is zero ..” I said proudly
“Wow I respect that” he looked amazed
“I can’t imagine like without drinking”
“Without it life will be too ...”
“Boring ?” I interrupted
“Yeah ! But how do you get will power ?”

“It’s not will power ,,, I have trained my mind to enjoy everything except alcohol,
Like now I see you enjoy that glass,
I am enjoying everything else except this glass which I am holding”

“How long you have not been drinking ?”
“7 years”, I said proudly !

I saw his jaw dropped ...

I canÂ’t saw if I felt sorry for that guy
But I stopped and didnÂ’t give any advice
No advice worked for me
When I wanted to stop
I stopped ....

then I needed help
Which I found here ..

He too will find help
If he looks for it

As for me.... I just thought about him
And MWO
so logged in to express my gratitude

I love you all ...
thanks you ...

[Lavande]

Re: Newbies Nest

Happy Spring, it is finally here
Sunny & nice enough to get a bit of work done outside, yay!

Rahul, we all love you too & it’s great your thoughts on the sober life. I wouldn’t have it any other way either!!

NS, puppy training, oh my, haha! I made the mistake of getting one of my golden pups in February & taking him out all hours of the day & night was awful. But, once they are trained they are good frineds to have around. Good luck & good to hear you had no side effects from the vaccines.

NS, I agree I want everyone vaccinated too. I want to spend more time with family & grandkids. The kids have grown so much this past year I almost feel like they are strangers. Time flies!

Pav, glad you’re out enjoying nice weather too.

Wags, I am so relieved to have an appointment for Monday. Kinda tired of feeling a bit paranoid, if you know what I mean. I just want to feel like Lav again, haha!!

Hello to all & wishing everyone a safe night in the nest!
Lav

[available]

Re: Newbies Nest

Evening nesters

glad to see that so many are getting the vaccine, we are still in stage 1 whoever that is. apparently GP's can give it and of course they told the public which is great but they dont have any vaccines given to them or not enough. we still have compulsory mask wearing in shopping centres but i see fewer and fewer people wearing them. As we were the worst hit state last winter its a bit of a worry but i still wear a mask, the after affects of covid are not very pleasant apparently.

Feeling a bit more human albiet low blood pressure etc. The GP thinks it is hormone related also which is just fantastic to know NOT. i dont want to take HRT, been there tried that. im trying so many vitamins, i am rattling now.

Not sure i am happy about your all getting excited about spring, it is still dark at 7am now so winter is coming. had a lovely rainy day today and we need it. flooding in other parts of the state.

Lav, i am suprised that the Amish arent getting vaccinated, very dangerous for the outsiders who help them. i hope they change their minds. Good luck with your vaccination.

Rahul, maybe you telling this person about your sobriety will make him think. i have some great conversations with patients about my sobriety and every single person i have told has congratulated me. i am one of the lucky ones to be sure and i never ever want to drink again. i dont really think about drinking even when stressed, i think of a nice walk to get my brain thinking of something else. i dont feel once ounce of jealousy towards drinkers, i feel sorry for them but as you say we cannot make others stop drinking we can only tell our story and hope they know its possible.

my nieces premmie baby is 34 weeks now and up to 3 1/2 pounds. we hope he is out of ICU in a couple of weeks. i am going to get out my knitting needles and try a teeny tiny outfit.

Really looking forward to a break at Easter, having a few extra days to have some regroup time.

take care xx

[Lavande]

Re: Newbies Nest

Good evening to a very quiet nest!

I guess everyone is out enjoying the weather. I’m sitting out on my deck right now, enjoying it too

Ava, I have a feeling we are going to need masks for possibly a few years, like it or not. Trying to get the general public to understand modes of transmission is nearly impossible. So many are worried about their rights being taken away. That’s such a stupid train of thought I can’t even go there. I have seen folks in stores this past week without masks & no one was throwing them out either. I give them a low growl when they walk past me, haha. Great to hear your niece’s baby is thriving. Over here they are sent home when they reach 5 pounds. I lectured the hell out of husband a year ago when the pandemic started & made him promise to get his Amish customers mask up & use hand sanitizer before hopping in his truck. They want nothing to do with the government so they feel they can refuse vaccines. They refused polio vaccines & had a hug outbreak here back in the early 70’s. They finally relented & accepted the vaccine. It’s hard to change stubborn minds.
Hope you’re feeling better, take care.

Hello to all & wishing everyone a safe night in the nest!

Lav

[wagmor]

Re: Newbies Nest

Rahul - always wonderful to see you! As for your conversation with the person on the beach -- I'd say smart choice to not offer advice for the exact reason you stated. But I also agree that perhaps that conversation planted a seed, or fertilized an existing seed, and will one day help another drinker choose to stop. Hope you'll stop by the nest here again soon.

