So you shared your face with us, but what makes you YOU?

[Prognathodon]

Pretty boring childhood/adolescence, as an introvert bookworm. I turned 50 last year, been married to Dracos for over half my life now. We both grew up in Michigan, met at Michigan Tech, got married after I graduated, and ended up in the Chicago area because that’s where he got a job.

In the last year Dracos left his job as a software test engineer, got his CDL, and became a truck driver. Our adult son was tired of working at Little Caesar’s, got his CDL, and now he’s on the road, too. So it’s me, all the snakes, the skink, the tortoise, and the three dogs except on weekends. It was a year of big changes!

I’m an un-Civil Engineer, and a lifer with the State of Illinois, working in floodplain management. Dracos and I have a side business that started out making and selling leather goods like belts, pouches, etc. to medieval reenactors (SCA). With the changes mentioned above I’ve re-directed the business, doing more on Etsy and smaller one-day shows that I take less stuff to. I have waaayyy too many hobbies, currently making doll clothes and hand-bound books more than doing leatherworking. Partly because the dining/work room is a shambles.

Thank Dog for e-books, or our house would have imploded under the weight of all the books - all three of us humans are readers. The offspring still prefers paper, and there’s some things that I can’t get electronically and/or want in paper, so there’s still plenty of books around.

For extra personal-life excitement, I’m monogamous with a poly spouse. Adjusting to that was . . . Interesting. A good marriage counselor, therapist, and anti-depressants helped. Turns out that some of the relentless drive to Make All The Things was to shut up the internal monologue, which was getting more and more un-shut-uppable because of depression. Now it can be nice and quiet in my head, yay!

I’m very jealous of Dakski’s Formula car and Porsche 911. I’ve wanted a 911 since high school - actually I do have a pretty red 914, about a foot long.


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[zina10]

rlditmard,

Yes, I asked for it
It sounds like your story didn't start out easy, but you persevered and made the best of it. Family, 3 daughters to adore, taking care of everyone.

I feel like you are one of those persons that one can sit down with and have long conversations about the world, life, whatever else comes up.
I really like your philosophy about nature and hunting. It is exactly how I feel about it. Sometimes when you are out there, alone, in the presence of those amazing creatures, life suddenly becomes so clear and real. And beautiful. Those moments are priceless.
I'm very much pro hunting. Not a big fan of trophy hunting though, unless its done for population control (health) and such things. While I don't think I would be able to kill an animal, I respect the ones that do it and do it right. Use what they kill. Have respect for the creature and appreciative of the sacrifice.

Its interesting to see just how much of an impact music has in our life. Its able to change moods, to bring back memories or to take us places. I feel the same way about books. Its like getting transported to a different place and time.

The loss of Stephen Hawkins is a large one indeed. Such a brilliant mind he had. It is interesting that you brought up AI and what a scary prospect that can be. Recently I have begun to watch the "X-files". While watching the old seasons I got curious about the new ones (season 10 and 11) and started those as well

Just yesterday I watched Episode 7 of Season 11 (free on fox.com). The episode is called "Rm9sbG93ZXJz". It's one of those random episodes that really have nothing at all to do with the story line. Almost like a "stand alone" episode. It is all about Artificial Intelligence and automation. At first I was wondering just what I was watching, LOL. But as it went on, I became ever more uncomfortable thinking about how scary this really is. What is shown is not "utopian". We are already there. Its not science fiction. How easy it would be, to go all wrong. Very thought provoking and just a little scary the more one thinks about it..

Thank you for sharing

[Sgt7212]

Sgt7212

I want you to bottle up some of your energy and send it my way

You are a AMAZING father !!! And you did all the parenting by yourself. Kudos, that is one of the hardest jobs there is. On top you had to provide for you and your son, and you dealt with his medical issues.
And now your son is doing well and in college and you two enjoy a wonderful father-son relationship. I have done the "single mother" thing for several years, during the many long separations due to hardship tours and deployments. Its not easy, I know.

It is amazing that you were able to do all this, plus find time for a weekend job AND to start the Warrior Heart Project. What a wonderful thing to do. To this day, so many Veterans struggle along, in need of some support and a place to share and feel listened to.

And now you also drive Uber. When do you eat or sleep

Thank you for sharing, you have my deepest respect for having done the best in every way. We'll be happy to see you in the forum when you do get some down time

Wow! Thank you so much for that. I don’t really look at it as me doing anything over the top. Just trying to do right by my son and treat people right. My son really made it easy for me. I am truly blessed. He is a fine young man and a confident leader with a huge heart.

Bottle up up my energy and sell it??? Hmmmmm...That’s it!!! I’ve been trying to come up with a 4th job to take up some of my free time. 😂

As for eating... I grab a bite here and there. I can afford to skip a meal every now and then since I haven’t been hitting the gym. Like I’ve read many times on this forum, “It’s more stressful for everyone else than it is for me.” 😂

Sleep??? I know you said English is not your first language, but what is this strange word you speak? 😜

I do need to find some time to work on The Warrior Heart some more. The one little boy I featured is turning 4 next month and I’m going to his birthday party so I’ll have some stuff to post from that. The video topics is another story. Like I mentioned, I just talked about whatever came to mind or whatever I was in the mood to talk about. I knew my view wouldn’t resonate with everyone, but even if they didn’t agree with me in a certain topic, if I made them think and got them pondering how they felt about it or would like to handle certain situations, then it was still having a positive impact. I’ve just been in a bit of a creative block lately. Maybe because I’m going in all different directions, my brain is like an etch-a-sketch and when I finally do stop moving, I slip into a mild coma. Lol

[zina10]

Sgt7212,
Well, if you sell it, I will buy it
Just reading about how busy you are is making me want to sit down and take a break !!

