Why are you happy today?

[eMTe]

Well, Im happy, because my week in Barcelona at the end of July is now virtually confirmed, with tickets and flat booked and decrease of money on account visible. Cant help, must fly.

[Railwaymodeler]

I am happy because while up at Camp Ma Ka Ja Wan with the Boy Scouts, they gave me six laptops that were decent specs but being replaced. They told me I could do with them as I pleased. Plus I was giving three Dell D610s that are pretty nice!

Then today I was given two Dell Latitude L400 laptops that just needed operating systems installed, plus a couple batteries for Compaq Armada M700s, that I have.

This is good, because I got people asking for laptops!

[Drasir-Vel]

I'm happy because i just got A in an exam.

[Pater Alf]

Congratulation!!!

What kind of exam was it?

[Chroelle]

Congrats! Good work.

[Drasir-Vel]

It was the general exam for the basic course of the education Automatics and Process.

[eMTe]

Different countries, different names of courses.

You deal with computers in general, am I right?

[Drasir-Vel]

Uhh yeah. I think the computer part of it, is generally when you program a PLC (Programmable Logic Controller), something you use in electrical systems, as a controller for industrial machines. It's something you use instead of a combination of a lot of relays, and wires. Then you can just program where there should be connections at different points.
The key word in this education is 'automation', to make industrial machines able to run semi-automatic, and make them able to do different tasks depending on what buttons you press.
Sorry if my terminology is a bit off.

[Railwaymodeler]

Major bump!

Got someone coming by later to get two laptops from me.

Plus, I have my new cat Loki, and she and I are getting along pretty well.

[Chroelle]

This is always a good thread to have bumped. I love reading it. You just know going into it that you will come out happier than you did coming in.

Good for you Raillo!

I had a great day yesterday, in spite of Tanja being ill. Because of her being ill I had to take care of Anna all by myself, and we went bobsledding, and came back and she got a nice hot bath, and then we slipped her into a night-jumpsuit thingy, and went and baked in the kitchen. Just cozy all the way all the day.

[Chroelle]

Sounds great (and welcome). I am happy today because I am setting up a theater production at my workplace with about 65 kids, and today we had a breakthrough with getting things to look good for the grand show which is saturday...

[Chroelle]

Well today I am happy because I love my wife. The reason I am so happy about it today is that she "gets" me. She understands who I am. The other day I told her that I was pretty bashed after the last run of weeks being both the father and mother of Anna, and doing everything around the house because Tanja was ill. I wanted to let her know so she didn't expect me to get lots of stuff done now that am I off from work for a week, and so I told her that it would be great if I could get some time to myself and just sit at the computer and do some stuff I am behind on: CWF, my blog and updating my homepage so it reflects my abilities once more. When you normally tell your wife or GF that you want to spend your freetime in front of the computer and if she could get lost while you are doing so ýou get a response that is mostly a bit on the harsh side, and consists of alot of yelling and or being very quiet, and sentences like - Hell no, if you dont want to spend time with me, then you can f*ck off yourself. My wife went and made a call to her sister, and tomorrow she is spending the day with her, while Anna is in kindergarden, and I have the day to myself more or less. You just have to love that!
Oh and yesterday we went to a fleemarket and found 3 pieces that I simply love. A table, a small set-table and a lamp. And now we are going to IKEA to find some more furniture and that will propably mean I will be on my knees for the rest of the day assembling dressers etc. See you guys tomorrow, where I hope to be adding games, writing news, and perhaps even playing a game or two.

[Zyx]

It's strange, but these days I'm happy almost every day when I get home.


my tiny dog, on Flickr

[Railwaymodeler]

Just got home from an all-day job in Naperville, about 60 miles from here.

Got paid well for it, and now I have the beginning of a model railroad to come home to!

[eMTe]

I just gave up drinking. In fact, I did it in the same way like i gave up smoking - I just quit it. I poured half of the bottle of vodka into the sink and promised myself to never buy one again. Nor wine or beer. Considering that drinking, like smoking, drugs and other addictions (some in development only, hopefully) is just a psychological problem, I just quit it. And Im fully assured that it's just the past. With a little of online help, but anyway.

Sorry that Im using this forum to deal with my problem, but I feel it was quite visible that something is wrong anyway. Now it isnt, I simply quit it.

[Chroelle]

VERY glad to hear that eMTe!
It is always nice to hear that someone takes a life-altering decision to the better! I hope it will be a clean cut with no problems. And feel free to use the forum for any kind of messages.

[Scythe]

Good for you, eMTe. Not everybody can just quit their addictions, I hope it works out for you.

Gaming is the only addiction I allow myself, but sometimes I think that too much control is a kind of sickness as well.

[Pager]

Glad to hear it eMTe! Congratulations!

I gave up drinking about 2 years ago. I find it the worst being around my friends and family because they use social gatherings as an excuse to get drunk. None of them can really get together without having drinks. After a while I just found it very repetitive to even go to parties, because I would show up, they were mostly all drunk and then they talked about things that they weren't going to remember the next day, and then all go to sleep. I find it even harder to go out wth them now, because they all have little babies and still treat social gatherings as a means to get wasted, but now there are screaming children in the background. It is awful. I just want to smack the stupid out of them. But then again, I start to question whether or not there was ever any similarities between my friend group other than our love for alcohol. Sorry to use this as a vent room as well.

I agree with your method too, there is no better way to quit than to just stop what you are doing.

[eMTe]

It's not that I was an alcoholic, not even close to that (I hope). I just noticed, that being alone for quite a long time, previously being usually in some relationships, I spend more and more evenings with bottle of alcohol standing beside my monitor. Sometimes as much as 25 days per month. I got aware that it can turn into serious habit and here I am - clean and sober. I dont plan abandoning alcohol totally, after all it's hardly possible (but possible) in everyday life, but Ill no longer use it as a timefiller, especially when sitting alone at evenings. Being a son of alcoholic, I perfectly know how it starts.

On a sidenote. Having a contact with Pentecostal sect several years ago, I learned how to manipulate myself. They used a clever method. Once they caught somebody in their orbit they told the unaware (but interested in their teachings) person that to "start your adventure with Jesus" you just have to "invite Him into your heart". How? Just say, even now "I invite you, Jesus, into my heart" and then simply follow. I reversed this method and successfully quit smoking, now it will hopefully work with alcohol. I just stopped compulsory drinking and will follow this decision.

[Scythe]

I've always said that drinking alone is one definition of alcoholism.