Wednesday, September 30, 2009

THINKING OF A 12 STEP PROGRAM

DSC_0037-2BAYFIELD’S PIONEER PARK SCENIC VIEWING STAND & STAIRS TO THE BEACH BELOW

In RICK'S BLOG to-day he brought to our attention Microsoft's recently released new anti-virus program called Security Essentials.  He is currently trying it out & I decided to give it a whirl as well.  Uninstalled my current AVG anti-virus program & downloaded Microsoft's Security Essentials.  Ran a scan & everything came up fine except it said we had some banana spiders in the utility shed & a flock of termites in the wood pile outside.  Oh well, guess that's better than a herd of turtles in a cloud of heifer dust.

DSC_0002-7EARLY MORNING CLOVER

I had left a comment on fellow blogger Rick's blog yesterday & the last two words I used in that comment kind of stuck with me for the rest of the day.  As human beings we are all prone to many forms of addictions.  Some of them serious, some funny, some permanent, & some that may only last a short time before giving way to the next passing addiction.  Many years ago cigarettes & alcohol were a couple serious ones for me but have long since been eliminated from my life.  Peanut butter & honey sandwiches are a yummy ones for me now.   Most of us guys have been addicted to girls at one time or another & for a couple years in the mid nineties I had a MacDonald's carrot muffin & vanilla ice cream cone thing going for quite awhile.  Ever been addicted to Oreo cookies??  Ya....thought so!!  With all the current addictions making the rounds it occurred to me recently that some of us out here in cyberspace may even be in the early stages of............."is it possible, could it be,"  Blogger addiction!!!!

DSC_0012-5HIGH WINDS MAKE FOR BREAKING WAVES OVER BAYFIELD’S PIER

I am finding myself at the computer more than ever these days with blog ideas in mind.  My morning shower thoughts of the coming day's practical activities have given way to upcoming blog topics.   My morning walks have turned into blog searches for photos & my mind is alert & aware for anything out of the usual happening in my world that might make for an upcoming blog post.  My sole purpose for leaving the house some days is to scrounge up a blog idea somewhere.  Maybe it's a stop along the road to watch some deer in a field or maybe it's a drive up to Goderich to a an old car rally or a motorcycle ride along the country roads looking for something to write about.   Maybe down to Bayfield's pier for some wave photos or Pioneer Park for a sunset.  Yes, I just might have become addicted to some of my favorite hobbies alright & I have this strange blogging phenomena to either thank or blame for it all. 

DSC_0004-8AUTUMN COLORS ARE SLOWLY MAKING THEIR WAY INTO THE FORESTS

Hmmmm, which one is it, which one will it be??  To thank or to blame.  Well, no contest as far as I am concerned.  A big thanks to all the computer programmer & software developer folks out there for putting this wonderful technology out here for a lot of closet key bashers like myself to express our thoughts & feelings, our creative sides, our humorous sides, & sometimes our sad sides.  What a great way to pass on information & ideas.  What a great way to keep the brain active every day & what a great way to meet other like minded folks out here in cyberspace who at this very minute are sitting at their keyboards, brains in high gear, furiously typing up their daily blogs.

DSC_0001-6HEAVY DEW THIS MORNING

What a great constructive & productive pastime this is, but it may not be seen that way by everyone.   There may be a dark horse lurking in the corner. There could be an angry spouse waiting for some things to be fixed around the house.  An employer looking over one's computer station shoulder wondering why production is down.  Grass is getting long, gutters need cleaning, car needs to be washed, & the garbage needs to be taken out.  But, here we sit at our keyboards with blog ideas in hand smokin up the keys!! 

DSC_0010-6 ALONG THIS MORNING’S FOREST TRAIL

Somewhere down the road as this blogging addiction runs it's course with us all we may be faced with a dilemma.  Friends & family close to us may feel we definitely are in need of help.  Maybe even an intervention!!  Maybe even a twelve step program!!

DSC_0012-6VACANT SPOT……MOTORHOME IS IN GETTING IT’S PRE-TRIP INSPECTION TO-DAY

Aw yes, that good old twelve step program some of us are so very familiar with.  It all started with Alcoholics Anonymous years ago & since then the twelve step program has been adapted in several ways by many specialized addictive groups.  And so that brings me full circle around to the final two words I left in Rick's comment box last night......Blogger's Anonymous!!!!

