Naked Daze with Dave

As an alcoholic... is it wrong to have expectations?

2012-01-27T17:14:00.001-06:00

The law of expectations tells us that whatever one expects, with confidence, becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. When one expects with confidence that good things will happen, they usually will. If on the other hand, one expects a negative outcome to a situation, then the outcome will usually be negative.

Through the 12 Steps I learned that expectations are the forerunner to resentments. Those expectations though always involved others. An example would be me helping someone and then expecting some kind of payback. When that payback never comes then that expectation leads to resentments.

There are some expectations that can be healthy for us. Expecting that my life will be better next year then it was this year is a reasonable expectation. This expectation is solely in my own hands and if I do it with a healthy attitude it will have nothing to do with others just myself.

I've talked before about watching my goals and dreams come to life by just sitting back and watching them develop. When I make plans for these expectations to come to life is when I stand in the way of the Universe and they never turn out the way I hope.

All you have to do is picture your dream. Smell it, taste it, feel it, become one with that dream. Don't worry about how much time is needed for the dream to come true or how much money it will take... that will come in time. If you worry about those things too soon you will destroy the dream and the expectation will change.

I believe that we should expect things in our life... we should have goals and we should expect them to become reality. The key word with the above phrase is “usually.” Our expectations need to be realistic. Like I have said many times, we need to remember our dreams, to never forget them... we need to live in reality yet we should never forget our dreams.

As an ACOA, I had no expectations with my future. I was told at any early age that I was dangerous and dumb and a baby. In recovery, I expect to do the best I can with the gifts God has given me. And the greatest gift of all? The freedom of choice. It is up to me what choices I take with the expectations I have. It is up to me to look at my expectations and decide which is pure fantasy and which can become reality.

I Want To Dream

2012-01-27T17:09:00.002-06:00

Is Santa a way to produce shame?

2012-01-27T17:08:00.000-06:00

This past Christmas I spent in England and I spent one night watching an animated movie called “The Polar Express.” It was an interesting perception on Christmas and Santa Claus and all his helpers. One room at the North Pole had a few elves in it and all they did was sit there and wait for the alarms to sound for a child who was misbehaving.

Or as the song says with Santa checking his list... he's checking it twice, finding out who is naughty and nice. As I watched the movie, I went back to my childhood and how that song shamed me as soon as December rolled around.

All year, I would be a terror and not worry about Santa or Christmas gifts, yet as soon as December rolled around I was the best kid any parent would want. I was a great student... never missed school and did all my homework.

As Christmas Day got closer and closer I began to doubt whether I would get any gifts at all because of how bad I was leading up to December. Surely those elves had all sorts of notes on me and everything I did.

Even with all my doubts I tried to rectify a year of being bad by being good for one month. Then when Christmas morning rolled around and I had all these gifts I was so thankful for Santa giving me a second chance.

Then as the gratitude disappeared I began to think that Santa was just gullible and naive and the new year produce an even more horrible me.

Christmas songs that shame and frightened little kids do nothing for the spirit of Christmas. If love is unconditional why do we need songs referring to being naughty or nice? It serves no purpose except to scare kids and then it makes them manipulative with their actions after the holidays.

Face it, all kids are nice around Christmas... and shouldn't Christmas be celebrated everyday, at least the spirit of Christmas?

Memories

2012-01-07T12:27:00.003-06:00

This ramble fits in perfectly with The Law of Actualization. The law states that we are all the ultimate creators of our own experience and our reciprocally shared realities.

“Our own experience” what powerful words. How does this experience relate with the lives we live today? Through our memories. Our memories gives us experience. As an ACOA, my memories created horrible experiences for a good part of my life.

I knew my childhood was very dysfunctional, yet I carried loads of that dysfunction into adulthood. It took me a long time to put it all together. I speak about this in the article of the month. Some would say it is just coincidence or maybe that I'm just throwing stuff on the wall hoping something will stick. A wise and dear friend of mine once told me, “There is to much coincidence to be a coincidence.”

12 Step Fellowships as well as The Laws don't pay much attention to coincidence. I don't either... to me it is all divine intervention. So if it was Divine Intervention why in the world would my Higher Power keep having me repeat the same dysfunctions that made my childhood a living Hell?