Ava - sorry that our days getting longer occurs simultaneously with your days (and G's and others') getting shorter. Yours is the harder transition for most people, although not all. I hope you start to see vaccines become more available in your area soon.

NS - so glad you were able to enjoy your solo weekend. Sounds like pretty typical puppyhood, and you already know the annoyances will probably all dissipate over time and through training.

Lav - I understand why some groups/populations/demographics distrust the government. I don't really trust our govt either, but I do trust and believe science. I hope your husband isn't at too high risk during his work with the Amish and I also hope they come around to the benefits of being vaccinated. Sadly, it might take a real outbreak for them to change their stance.

As another weekend comes to a sober close, I send hellos and waves to all of you. Happy new weeks to everyone!

[Pavati]

Re: Newbies Nest

Hi, All:

Hi, Rahul. I love that - I am enjoying everything that's NOT in a glass. I was so content this weekend with my fizzy water and the company of friends, and so grateful to not wake up hungover. I hope you did plant a seed. I remember when I was near the end if I ever encountered anyone who wasn't drinking I quizzed them endlessly - did you quit forever? Why? Was it hard? Do you still have fun? Now when someone does that to me I just figure they're on their way. Thanks for stopping by. Hope everything else is good.

My husband was given a chance at a vaccine through legitimate means and it is fine. I just think that the people who made him eligible expanded their power a bit. But I have come to think like you do, NS. We all need it, so he should take it. My son now works at a restaurant so he's eligible also. It will be great to be able to relax a little.

Lav, I agree - I think some of us anyway will be wearing masks for a long time. The variants are winning the race against the vaccine in other places, so we need to remain vigilant.

We had a beautiful and fun weekend. We finally saw some very good friends we haven't seen in a long time and had one of those four hour conversations under the heat lamp outside. It was wonderful to catch up.

Hope you all have good weeks.

Pav

[Byrdlady]

Re: Newbies Nest

Rahul, what a beautiful post. You bring such perspective to the nest. I’ll never forget the story of you at the airport when you saw a diplomat and his entourage.....he ordered tea! A coworker once told me she was sober and at the time (I was drinking heavily). I felt sorry for her! Later, as I was trying to quit, I realized she must have felt sorry for me. When I really got serious about quitting, I called her for advice. “Get support”. She was right. MWO was the right thing at the right time.

Lav, so glad you are getting your shots today! I still plan to practice germ warfare once I am completely vaccinated, but hopefully, I won’t be so fearful. It’s a race against time with those variants. It’s a shame that every time we get close to getting an upper hand on this pandemic, the leaders lift restrictions and people relax and let loose and our numbers go back up. You’d think that after 4 times, we’d know better. I have learned this about people, they aren’t good at policing themselves. So true, even of us here. Best to be accountable!

As I waited my 15 minutes after my vaccine. A lady beside me looked over and said, “I’m diabetic”. I said,”I’m autoimmune”. The guy behind us said, “I’m cardiovascular”. All there because of our underlying heath issues, but those labels don’t define us. Like our AL Addiction doesn’t define us. We are who we chose to be, regardless of our baggage. It’s so nice to ponder the thought of getting back to normal. As spring arrives, I’m full of hope.
Hugs to all, Byrdie

[Lavande]

Re: Newbies Nest

Good evening Nesters,

We did get our first vaccines on a beautiful spring day today, yay!
I definitely feel a little relieved but will not be letting my guard down any time soon.

Byrdie, seeing the mass of college kids on spring break in Miami - incredible! Their parents likely funded their trips, I wonder what the hell they were thinking
My husband had to wait 30 minutes after getting his shot so I stayed with him to keep an eye on him. You never know when he’s going to have an allergic reaction to something. He was fine & I found myself silently watching the others spread around the room.....just in case. The medic who was sitting at the table to observe people had his face buried in his phone the whole time, haha.

Wags, I’m with you in trusting science, not so much the government.
My husband has been feeding the Amish community little nuggets if science all along. I’ve printed easy to read articles for him to pass along to them too. I know they all feel the need to do what their bishops tell them what to do but we’re in the background teaching the bishops a little life saving science, planting a few seeds of wisdom

Pav, I will be happy to see everyone get vaccinated. I just wish the roll out of the vaccines had been a little more organized.
Good to hear you got to see your friends!

Hello to all & wishing everyone a safe night in the nest!

Lav

[Guitarista]

Re: Newbies Nest

Hola nester's!

Love your post Rahul. Yes, if drinking booze, that is my company and focus. Less so nature and those around me as my sense are blunted due to the anaesthetic i am consuming.

