Tag Archives: Christmas

7 x 7 = 49

I made it through Christmas Day dinner unscathed. It was a family dinner with a dozen other people, the majority of them indulging in alcohol at some point in the evening. 

There was the fridge full of beer, the bottles of wine on the table during dinner, the after-dinner licquers… all of which I had partaken of last year. This year, I would not. 

It wasn’t even all that tempting; I didn’t have any craving for the alcohol around me. It was really more socially awkward for some people than anything else. Others didn’t bat an eye about it. There were plenty of soft drinks and bottled water available and even more great food!

My oldest son would pour himself a can of Guinness which mesmerized me for a moment but only because it’s visually stimulating to watch the frothy stout slug out of an upside down can and then settle out. And the lighting of the Drambuie-soaked plum pudding caught everyone’s attention. 

I don’t know the scientific explanation, but fire made it good.

I made it until 9:30 and then left to bring my oldest son and his girlfriend home to spend some time in my chair with my journal before retiring for the evening. 

Today is Day 49.

Can Santa Do This?

 Ginger snaps!Once you get into the month of December, mention of the word ‘workshop’ conjures images of Santa’s Workshop where an assembly line, sweatshop of green-clad elves/Chinese children toil over the latest in electronic devices or most coveted and fashionable athletic apparel. But for me, today… on December 1, the word ‘workshop’ relates to something different. 

This week (including yesterday November 30th) I am attending a Self Evaluation & Support workshop that seems like it is very much of an education/information session about addiction. The sessions are not specific to any one addiction but tries to address all addictions in a general fashion under a single umbrella. 

In the first two sessions, there are some broader concepts that I have never heard of before however the elements of addiction that were highlighted and discussed are things I can easily latch onto as they are things that I have researched before. 

Thursday and Friday seem to be the sessions that I am taking the most interest in as they deal with ‘Living Well’ and ‘Relapse Prevention.’ I feel that I am doing well with recovery thus far and haven’t felt like it has been too challenging yet. Granted, I still have some Valium to finish up and I haven’t returned to work yet but I feel strong and positive. Plus, I have access to further support through the Addiction Services department as well as Alcoholics Anonymous, if I really feel like I need it. 

The January Blues

To say that I have nothing to say would be an understatement. In the New Year of 2011, I’m just trying to keep my nose clean… which has proved to be a difficult task, considering how sick I’ve been since January the 3rd.

Of course, with the fallout of Christmas 2010 (pronounced ‘twenty-ten’ like the cool kids do) and the ensuing financial crisis that was inevitable, Rogers has opted to kill service to my iPhone on account of me not paying my bill.

The nerve, hey?

So, the thing that has been my link to the world has become a glorified paperweight any time I decide to leave my house. And considering I never answer the phone unless someone calls me on the iPhone, I guess I’m going to be hearing from everyone a lot less until my next payday.

As well, the electrical/water bill for the NJLE has teetered into the four figure dollar range due to a lapse in payment there as well.

Sometimes, you don’t see things until you really write them out like this… at least that’s what I find for myself. So, it has escaped my attention until now that I really need to clean house down in Accounts Receivable for the NJLE. Someone is really not doing their job and that person will have to be let go. If it weren’t in the constitution, I’d have them hanged or drawn and quartered… or something equally horrific.

I suppose that the potential could exist that JeffLand simply does not have adequate income to cover it’s expenses and would run a deficit, much like every other nation in the world. However, unlike every other nation in the world… there is no bank that’s willing to bail out the NJLE and allow us to run with a continually growing deficit. (Remind me to talk with world leaders at the next gathering of the United Nations to see how they do it.)

Western Pottery toilet

Really, what we’re going to have to do here is start tightening our belts. I will have to get the JeffLand maintenance crew out to deal with our Western Pottery toilets that seem to be a never-ending source of headaches and inefficiency. I have to get our crews to replace the tank guts for all three toilets and eliminate the problem.

Besides the running toilets, the weatherstripping around both the front and back doors is severely lacking and is dire need of replacement as well. Warm air getting out and cold air getting in… very inefficient.

In any case, we’re going to have to cut some corners and eliminate some of the frills to get this debt under control… or at least keep it from spiralling out of control.

Have A Happy Festivus

I’m just revisiting a post and video from last year’s momentus Festivus on account that another year has passed and another Festivus is upon us.

A Festivus for the rest of us

Today is Festivus, a secular holiday celebrated on December 23rd. The holiday, as portrayed in Seinfeld and now celebrated by many, includes practices such as the “Airing of Grievances”, in which each person tells everyone else all the ways they have disappointed him or her over the past year. After the meal the “Feats of Strength” are performed, involving wrestling the head of the household to the floor, with the holiday ending only if the head of the household is actually pinned down.

via Festivus For The Rest Of Us.

Festivus For The Rest Of Us

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dS7-jcsB_WQ]

Today is Festivus, a secular holiday celebrated on December 23rd. The holiday, as portrayed in Seinfeld and now celebrated by many, includes practices such as the “Airing of Grievances”, in which each person tells everyone else all the ways they have disappointed him or her over the past year. After the meal the “Feats of Strength” are performed, involving wrestling the head of the household to the floor, with the holiday ending only if the head of the household is actually pinned down.

JeffLand Prevails!!!

There’s one thing about ruling a nation lying this far north; the weather can get very unruly in the winter months. Today, we experienced a day’s worth of falling snow which caused the drive home to be a little dicey. There were several accidents which turned my thirty minute commute into a full hour endeavor. The highways and by-ways were covered in snow and ice, making the roads slick and creating an overnight job for Edmonton’s snow removal crews.

Luckily for me, JeffLand is small and the snow removal budget can be kept to a minimum; some sidewalk salt and, at worst, a new snow shovel. Occaisionally, it may cost me a hot chocolate from Tim Hortons if I contract the work out to one of the princes.

However, with the Christmas season being so close, having tons of snow and extreme cold isn’t condusive to leaving the house to go shopping. As such, there isn’t much under the tree thus far. It hasn’t helped that we’ve taken a financial hit this year and money is tight. Much like every other nation in the world, JeffLand has felt the effects of the global recession. So we’ve tried to do what we can and pinch pennies where it’s possible.

Even with this financial strife, we’ll find a way. JeffLand prevails!!