I don't believe my Higher Power had me do the same things because at that time I had nothing to do with that Higher Power. It wasn't until a Higher Power entered my life that I began seeing how my life had come full circle.

Somehow... someway... I needed to change those memories... which would change the experiences. AA, ACOA, Alanon, and CODA began to open my eyes to new memories and new experiences.

Then amazingly my Higher Power gave me the opportunity to broaden my internal intellect with NLP. More awareness came and I saw into the future after I looked into the past. I could change the memories of the past. I could change the experiences of the past. By doing this I can change my future.

Today, I work on creating new memories and new experiences by concentrating on repeating those joyful memories.

And that starts again very soon. To finish 2010 I went on a journey. One of those “Why not?” journey's. I went to England and spent Christmas and New Year's with a wonderful hostess. It went so well that we are doing it again this year. I'm looking forward to it. The main reason I'm excited by it all is because of the memories and the experiences we shared together.

A wonderful walk in the woods, where we got lost. A singing moose. Liverpool. Fireworks on New Years Eve. Walking in the snow. Half a chicken. These things are my memories of England... wonderful memories.

It is from these memories that our experience together was wonderful and I helped create it.

The Experience of Memories

2012-01-07T12:22:00.001-06:00

The Law of Actualization states that we are all the ultimate creators of our own experience and our reciprocally shared realities.

The Experience of Memories

a lifetime of memories
a treasure chest of experiences
a reality that can not be denied
following mutual paths
a parallel universe
two people with different memories
yet the same experience

an alcoholic hits bottom with the loss of his home
while another surrenders after a DWI
and the third mourns the loss of their marriage
sharing memories... which they only can
sharing experiences... which bonds them together

memories and experiences start from a dark time
as they grow closer together
new memories form which bring hope
filling each other with excitement
and they feel a miracle taking place

those dark memories... don't seem so dark anymore
replaced with new memories
memories they created
memories with joyful experiences
experiences they created

Actualizing our memories

2012-01-07T12:18:00.001-06:00

The Law of Actualization states that we are all the ultimate creators of our own experience and our reciprocally shared realities.

I thought about this Law for awhile and what it all entailed. Everything I have ever done has become an experience and every experience has become a memory. Like a computer storing loads of information our subconscious has stored memories from a lifetime.

Everything I ever saw, or touched, or tasted, or felt are part of who I am. My fear of intimacy started from childhood being raised in an alcoholic home. I did not witness true caring and supportive love growing up. I witnessed violence and anger. Those early memories became part of my early relationships.

Sobriety showed me that these experiences needed to change if I ever wanted to give love and be loved. So instead of looking at my parents for the lessons I would need... I looked a memories without them. The love I saw between an Aunt and Uncle, who along with their four sons would take me to upstate New York for mini-vacations.

I was raised in a time where divorces were a sign of failure. I watched a loveless marriage end in death. A death that was not peaceful... it was a death of addiction and violence. A marriage which literally was, “till death do we part.”

I have walked away from a couple of marriages, partially because of these old experiences, which made me feel like a failure. Though, the reason I walked away was because memories told me that I could do better. Not in a relationship, rather with my own growth and my own journey.

I quit living in those relationships and just survived, like my parents did in their marriage. Every time I walked away, I ended up close to homelessness. The last time I moved in the coldest part of winter and worried about freezing to death... just like my Mom.

As I look back in hindsight, I can see that my path has been very similar to my parents. NLP has shown me that there are ways to change the past... the memories are still there... the experiences though have changed.

I can visual a future with good memories and happy experiences... from the day I was born till right now... the key is for me, as an alcoholic, an addict, an adult child, and a codependent is not to be the victim.

Every day is a new day with new experiences on our journey...

Made it............. Finally

2012-01-05T11:43:00.001-06:00

Finally, I made it back to Nebraska. I left Tuesday morning from Manchester, England which turned into a two day odyssey. The flight was scheduled to depart at 9 AM. Well, we sat in the plane for an hour… waiting… we didn’t even move.

