tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-113795442024-10-04T21:03:18.646-05:00Outright Mental Defective is an ongoing conversation about living sober one day at a time. http://soberrant.blogspot.com/Trudginghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08139170570599049146noreply@blogger.comBlogger888125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11379544.post-45749565062466335042009-09-13T07:03:00.002-05:002009-09-13T07:12:07.020-05:00<p>Thank you everyone for you kind words of welcome back. I am not sure exactly how I am going to use the Blog this time around. For starters however, I thought I would share what I am <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">grateful</span> for today.</p><ul><li>A day of rest yesterday</li><li>The porch is finally almost finished</li><li>A good nights sleep</li><li>A new meeting starts tonight</li><li>My sponsor G </li></ul>Trudginghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08139170570599049146noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11379544.post-27559140737362736072009-09-04T13:09:00.000-05:002009-09-04T13:10:19.442-05:00Long time, no see how is everyone.Trudginghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08139170570599049146noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11379544.post-48949250043710603002008-07-31T12:32:00.000-05:002008-07-31T12:33:44.759-05:00Right now, I am a codependent mess.Trudginghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08139170570599049146noreply@blogger.com25tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11379544.post-74116605263309561072008-07-28T04:57:00.002-05:002008-07-28T05:03:44.219-05:00<ul><li>Sam left for Cub Scout camp yesterday</li><li>Chuck and I went to see <a href="http://www.mammamiamovie.com/">Mama Mia</a></li><li>The return of <a href="http://www.amctv.com/originals/madmen/">Mad Men</a></li><li>Rain</li><li>Sleep</li></ul>Trudginghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08139170570599049146noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11379544.post-44214118167744968552008-07-25T17:06:00.001-05:002008-07-25T17:09:03.522-05:00<ul><li>The progress on our rental unit</li><li>Great weather</li><li>Sam is at Cub Scout camp next week</li><li>A good life</li></ul>Trudginghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08139170570599049146noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11379544.post-51912192907845287302008-07-22T06:01:00.003-05:002008-07-22T06:48:47.019-05:00I have a very good friend who is <strong>dying</strong> as a direct result of his <strong>addiction to food</strong>. He landed in the emergency room over the weekend, unable to breath. Yesterday the cardiologist told him that if he did not change his life style (diet, exercise and use of a <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">CPAP</span> machine) he could very well<strong> die in the next few years</strong>. He told me this dire prediction and then followed with, "<strong>but doctors always tell you your going to die</strong>." He said, trying to laugh the whole thing off.<br /><br /><strong>Am I crazy</strong>? Do doctors always tell people they are going to die in the next few years if they do not do this or that? My doctor did tell me if I did not lower my cholesterol through diet (lets hear it for <strong>fish oil</strong> and<strong> oatmeal</strong>) she would have to put me on <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Lipator</span>. I assumed that somewhere down the line I would be risking death but, she never said anything about a few years.<br /><br /><strong>I hate watching people die from their addictions</strong>. I hate being powerless to stop it. I especially hate watching people I love die from their addictions. In my eighteen years in the rooms I have done far, far too much of it.Trudginghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08139170570599049146noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11379544.post-81367365972470325732008-07-21T07:21:00.002-05:002008-07-21T07:24:14.903-05:00Our whole family was sick over the weekend. I hate when that happens. Some kind of virus we think. Anyhow today we all seem a whole lot better.<br /><br /><ul><li>Returning health</li><li>A good night's sleep</li></ul>Trudginghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08139170570599049146noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11379544.post-58184789896655666612008-07-20T04:33:00.000-05:002008-07-20T04:34:25.090-05:00My will doesn't always work so well.Trudginghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08139170570599049146noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11379544.post-9053576630121939792008-07-17T12:24:00.002-05:002008-07-17T12:34:25.522-05:00Right now, I don't want to do God's will, I want to do my will.Trudginghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08139170570599049146noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11379544.post-24973595722415715882008-07-13T14:24:00.006-05:002008-07-31T05:58:02.810-05:00I am struggling with one of my <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">sponsees</span>. <strong>I love her dearly</strong> and I am as close to her as anyone I have ever sponsored. She just celebrated two years sober and I have sponsored her twenty months of those two years. In spite of all these good things, <strong>I am not sure I can go on sponsoring her</strong>.