GOODNIGHT, FUCKERS #685: 315

 It has been 315 days since my last drink. I think about that last drink sometimes, and I'm glad it was from my own personal aging barrel. I had a sneaking suspicion that it would be my last drink, so I made it count. And it was very, very good.

But it occurred to me a couple of weeks ago that I no longer have a preventative measure in my toolbox. Back in the day, whenever I started feeling sick, I would drink heavily as soon as humanly possible. If you catch a cold or the flu or things like that at just the right time with massive amounts of alcohol, you can save yourself from getting sick.

After 315 days without booze? I can no longer do that. If I start getting the sniffles, I could very well be fucked. I've gone many, many years of getting sick only once a year. I have a suspicion that I might start getting sick on a regular basis like the rest of you who chose not to go down the alcoholic's path.

I haven't gotten sick yet, but then again it hasn't been a full year yet. We shall see . . .

So we're going to take another break. I'm not burned out this time. This time, just like with the end of last year, I'm out of ideas for GF columns. Correction: I have one idea, but I want to save it for #700. Yes, it's the other one about Walter Bishop. It's pretty momentous, so it will be perfect for when I get to that one.

Last break I took was for a week. This time? I'm not sure. I'll just have to accumulate ideas again until I'm good to go. In the meantime, if you want to help me come up with ideas, be my guest. I'll talk about anything. Writing, reading, what it was like to live in a world where the internet wasn't a constant presence, how sexy I used to be, anything about Gramps I might not have covered, whatever. Let me know.

Goodnight for now, you glorious fuckers. Have a good Memorial Day. Don't die.

GOODNIGHT, FUCKERS #567: SICK

 Here's a thing I miss about drinking. Whenever I started feeling sick, if I caught it just in time, I could drink the illness away. I did that for a good portion of my life, and as a result, I only ever got sick once a year, not counting pancreatitis and other organ issues. I'm talking about sneezing, coughing, congested, gimme some NyQuil sick. That one time a year would usually be around January or February.

So I've been sick for the last few days. I started feeling it a little on Friday, and it got worse over the weekend. I think I'm on the better side of it now, but it pissed me off. If I'd still been drinking like a fish I would have got it in time.

Does this mean I'm going to get sick like everyone else now? What the hell?

It made me long for the good ol' days of noticing a sneeze, maybe a runny nose, and then slamming a fifth of whiskey to make sure the germs didn't take hold. Those days were fun.

Yeah, there was a part of me that wanted to get a handle on Friday and take care of this like I used to. But Friday was my 119th day from booze. Today is #124. It would suck to top out now. I'm just going to have to suck it up, I guess.

And by it, I mean the Quils. DayQuil for work, NyQuil for home. I'm slightly high from cold medicine right now.

Bourbon would probably feel better. At least until tomorrow.