Sunday, 4-26-2015: Past, Present & Plans

Past:

My first drink was a Schlitz Malt Liquor beer. I was seven, so that put it in the summer ’61. We lived in a housing development in Lanham, MD. This particular afternoon me and dad were going to a little garden spot in the country that dad rented so he could grow some veggies. On the way there he handed me his beer and said, “take a drink.” I said, “ok.” I took the can and took a small swig. I hated it and spit it out the window of the ’65 Chevy pick-up. To this day I don’t know if I spit out, because I didn’t like the tastes of beer or because I didn’t like the tastes of Schlitz. 🙂 Well I became a Bud man a decade or so later. I don’t think I ever liked the tastes of beer, but when I became a Bud man I was just going with the flow.

Present:

I friend of mine celebrated three years sober today and a number of us went to lunch and had a great time. Some of us are rather loud, because we love being sober. I think one of the reason we are so happy is the monkey is no longer on our back. It’s a real good feeling knowing I don’t have awake to a hangover anymore.

Plans:

Over lunch today the group laughed about past experiences, some drunken, some sober. One story reminded me of the time me and my best friend ended up (purely by accident) in my second ex-wife’s hometown. A couple of strange things happened on the way over that mountain heading towards Dalton, Georgia. My best friend and I thought one them to be a police matter, but the guy driving didn’t care and didn’t skip a beat and he just kept driving over the mountain. I guess that means I’m going to write a short story about it. If that happens and if it gets published somewhere, I’ll let you know when and where.

Wednesday 4-22-2015: Past, Present & Future

Past:

I did almost every drug out there during the time of my drug use, except heroin. I always thought I would get addicted to it and that’s why I didn’t do it. I didn’t realize I was addicted to everything else I was doing. I smoked at least two packs a day for twenty years, sometimes more with beer and acid. I smoke herbs the same amount of time and always thought that pot was my drug of choice, it wasn’t. The last five years of my drugging I was smoking a lot of crack, daily. Thank God I was able to quit all of that. At one point I thought pot is a weed, what can it hurt.

Present:

I just left my pulmonologist and my Doctor told me according to the home sleep study I just took, I have sleep apnea. She said, “I woke up 12 times that night to catch my breath.” I told her, “I had no idea.” She said, “most times you won’t.” of course that means more test. The next test is a sleep study in the Doctor office. She said I might have to wear a mask at night to help me get a good night sleep. I already have to take three different kinds of inhalers and I carry an emergency one in my pocket now, because I have COPD. Now I realized any kind of smoke in the body can’t be good for it. Lesson learned

Future:

After the next test. I will automatically have another test, and another, and another……

Tuesday, 4-21-15: Past, Present & Future

Past

My dad died 5 months after Billy was born, so I didn’t have his shoulder to cry on or put my problems on. My mom was there though and thank God she was. She was so much help over the next 23 years. One of the mistakes I continually made was hunting for women to help me with Jamie and Billy. I should have hunted or waited for a woman that fit me, then see if she could fit all three of us. Eventually the boys grew up and flew the coup. I ended up with countless girlfriends and three total wives partly because I really played up the fact that I was an unwed father with two kids. That worked well as a pick up line back then.

Present

I went to see my Urologist today and with a smile he said, “looking at your records and I see your still sick.”  I asked, “have you been talking to my friends again?” We both laughed about that for a second or two. Then he gave me a Low Oxalate Diet, so at this point I’m afraid to look at it. If I don’t want to get another kidney stone I guess I should see what I can and can not eat. A month ago I told him, “I’m falling apart Doc.” He said, “yes the warranty has run out.” I laughed so hard I almost peed myself. I guess I was in the right place. Beautiful day out, might go take a walk. Yea right. 🙂

Future

My main goal is to write a novel about time travel, but before that I will start on my Reflective Statement for my Creative Writing class at CSM. The class ends in three weeks.

later,

Jim