Today is New Years Eve. I hope everyone has a safe, and wonderful holiday. I have been enjoying some quiet time this morning going over last year and planning for the next. I have been deciding what I would like to accomplish for 2007, and what I would like to leave behind. This is still a work in progress, and over the next few days I hope to be finalizing my wish list.

I am happy to leave NVF, my ex in the past. There was a lot of good things in that relationship, and she was the catalyst for some wonderful lessons, but it is time to move on. I must leave one of my dancing partners in 2006, too. It was fun, but not worth all the aggravation that stirs inside of me. This year I have made great strides with the concept, "If it doesn't work, move on." and I would like to continue the mastery of that concept.

I am looking forward to finishing my house this coming year. I would like to have more time to focus on life instead of my workload. A nine to five job is in the cards, and a whole lot less exhausting than manual labor.

I am looking forward to learning saber fencing, and training a new puppy. I would like to step out and learn something new and different from the activities I already participate in. I haven't figured that out, but I am doing some serious brainstorming. Will keep you posted.

Happy New Year everyone.

Here is my new addition. I tried to take photos all day long, and these are the only ones that were in focus. The rest of the photos have a beige blur moving across the screen. Maybe tomorrow she will settle down enough to photograph.

Right now she doesn't have a name. She is very charming, feisty and stubborn, but willing to curl up on your feet. Without using names for humans, what would you suggest I call her?

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Merry Christmas everyone. I hope you all receive everything you have wished for.

Someone in Chicago has read my entire blog in three days. I wonder who finds me so interesting...... maybe they could email me and tell me their thoughts. I would enjoy the feedback.

On a different note, I have a secret. If you can guess it, I will buy you dinner.

I have a friend who lives in a small town in Alaska. She is clean and sober, and I have known her for approximately 25 years. We have kept in touch across the years through many states. My friend knows everything about me, and has watched me stumble through the good and bad of sobriety. There is nothing that I am too ashamed to tell her.

Over the last 8 months or so, I have telephoned her at least once a week; many times every other day. She has been instrumental in leading me thorough my last breakup. She was very patient with me while I slowly rediscovered reality and let go of what I thought I could never live without.

To get back to my story, I must add a note about the phone service up in Alaska. The phone company considers the city she lives in "rural" even though it is a city. When the phones go out, which they do quite frequently, they are down for many days. I can be mid-sentence and the phone service will go out. Then, I have to wait days to finish telling her my tale of woe.

Coupled with the irregular phone service, she also has a really old phone which she forgets to put it in the cradle to recharge. When that happens I either get cut off, or can't hear a word she is saying. If you have any idea of my personality, you would be safe in assuming that this drives me absolutely crazy. Did I mention that she doesn't have an answering machine either?

So I bought her a new phone and shipped it up there. I called her and said, "Dear Friend, I bought you a new phone. It will be there in 4 days."

Four days later, I called, "Dear Friend, did you go to the post office and pick up your new phone?" She said, "No, I didn't get there today, I will go tomorrow."

I called the next day, and said, "Friend, did you get your new phone?" She said, "Yes, I did. It is sitting here in the box. I just need to clear off a space on my counter for it."

Two days later I called, "Friend, did you plug in your new phone?" She said, "No, but I did read the box, and it is a really nice phone. Thank you so much!"

"Yes", I said, "It is a really nice phone. Honey, go get the box and open it up." I sat in silence for a long time, so long that I turned on some music. She came back to the phone and let me know that the new phone was plugged in.

Today, I called and left my first message.

Now, for the humor in this story. Together we have nearly fifty years of sobriety....... This experience demonstrates how AA is a program for life.

First, I am obligated to admit that I have been tagged to play a Blog game, and I must state the rules. I must admit 6 weird things about myself that no one in Blogland knows, and then tag 6 additional people, who must offer up a similar confession. These new 6 individuals must be informed in their comment section that they have been tagged.

A new and improved version of "6 Weird Things" has just been released, and is ready for distribution. There has been some changes and new additions folks, so pay attention. Now, for a new rules:

Number 1: If you have been tagged by a new individual, but you have played this game before, you are not exempt, and have to offer up an additional 6 Weird Things about yourself. These 6 additional morsels about your personality can not be a repeat of the first items, or any thereafter.

Number 2: The only way out of getting retagged is to offer up a new rule in your new posting. If you offer up a new rule to the game, and it doesn't interfere with the old rules or negate them, then you are at the end of the confessions, and you no longer have to play the "6 Weird Things" blog game.

Six Weird Things about Sober @ Sundown::

1. I don't think anything about me is weird, however......
2. I eat my food in order of least liked to most favorite.
3. I don't like my food to touch the other food.
4. When I cook if I get food on my hands I will wash them immediately.
5. I have a thing about germs. I hate touching gas pumps, grocery carts, doors etc. And guys, I always wonder if you have washed the last time you were in the restroom when I am shaking your hand.
6. I guess I have a lot of food issues, and here is another: If I have any notion that the food I am about to eat is bad, I won't eat it. All you have to do is suggest that something might be rotting and I won't eat it. I have gotten into numerous arguments over this weirdness......

I am tagging the following individuals to participate in the new game
:-)

Elizabeth McClung
The Jedi Master
Maggie
Deborah
Tab
Trudge

Good luck contestants!

I can't think of anything to write about....... So, I thought I would offer to answer questions. Ask me anything you want to, and I will answer it honestly. The only thing I won't give up is my true identity, and exact physical location.

Any takers?

No matter how hard I try, I can't seem to behave like a normal person. I have a digital camera, a really nice one. It records images on a flashcard. When I bought the camera, I also purchased a 1GB flashcard. I happily took pictures till it was full.

Once the card was full, I transferred all the photos to my laptop. I erased the photos that I considered less important, like the progress shots of my house repairs, or orchids. It was okay to dump these cause there were copies on my computer. However, it was not okay to erase the poodle photos so I left them on the flashcard.

Once the 1GB card was full of only "important" photos I had no choice but to buy another card. So I bought a 2GB flashcard for my camera. I happily took photos till it was full. It wasn't long before this card was completely full of those "important" photos of the dogs........

In the meantime, my laptop was acting kind of weird (or at least more unusual than what a Delll typically does) so in order to preserve my "important" photos, I purchased an external hard drive. I plugged it in and copied all of my "important" photos, and the less important shots to it.

Now, lets do the math. I have photos on my flashcard, my laptop, and an external hard drive. That is on three different physical locations. Could I possible feel stress free about my "important" photos? No, not this alcoholic. Today, I went out and bought a 4GB flashcard so I could continue taking digital photographs.

The only solace I have is that somewhere in one of my books (that are packed up in boxes in the storage container) is a phrase that talks about progress, not perfection.........