Archive for November, 2008

Today, I am thankful for:
my Polish grandmother’s pierogi recipe.
words.
my family, even with all their angst-inducing nuttiness.
my sense of humor, which helps me deal with the above-mentioned family.
my friends, who also help me deal.
my daughters and their exasperatingly, exhilaratingly different personalities.
sprigs of rosemary fresh from my garden.
the lovely aquamarine of the lake just outside my window.
the [...]


I heard this story (or something like it) at an AA meeting the other day. Back in the day, it was the sort of thing that would have inspired a fair share of derisive eye-rolling on my part. And now? I think maybe it’s a little corny, but a nice enough reminder to count our [...]


From p. 37 of Alcoholics Anonymous, The Story of How Many Thousands of Men and Women Have Recovered from Alcoholism, Fourth Edition, copyright ©1939 (a.k.a. The Big Book)
Our behavior is as absurd and incomprehensible with respect to the first drink as that of an individual with a passion, say, for jaywalking. He gets a thrill [...]


Dear Dad,
You’re coming to visit today, and I’m equal parts happy and anxious.
Your granddaughters, who get to enjoy your company for a few days each year, are giggling and giddy with anticipation. They’ve made a “Welcome Opa” sign, decided which board games you’re going to play and in what order, and have even set aside [...]


Status quo.

22Nov08

Aside from this blog and Flickr, my other current online self-expression passion is Facebook.
I’m not sure why it surprises me, but I just realized that a healthy (or perhaps unhealthy?) amount of my Friends often have status updates related to drinking.
Behold, a sampling from today:
J. is home, armed with a glass of wine, and ready [...]


I told B. that I knew I had a drinking problem on our fifth date, a little over two years ago. I was pretty smashed at the time.
I can’t remember his response, but he didn’t seem to mind. I stayed over at his house for the first time that night.
Although we drank a lot together [...]


Thank God I’m not a radio host. I’d have incurred some hefty FAA fines tonight.
After dinner, I completely lost it with my 11-year-old (a.k.a. Control Freak Jr.).
She got frustrated while doing her homework and I got frustrated at her frustration.
She started yelling and I started yelling about her yelling.
She started charging up the stairs [...]


Back from NYC, home safe and sound and happy.
I had such a good time that I was sort of fearing coming home, thinking I would suffer some post-vacation blues. Instead, I feel very content. I took in a Broadway show and got to visit backstage, had some wonderful girl time, experienced some very inspiring [...]


Trading vices.

18Nov08

So here I am in the Big Apple on a girls’ weekend, with a mere 30 days of sobriety in the AA program under my belt.
There have been plenty of opportunities to tumble off the wagon, needless to say. I’m here with my best girls – the ones with whom I’ve enjoyed many a good [...]


I am in New York City for a girls’ weekend.
I have been slightly nervous about this trip since I started in AA a month ago. My friends are good friends – my BFFs, in fact, and they’re all very understanding and supportive.
They’re also my old drinking buddies. And old habits die hard.
I consulted with my [...]