Lest I Forget – That Friday Night Feeling
Sat in a mates car driving round southsea grabbed this shot which reminded me of times gone by.
Recovery
100 days and 300,000,000 seconds
Continuing my weird number obsession I’ve passed the 100 days mark off the cigarettes and the 300 million second count away from the booze. I’m astounded.
No New Year Resolutions (except one)
Not being a believer in lame resolutions I never would complete, like going to the Gym, we’re going for a frivolous one instead this year, Eat More Jelly (Jell-o in the U.S.)
Made pinapple Jelly with the youngest this NY eve and was as good as I remembered it from Childhood parties and also baked bread for the first time in probably 18 years. Turns out I’m a pretty good baker even if I do say so myself.
Happy new year to all those fellow recovering drunks out there, I have found post Xmas/New Years can be a tricky time, particularly in the early days after the highs and lows of Christmas, take care and keep safe.
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Merry Xmas
Wishing everyone a very happy and sober Christmas and if your struggling with it all that’s ok, just make sure its a safe one. I went to a meeting at some point during Christmas day for the my first 7 or so sober Christmas’s and they got easier and far more fun as time’s gone on.
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Photo by Kenyai under CC licence.
Update
Here’s our rather heavily laden tree, a great day of fun prezzies, food and naps was had by all.
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If
Reminded of this old poem at a meeting the other day. Added as a page here.
IF you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too;
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or being lied about, don’t deal in lies,
Or being hated, don’t give way to hating,
And yet don’t look too good, nor talk too wise:
If you can dream – and not make dreams your master;
If you can think – and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you’ve spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
And stoop and build ‘em up with worn-out tools:
If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breathe a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: ‘Hold on!’
If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
‘ Or walk with Kings – nor lose the common touch,
if neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,
If all men count with you, but none too much;
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds’ worth of distance run,
Yours is the Earth and everything that’s in it,
And – which is more – you’ll be a Man, my son!
Rudyard Kipling (1865-1936)
A “Step 9” made the news
Not often you see this..
Thief sent ‘sorry’ letter to shop The owner of an Indian food store in Bristol has received an apology letter and £100 from a former drug addict who stole cigarettes from the shop in 2001.
Imran Ahmed, 27, who runs Raja Foods in St Marks Road, Easton, said he was stunned to open the remorseful letter.
It begins: “Dear Sirs, I am writing this letter to make amends to you for something I have done in the past.”
Mr Ahmed said the thief’s change of heart was “really good” and he intends to give the money to a drugs’ charity.
The thief’s letter continues: “About seven years ago I was walking past your shop late one night when I noticed that someone had broken into it.
Make amends
Full story here
Three weeks off the fags and another dose of Frank
After 15 years of heavy smoking and several aborted attempts at quitting finally gave it a another go and am up to 3 weeks. My better half is 4 weeks off as well.
Last attempts involved Nicotine substitutes which I merely cross addicted to, (the one time tried it with cigars, lasted 2 days….. pure insanity) This time did the whole docs/smoking clinic thing and they put me on Champix or Chantix in the states. Not being used to mind altering drugs any more this one felt bloody strong, took away the cravings and made smoking entirely unrewarding and unpleasant but left we with surreal dreams and highly irritable and more of a Grump old man than I usually am.
Had to come off the drugs 10 weeks early from what I’d been prescribed for my own sanity and that of those around me, feeling a lot more balanced now without the Champix in my system and for the first time since I was a student entirely nicotine free.
Kinda feels like the volumes being turned up on emotions food and smells at the moment, just gonna take time for things to settle, took bloody years for the roller-coaster to level out after I gave up the booze so not expecting any instant fixes thius time.
Saw Frank Turner down at the Wedgwood Rooms in Southsea last night, had forgotten he was playing until that day and almost didn’t get tickets and had to beg at the box office as it was a sell out. Franks now got a Four piece behind him including a great drummer also doing the backing vocals.
He put on a bloody rocking show the energy levels are really lifting the larger his support band get and really good to see him selling out larger and larger headline venues.
New Single “Long Live the Queen” is out with proceeds going to a breast cancer charity, the lyrics and sentiment of this track choke me up every time I hear it.