That FANTASTIC!!!!!

Keep going!!! :You_Rock_

TREE TIME!!!

Cool K!!!

Congratulations Abraxas. That is a great achievement.

Oh, and good morning everybody. I'm a sleep deprived maniac!! Honk honk!!!!

Loving the 2 weekender threads

good morning from the north land of England ,

Wind and rain are blowing hard today , it's warm and nice inside though with mex-m8 and the cat .

Self care is cool i'm glad people are sharing their sobriety secrets . this is the newcomers area and i'm happy when i see the people of this thread inspire and share hints and tips , offer a safe space for newcomers to join in where the support can be more tangental sometimes ,

Lets all get through till monday .

Catch you all later , m

Good morning eveyone!
way to go, Abraxas! Nothing is better than waking up feeling good.
self care...for me these days, it's reducing stress. When I first stopped drinking, I found ways to cope and deal with stress. Now I'm trying to minimize it in my life. Stress is a big trigger for me. Nothing like a long hard day at work to get my AV ranting.
self care also needs to include losing some weight. I think I'll work on that next......

Congrats, Abraxas!! :)

Afternoon everyone,

Almost for the first time since i joined the W'enders thread I an not spending Sunday in a draughty old garage working on an old Lancia. I am chillin and watching the tennis for a change

Wathced the boxing re run at my Lebanese neighbours this morning - practically every sporting event that ever takes place he claims is fixed LOL! His wife is contemptuous of his claims. They are a really nice couple - she was once well known in the middle east as a singer back in the day

Good morning, W'enders,

I am hopelessly behind on the thread this weekend so I'll do my usual thanksthanksthanksthanksthanksthanksthanks to all.

Ruby, sending best wishes for a successful procedure for your father.

Am still wincing over Mesa's experience. My beloved little dog niece is an 8-pound Yorkie; I'm troubled by people who would bring such aggressive dogs to a dog park. A tragedy waiting to happen.

Movie recommendation: "Spotlight." It's the best movie I've seen about journalism since "All the President's Men." The story of the Boston Globe's investigation into the power structure and protecting pedo priests. And there were many. Also many corollaries to the city where I live. That said, if any have bad associations with clergy abuse, probably one to pass on.

Just a nice quiet morning here. Kind of gray outside. My date is this afternoon and my head is stuck between the unease of having to "put myself out there" (and risk my own disappointment or rejection from another) and the acknowledgement that I have to do that if companionship is to stand a chance in my future. It has taken me a long time to get my self-confidence back and repair my ability to trust others. So just gonna take things in stride -- my afternoon shall be spent in one of my favorite places, our spectacular art museum here, viewing an exhibit that's gotten great reviews. And he seems nice. :)

Well, papa of sweet little Finn, I think that may be your norm for a while. :) Give the little fella a hug from his honorary aunties and uncks here, Behan.

Enjoy your chill, Sao. It sounds like your last week was pretty relentless.

Yes do Behan. Best wishes to you

Morning!
Watching Cochise clean her chelicerae, and executing her general groomimg procedure.
Interesting.

Hi, Lunar -- I'm *really* behind. Just looked up chelicerace. You have a pet spider?

A good humored lovable sober maniac, though! You are hilarious, Daddy Behan...Finn is going to have a wonderful life.

Morning, Lunar! Love your avatar pic. Had to look up chelicerae. What kind of arachnid is Cochise? I must have missed when you introduced her.

There are times when I think I'm getting on well and then something happens.
My dad and I went out for hot chocolate and had a nice time. My mom was in a mood when we got back and called me "totally useless". Now, we have been getting on okay so this was like a sledgehammer. Yeah, I'm pissed off, I'm always making allowances for her: like the reason she behaves this way is because she is suffering too. But no. Today I think the reason she behaves this way is because she is a witch.

Now I'm angry.

Venecia, I agree: " I'm troubled by people who would bring such aggressive dogs to a dog park. A tragedy waiting to happen. "

They are either clueless or wannabe bullies. It doesn't matter the breed, any breed can have a screw loose or have been mishandled. A dog park is not the place to address dominance or aggression or obedience issues!

