Super Sunday

Passed CPR/AED yesterday so I am now officially certified to give CPR to dummies and shock them with fake devices. Can also give CPR to infant dummies, but no AED for them. Seriously, it was a great refresher, and I hope I don't have to use those skills, but they are good to know.

Today I am grateful for:

Sober weekend mornings and beautiful summer days.

Having sufficient resources to put food on the table and maintain a roof over our heads.

The family, and opportunities for all of us to get together.

My health, which is pretty good all things considered.

Online friends, who I learn something from every time I am out here reading.

Fabulous Friday

I am so grateful for my sobriety today, and for a fabulous and sober weekend ahead!

I do hope the economy starts turning soon. We've been hit pretty bad at the place I work. Stimulus money has helped, and will last another year or so. Department heads need to submit significant budget reduction plans since it looks like our state budget ended in a deficit and support from them will be cut yet again. All things considered, we still have it pretty good and relatively secure. There are a lot of folks struggling out there at present...

One thing I find hard to understand is how difficult I've found it to get a decent repair done, considering the economy. I had what I thought was a simple issue with the truck (belts squealing) had it back to the same shop on several occasions, new belts, re-tightened, new pulley - still squealing. Finally took it to the dealer, they found two loose clamps, tightened them up and done.

And the house. There was a unusual leak where the foundation meets the siding. No one wants to do a siding repair, they all want to replace the entire house and bill the insurance company. It wasn't a totally small job either, somewhat complex and it cost about a grand to figure out where the water was getting in and then do the repair. I had several contractors no-call no-show, many wouldn't even return calls. Finally found someone to do it. Now I need some rain. :-)

Rain, c'mon RAIN! I want a real leak test...

Home For Sale

This is the house I grew up in. It will be up for sale shortly.

It is a bittersweet time. It's been almost a year since my father passed away, and I am relieved and happy to see Mom move to a place with activities. I'm glad that she won't be burdened with the maintenance of the house. The long cold winters up there are rough on both houses and people, and I'm glad she'll be in a better residence before this winter sets in.

As a part of the de-cluttering she sorted through a chest of family photos and has been sending them out to us. These pictures date back 50 years and rekindled some happy memories of holidays and vacations while growing up. The house is in a small village, a country setting. Open fields and unclaimed woods were our playground. We picked berries, played hide and seek, built forts to sleep out in.

As the photo time line progresses there are pictures of our kids and my brothers family playing together, more Christmases, Thanksgivings, birthdays and weddings.

Not all the times were happy, but the positive outweighs the negative in a landslide.

It is a small place, three bedrooms and only one bath, but those rooms are full of fond memories. I'll be both happy and sad to see it go.

Benefits of alcohol: fact or fiction?

As mentioned in many previous posts, I consider myself the King of Alcohol Haters. In a rather interesting post on a recovery board, a member has claimed that there are, in fact, benefits to drinking - and the only reason I can not see them is because I am an alcoholic.

He makes the following claim:

To say alcohol has no benefit at all, to anyone, is downright naive if not totally false. 95% of the people that are "normal" rather enjoy a beer now and then, and it benefits them because it is enjoyable. Only an alcoholic, that knows THEY can never drink, thinks that it is bad for everyone. If that concept helps someone stay quit, fine, but it is factually incorrect.

He goes on to add:

Alcohol is a key metabolic and signaling molecule that is necessary for life.

Perhaps it is just me, and that I am upset that my addiction led to some regretful decisions in the past? Maybe also that since I witnessed alcohol bring other's lives to an early end, including my father, that I have developed an odd hate of the substance?

I agree that this alcohol hating mindset HAS helped me stay sober. Is there a real benefit to drinking, is alcohol in fact, necessary for life, as the scientist claims in his post?

I don't think so, my addiction aside. Even picking apart the wine industry's claim of a glass of red wine a day shows that the same beneficial disease-fighting antioxidants, called flavonoids, can be derived from purple grape juice.

