AF Daily- FRIDAY July 8,2011

[papmom3]

Did any of you go to sleep last nite???? I went to bed with 2 pages of posts, woke up to 3! :H

It's a very stormy morning which makes me nervous because 1. I HATE T-storms as you all know and 2. I won't go into the shower during one. My interview is in 2 hours and 15 min and I'm getting very worried about the timing. Hoping this storm is fast moving!! I'm excited to meet this woman. I had a marathon shopping session with my sis and niece and although I didn't find what I wanted (since when is a size 16 the new 18??? ) I did find something very appropriate and very different for me. The bad thing is my sister tells me I have to wear stockings with it-no bare legs for an interview! :upset: I HATE Pantyhose almost as much as T-Storms :H. I will do some food shopping afterwards but as soon as I can I'll hop on here and tell you all about it.

Until this afternoon then....

[greeneyes]

AF Daily- FRIDAY July 8,2011

mORNING FABBIES!1

oops

P3, sending you positive vibies that you have a nice clean interview that brings you more than you expect!

My phone rang 8 times between 3 & 4:30 AM last night (I don't answer) I'll call my father in a bit to see WTF he wanted in the middle of the night. Waiting for the caffeine rush first. He can't seem to remember the "only call me if it's daylight" rule. Oh well.

I know some of you get the Daily OM. I thought yesterday's message on worry was a good one. I know that worry can be a big issue and in the past, I often used AL to get relief from it. Which of course only increased it as it always heightened any perceived negatives. So here it is in case you missed it or don't get it.


Worry is an extension of fear and can also set you up for attracting that which you don?t want in your life.


We have all had the experience of worrying about something at some point in our lives. Some of us have a habitual tendency to worry, and all of us have known someone who is a chronic worrier. Worry is an extension of fear and can be a very draining experience. In order for worry to exist, we have to imagine that something bad might happen. What we are worrying about has not happened yet, however, so this bad thing is by definition a fantasy. Understood this way, worry is a self-created state of needless fear. Still, most of us worry.

One reason we worry is because we feel like we?re not in control. For example, you might worry about your loved ones driving home in bad weather. There is nothing you can do to guarantee their safe passage, but you worry until you find out they have reached their destination unharmed. In this instance, worry is an attempt to feel useful and in control. However, worrying does nothing to ensure a positive outcome and it has an unpleasant effect on your body, mind, and spirit. The good news is that there are ways to transform this kind of worry so that it has a healing effect. Just as worry uses the imagination, so does the antidote to worry. Next time you find that you are worrying, imagine the best result instead of anticipating the worst outcome. Visualize your loved ones? path bathed in white light and clearly see in your mind?s eye their safe arrival. Imagine angels or guides watching over them as they make their way home. Generate peace and well-being instead of nervousn! ess and unease within yourself.

Another reason we worry is that something that we know is pending but are avoiding is nagging us?an unpaid parking ticket, an upcoming test, an issue with a friend. In these cases, acknowledging that we are worried and taking action is the best solution. If you can confront the situation and own your power to change it, you?ll have no reason to worry.

I'm happy for the carpet cleaners to come today. I really made the most of the worker's dust delima. In many cases when people quit drinking, they do a mega clean because they need to keep busy and it is an area that has been neglected and produces immediate visible results. I didn't get to that part as I was otherwise occupied with FH's departure. So as I continue to navigate boundaries with him (he recently made a remark about a framed picture in the house implying questioning my ownership) I turned the mega clean into a "reclaiming my space" ritual of sorts. I have cleaned and smudged and it became quite the satisfying experience on several levels. Rather chuffed, I am! Al would never have allowed that.

Friday! What is everyone's bullet-proof plan for an AF weekend?

[Doggygirl]

AF Daily- FRIDAY July 8,2011

Morning fABbies!! Thanks for kicking us off today P3. THEY ARE GOING TO LOVE YOU AND HIRE YOU AND PAY YOU MORE $$$ vibes headed your direction!!! Panty hose. Bleh. That is all.

Greenie, I love the topic of fear and worry. The last couple of years have been filled with learning and tool development and I had NO IDEA what a negative affect fear and worry were having on me and my life. Awareness is the first step I think, to being able to take corrective action. Worry is not an action item. It's just a waste of time. Fear was the topic of a recent discussion. "Love is the antidote to fear" is one thing I heard. That's what I thought of when I read the part about using imagination to bathe those you are worried about in white light....