That day there were warnings for strong winds… with gales of over 90 MPH. That is why we sat and waited and as we waited, I watched the clock move, realizing that I was getting into the danger zone of making my next flight.

Finally, just before 10 AM we took off. A side note… roughly an hour later the airport was shut down.

That was the first time I ever took off with winds that strong. It felt like an old World War II movie, with the wings going side to side. We battled our way through the winds… at one time just dropping a couple of feet really fast… which felt like a hundred feet.

Eventually though, we made our way through the clouds and above the winds and enjoyed a somewhat peaceful flight across the Atlantic… sooner or later though we would have to start coming back down and on Tuesday the high winds were also raising havoc on the east coast airports.

I’m not sure what it was… either the pressure from the winds or from flying way above them but for the first time since I began flying at a young age… my ears hurt… they were so plugged. I chewed gum as fast as I could yet I couldn’t get no relief. Eventually they popped and I couldn’t hear the best but the pain was gone.

By the time we landed in Newark, NJ I had 55 minutes to make my next flight. In most cases this would have been plenty of time, but I first had to go through customs, then immigration and finally another security check.

The security check I forgot about. I breezed through security and went and claimed my luggage and breezed through immigration. I even had some help from a staff member rechecking my luggage ahead of a lot of people in an effort to get to my next flight. All seemed well, until I rounded the corner and saw the long line for security. Even though, I was already in the airport I had to go through security again. I’m not sure if it was because I was arriving from another country or I had to enter a new terminal. When I saw the line, I knew I was sunk.

I finally made it through and still had ten minutes to get to the plane and I began running through the airport. Out of breath I arrived at the check in to find out I had missed my flight. I looked out the window and the tunnel was maybe three feet away from the plane… no more then five minutes was what separated me from making my flight.

Now the adventure began! I went to customer service and was buried in another line and I began to wait. As I waited I listened as people yelled and screamed at representatives that had nothing to do with the weather or missed flights. I really began to feel for these workers who showed a lot more tolerance then I think I would have. Finally, I made it to the counter and down a way from me was a drunk guy from Iowa just really being a pain. The lady that was helping me, kept looking down the row to see what was going on.

She found me a flight to Chicago and then Omaha. I originally had plans to fly into Lincoln but if I could get into Omaha, I’d take it. The representative said if I got into Omaha that their obligation would be complete and I would have to find my own way home. I pointed down to the drunk guy and said, “Don’t worry, just get me to Omaha and I’ll hitch a ride with him.” That broke the tension and the lady laughed.

She gave me my tickets and I began my wait for a 6 PM flight out of Newark. Guess what? That flight also took off an hour late and I arrived in Chicago 20 minutes before my next flight… by the time we got to our gate… the flight to Omaha was gone.

It was almost 9 PM… I had been awake for over 24 hours, living in airports, and I finally surrendered. It wasn’t meant to be for me to get home Tuesday night.

I will say O’Hare does know how to take care of stranded customers. I was given an 800 phone number and called and was given a list of nearby hotels that gave discounts for stranded people. I made a reservation for the Hyatt Hotel and was told to wait for the bus shuttle outside Terminal One.

I went outside and the cool air felt great. It was so freeing just to be away from the airport. I still wasn’t sure what was meant by the bus shuttle and then I saw these mini-buses driving around. One had “Hilton” on it… another had “Holiday Inn.” I figured it out, all I had to do was to find one that said “Hyatt” on it and it came down the road and I got in and was taken to the hotel, along with about a dozen other people and two pilots.

I checked in and the receptionist asked if a two bed suite was OK. I said, “Right now you could put me in a custodial closet and strap me to the wall.’ She laughed and then noticed I had no luggage. I said everything was on a plane – somewhere. She left for a moment and returned with a toothbrush and a shaver and some other things so I could at least get a little cleaned up before falling asleep.

After five hours of sleep I got up Wednesday morning and made my way back to O’Hare Airport. Just one flight to get back to Nebraska and this one would take me to Lincoln… my original destination.

When I arrived, I felt so relieved to finally get my feet back on native soil. There was only one thing left to do and that was claim my luggage. Another fear rose up when my luggage never appeared. I went to the service desk and told them about it and gave them my card for it. She looked on her computer and left for a moment and returned with my suitcase. It arrived on time.

