Happy birthday to a wonderful guy who turns 17 years old today... my sobriety. It's hard to believe that my sobriety is now old enough to drive...(could have used a driver back in the day...would have saved a lot of money on cars and fines and surcharges and insurance etc., etc., etc.). It's hard to believe that I have not had an "adult" beverage in 17 years. Very little credit should be given to me for this accomplishment. The bulk of the credit goes to my higher power (God) and my highest power (all of you). I could not have done anything like this without the strength and courage that I received from my support system. Never has a "cliche" meant more than it does today. "One day at a time"... I heard it in AA meetings, group therapy sessions, and calls with my sponsor. Back at the beginning, I thought, what a bunch of crap! How am I supposed to quit drinking forever? That's impossible. And that is where the concept and purpose becomes clear. No one can be expected to stop drinking forever, but everyone can stop drinking for one day...today. And then when you wake up again, you repeat the cycle... "I will not have a drink today" and so on and so on. Having a sober and clear mind...(for the first time in a long time) made me realize that my drinking and drugging was not a personal issue but effected so many others. It wasn't until I got sober that I realized how much I hurt family and friends who watched while I pointed the bottle at my head and pulled the trigger time and time again. The endless worrying when I didn't come home or disappeared for days on end. The hopelessness they felt when they tried to convince me that I needed help...
That was then and this is now... I will never be able to repay the love and support I received over these years. All I can do is pay it forward every chance I can. I can promise that I will be here for any and all who are going through what I did or know someone they are trying to help. I have been blessed with another chance...(so many that saying a second chance is ludicrous) to live my life. I have been blessed with friends and loved ones who didn't give up on me...(even when I gave up on myself) and stuck with me through it all. I have been blessed with good health...my liver was pre-cirrhotic and enlarged at one time and now is completely healthy and functioning normally. At one time I weighed 245 lbs and had cholesterol and blood pressure through the roof. Through exercise and diet I am now under 200 lbs and my cholesterol and blood pressure are normal. My mind and brain are a different matter, but hey, some consequences had to be suffered.
So, happy birthday to "sober" Jim...it is been an extreme pleasure to see you born (April 28, 1995) and watch you grow up. I look forward to growing old with you. God Bless all of You and thank you so much!!
Saturday, April 28, 2012
Thursday, April 26, 2012
Rainy days and Thursdays...
Never get me down...it's raining today! It's been almost a month to the day since our last shower out here...(unlike the freak snowstorm that hit the Northeast earlier this week. Serves you right for living in Buffalo). It is deliciously cool and windy and all the windows are open. This may be the last opportunity to do this because we are right back in the 90's this weekend. We had a couple of 100 degree days this week...(a little early even for me). But overall it is still my favorite time of year.
After the "vampire" incident, I was considering how the heck I could top that, but then I remembered that Phoenix Comicon is coming Memorial day weekend! Geek Fest 2012 is a "can you top this" event with wacky costumes and even wackier costume wearers. The march of the pasty white people (coming out of Mom's basement for the first time since last year) is an annual event here and gets bigger every year. My favorite is the "Zombie Parade" through the streets of downtown...(those who live in NY can see this every weekend as the after hour clubs let out at 10am). The detail that some of the attendees put in their costumes is truly amazing and a little scary at the same time. The "peace bonding" table is usually packed, putting ziptie bonds on all the light sabers (Star Wars) and machine guns (Tour of Duty) and various other "weapons" that are allowed in the event. Scheduled this year is both Captains of the enterprise: William Shatner and Patrick Stewart (Kirk and Picard). No offense to Captains Janeway and whoever Scott Bakula played but Star Trek is Kirk and Picard. (OMG, my inner geek is coming to the surface...fazers on stun!). Should be a great time...
On the personal front, next week I will be in Las Vegas enjoying a free 3 day 2 night stay compliments of my timeshare company...(free, as in I must attend a one hour "beg fest", I mean owner's update). But still, a free stay is worth an hour of my time. Let me practice for next week..."No, no thank you, no, I have enough points, no, no, no... okay, I think I'm ready. Probably going to rent a car and keep my Jeep home. Speaking of which, after turning 172,000 miles, the Jeep is running beautifully still. Found a great hand wash car wash...(can't run it through the machines because the drivers door lets in a waterfall ever since the door was re-welded) and my mechanic is phenomenal. I would love for baby to hit 200,000 and beyond. It would be 2 cars in a row for me...(my little Saturn coupe, aka the Batmobile, made it to 203,000 before finally giving up the ghost). Barring any "haboob" damage (dust storm) or some idiot crashing into me (a more likely scenario), it looks like a good possibility.