Sounds like y'all gittin the vaccine up there. Along with spring in the air things must be looking hopeful. Yay! Here it's autumn/fall but then we only have 3 months of cold, rain and shorter days before spring. I am grateful for every day, rain hail or shine. I prefer regular sunshine though!

Hmm, should i stay or should i go? i.e. Been considering moving house north to sunnier climes for awhile. Melbourne is a great city and a cultural artistic mecca, but sheesh easy on the grey skies will ya?!

Take it easy out there. Git it.

[Pavati]

Re: Newbies Nest

Good morning.

I am so sad and sickened by the new mass shooting here. Our gun culture seems to be the first to rise out of the pandemic.

I meditated this morning in an attempt to keep less anxious during the day - anxiety coming from who knows? These times are so strange.

Not much to say this morning but I am happy to have this place to come to for support. I know that feeling you describe, Byrdie - so grateful that I am the one ordering tea!

Pav

[Lavande]

Re: Newbies Nest

Good evening Nesters,

Ava, if they simply banned the AR-15 most of these mass shootings wouldn’t be happening. No one needs an AR & the mentally ill seem to find them
I just read the shooter’s brother says he believe his brother was paranoid & has been since high school. He definitely should not have had access to any weapon. Praying for those 10 families.

G, moving north would take you where? Seems you like the sun much better than the clouds, me too

Well we had a discussion today & decided we are just too old & potentially crippled to deal with upkeep on the garden beds around the house so we are getting estimates from some landscapers, haha!! Some lucky younger guy can have that job of digging, weeding & mulching!! No sense in killing ourselves with. That kind of work anymore.

Hello to all & wishing a safe night in the nest for everyone. I am grateful for our happy little community here

Lav

[Slo]

Re: Newbies Nest

[MENTION=16186]available[/MENTION], you make me feel good about being AF when I read of your empowering stance of being proud of and unapologetic about being a non drinker; and that you see yourself /us as the lucky ones. Of course, your patient population would include lots of alcoholics and people whose health has been ruined by booze -so that would help you to feel lucky!

Good to hear that your niece’s little preemie is growing nicely. How early was he, and how big was he?

I spent the day yesterday with my little one-year-old grandson and my daughter yesterday. Such fun! He is such a cutie! So exhausting though too, as it brings back memories of those unrelenting days of endless childcare and hardly a minute to yourself and too hard to keep up with everything else you’re supposed to do as well. I used to love to go to work to get a break! I have enjoyed my quiet day today, recovering.

You might move north, [MENTION=7261]Guitarista[/MENTION]? That could be fun! I love the sunshine too.

Do you even need all the garden beds, Lav? At first when I started reading, I thought you were saying that a landscape company was coming to convert some of the beds into shrubs and grass. Good idea to hire in help for your large property.

I’m soldiering on in an AF lifestyle! COVID lockdown has been a big help!

[Byrdlady]

Re: Newbies Nest

Great to see you, SLO! Isn’t it a relief to have done the pandemic AF? It has been a real learning experience all the way around. Our state is opening up more stuff on Friday and I find myself with anxiety about that. It seems as if every time we make some headway, we open stuff up and get a spike. I guess that is how it works. Anyway, be very proud of yourself for staying the course through all of this! It’s great to see you!
Lav, I don’t blame you for farming out the gardens. My back hurts for you! I need to spend some quality time with some weeds. Once I’m fully vaccinated, I look forward to getting to the flower shops.
So sad about yet another shooting. That’s a shame we are getting back to that normal.
Hugs to all, stay safe. Byrdie

[wagmor]

Re: Newbies Nest

Slo - so nice to see you!

G - a move north to more sun sounds wonderful. Where are some places you could move to? Or at least that you would consider?

Lav - sounds like a good decision on the garden. That's the least fun work of all of it anyway, at least in my opinion!

Pav - I'm saddened by the shooting too. I met online today with one of my students who graduated from CU in Boulder - he said he was just in that exact same grocery store a few days ago. He was really shaken up by the violence and randomness of the shooting, but also by how close to home it hit. I don't understand WTF is wrong with this country. Every single time a tragedy like this is carried out, we as a society wring our hands and cry and say "never again" but then nothing ever changes. I gave up hope of gun reform after Sandy Hook. For those who don't know, Sandy Hook was name of the elementary (primary) school where a gunman shot and killed something like 20 little 6-year-old students and several teachers back in 2013. If the people in this country couldn't change our laws after children were slaughtered, then nothing will get us to change. It's infuriating.

Sigh...

Very grateful for our community here.

Happy Thursdays to everyone. Hope you're all having good weeks!