Maybe next time I’ll fly with the luggage… a little less stressful. All in all though, everything was fine. I got back here, I had a relaxing evening, and to be honest with you I was quite impressed with myself for never going into a panic mode. Everything worked out exactly the way it should have.

Muted greetings!

2012-01-04T09:29:00.024-06:00

Help! It's the New Year!!!!

Just wanted to wish all Dave's readers peace of mind and contentment in 2012 ... and always.

As a rule I try to avoid huge swings of emotions. I try and keep things balanced and not get too affected or excited by anything. This is why I chose the words 'peace of mind and contentment' over perhaps more effusive and expressive words.

As a recovering AA & Acoa I simply find life alot more manageable this way. It doesn't mean I don't get happy or excited, I do, but at a level that doesn't throw me off balance and create the lows after the highs. The lows usually bring with them a terrible sense of dis-ease.

Some have critisized me for this approach - others are desireous of it. I am not afraid of happiness or excitement, I simply choose to do what works for me. It helps me better deal with life. It also seems to keep expectations in healthy check.

Not long ago I was reading up a little on 'Smart Recovery' and came across the term 'catastrophizing'. It was suggested that we use less 'dramatic' words to describe our emotions which in turn helps us to panic less. I have found this extremely helpful. It really seems to lessen the emotional impact of everyday events. (I'm not talking here about life's most severest events, but the habit I had fallen into of using very dramatic language for fairly undramatic non- lifethreatening everyday happenings).

This suggestion from Smart Recovery has helped enormously with my 'disaster movie mind'.

Though I found sobriety and my HP in AA, I keep my mind open to, what I find, helpful suggestions from each and every source out there. I do not believe that AA is the only way to sobriety. To do so I feel would smack of arrogance.

I believe there are many paths to sobriety. AA was simply the one that worked for me.

S.

Another end... or a new beginning?

2012-01-02T09:48:00.003-06:00

Well... my vacation is nearing its end. Tomorrow (Tuesday) I will board my first of three planes for the journey back to Nebraska. Then the rest of the week will be spent getting my body used to the time change again.

It was another great visit. I just love winters in England. It's cool but not cold and it still amazes me how green everything is and how everything is growing.

We spent the final afternoon walking the canal and the sounds of waterfalls and ducks filled the air. Is it really January?

Last year I saw England through the eyes of a child... everything was brand new. From the way they drive cars to the way our languages differ. This year, it was seen through the eyes of an adult... learning how and why this country does things.

A couple of things struck me this week about how, at times, this country has stayed in the past and has done it brilliantly. Again, it is January and in the afternoon you can hear the ice cream truck riding down the road. And guess what? The milkman still thrives here and delivers a couple of times a week.

And again, I found some new taste treats and can't wait to see if I can duplicate them back in Nebraska. Maybe I enjoyed to many taste treats though... my clothes seem to be more snug then they were three weeks ago and it is a "work out" tying my shoes. LOL

Anyway, my last evening will be spent relaxing and packing and getting ready to head back. *mutter mutter groan*

The Fellowship

2012-01-02T05:48:00.002-06:00

Part of the fun of any traveling is going to various 12 Step Fellowships and join in. I believe anyone who isn't associated with a 12 Step program can't fully understand that no matter where you are in the world you are always at home in a meeting.

One meeting introduced how we, in America, end some of our meetings... with The Promises...

New Years Eve

2011-12-31T10:50:00.003-06:00

Well, in Nebraska it is just nearing 11 AM... here in England we are close to having dinner... or as we say in the Midwest - supper. It is nearly 5 PM and after that we will start getting ready for a relaxing evening. We will end it shortly before midnight with a walk and we will light a chinese lantern and launch it into the night sky and watch it float away... with it will float away the memories of 2011 and as we watch it we will also be thinking about 2012.

I am kind of excited for the new year... some projects will hopefully be completed and some personal issues for me will also be resolved... like getting new glasses and getting back into the dentist.

I started this journey with a very sore and tender back and leg and after three weeks the limp is gone and while I'm not a 100% I feel a whole lot better. The secret? A back swing.