<br /><br />Why do I want to end the relationship? At two year sober she continues to have <strong>unprotected sex</strong> with men she barely knows. <strong>She lines up men the way I used to line up glasses of wine</strong>. All the while she plays the happily married suburban wife to her highly successful but clueless husband. I have suggested <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">therapy</span>, Sex Addicts Anonymous and several other things to no avail.<br /><br />I was taught in this program that you never fire a <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">sponsee</span>. That if you fire a <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">sponsee</span> it is too much about you and not enough about them. As much as I love her I really do not want to be standing next to the tracks when the <strong>inevitable train wreck</strong> happens. <strong>What should I do</strong>?Trudginghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08139170570599049146noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11379544.post-62854744583917840652008-07-13T14:16:00.003-05:002008-07-13T14:18:48.439-05:00So far the damage has not been as extensive as we had feared. Some of it should even be a fairly easy fix. <strong>God</strong>, <strong>once again, has our backs</strong>. Funny how that works.Trudginghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08139170570599049146noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11379544.post-3760063881831776892008-07-09T01:22:00.002-05:002008-07-09T01:35:04.665-05:00Good News - Our <strong>tenants finally left</strong>.<br /><br />Bad News - They caused much more <strong>damage</strong> to the unit than we anticipated. There were leaks they never told us about so now we have <strong>mold everywhere. </strong>Even in closets which I find very weird. Their side of the basement is flooded from one of the the leaks. The stove is in pieces and they spray <strong>painted the bathroom tile</strong> black.<br /><br />We have learned a lot about being landlords from this experience. But unfortunately it is not going to be a cheap leason.Trudginghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08139170570599049146noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11379544.post-86677446517161665492008-07-04T06:58:00.002-05:002008-07-04T07:17:32.485-05:00Happy Fourth of July everyone! When I was a kid the <strong>Fourth of July</strong> was always my favorite holiday. I loved it because it took place during that enchanted period of midsummer. Midsummer was safely buffered from school and other "real life" actitives by June on one end and August on the other. <br /><br />As an adult, midsummer no longer provides the sanctuary that it once did. Every once in a while when I <strong>smell </strong>the intoxicating blend of <strong>humdity, Coppertone and plastic pool toys</strong> I am transported back to that simpler time.<br /><br /><ul><li>4th of July </li><li>My home group meeting last night</li><li>Today's picnic </li></ul>Trudginghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08139170570599049146noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11379544.post-36287345883755761082008-07-02T06:41:00.003-05:002008-07-02T07:17:37.151-05:00On May 23 we gave our downstairs <strong>tenants</strong> notice to move out on or before June 30. <br /><br />We have had a <strong>string of problems</strong> with them. They have been <strong>late on the rent</strong> for months. In fact they still owe us <strong>$400 in rent</strong> from December and February. Both grandsons (its a grandmother and her two grandsons) have <strong>moved in their girlfriends</strong> who are not on the lease. (This is not to mention the half dozen or so other family <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">members</span> who live there on and off). In fact one grandson moved in his girlfriend and her(or their, I am not sure) <strong>two toddler children</strong>. The other grandson is "one of us," I think. As the result the police come by frequently, mostly for <strong>domestic disturbances</strong>.