Kaz - so how DO you travel back and forth and to/from/at the arctic yukon tundra region?

Snake pie for YB. Ding ding ding - we have a WINNER! :b&d:

Det for REAL in his Garlic Man Suit. I CAN'T WAIT!!!! I'm thinking about how I can work this into my AF plan for the weekend. I certainly would not want to be drunk and passed out and miss the posting of this picture!!!!

Here is my for real sober plan for the weekend:

1) AA meeting Saturday morning.
2) Meditation to start each day in a peaceful way
3) EXERCISE!!! Lots of walking and also resistance bands.
4) Eat regular meals and snacks and NO SUGAR dangit.
5) There is no booze in my house and it shall stay that way.
6) The only event where I expect booze will be present is Saturday dog training. I will do my visiting before / during training and will be nowhere around the post-training party. Got better things to do like work in my garden, cook a fabulous dinner, read a book amongst the wonderful flowers on my roof top porch.

That plan worked last weekend and I believe it will work this weekend too. One thing is for sure....

DG

[Lavande]

AF Daily- FRIDAY July 8,2011

Good Friday morning Abbers!

Still stuck in the hot & humid weather pattern here. T storms happening nearby but not here for some reason

papmom, imagine all of us sitting in the corner, sharing popcorn during your interview! We are with you in spirit

Greenie - about worry -
I learned to become a worrier at a very early age largely due to the fear of an abusive parent. I was always worried that the old man really would kill one of us one day. We all escaped as soon as we could I have been trying to get out of that mode & think I'm making some progress no matter what comes up these days! I hope the carpet cleaners do a wonderful job today

DG, I too look forward to seeing Det in his Garlic Man suit
Maybe he could incorporate some snake skin in his outfit :H

My plan for the day is to NOT WORRY about Ms Lily having an ultrasound of her hip today. The Pediatrician has some concern about a possible hip dysplasia. She has not been in any discomfort whatsoever. The Doc noticed a slight discrepancy in the size of the gluteal folds (butt cheeks creases). I am not going to worry ahead of time.

OK, wishing everyone a great AF Friday!

Lav

[LVT25]

AF Daily- FRIDAY July 8,2011

There was a young woman from EEEEnis
who saw a snake that looked like a peeeenis.
She baked it in a pie
and gave it to her guy.
The look on his face was hieeeenous!!

Now THAT is good poetry! Sorry Mom3, you just didn't have the proper inspiration for your first attempt. Need the snake and pie to make it right.:H:H

Thanks for the reminder about worry Greenie! I'm going to print this out. I am a worrier, mostly about my kids. I don't worry so much about the big things like my hubby does, but it does make a person sick. I have found that turning things over to God and the archangels has helped me a great deal.

My hubby works 4-10 hour days in the summer. Usually he goes to work at 6 am. He is off today and already pissed me off before I had my coffee. I'm going outside to pull some weeds and get over it.

I have no big plans again this weekend which is kind of nice. Going to do some weeding and hopefully start on the front yard project. And of course there is the laundry and housework--Greenie, are you interested?

Unfortunately I glanced at DG's link to garlic man's photo. That is all.

Good to see all the new posters to the thread. Wishing everyone a sober weekend.:h

[Kaslo]

AF Daily- FRIDAY July 8,2011

Good morning Fabstinencias! It was a four train night. How many gd trains do you need to have down here in the US of A, I ask you? And MUST they announce themselves from Missoulla to Eureka at every track and trail along the way?

P3, best wishes. As a boss who has interviewed many for more than 30 years, I can tell you that being presentable is good, yes, but being knowlegeable about the business or field or what ever, knowing how to ask a good question goes a long way. Maturity, independance, capable of thinking ahead, all those things you really HAVE. When I hire people I look for that, and resourcefulness, inventive thinking and hard workers, YOU HAVE ALLA THAT.

Lavande, we have that in common too, along with all those other things. My dad also beat the crap out of every kid, except me, and then he left when i was 11. He was not happily married. That really set up a whole bunch of resentment between my sibs toward me. But that background sure is special isnt it? It makes it hard to trust others, to put it mildly. Did you and your sibs band together or were you circling around each other?