They are a miracle. I got on one about a week ago and have been using it two or three times a day and it just has made a world of difference. So much so, that I ordered one from here and it should arrive shortly after I arrive back in Nebraska...

Well time to go and eat dinner... Happy New Year to everyone... Love and Peace

oh drats...

2011-12-29T11:03:00.002-06:00

As my last week in England is now half over, I'm getting a little melancholy wishing I either had more time or that America and England were a little closer together. As our time together once again is nearing a conclusion, we are spending less time exploring and sight seeing and just enjoying the simple things of being together.

I do know I feel right at home here. There were a few times where I was left alone because of previous work agreements Karen had made and I got along great. I didn't get lost or lose any toes or hurt my leg anymore then it has been hurting. LOL

On Friday at 8:30 PM England time, I will be finding ESPN on the Internet and introducing Karen to American Football as Iowa State will be playing their bowl game in Yankee Stadium.

A stadium, that is no more then a half-hour from my childhood home and the first time Iowa State is playing in it, I will watch it from over 3,500 miles away...

This is a test...

2011-12-27T13:39:00.003-06:00

Have had a nice couple of relaxing days... went for a long walk to the Roman Lakes... a beautiful natural reserve that is close to here... it still amazes me how green everything stays here... everything is growing... pansies are blooming and bulb plants are out of the ground.

It is amazing too how people view the "voice" of a midwesterner. Our accent sounds more laid back and relaxed here then it does in America. I did a voice test today for a project and it was recorded. The person doing the test said I had a beautiful relaxed voice. A voice used for voice-overs on TV or radio. In America, its just another voice... here it is unique and something to gain attention.

Besides that I have had a couple of relaxing days and letting my body heal from a long year of work. In the past I have looked at back swings or inversion tables for my back and have been spending some time on them here and truly do love them. It is such a nice way to strecth the back...

This past weekend I went to places I visted last year and remembered it all in a heartbeat... simple places that just have that "homey" feel to it.

I do enjoy England and the people I have met in the two years I have visited here. I love the landscape and the feel of walking back in time. I love the less materialistic view Europeans seem to have and I really love the idea that this island has such much water running through it. The weather is unbelievable for the end of a year.

The thing that amazes me are the countrymen themselves. The Queen's husband, Prince Philip, had heart bypass four days ago and at 90 years old is already out and about. Obese people just don't seem to exist... if they are around I still haven't seen any. People in England, don't seem to be health crazy, yet they do care how they look and feel... I just get the feeling that people here expect to live to a hundred. Everyone walks somewhere... mainstreets in some towns are shut down to cars... you want to visit main street then you will walk it and these downtowns become bustling with a mall type atmosphere... and right in the middle of these towns within a town is a ferris wheel and a children's carousel. Miles and miles of city streets closed to cars and everyone loves it and everyone is walking...

Merry Christmas

2011-12-25T06:31:00.002-06:00

That is how it is said in America... while in England it is said "Happy Christmas." And maybe it is said in America, I just don't remember it or have heard it enough that Santa Claus is "Father Christmas."

Anyway, the last couple of days have been kind of quiet and restful... went to a Christmas Eve service at a Methodist Church and enjoyed it a lot and this morning I went to a Quaker Meeting... one thing was said at the Quaker Meeting that I truly enjoyed.

A gentleman talked about the creation story in the Bible and asked how many there were? He started with the creation of everything around us as the first one, then the creation of Adam and Eve as the second one and the third one goes from the Old Testament to John in the New Testament. That in the beginning was The Word.

A very profund thought... before anything is created, it is thought about and talked about and then it is created. It made sense I just never looked at it that way and making it personal it really hit home.

For me, I can't just make a cake or a pasta meal... first I think about it and talk about it in my mind... then the creation is made...

Anyway, Merry Christmas everyone...

Christmas Eve

2011-12-24T04:12:00.002-06:00

Birthday time for me!!! Have my birthday wishes and dreams come true? Aaaaaaah... can't say or they won't come true. *smiling*

I will say though that where I am now, not physically but rather mentally, is very much more desirable and it has filled me with peace.

