[Houdini]

I think $0.39's ability to think laterally may have been widened, thanks Lagers'.



Addiction is something that fascinates me and always will.  I'm quite down w/ it but then I smoked tabs for 12 years w/ out enjoying it at all.  Smoking's a great example of something bad that one really needs to work at to convince oneself you enjoy what your doing.  It's weakness, really, and an excellent example of the human minds' ability to trick itself - and in doing so establish protective comfort zones - which perversely are hugely damaging.

I can't imagine smoking (which is just one crutch, it could be drinking) again.  I  look at my mother who has smoked for 40 years, I see her pale yellowed skin and the lack of flesh on her bones, the hack and rumble of phlegm as it rattles in her weak chest . . .   And in my mind I give her less than a decade before lung cancer kills her.

[erm, sam]

I was going to waffle on about my situation, but all the sentences I started seemed very boring and pretentious. Suffice to say:
Balancing out work, family and a life sustaining hobby is allways going to be rock hard. One thing I think has come up in the thread a few times is that if what you are doing overall is sustaining, then specific things like going out climbing can be reduced, or changed to suit, without losing the love of live and drive to do things. So the problem isn't really that you don't have time to climb, it is that you don't love what you are doing. I do love my job (rare, I know) so I get a lot of reward from that and can just about live with having a board (now a very small system board since we moved, oh, that I haven't had time to go on in the last 3 weeks...) and the very occasional trip to Font or something. Sometimes I long to get out and do something instead of dressing all the fucking dolls in their pajamas, again, but I have found it doesn't have to be a days climbing. It can be cycling with everybody to the beach, taking a kid for a walk in the rain or going for a run. I don't tend to do anything else except child care when the kids are awake on the weekend cos the missus is often so  busy looking after them when I am at work or away etc.. But I do squeeze boards sessions in at naptime or do some pullups before bed etc.
I do miss having psyched climbing mates, but it kind of has allways been like that for me.. Social retard or something.

When we moved house the tv didn't work for ages and I was really suprised by how much time we had spent watching it. Hours every night. Rather than aiming to reduce drinking, a different approach would be to stop/reduce watching tv. How about chosing a specific hour tv to watch every night? You either find somethign more interesting to do or go to bed or, or anything..

Hope things are looking up by now. If not, go for a run. Endorphins are wonderfull things and have helped me through many a dark time.....

Oh, I did waffle on.

[Mike Tyson]

I'm doing pretty well at keeping off the pop, which is a good step forward. Had an ok session at St.Bees t'other week but still not finding any time climb. I have no room for a board, potential for finger board or pull up bar so will look into that.

I have been looking at some photos from last year, and the difference from then until now are mad. I have lost loads of strength, put on a load of weight but looking at the photos has reminded me its easy to lose it but easy enough to get it back if I keep focussed and stay healthy.

[SA Chris]

Good work fella. How's the job hunt going?

[Mike Tyson]

Not to bad Chris, cheers. Got an interview hopefully with HSBC, to be a bank manager! Think it may be slightly out of my league but worth trying anyway. Waiting to hear from a few other places so fingers crossed.

[SA Chris]

Sounds good. Avoid being a merchant banker though .