I am never drinking again!

Famous words, unfortunately never remembered for more than a full week. Or until the next time someone says "It's not going to be a huge night, just a couple drinks..." or "just a couple of shots to get the night started". I have had a couple of hangovers in my life, but the one I am in the middle of right now is definitely the worst. It's like someone is taking a jackhammer to my skull, then pouring fiery gasoline down the gaping hole that results.

So the next time you see me heading down that path, please remind me of this post! And please, drink responsibly!

updates...

Addiction truly becomes difficult to handle when there is a perceived benefit to it. Drunks use alcohol as a social facilitator, a liquid courage of sorts, the benefit is a lack of inhibition; drug addicts find the high too much of a pleasure to live without. Gamblers gamble for the same high - they become addicted to the highs and lows, the adrenaline rush that comes with big wins and even big losses. This itself is a strong enough factor to cause addiction. Now if there is a benefit to experiencing these highs, such as actually winning money, it becomes an even bigger struggle to quit.

I am playing poker online again. I know, I know. It's quite weak, especially after that last self-righteous post about not gambling. Now, that said, it is not all-consuming, I am not playing for hours on end, and I am not playing for huge money. In fact I am playing at almost the lowest stakes possible. Just enough to satiate the need. The problem is I continue to win. Now I know that this doesn't sound like much of a problem, but I find it much easier to quit when I am losing (eg. "hey, if I can win a few hundred dollars a month playing with very little risk, why SHOULDN'T I play?). I thankfully possess that bit of common sense telling me when enough is enough, the little voice inside my head that espouses reason and logic. And that is a lot more than "true" addicts have I think. I am thinking of emptying the account again...maybe if I do that a few more times I will just quit entirely.

Anyhow, needed to get that off my chest. Gotta wake up early tomorrow...I'm calling Dubai!


cheers.........................

I enjoyed this....

Michael Moore vs. Mr. Wolf Blitzer and Dr. Sanjay Gupta.

Check it out here!

Quite entertaining...if you're rushed for time, check out the second half of the clip.

ramblings

I can't believe it's already July. It seems like I was just looking forward to summer, and suddenly not only is it here, but it's almost gone. It's times like these that I sit back and wonder what the fuck I am doing in this frozen tundra country. I am so much happier in the warm weather that it's a wonder I have put up with it for so long. For shits sake, why should I or anyone have to suffer through 6-8 months of bone-numbing cold? Yes, Canada is a great country - clean, safe and modern. But is that truly enough?

On the other hand, I grew up in a city where 15C was considered freezing, and I never really appreciated it. I lived 10 minutes from the beach, and many times considered a day at the beach something of a chore. These days I'd cut off my right nut to have that same sort of access. In good old Canuck-ville, the months of hideous weather means you truly appreciate the warmth when it arrives. I am outside as much as possible - running, playing soccer, frisbee, golf, as well as sitting idly on a patio enjoy what my colleague calls a beer wrap. Beers wrapped in cylindrical glasses. I know, not too witty, but that's the sort of shit I have to deal with day in and day out.

Managing a group of people is actually quite tough. It's really about picking your battles. I don't want to be the uptight asshole who is constantly shoving rules down people's throats. But neither do I want to be the pushover. So far I think I'm doing pretty well; when I criticize it's constructive, when I condemn it is well deserved. I do lead by example, and while I don't go on power trips I do make sure people understand where the boundaries are.

This weekend will be sun-filled. Golfing Saturday, and perhaps Sunday as well. Pool party Sunday...never a bad thing.

have a tremendous weekend.

To make a long story short....

To make a long story even longer, my internal alarm clock, my gut instinct, proved correct. My boss made promises which the company never intended to keep, and my client as well as myself had to suffer the consequences. While the ultimate "act" was perpetrated by my boss, I never stood up and said anything, hoping that all would work itself out in the end. It didn't. And I feel slightly ashamed of my non-reaction. However, I did learn an invaluable lesson. One - listen to your gut instinct, most of the time it's correct. Two - be proactive in maintaining your moral code; when you feel something is not right, stand up and be counted. In the long run, you'll be better off for it. You'll also be able to sleep well at night.

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Long weekend update: I spent it watching movies and playing sports - quite frankly it's a great combination of the physical and the lazy. This week is a 3-day work week which is pretty much what I believe the perfect number of work days to be. Forget 5 days of work and 2 days off. Whoever came up with that stupid model anyways?

Oh, I played a bit of online poker...I feel guilty admitting it, but it's true. I was bored and I rationalized - "I'm a sensible person, I can play for an hour or two without getting hooked again."

Enough of the serious posts. I feel like ranting...later!