LV have a good day and dont let the hub piss in your cornflakes.

Greenie you are special person to let your dad phone you that often in the middle of the night and not be freaking out about it. I liked the quote on worry. I am a worrier as well. Its a real burden. When combined with obsessive compusiveness, its not easy to deal with. I gotta say bathing the people I worry about in white light seems kind of...weird. I have some worring antidotes. Mostly I try to have more faith in myself and others.

DG, thats a tightly packed agenda. Can you fit in going to this wedding here for me? In answer to your q, I take a series of commercial flights from where I live near to the NWT border town of Yellowknife, which takes a day if I am lucky but often its two days. Then I get on a company jet, a deHavilan I think, seats about 100 people, this leaves every second day I believe, and the in flight service is DELUX. I take this to the mine, where there is an airstrip, and a tower. In the north aviation is HUGE. Thier are ice roads in the winter, but in the summer its not possible to use them. And the distances are very long, so there are small to large airports and aircraft everywhere. The north is full of resources, and is growing by leaps and bounds. There is a lot of money to be made there, and Canada is very lucky to own a large part of it. (Russia and China also own a huge chunk of the north). There are several languages spoken, at least 7 different native languages in the North West Terretories alone. And experts on the type of extraction from around the world come there so its not uncommon to hear Inut, Danish, Africaans, along with French and English there. We are a very multicultural country, but in the north its completely world wide and any language and cultural character is expected. Once I am at the site, i then go to a small landing pad with a lot of shacks and fuel drums, get into a Bell Jet ranger helicopter and spend a few days flying to about 40 different remote sites on the tundra. Unlike the rest of the world, the north has its populations centred here and there, in small cities and villages, and then there is this vast UNTOUCHED area in between, so its very different than the rest of the world in so many ways.

Again, best of luck P3. Try to focus and concentrate on the things you know about the job, you will do fine.

Kaslo

[momof3]

AF Daily- FRIDAY July 8,2011

Good Morning Fabber Abbers,

By now P3, you should have had your interview (or you are still interviewing) and I am imagining that it went very well!! I'm right there with ya on the panty hose. I haven't worn them in 15+ years. My business garb consists of trousers and jackets. Please let us know how things went!!!

LVT: EXCELLENT POETRY. Yes, the pie was a necessary addition!!!

Kaz, My goodness. Lots of travel for you. I hope you have some time to settle when you arrive at your destination. Travel always throws me off a bit. Also, I am thinking that you and my daughter would get along famously. She is a great lover of nature and all living creatures (even snakes; she thinks they are beautiful). She is also very scientifically minded. I think she would love the type of career that you have (she's only 13 now). And, how amazing is it that you have done so well for yourself given the background you came from? You must have worked very hard to be where you are today.

Greenie. My mother-in-law has a habit of calling my husband in the wee hours of the morning from time to time. And, when she does, she calls him by her late husband's first name. Creepy. Also, I think you are spot on about my back giving out being no coincidence. Defintely second chakra stuff going on. The weekend yoga workship I took 2 weeks ago was intense and brought up alot. I don't have intentions of this being a career replacement, more for personal growth. We'll see what it brings. I am going to bow out of some of my volunteer obligations once it starts, for example no teaching RE classes at church on weekends this year. Thinking about leaving the board too.

DG. Sounds like you have a busy bee weekend. It's nice that you are starting it off with meditation. Proud of you for tackling the sugar demon!!!

Lav, I"ll send good wishes Ms. Lily's way. Worry is a hard nut to crack. And, it sounds like it was a survival mechanism for you as a child. I look at conquering worry for myself as having to train my brain to think differently. So, when a worry comes up I say, "don't go there."

Later,
M3

[Bean]

AF Daily- FRIDAY July 8,2011

Morning All!

I got totally creeped out last night - was watching a thriller by myself and there was a power cut right at the very moment this young boy had murdered his parents and then the wind got up from nowhere and started to howl outside. Arrgh! Luckily I had some candles and it only lasted around half an hour.

Now, some more things to work out.
FH? I'm thinking F_______Head. Am I right? Am I right?
XNGF? Erm...can't figure out the XN part.