So, I am going out on the balcony to enjoy the rain and cool weather...then I am going to set up a tee time (or two) for tomorrow. One month until golf prices plummet and the weather heats up...
After the "vampire" incident, I was considering how the heck I could top that, but then I remembered that Phoenix Comicon is coming Memorial day weekend! Geek Fest 2012 is a "can you top this" event with wacky costumes and even wackier costume wearers. The march of the pasty white people (coming out of Mom's basement for the first time since last year) is an annual event here and gets bigger every year. My favorite is the "Zombie Parade" through the streets of downtown...(those who live in NY can see this every weekend as the after hour clubs let out at 10am). The detail that some of the attendees put in their costumes is truly amazing and a little scary at the same time. The "peace bonding" table is usually packed, putting ziptie bonds on all the light sabers (Star Wars) and machine guns (Tour of Duty) and various other "weapons" that are allowed in the event. Scheduled this year is both Captains of the enterprise: William Shatner and Patrick Stewart (Kirk and Picard). No offense to Captains Janeway and whoever Scott Bakula played but Star Trek is Kirk and Picard. (OMG, my inner geek is coming to the surface...fazers on stun!). Should be a great time...
On the personal front, next week I will be in Las Vegas enjoying a free 3 day 2 night stay compliments of my timeshare company...(free, as in I must attend a one hour "beg fest", I mean owner's update). But still, a free stay is worth an hour of my time. Let me practice for next week..."No, no thank you, no, I have enough points, no, no, no... okay, I think I'm ready. Probably going to rent a car and keep my Jeep home. Speaking of which, after turning 172,000 miles, the Jeep is running beautifully still. Found a great hand wash car wash...(can't run it through the machines because the drivers door lets in a waterfall ever since the door was re-welded) and my mechanic is phenomenal. I would love for baby to hit 200,000 and beyond. It would be 2 cars in a row for me...(my little Saturn coupe, aka the Batmobile, made it to 203,000 before finally giving up the ghost). Barring any "haboob" damage (dust storm) or some idiot crashing into me (a more likely scenario), it looks like a good possibility.
So, I am going out on the balcony to enjoy the rain and cool weather...then I am going to set up a tee time (or two) for tomorrow. One month until golf prices plummet and the weather heats up...
Monday, April 23, 2012
It's been too long...
It's been too long since I last spoke at you...(you know I like these one-sided conversations). Much has gone on since I wished you all Happy Easter back on April 6...but the real reason I needed to reach out occurred last Friday at the Glenn Beck happening at Symphony Hall. You all know that I work security because of the unique opportunity to meet interesting people, but Friday night is the quintessential example of why I do what I do. The following story is true and I have the witnesses to prove it.
Glenn Beck, the controversial radio and television personality, was coming to Symphony Hall for a show. We met with his personal security and were going to do wanding and bag searching and weapon searches for the event. I had my crew and post orders and we were all searching and wanding for weapons (many knives were taken to coat check that night). It got backed up and eventually the client relented and we just did bag searches to get the people in because if we didn't the show would have been delayed. The show began and we had 4 guards along the stage, 1 by the dressing rooms, 1 in the lobby and myself roaming the entire venue. Around 9 pm, I received a text from Mr. Beck's security team asking me to go up to the balcony and handle some hecklers. I went up there, warned them that this was not tolerated and they calmed down. Then my guard downstairs calls me on the radio ad says she needs me to come to her. "What's the problem?, I'm up in the balcony", I return. "A patron just accused our guard of being a vampire." ?????? Hold on, I couldn't have heard that right. I retreated out to the hall and asked her to repeat the message. "A patron just accused our guard of being a vampire." I'm busy, quit fooling around. "I'm serious and she just hit someone else." I headed down to investigate and I am met at the door by a man who says "you have to help me, I can't control her, she's drunk". I walk in and this blond woman is gesturing to my guard and he points to me. She turns and I wave her to me. "You have to let me on stage...I have to save Glenn Beck from the vampires and werewolves in the audience". She is wild-eyed and totally serious and way beyond drunk... (as you know, I KNOW what drunk looks like...I saw it in the mirror every day for 20+ years). She is circling the planet on some kind of drugs and alcohol mix. I turn to the boyfriend and tell him "we need to talk out in the hall". I take her gently by the arm and tell her I need to talk to her outside. As we ascended the stairs to the lobby area, she rips her arm away and starts chasing two people down the hall saying, "you two are so obvious, you know you are, and you're not going to get away with it!" I tell the boyfriend that he better bring her back here now or my next call is to PD and they are both going to jail. He manages to drag her back over to me and she grabs my jacket and repeats over and over "you have to close your eyes, that's how they get you!"