I do wish I could pack in England in my back pocket and take it with me or it wasn't so far away. It isn't a trip that I can just take every other weekend... putting finances aside just the travel would be murder.

This time took me awhile to adjust to the time change and doinbg that every couple of weeks would have me spinning.

I'm ending my second week here today and it is going way to fast. And the idea of leaving this winter wonderland and its comfort to return to sub-zero temperatures with strong winds doesn't sound like fun at all...

Anyway, it is Saturday, time to quit looking at what lies ahead and instead enjoy the moment.

Hope everyone's Christmas Eve is enjoyable and safe...

Learning my ABC's

2011-12-23T04:19:00.002-06:00

Last night, Karen and I were at the home of a business acquaintance and he asked how to spell "fazed." We came to that deduction when we spelled out phase and that wasn't the one.

Anyway, Karen started spelling it for him, F... A.... ZED.... E.... D... say what? I asked her to spell it again and after the third time I realized that my hearing wasn't all that bad, she was indeed saying "zed" for the letter Z.

She asked how we said it and I said Z... then she asked how we said C and I said C. That is how Zed came about... the same sounds of C and Z was how the differences came about.

As we were talking about it, I was asked how I say "Zebra," which I had to ask a couple of times what they wanted to know because they kept asking how I said Zedbra... they spelt it Zebra yet said it Zedbra...

Vacation.... and some work

2011-12-21T15:02:00.002-06:00

After our trip to Liverpool I was pretty wiped out today, yet we did manage to get some things done as far as what I mentioned yesterday and everything is looking good and I think that everyone involved is quite excited by how this project could turn out.

That isn't the "work" I mention in the title though. I did some browsing tonight and ended up on a recovery message board and began reading a post. A man with over 20 years sobriety was dating a woman with under a year sobriety when they met.

The webstite "Stinkin' Thinkin'" talks about predators like this on their board and why many folks are turned off to AA. We go to AA to get well... it was never meant to be a dating service... and certainly old-timers should know the unwritten laws of the rooms and that is to leave those with under a year sobriety alone... let them work on themselves before even thinking about a date.

The fact is a person who is dating you with that short of a sobriety sees in you the person they saw when they drank... it is a major road to destruction.

And that is what happened... the person with under a year sobriety returned to drinking and is now near death. For the person with over 20 years sobriety... maybe it is time to realize it is OK to be on your own... recovery isn't about always being in a relationship with others... it is meantr to be in a constant relationship with your Higehr Power... if that is good the rest will follow...

Back from Liverpool

2011-12-20T12:28:00.002-06:00

Last year, I went to Liverpool and enjoyed it so much that we made a return trip. We ventured back down to Albert Dock and toured five museums in one. I learned a lot about Britian's history. One tour was with disasters in the water... of course some of it touched on the U-Boats during the wars... but I was blown away by a display on three different passenger ships... the most famous? The Titanic.

Another stop was the slavery museum and when I think of slavery I just think about America in the 1800's. Well, Europe had it before America and even after it.

Like I said, it was a wonderful adventure and a great day. Now for kind of the Higher Power stuff with my visit. One of the ship exhibits had the head masks from different ships from that time... one was from a English Schooner named the Beatrice...

On my last flight from Newark, NJ to Manchester, UK I sat next to two women from England who were returning home from a ten day visit to the States. Their last stop was Graceland. Well, last night, in Liverpool, the home of the Beatles, Karen and I went to and Elvis show. Don't laugh... it was an amazing show.

One of the last songs of the night wasn't an Elvis song, yet the performer was copying Elvis' show and in 1977 Elvis sometimes finished up with the song, "Sweet Caroline" by Neil Diamond. Well, that song is a mainstay for Iowa State football, they play it after a big win and usually before the start of the 4th quarter.

A really nice day of traveling and sight seeing and learning a bunch more about English history.

My last post I wrote about ther prospect of a business proposal and it is all looking good. Wednesday, the "T's" will be crossed and the "I's" will be dotted. And a new adventure and long held dream will become a reality. More news about this will be shared AFTER the new year.

Got an e-mail froma brother and a note from my daughter and this holiday season just looks filled with wonderful pleasures...