Oh, Tetra. I'm sorry.

I cannot grasp what your mother's issues are, but I know this: They are not about you.

Take care, friend.

Good morning lovely bus riders! :)

Woke up with a headache but thank god it's not the hangover kind!

Congrats Abraxas! Starting the week hangover free is the best!!

Venecia...oh I so hear you! Putting yourself out there is hard. Hope you have fun today and if it's a dud, well, at least you can cross him off the list. :hug:

Sao....are you sure you weren't watching sports with my dad? He swears every game/match is fixed but still continues to watch! Ha!

I'm babysitting a while today to help get me out of this weird mood. :)

I made a lot of allowances for family, too, Tetra. But you know what...everyone suffers and behavior is a choice. My mother was an angry frustrated woman during my growing up. She went off on me purely because she could. I found it extremely upsetting and unbalancing to be valued or at least tolerated one minute and the next minute I was sh!#. It deeply affected me.

My parents are both the most wonderful people I can imagine now...they ultimately resolved their demons and especially my mother is sweet through and through. I am thankful every day that they are mine and I get to enjoy them now. But I will not minimize the turmoil and long term effects of my early life.

I see no words of wisdom in my comments. Ha. Just a late, ineffective rant from someone who has "been there", too.

The Brazilian Giant Whiteknee Tarantula (Acanthoscurria geniculata), is a species of tarantula native to the Amazon basin of Northern Brazil. It is commonly referred to as the Brazilian giant whiteknee tarantula in reference its brilliant black and white banded legs. This is a large species, fast growing and taking up to 3–4 years to reach a mature leg-span of 8.5 inches for females.

These tarantulas have been much prized as pets, due to their size, hardiness, and striking colouration. They are moderately defensive, and their urticating hairs can be quite irritating to human skin. These spiders, like many un-domesticated pets, can bite when provoked. Fortunately because they have urticating hairs, biting is typically not their first line of defense. Their venom is not considered medically significant, but due to their large size the puncture wounds can be damaging.
Enter Cochise.

(((Tetra)))

Lunar, that spider really is beautiful to look at....from a safe distance of course! :)

I love spiders. I wish I had spent my life as an entomologist.

Thank you, brynn.
She came shipped in a pill bottle in 12/2011.
Now, she is huge, happy and well-taken care of. : )

A pet spider? Does it come to you when you call it from across the room?

Tetra, do not let that witch anger you. There is nothing you can do. Do you get angry at flesh eating zombies? No, it's what they do. You just have to protect yourself from them. And unless she moves up higher on the witch scale, her only power right now is nasty words. If she turned you into a newt, then it would be time to get pissed off. Don't let her 'control' your emotions.

Serenity now! Serenity now! Serenity now!

Good words, LBrain!

Weasel, tree time? I was told 'we' are putting up a tree and decorating for xmas. And 'we' will, but 'I' won't. And if staying up till 3 AM every night and sleeping until past noon to go to work etc is any indication, 'we' will not be putting up and decorating a tree this year.
I got over 10 hours of sleep. I suppose I'll start trying to organize and move 'stuff' from the family room storage unit just in case 'we' decide that 'we' are going to decorate.

Have a good day all. Funny, MM you are killing me. I was going to post the aluminum tree/light wheel thing. I seriously want to get one - someday.
I'm considering a "live" tree this year. Putting up and taking down the fake one is a lot of work. Plus I support my local fire company.
HAF, getting a real tree is not 'killing' a tree. They are a commercial crop. Think that every time you buy a loaf of bread you are killing a field of wheat?

It's hard not to let someone control your emotions when that someone is the one person in the world you want approval from. I'm speaking from my personal experience with my mother, not saying it's exactly the same for you, tetra, but let's face it...as girls we want that stamp of approval from mom. It's like if they only knew one word from them can make or break us. Ugh!!!
I agree...Serenity Now.