I will be having an AF weekend as I am all busy and booked up with work and in between have to finish my wretched assignment. I have always been a last minute person, don't get anything done until the pressure is really on but I do NOT want to be doing an all-nighter next Thursday before handing it in on Friday. Time to knuckle down and it ain't gonna happen if I have even a smidgen of a hangover.

I seem to be entering a new space around drinking. I hate to speak too soon as my experience shows that statements about doing 'well' at being AF tend to precede a bingeing episode but...I am not counting days. I am not thinking about it ALL the time like I have done before (which drives me completely nuts). I am about to finish school and have a zillion reasons to celebrate all sorts of things and instead of thinking about when and how AL will be a part of that, I am leaning more towards why it won't! Another thing that's sunk in lately is that I know my drinking habits affect my family and friends and my relationships negatively but the person who really loses out when I drink is ME. I'm the one who spends the money, feels like crap, is ill and depressed afterwards. I'm the one who lets people down, misses out on fun things due to hangovers and experiences all the associated guilt and shame. I don't want to do that any more... The Spiritual River guy talks quite a lot about the difference between quitting AL and 'being' sober. Perhaps it is a shift in my attitude I am noticing? Previously it was all about how many AF days I could string together but always with a 'knowing' that there would be more drinking at some point in the future. Now I am understanding better about how being AF needs to be a lifestyle choice. It feels good!

Det....we are waiting....

P3 - Best of luck and don't forget to SMILE.

Lav, I am still laughing about 'YB'. Does he know you call him that?!

Have a wonderful trip Kas. I'll keep an eye on the Kootenays while you're gone!

Bear - good on you for 7AF days. I am going to watch the Roller Derby tonight for the first time. Can't wait.

Happy Friday one and all.
Bean

[Kaslo]

AF Daily- FRIDAY July 8,2011

Hey all, I am actually going to a well in the Yukon Territory first, at the end of next week for 10 days, and then to a couple of poisoned sites in NEBC, then home. I dont leave for the Arctic till August 7.

Im actually a little angry at the moment. We learned that one of the brides friends is a massage therapist and was offering massages in scheduled appointments to guests. So I signed up for the first session this morning, got there, no one there. Waited, husb came to pick me up, and asked me did you try the door, did you knock on the door? Why does he do this? Does anyone else think its kind of an insult to be considered such a numbskull that I would stand there and not ring the doorbell, try the door knock on the Fing door? Anyway, here I am back working on the deck, on a paper thats due, and its a beautiful day although I am cursing young flibbertigibbets with bachelors of message therapy....but a darn client asked for a summation of the limitations of soils to vegetation, bla bla bla fill in the blanks _______________ ha ha. Not a big deal, and he knows he is asking me to do something I cant do well at the moment so he is only getting a short unreferenced summation of factors for now. Then its out to find a dress I can wear to the wedding. TARGET! My fave American store!

Bean I like your new space, its a good one. I think maybe you turned a critical corner in your thinking. I will always be tempted from time to time, I think, but I hope I never succumb. I hope I dont succumb at this wedding either. A toast to the bride, water for me, thanks.

Mo3 howz the back now that your chakra is clear to you? I wish I could do the same with the hip replacements. I love the idea of training the brain to think differently. You know, come to think of it. ALs who go clean are rare accepters of change, if you know what I mean. Its a fact that people often do not change and hate change as they age, but people who struggle with then successfuly QUIT AL really DO accept and embrace change. You guys always make me think.

Love to all. Opinions welcome on being considered brain dead. I did say I would have to get over it, and chill because people are expecting me to be a good girl and have fun here, and he is going to have to forgive me for snapping at him. (its not about the message either, I would like one, but it aint crucial.) So that was easy. Thanks for listening.

Love

Kaslo, the barbarian.

Thank god this all happened with no hangover.

[Determinator]

AF Daily- FRIDAY July 8,2011

zoom zoom!

Aloha AF Friday!

[Doggygirl]

AF Daily- FRIDAY July 8,2011

Kaz - I LOVE changing. Holy crap. If you knew me before..... :nutso: So you are in Montana now? I guess I somehow missed all the driving? I was thinking that when you go to the Arctic, a Garlic Woman suit might be a real asset, assuming those things really fly. Det? Some Garlic Woman special weaponry might be handy to in the Wild Wild North.

Speak of Det - Aloha to you too. Are you donning your suit and flying to Hawaii?

