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.