 DSC_0001-5THE PINE NEEDLES CONTINUE TO FALL

Went to the bookshelf & dusted off one of my good old AA books this afternoon, sat down at my keyboard & opened the pages.  There before me was the official Twelve Steps To Recovery.   Thought about it for a few minutes then added, altered,  and eliminated a few words here & there & came up with.................................

                        Bloggers Anonymous

Step One:  "We admitted we were powerless over blogging - that our lives had become unmanageable."

Step Two:  "Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to our lawnmowers."

Step Three:  "Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of our Spouses as we understand them."

Step Four:  "Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of our thought patterns & blog archives."

Step Five:   "Admitted to our Spouses, to ourselves, & to another blogger person the exact nature of our blogging woes."

Step Six:  "Were entirely ready to have our Spouse remove all nasty posts from our blogs."

Step Seven:  "Humbly asked Her/Him to remove our shortcomings, our spell checkers, & our publish buttons"

Step Eight:  "Made a list of all fellow bloggers we had commented to, and became willing to make amends to them all."

Step Nine:  "Made direct amends to such bloggers wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them, their rants, or their blusterings."

Step Ten:  "Continued to take personal writing inventories and when we were wrong promptly didn't blog about it."

Step Eleven:  "Sought through humbleness and fear to improve our conscious contact with our Spouse as we understood Her/Him, begging only for knowledge of Her/His will for us and maybe our keyboards back to carry that out."

Step Twelve:  "Having had a blogger's awakening as the result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to all fellow bloggers, and to practice these principles in all our restructured blogging affairs."    10-4!!

Hi, my names AL & I am a blogger:))

GROANER'S DSC_0002-5CORNER:((  The key to happiness is a bad memory!!

OUR PHOTO ALBUMS  http://picasaweb.google.com/stargeezerguy/

The only thing better than right now will someday be the memories of right now...AL.

9 comments:

  1. I think Blogging is a virus and you passed it on to me. Too bad I am not very good at it but maybe some day I will improve. (or maybe not)

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  2. I'm not worried about blogging, except I am guilty as charged about looking for anything unusual or mildly interesting to use as a story for tonight's blog. And my wife can not understand why we need to stop the car right now and go take some pictures of stuff that she has passed by every day for the last umpteen years.
    This summer, I was truly addicted to the FarmTown game in Facebook. Couldn't stop. But they fixed it for me when they messed up the program. Took away a bunch of coins I should have earned from harvesting crops. Leaked me off!! And just like that, I haven't planted anything since. Maybe the new motorhome has captivated my time a lot better too. LOL

    Now about those peanut butter and honey sandwiches!!!!!!!! Let's 12 step those LOL Maybe if you put em in the blender................

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  3. Al...I could see you going down the highway in your recliner at about 65 miles an hour!! I found too on the list of things...don't make plans

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  4. Ohhh very very cute blog today, Al. You should repeat this one from time to time. It's VERY revealing. LOL

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  5. Al, you are certainly right about blogging addiction, but I have one that takes precedence above all my other addictions -- I am addicted to my lady Suzy. And I'm not saying that just because she is sitting behind me with a gun to my head! But that addiction is stronger, explaining why I haven't tried to do a daily blog.

    Now, that peanut butter and honey sandwich -- our favorite here is peanut butter and onion. Yes, onion. A nice thick slice of red onion or sweet onion sprinkled with a tad of salt, peanut butter slathered on one slice of bread, mayonnaise on the other. And a big glass of milk. Pure heaven!

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  6. Ah- but for those of us who read your blogs, your "addiction" is greatly appreciated, because we get to see the world through someone else's eyes (pictures and words) and that is always a good thing!

    donna

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  7. Great blog today, Al! You captured the mind of an addicted blogger perfectly! But, what a great addiction to have! Using your mind and imagination all day and doing all kinds of different, interesting things. Good job on the 12 steps.

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  8. HaHa,,,got a kick out of your Blog... Yep, I was additced to all those things,,,,but my speciality was GIRLS!! I always liked Girls,,,my Dad was glad to hear that!!
    Also,,,I havent heard Heifer dust for a long time,,,,back on the Ranch my Mother would say 'Oh Heifer Dust" when she was upset..

    I am always amazed at your beautiful Photography... keep up the good work!!

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