After she refuses to be quiet, I tell her... "I will close my eyes, but you need to shut the f%^$ up right now while I talk to your friend here." Both of them shut up and I tell him that he has ten seconds to take her and exit the building before the police get involved. It took them 4 seconds...My phone goes off. It's Beck's security. "What was her problem?" She needed to save Glenn Beck from the vampires and werewolves in the audience. "Are you serious?" Absolutely...she accused my guard of being one of them. "Jeez, that's one for the record books." I agreed. You'll never have a better story than this one. She's outside right now howling at the moon. "What?" Just kidding...lol. I go down to the dressing room area and tell the event manager about my "ejection" and he just stares at me. It's all true, I said. I also relate the story to the cop at the dressing room door (I will relate this story to everyone, it's too good not to share). The cop asks for a description. I tell him medium height, late 20s, blond, dress, on the chunky side...(sorry, is big boned better?). He gets on his radio. "We picked her up outside accusing people of being vampires...she was on xanax and washed it down with some booze."
So after I share the rest of the story with my guards, my boss calls and I tell her the story...I also tell her that Sunday was going to be my last day as a security guard. "What?" I told her that I would never be able to top this story, so it was time to move on to a new career (just kidding). I hope you enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed writing about it. What a great night!!
Glenn Beck, the controversial radio and television personality, was coming to Symphony Hall for a show. We met with his personal security and were going to do wanding and bag searching and weapon searches for the event. I had my crew and post orders and we were all searching and wanding for weapons (many knives were taken to coat check that night). It got backed up and eventually the client relented and we just did bag searches to get the people in because if we didn't the show would have been delayed. The show began and we had 4 guards along the stage, 1 by the dressing rooms, 1 in the lobby and myself roaming the entire venue. Around 9 pm, I received a text from Mr. Beck's security team asking me to go up to the balcony and handle some hecklers. I went up there, warned them that this was not tolerated and they calmed down. Then my guard downstairs calls me on the radio ad says she needs me to come to her. "What's the problem?, I'm up in the balcony", I return. "A patron just accused our guard of being a vampire." ?????? Hold on, I couldn't have heard that right. I retreated out to the hall and asked her to repeat the message. "A patron just accused our guard of being a vampire." I'm busy, quit fooling around. "I'm serious and she just hit someone else." I headed down to investigate and I am met at the door by a man who says "you have to help me, I can't control her, she's drunk". I walk in and this blond woman is gesturing to my guard and he points to me. She turns and I wave her to me. "You have to let me on stage...I have to save Glenn Beck from the vampires and werewolves in the audience". She is wild-eyed and totally serious and way beyond drunk... (as you know, I KNOW what drunk looks like...I saw it in the mirror every day for 20+ years). She is circling the planet on some kind of drugs and alcohol mix. I turn to the boyfriend and tell him "we need to talk out in the hall". I take her gently by the arm and tell her I need to talk to her outside. As we ascended the stairs to the lobby area, she rips her arm away and starts chasing two people down the hall saying, "you two are so obvious, you know you are, and you're not going to get away with it!" I tell the boyfriend that he better bring her back here now or my next call is to PD and they are both going to jail. He manages to drag her back over to me and she grabs my jacket and repeats over and over "you have to close your eyes, that's how they get you!"
After she refuses to be quiet, I tell her... "I will close my eyes, but you need to shut the f%^$ up right now while I talk to your friend here." Both of them shut up and I tell him that he has ten seconds to take her and exit the building before the police get involved. It took them 4 seconds...My phone goes off. It's Beck's security. "What was her problem?" She needed to save Glenn Beck from the vampires and werewolves in the audience. "Are you serious?" Absolutely...she accused my guard of being one of them. "Jeez, that's one for the record books." I agreed. You'll never have a better story than this one. She's outside right now howling at the moon. "What?" Just kidding...lol. I go down to the dressing room area and tell the event manager about my "ejection" and he just stares at me. It's all true, I said. I also relate the story to the cop at the dressing room door (I will relate this story to everyone, it's too good not to share). The cop asks for a description. I tell him medium height, late 20s, blond, dress, on the chunky side...(sorry, is big boned better?). He gets on his radio. "We picked her up outside accusing people of being vampires...she was on xanax and washed it down with some booze."