<br /><br />We told them if they moved out on or before June 30 we<strong> will not evict</strong> or <strong>report you to the housing authority and Section 8</strong>. <strong><span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Guess</span> what? They are still here</strong>. When my husband ask them yesterday when they were moving, they said that they were <strong>not going to move</strong>. When Chuck said we were going to have to evict them and they would lose their Section 8 status, the answer was,<strong> we do not care</strong>. <br /><br /><strong> </strong>Trudginghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08139170570599049146noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11379544.post-70230182202951436472008-06-30T18:15:00.002-05:002008-06-30T18:19:08.958-05:00<ul><li>My<strong> happiness</strong> does not depend on what is going on around me</li><li>My <strong>sobriety</strong> does not depend on the sobriety of those around me</li><li>My <strong>future</strong> is determined by God and not the politicians and the economy</li></ul><p>Please send a <strong>prayer</strong> up for my friend <strong>Margaret</strong> who lost her mother on Sunday.</p>Trudginghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08139170570599049146noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11379544.post-27999415946207992642008-06-25T05:29:00.003-05:002008-06-25T05:36:23.116-05:00<ul><li>I can always <strong>Let Go and Let God</strong> </li><li>For the most part I <strong>Live and Let Live</strong></li><li>Even in the choas of a self imposed busy summer I am able to put <strong>First Things First</strong></li><li>When I start to take myself and my activities too seriously I am reminded <strong>Easy Does It</strong></li><li>And <strong>There But for the Grace of God Go I</strong></li></ul><p><strong></strong> </p>Trudginghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08139170570599049146noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11379544.post-77444122186498840242008-06-23T13:14:00.000-05:002008-06-23T13:15:25.318-05:00<ul><li>Summer</li><li>Sun</li><li>Swimming</li></ul><p> </p>Trudginghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08139170570599049146noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11379544.post-53579499435766313822008-06-09T05:38:00.002-05:002008-06-09T05:43:32.674-05:00<ul><li>Air Conditioning</li><li>Sleep</li><li>Service</li><li>This week I get to hear one <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">sponsee's</span> <strong>5<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">th</span> step</strong></li><li>I also get to hear another <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">sponsee</span> <strong>speak</strong> (she is the A.A. speaker at very large Al-anon anniversary)</li><li>Redemption</li></ul>Trudginghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08139170570599049146noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11379544.post-23422296406329821052008-06-05T11:22:00.000-05:002008-06-05T11:24:02.508-05:00<ul><li>Sleep</li><li>Good health</li><li>Two running cars</li><li>The program</li></ul>Trudginghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08139170570599049146noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11379544.post-41042043727667344462008-06-03T08:31:00.001-05:002008-06-03T08:32:45.247-05:00<ul><li>The quiet of early morning</li><li>Serenity</li><li>A useful life</li></ul>Trudginghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08139170570599049146noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11379544.post-36410484257634022222008-06-02T16:42:00.000-05:002008-06-02T16:44:09.498-05:00<ul><li>A kick-ass God</li><li>Enjoying life</li><li>Encouragement</li><li>Peace</li><li>Love</li><li>Fellowship</li></ul>Trudginghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08139170570599049146noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11379544.post-81407146806183319062008-05-30T07:35:00.002-05:002008-05-30T07:53:59.980-05:00<ul><li>Seeing one of my sponsee become a sponsor</li><li>Being comfortable in my own skin</li><li>Trying to live in God's will</li></ul>Trudginghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08139170570599049146noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11379544.post-76208779560218043122008-05-29T05:04:00.002-05:002008-05-29T05:11:34.163-05:00<ul><li><strong>Sam</strong> was <strong>student of the month</strong> for April</li><li>Sunshine</li><li>Prayer</li><li>Forgiveness</li><li>God can take what others intend for <strong>bad </strong>and turn it into something <strong>good</strong></li></ul>Trudginghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08139170570599049146noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11379544.post-90331990802684467772008-05-28T18:28:00.002-05:002008-05-28T18:33:47.950-05:00<ul><li>Grace</li><li><span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Mercy</span></li><li>Redemption</li><li>People who I love</li><li>People who love me</li></ul>Trudginghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08139170570599049146noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11379544.post-21193563645878879952008-03-17T10:29:00.000-05:002008-03-17T10:30:35.068-05:00Guys, I am taking a little hiatus right now. See you soon!Trudginghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08139170570599049146noreply@blogger.com4