Taking care of business...

2011-12-18T07:04:00.003-06:00

Had a nice and relaxing Saturday. We went and listened to a band perform Christmas Caroles in Romiley and just had a nice stroll around town.

Romiley was the first town I really got to experience when I came here last year and I truly felt right at home there. You put the canal through Romiley and you'd have a perfect place to live and visit.

The canal's in England are still used today, but not for their original purpose. They are England's version of America's railroads. Canal's helped transport supplies from one part of the country to the other. Along the canals and the many streams and rivers you will find many mills... most of these mills were used in the production of cotton... you just don't think of England as a cotton producer.

Anyway, the canals are still used today, usually for narrow boats just traveling slowly along... a very peaceful sight.

Some thoughts on some words... words that both countries say the same yet spell a little differently... like an American car tire... is car tyre.

For photo it is foto... so following that thought phone is fone... yet telephone is spelt the same in both countries.

It is kind of interesting the suttle changes in our languages... last night I watched an old movie, Pay It Forward. I haven't seen that in a long long time and it was kind of interesting how much of it dealt with addiction and alcoholism, as well as growing up in an alcoholic home. And the whole idea of paying it forward is very much with the practice of the 12 Steps.

As far as taking care of business... I MIGHT have found a business prospect which has been a dream for a long long time... we shall see if it all pans out... if so it is another step for Creating Dreams

Day in Manchester

2011-12-17T04:02:00.002-06:00

We made it to Manchester for the winter market... it is an event held throughout the town... ye we mainly focus on only one area. And that's the food court. It is amazing to see and sample some foods from around Europe... some bratwurst from Germany... pancakes from France (crepes)... those were a couple of things we tried as well as some vanilla fudge from Ireland... really good stuff...

I wanted to make a little video of the area with our singing moose... the moose was singing though not as lively or as "proudly" as last year. We'll see when I get back to the states how good it is. Last year we went during the dasy, this time we were there at night. It gave a wrmer, friendlier feeling to it all.

A very enjoyable day. Had a little snow yesterday with no wind at all... watching it fall staright down from the heavens was so relaxing... a really nice and relaxing day...

Part of the day alone

2011-12-15T15:17:00.003-06:00

Today, Karen had to work for awhile so I was left to my own adventures... did some exploring in the town we frequent and found all sorts of neat by-ways off the beaten path. An enjoyable day... even with a broken toe and a sore leg and back.

After work, Karen and I went looking around for a bookcase for her flat... and though it isn't called Menards or Home Depot, they do have such a store called, "Home Base"... a load of everything.

What I found out today is when buying something from these stores the tax is in the price... so if it says $11.99... that is the price... you go to the cashier and you pay $11.99... the tax is already included in it... I like that a lot...

Getting it back home was another adventure... it came in a nice carrying package and we walked to the bus stop. We got on a very crowded bus, so we went up to the upper deck of the bus and sat down. I was a little concerned about the trip back down those steps in a moving bus... well our stop approached and we started down, with me carrying the bookcase. The driver hit the brakes and I felt like a cartoon character... coming down the steps... I didn't fall, nor did I drop the bookcase but I did manage to become one with the plastic blue wall on the bus. I just felt like my nose was one with the bus. I broke out laughing, as did Karen... well most of the bus was laughing... it was certainly a Kodak moment.

Been a couple of lazy days and have been watching the debates here about the UK not standing by the Euro... I myself, kind of like it... England is a strong country and they need to takle care of their own before worrying about taking care of everyone else. England has its own financial worries without trying to solve the rest of Europe's and I admire that they won't play "big brother" to help others who dug their own hole... it will be interesting to see how it all plays out in the next year or so...

Tomorrow... we are off to the Manchester Winter Market... last year we went during the day... this time at night... it seems to be quite beautiful by the videos we have seen at night.

Manchester Christmas Markets from Manchester City Council on Vimeo.

Ouch...

2011-12-14T11:12:00.003-06:00

I thought I was adjusted to the time change and maybe not so fast David! It has hit me a little harder this year... last year I did have four days to relax before the first flight... this time I had one day and was exhausted even before I got on the plane.

