I just celebrated nineteen years of sobriety on Tuesday. Almost two decades have passed; three presidents and Zima have come and gone. Time is playing tricks on me now days. I lived in Eugene in ’97 to ’99 and it seems like I’ve just moved back while I lived in Lewiston, Idaho in 2007 and it seems like that was a century ago. I can remember my last drink like it was yesterday, but I’m a little fuzzy what I did this last New Year’s Eve and I was sober.
I have my new room all set up. It already feels comfortable. So comfortable in fact, that I kind of want to just hang out here and not go out anymore. I think a lot of good ideas are going to come out of this basement. I am now writing on a couch instead of in my bed.
My new roommate is smart. It’s nice to be able to discuss anything from politics, world affairs, history, culture, sociology and a plethora of other topics that I can’t discuss with most other people.
I am living with pit-bull named Jasper.
I had thought about quitting smoking for lent, but Fear gripped me and I decided to smoke a little longer. I may have to look into smoking treatment.
I listened to Bertrand Russell’s lecture ‘Why I Am Not A Christian’. While I am not a huge fan of philosophers, but Russell is someone I’ve admired for a long time and wish I could have met him. He seems like the kooky old English guy that you go over to his house and get him going so you can just sit there and listen to him go off. There was a graphic novel called Logicomix: An Epic Search for Truth, which told the tale of Russell using math to design a language for truth. A fun read and great art.
I have taken some pains to not respond to anything emotionally or angrily on Facebook. The last year has been hard. I have a great variety of friends on Facebook and some of them post things that are just plain wrong. I see it in my feed and I stifle a scream and I want to write a three to five page essay using logical argument and actual research from reputable sources, but I must keep scrolling past the picture of cats, people’s food, a complaint about Facebook, a Buddhist quote and other meaningless posts that don’t fire up my rage – just my lack of faith in humanity. I must not react to uneducated and ignorant posts and memes. If I do react to you, it is because I feel like I can have an intelligent discussion about it.
I am already a little worried about John Kerry’s State Department policies. He has been talking tough and pointing laser pointers at maps of North Korea, Iran and Syria. I have said this before, but I think some of you need the reminder, Democrats love military interventions to curb communism radical Islam. They love surgical strikes that require little to no boots on the ground and now that technology has created such beasts as the Drone and the Smart Bomb, they have become more than happy to see how they can fix some of our less than friendly nations.
I’m still happier with Kerry than anyone Romney would have appointed.
I’m a lucky fella. My girlfriend is NOT forcing me to hang out with her on Valentine’s Day. This is almost a Valentine gift from her to me. Instead of a dozen roses and some chocolate, she moved the holiday to a more suitable day and lessens the expectations for some Hallmark magic to happen. She is a great girlfriend and is crazy enough to put up with my funny mood swings. I have mood swings like an April day in Oregon.
I am trying to not get too excited about J.J. Abrams directing the next Star Wars movie. Disney is behind it, but they did a great job on the first two Pirates of the Caribbean movies.
I better post this and try to go to bed. I do sleep now.