I'm going to have to go off on a tangent tonight. I'll get back to writing my story another time soon.
A couple of interesting things happened today. First, there was the blockbuster political slam-dunk this morning about Rod Blagojevich, the Governor of my home state, Illinois. I lived in the Chicago suburbs for over 40 years, and often heard about Chicago's "machine politics." I didn't know that much about it, and I didn't really follow politics much as a younger man. I remember hearing the name of Mayor Richard J. Daley all the time.....he was an iconic figure in Chicago. After Daley, there were a few other mayors, Jane Byrne (1st female mayor of Chicago), Harold Washington (1st Balck Mayor of Chicago), and then here came Daley's son. He won the 1st race he ran in for mayor, to the surprise of no one.
But political corruption, I now know, has been a way of life in Chicago for decades, maybe longer. For that matter, apparently, the whole state of Illinois has been known to be crooked for a long time. The list goes on and on; the last Governor before Blagojevich is still in prison, the guy before him served time (forget his name right now), but "pay to play" is a way of life in Illinois.
One of the more interesting facets of this whole thing, and one of the things that will be watched closely, is the fact that President-Elect Obama comes from Chicago, politically. Obama claims not to be connected to Blagiojevich, but he is a Chicago-based politician. He comes from Chicago "machine politics", and Obama and Blago have a common thread in Tony Resko. So, yes, Obama is innocent until proven guilty, but he will be under the microscope, we can be sure of that.
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My other issue today is the fact that I heard from a woman who I dearly love, but live far from. I think we could make something work if I was back in Illinois. She is pretty, shapely, and we have something vital in common, in that we are both recovering alcoholics. I think we would be good for each other. But I can only dream about it for now.............
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
Monday, December 8, 2008
Newcomer
I am new to the blogosphere, but not to the web itself. I have been a computer and web junkie for years. In this latest re-creation of myself, and my (hopefully) 3rd career, I hope to be able to use my computer skills as a way to earn a living. I don't know though. I'm not passionate about it, and at this stage of my life, I would like to be doing something that I actually enjoy.
2 careers ago, I had an occupation that I was happy with. I was good at what I did, I enjoyed it and found it rewarding, and I made excellent money. But I blew it with my drinking, at the same time I was ruining my 1st marriage. I was an ocularist, which is a fitter and fabricator of human artificial eyes. I started out at the age of 21, and worked my way up from the bottom. I mastered the lab skills that were necessary, and soon began working one-on-one with patients. I only did check-ups at first, but again worked my way up, eventually becoming accomplished at painting and fitting of the eye itself. It was rewarding, in that I was able to help patients begin to feel "normal" again, after going through the trauma of losing an eye.
At the same time that I was "climbing the ladder" in the field of ocular prosthetics, I was honing my drinking skills. Coming from an alcoholic family didn't help, but in the end, I am the one who did it. While I had the day job in doing prosthetics, I got a part time job working at a local tavern. I watched the door for the first few months, and then was given the chance to tend bar. I was a natural! What a great bartender!! I met my soon-to-be wife there, and kept on working all day, and partying every night. After ten years at the bar, and ten years doing prostheses, I became a father. My son was the best thing that ever happened to me, but I was so wrapped up in my alcoholism by then, that I almost blew that too. My (then) wife was smart enough to give me the boot after 9 yaers of marriage.
I remained very close to my son, and kept my drinking in check for the most part when he was with me on weekends. But I had lost my driver's license by then, after 3 DUIs, and had made the stupid decision to think that I could make a serious go of it working for myself, in prosthetics. I blew my entire 401K with that nightmare. I sanded and installed hardwood floors for a while. Then my Dad got me a job at the company he had just retired from. I dug right in, and did well in a middle-management position in manufacturing. My drinking got worse, though, and my boss told me to straighten up or get lost.
I went through alcohol detox in 1994, in-patient for 14 days. I have never felt so safe in my life. I hated leaving. But I did, and I stayed sober for about 4 months. I got really good at hiding my drinking, or so I thought. I did keep my job though, and that was good. In '96 I got so sick, I had to get back into treatment.
I'll continue this tomorrow. I'm wiped out, and this is a tough story to write about. I will probably want to elaborate on some things as I get further into this. I don't even know if this is what one "does" with a blog, but it is almost a cleansing for me, and I intend to see it through, if only for myself, as a way to get it off my chest.
2 careers ago, I had an occupation that I was happy with. I was good at what I did, I enjoyed it and found it rewarding, and I made excellent money. But I blew it with my drinking, at the same time I was ruining my 1st marriage. I was an ocularist, which is a fitter and fabricator of human artificial eyes. I started out at the age of 21, and worked my way up from the bottom. I mastered the lab skills that were necessary, and soon began working one-on-one with patients. I only did check-ups at first, but again worked my way up, eventually becoming accomplished at painting and fitting of the eye itself. It was rewarding, in that I was able to help patients begin to feel "normal" again, after going through the trauma of losing an eye.
At the same time that I was "climbing the ladder" in the field of ocular prosthetics, I was honing my drinking skills. Coming from an alcoholic family didn't help, but in the end, I am the one who did it. While I had the day job in doing prosthetics, I got a part time job working at a local tavern. I watched the door for the first few months, and then was given the chance to tend bar. I was a natural! What a great bartender!! I met my soon-to-be wife there, and kept on working all day, and partying every night. After ten years at the bar, and ten years doing prostheses, I became a father. My son was the best thing that ever happened to me, but I was so wrapped up in my alcoholism by then, that I almost blew that too. My (then) wife was smart enough to give me the boot after 9 yaers of marriage.
I remained very close to my son, and kept my drinking in check for the most part when he was with me on weekends. But I had lost my driver's license by then, after 3 DUIs, and had made the stupid decision to think that I could make a serious go of it working for myself, in prosthetics. I blew my entire 401K with that nightmare. I sanded and installed hardwood floors for a while. Then my Dad got me a job at the company he had just retired from. I dug right in, and did well in a middle-management position in manufacturing. My drinking got worse, though, and my boss told me to straighten up or get lost.
I went through alcohol detox in 1994, in-patient for 14 days. I have never felt so safe in my life. I hated leaving. But I did, and I stayed sober for about 4 months. I got really good at hiding my drinking, or so I thought. I did keep my job though, and that was good. In '96 I got so sick, I had to get back into treatment.
I'll continue this tomorrow. I'm wiped out, and this is a tough story to write about. I will probably want to elaborate on some things as I get further into this. I don't even know if this is what one "does" with a blog, but it is almost a cleansing for me, and I intend to see it through, if only for myself, as a way to get it off my chest.
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