I think a combination of both has me catching up on a ton of sleep... we did go to Romiley... a quaint little village and I easily found my way around... everything was exactly where I remembered it.

On a side note... my biggest fear was that the pain I had in Nebraska the last three or four months in my back and left leg would slow me down. It has... yet I am getting around. I did manage to create a new pain though. lol

Last night, we were relaxing and watching a movie. I went and got a cup of coffee and when I returned I walked into the side of the fireplace mantel and I think I broke my pinky toe... yup... on my left foot... lol...

It is amazing, that little toe has made me totally forget about my back and leg...

*blushing*

Aaaaah... catching up on sleep

2011-12-13T12:28:00.002-06:00

I remembered from last year how to get over jet lag and did the same thing this year. Sunday, my day started at 5 AM and when I arrived in England it was 9 AM Monday, which was 3 AM in Nebraska.

I stayed up till noon which meant I was awake for 25 hours... I took a two hour nap... got up and we ate and watched a movie till 10 PM... then I slept like a rock.

I was groggy in the morning but no jet lag and my vacation has begun. Went to Stocpkport and I remembered my way around quite well. It was a wonderful day... kind of windy and still very nice. Grass is green and flowers are blooming... it still shocks me to see it and see how green it is for being the middle of December.

3 of 3 - done - I'm here!!!!

2011-12-12T03:56:00.001-06:00

Three of three was a challenge... things were going to good to keep it up for the night and into the morning. I arrived in Newark at 5:11 PM and my final flight was to start at 7:30 PM. I was comfortable and relaxed and ready to settle in for the long flight across the Atlantic.

I looked at the TV monitors and it showed the Manchester flight but it didn't show a gate or anything else. I went to customer service to ask where the flight would be leaving from. My ticket said gate 120... customer service said 102.

So I went to 102 and it was crowded... two hours before my flight and it was standing room only. I went up to the counter and asked again at Manchester. I was told I was at the right gate but it would be the flight after this one. The folks that were there were waiting to board a plane for Houston. They finally boarded their plane about two hours late and I began wondering what would happen to me.

I looked at the monitor again and this time for Manchester it said the flight departed from gate 108. Now I was in a panic... and again I was told I was in the right place that the monitor was wrong.

So I sat and waited and more people arrived... a bunch wearing “I love NY” shirts and hoodies and as I talked to a few of them I realized I was in the right place. I was surrounded by that lovely English accent.

Then over the microphone came those dreaded words, there was a mechanical problem with the plane and we would be taking off about 8 PM. Half hour late, not to bad I thought. Then at 8 PM a new notice, the plane was still being worked on and we'd be taking off at 9 PM. And guess what? When 9 o'clock came around we were told it would be 10 PM. And there was one other problem. The plane was overbooked. They were looking for five volunteers to take a later flight. This was not looking good.

Thankfully a bunch of college kids volunteered because they would get $400 off a future flight and other discounts. One problem solved. Now all I needed was to get on the plane.

A little before 10 PM we took off from Newark. I was so excited just to get out of that terminal, yet I have a feeling my first day in England I will be kind of a zombie. Looking at the good things though... I am truly happy that it happened on my last flight because I had no other flights to catch. Second, yes I was stuck in the terminal, but that was still better then being stuck on the plane.

Anyway, right now I'm writing this at 35,000 feet and we are just leaving Maine and heading out over the water. The crazy part is that this seven hour flight will be done in five and a half hours so I won't arrive too late. There is a really good strong tail wind so we will be making good time and traveling at 560 mph, hopefully I will be passing through customs before 9 AM.

My holiday has begun. I'm in the terminal having a mug of coffee and relaxing with my hostess...

2 of 3 - done

2011-12-11T16:58:00.002-06:00

Two flights down and the monster flight awaits... I'm now in my birth state, in the old days I could call people and we could visit here for an hour or so... not any more though.

Flights have been going good... though the last one had me concerned that somehow I got on the wrong one. Chicago to Newark is usually a good sized plane... tonight it was a rather small one... we made good time with it though and treated myself to a couple of slices of east coast pizza...

Seven hours left on a plane and my vacation begins...