Bean - I love the changes in your thinking!!! XNGF = GF today. We all KNEW she was Marshy's GF before Marshy did. Marshy called her NGF (non-GF). Once things became offically GF, it was XNGF. This all makes perfect sense if you are sitting around eating popcorn while two people are making out for the first time. :h

I can't believe I posted this AM without acknowledging Greenies' masterful poetry. No wonder she is :crowned:!!! :H

So M3 what are you doing this weekend? Is your back feeling a little better today?

Lav - loads of positive energy headed your way for Lily. I cannot imagine the kind of fear you grew up with. :l

LVT - I am only now learning to turn things over to the universe for care and safe keeping. Hard to do even when this stuff is way outside of my control. I'm learning though. Awareness is the first step.

So P3. Have they already chained you to your new desk????? Or did you get twisted up in your panty hose and can't get free? WE WANT DETAILS!!!!

The day is flying by and I still have much to do before I can start the real "me" time and go put some steps on this pedometer!

One thing is for sure...

DG

[Doggygirl]

AF Daily- FRIDAY July 8,2011

That 6 smilie limit is really annoying, especially to a sandwich poster such as myself.

:durn::boohoo::argh::bang:stomper:

DG

[Lavande]

AF Daily- FRIDAY July 8,2011

Kaslo - 'stating the obvious' really pisses me off :H Some people just can't seem to help themselves from doing that!!!
I don't know how many times I have told YB to stop treating me like an idiot! I hate be 'talked down to'. I have a perfectly good educated brain I sometimes think that's a control issue ~ not sure.
I remember as kids we all pretty much did our own running & hiding from the old man - a save yourself mentality. There was too much age difference between all of us & I was the odd one out being the only girl

M3, I'm with you on retraining my brain to stay out of worry mode. Staying in the present & refusing to allow myself to run through the possible scenerios (medically speaking) for Lily.........
Waiting to hear from daughter, staying as calm as possible.

LVT, I have come to enjoy the peace in the mornings around here! Honestly, YB used to have my B/P through the roof before he even left the house in the mornings. Sorry you have to deal with that too.

OK, lunch break over.

Bean, I told my husband after he ran off last year that he will continue to cut the 2.5 acres of grass here. That's not my job ~ he can be the Yard Boy & he agreed
FH = F______Head or F______Husband.
XNGF = X non-girl friend.
We are such a brilliant bunch :H

[papmom3]

AF Daily- FRIDAY July 8,2011

OK, I'm back. I'm feeling unsettled and I hate that! No, no offer yet gosh darn it! She is interviewing one other person as backup so I guess that is a positive thing. Like she said, what if I say no? She doesn't even know the salary range and didn't want to know what my requirements are until she knows the range. I'm so afraid it's going to be even lower than Job #1 but I'm trying very hard "not to go there" as M3 says. Thanks Greenie for the words from Daily OM on Worrying. Very timely.
I like her,however, does she go on and on about herself!! What is it with these insecure bosses? But, I don't think she has the mean streak in her that I've been privvy to the last 8 years. She says she's not a micro manager and she says she's looking for someone who can step into her shoes when she retires (might be sooner than I thought even tho she is one year younger than me). She's happy to be there and very excited. She likes my qualifications and I think she likes the fact I know so much about the school. She was able to witness some interaction I had with some other colleagues I hadn't seen in a long time and I think she liked what she saw. She won't be able to make a decision until Tuesday tho. I am so sick of waiting!!! Argggghhhhh!! I hope she liked me and thought we could work well together. I also hope the salary is matching. Nothing to do but put everything out of my mind for now.
thanks for your support and encouragement everyone!! I had to pick up a piece of popcorn someone dropped . Hope she didn't notice that!!

[mylife]

AF Daily- FRIDAY July 8,2011

Hello Abbers,

You are all so busy I can't even keep up.

Papmom - I'm sure you did great. If it was meant to be you will get the job. Many bosses are insecure. Just smile and nod.
Lav - thanks for the codes. I have never even understood what YB was - I gathered it was your ex, but didn't understand the initials!
Bean - I can completely relate. It really is a mindset change to stop thinking in terms of # Days AF and "This is my life - AF".

Okay, after some PM coaching from Lav, I'm trying to show a few pics from my Alaska trip this summer...


I hope it worked!

Have a fantastic AF Friday all!