Factually speaking, the alcohol in drinks is the same substance used in industrial solvents, although it is in a very watered down and often sugared up form to mask the taste. Each gram is seven empty calories, in comparison to the four each that are found in nutrient rich protein and carbohydrates. I can't find a Recommended Daily Allowance for alcohol anywhere on the FDA's website, so I don't believe is is required for daily living.

In fact, I suppose that this post was probably an individual mourning the fact that he couldn't go out and enjoy the supposed 'benefits' of alcohol with his friends on a Saturday night, rather than an article that is based on an scientific fact.

The original post is HERE, and was written by a biologist who usually provides better information.

The Holiday Weekend and more

(photos taken with iPhone)

The weekend went great. Our daughters visited and we went hiking, shopping, had brunch at a place in DC, and walked M Street in Georgetown. The highlight was an evening at a local fireworks show, just kicking back on a blanket, munching on snacks and talking about all the shows we went to when the kids were actually kids. The show was great, the crowd was small, and traffic was not bad at all. Both daughters are now back in their own opposite corners of the country, and even though they are now in their mid-twenties I still feel a little blue when they leave. Only a little more than four months to Thanksgiving though, and we'll all be together out in Arizona this year. :-)

I've mentioned elsewhere that I have an optimistic view on my back/sciatica/no_one_knows_what_the_hell_it_is ailment, and was told that this type of attitude will help me through it. So, that is my new treatment, I am going to smile from now on. Seriously, this is a valid point and I am recommitted to focusing on my daily stretches, core work, and managing this through the routine I was given at the end of Physical Therapy. I did have an appointment at the new clinic today and was a tad disappointed with the continued confusion on the cause, but will try another series of shots next Friday, this time the SI joint. Soon they will find the right place to inject...and I will continue to do my planks and bridges in the meantime. If nothing else, I will be the sorest person with the strongest abs and lower back.

The sorest person with an unknown ailment that will also be a Certified Personal Trainer in the next few weeks. (Oxymoronic?) Four more classes, CPR/AED certification on 7/18, and the final test is on 7/25, if my study plan stays on track. The three certs that I am familar with are American College on Sports Medicine (oldest and most medically based), American Council on Exercise (very similar to ACSM, with the much of the text based on ACSM material), and the National Academy of Sports Medicine, which seems more assessment and program design based, and is the one I am studying. Still need to memorize the muscles/bones/insertion points and kinesiology, but it is more workout based than the other two, using a stability/strength and power template. Which is fine with me, since I do not have a college background in Nursing, anatomy or another medicine related subject. {8-)

Why I am hoarding cash

Received a notice this week. The Chase account we have at 3.9% interest (no expiration), which was used to buy appliances will have the minimum payment increase from 2 to 5 percent. This increases the monthly minimum by ~300 bucks per month. I should thank them for helping me be debt free a quicker, but I still have some thoughts.

First, I fully understand why. Banks make money off the gap or spread of interest on the money they take in (low), versus the money they lend out (high). Considering overhead, loan loss reserve, and risk; they not making much, if any, of this account.

SO...

Jack the minimum payments up. Hopefully, the person can't make the payment, meaning late fees and a higher default rate. Profit.

Additionally, it seems that a lot of banks are now doing this. Companies that took taxpayer funded bailout funds. They are effectively raising payment amounts, which take money out of the economy.

So, I'm glad that I have ample cash flow to pay this. Of course it is stupid to carry balances on cards at all, but 3.9 for the life of the balance was a good deal, so we went for it. I feel bad for folks who struggle paying debts who face this.

Hoarding cash. I'm sure I am not alone. Exactly the action that will not help the economy right now. I will drive my eight year old truck until it dies, hold off on any durable goods purchases, and continue to add to my cash savings until things recover.

It's all under the mattress in the guest room. :-)

Finally

The sun came out today, both literally and figuratively.

I feel good. I feel free. It is noticeable to others.

I am grateful. Grateful that I learned about the evil effects of this before it and I went too far. To a place where I would have suffered more physical ills for a much longer time.

My head is clear, my mood is happy.