So after I share the rest of the story with my guards, my boss calls and I tell her the story...I also tell her that Sunday was going to be my last day as a security guard. "What?" I told her that I would never be able to top this story, so it was time to move on to a new career (just kidding). I hope you enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed writing about it. What a great night!!
Friday, April 6, 2012
Happy Easter and all that jazz...
Mister "I promise to write more often" here... Hope everyone has been okay...(no news is good news, right?). I am pleased to inform you that I am alive and back loving my life and all it contains. I write to you today not only to report this news, but to give you some updates on the changes I was claiming that were coming...I first want to wish you all a Happy Easter and all that goes with it. I am coloring eggs as we speak, and believe me, I have been hitting my knees (the good one anyway) often lately to seek strength and guidance through the rough patch I endured. My faith in a higher power remains strong (you can't live here without being constantly reminded of His presence) even though my faith in organized religion is gone. I am still searching for an alternative to the original religion I was brought up in and have found some that I like (my sister's church in Virginia and Cousin Anna's in Kansas). But have no worries...my belief in God (or however you choose to name Him) will never waver. I could never have accomplished anything close to what I have without His protection, guidance and strength. To say I didn't have help is just so arrogant...(and you know how much all of you helped and continue to do so). So a happy and holy Easter/Passover season to everyone in blogdom.
Back to the updates... as of today, the diet is still in full swing and while I have gained a few pounds back (4), but I continue to work hard and to quote a great poster I saw... "Nothing tastes better than skinny feels". The knee trouble has curtailed my return to running, but I am frequently riding the bike (for exercise and to save some cash because of the ridiculous gas prices!). Chuck Norris (Total Gym) and I have begun a love/hate relationship...( I love the way it feels but hate working out) and I have a one month unlimited membership at a boxing/fitness center (got it for 9 dollars on dealchicken.com). Now that the knee is sloooooooowly coming around, I will be stepping up to do that.
The major news is on the job front...I believe I told you that I applied for a job with the TSA (Transportation Security Administration) as a Transportation Security Officer (TSO)...who has more acronyms and alphabet soup than the the government? Anyway, I applied for some openings being offered and have been receiving emails every day saying they are reviewing applications and that the positions are now closed...(not accepting any more applications), but Friday of last week I received one that said I had met all of the requirements needed to continue "the process" and i needed to schedule a computer based testing appointment...which I did. I went and took the test on Wednesday and received an email the same day... (amazing!) saying that I passed the test and have now received a contingent offer of employment...(meaning I have no job yet but get to continue the process). But it is good news and I am a little excited. The test results are good for 2 years so I will continue to scan the website for future postings. In the meantime, I will continue to keep my fingers crossed that the next steps...(and there are 10 to 12 more) will not take forever to complete. In the meantime, I am enjoying my new work schedule (3 days on and 4 days off).
Going out to ride the bicycle, now... have a great day and weekend. To be continued...
Back to the updates... as of today, the diet is still in full swing and while I have gained a few pounds back (4), but I continue to work hard and to quote a great poster I saw... "Nothing tastes better than skinny feels". The knee trouble has curtailed my return to running, but I am frequently riding the bike (for exercise and to save some cash because of the ridiculous gas prices!). Chuck Norris (Total Gym) and I have begun a love/hate relationship...( I love the way it feels but hate working out) and I have a one month unlimited membership at a boxing/fitness center (got it for 9 dollars on dealchicken.com). Now that the knee is sloooooooowly coming around, I will be stepping up to do that.
The major news is on the job front...I believe I told you that I applied for a job with the TSA (Transportation Security Administration) as a Transportation Security Officer (TSO)...who has more acronyms and alphabet soup than the the government? Anyway, I applied for some openings being offered and have been receiving emails every day saying they are reviewing applications and that the positions are now closed...(not accepting any more applications), but Friday of last week I received one that said I had met all of the requirements needed to continue "the process" and i needed to schedule a computer based testing appointment...which I did. I went and took the test on Wednesday and received an email the same day... (amazing!) saying that I passed the test and have now received a contingent offer of employment...(meaning I have no job yet but get to continue the process). But it is good news and I am a little excited. The test results are good for 2 years so I will continue to scan the website for future postings. In the meantime, I will continue to keep my fingers crossed that the next steps...(and there are 10 to 12 more) will not take forever to complete. In the meantime, I am enjoying my new work schedule (3 days on and 4 days off).
Going out to ride the bicycle, now... have a great day and weekend. To be continued...
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