As to not doing anything over the top, what you have done is doing the best job you possibly could do for the most important person in your life. Being a wonderful and caring father and providing for your son. Give yourself credit. I'm sure your son does

[zina10]

Prognathodon,

I LOVE leather work. I love leather and all things made from natural materials, like wood work, leather, stone ...

For a while I tried myself at leather stamping and I made a pretty nice wallet. But I would need a lot more tools and a lot more space to start bigger projects, so this is as far as I got. I have seem some GORGEOUS tack sets for horses, bridles and breast collars, that people make at home. They sell for around $300 to $500. I would really love to make one of those, but I'm not good enough at it.

Yay, another book fan !! We really should start a book club, there are certainly enough people that love to read !! Did you join Bookbub? They send links to free/cheap ebooks daily. I've gotten pretty nice books for free. Others are not so great. But since I devour books, I read everything I can

I have to say, you are a strong person and you must have a lot of love for your husband, to live the lifestyle you do. I have to admit, I couldn't do it And I'm sure it wasn't easy to adjust to. I'm glad for you that you found peace with it.

[Zincubus]

Pretty boring childhood/adolescence, as an introvert bookworm. I turned 50 last year, been married to Dracos for over half my life now. We both grew up in Michigan, met at Michigan Tech, got married after I graduated, and ended up in the Chicago area because that’s where he got a job.

In the last year Dracos left his job as a software test engineer, got his CDL, and became a truck driver. Our adult son was tired of working at Little Caesar’s, got his CDL, and now he’s on the road, too. So it’s me, all the snakes, the skink, the tortoise, and the three dogs except on weekends. It was a year of big changes!

I’m an un-Civil Engineer, and a lifer with the State of Illinois, working in floodplain management. Dracos and I have a side business that started out making and selling leather goods like belts, pouches, etc. to medieval reenactors (SCA). With the changes mentioned above I’ve re-directed the business, doing more on Etsy and smaller one-day shows that I take less stuff to. I have waaayyy too many hobbies, currently making doll clothes and hand-bound books more than doing leatherworking. Partly because the dining/work room is a shambles.

Thank Dog for e-books, or our house would have imploded under the weight of all the books - all three of us humans are readers. The offspring still prefers paper, and there’s some things that I can’t get electronically and/or want in paper, so there’s still plenty of books around.

For extra personal-life excitement, I’m monogamous with a poly spouse. Adjusting to that was . . . Interesting. A good marriage counselor, therapist, and anti-depressants helped. Turns out that some of the relentless drive to Make All The Things was to shut up the internal monologue, which was getting more and more un-shut-uppable because of depression. Now it can be nice and quiet in my head, yay!

I’m very jealous of Dakski’s Formula car and Porsche 911. I’ve wanted a 911 since high school - actually I do have a pretty red 914, about a foot long.


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Soooo .. please explain in simple terms what the phrase 'monogamous with a poly spouse' actually means ??




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[Sgt7212]

Sgt7212,
Well, if you sell it, I will buy it
Just reading about how busy you are is making me want to sit down and take a break !!

As to not doing anything over the top, what you have done is doing the best job you possibly could do for the most important person in your life. Being a wonderful and caring father and providing for your son. Give yourself credit. I'm sure your son does

Well, now you went and made me blush. Hahaha

Thank you so much for the kind words and compliments.


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[Craiga 01453]

Craig,
You are amazing, you know that ? You have literally went rock bottom and below, yet you survived. So many do not. You have went beyond the point of no return, but here you are. Your core is pure steel. To be able to come back from that, turn it around, it must have been monumentally difficult, esp. in the shape you were in.
Your story is also a love story. For your mom to have been able to do what she did, it was the ultimate gift of love. As a mother I know that this was the hardest thing she ever did. It also speaks of your deep bond with her that this reached deep within you, woke you up.
Your honesty is also a testament to your character. You want to reach out and help the ones that have given up on themselves. So many addicts, even recovering ones, are not even honest to themselves. They don't want people to know, because they want that backdoor open, to slip through unnoticed.
I'm so glad that you were strong enough to turn your life around and that you are strong enough to continue living it.

Speaking of WW2, I too like to read and hear about it. Having had family that lived through the horrors and in their old age would reveal more and more about it, I always felt it wasn't that far off, it seemed very real. It blows me away when I realize what people endured, the horror of it. The waste. I always knew my great aunt (when she was alive) was mentally sick. But I didn't know until much later why. When my grandmother and the rest of the family ran from the Russians, literally ran for their lives in the dark, through deep snow, my Great Aunt lost one of her babies. She had given birth only the day before to twins. They ran, carrying kids in their arms. My Great Aunt had one child in her arms while pushing and pulling the old stroller with the twins in it. In the panic and confusion, one of the twins must have fallen out of the stroller. In dark woods and high snow. They couldn't find it, and they had to keep running. She never recovered from that. Just some tragic stories from people caught in the middle of it.

Thanks, Zina! I can certainly understand why so many don't make it. It was hands down the hardest thing I've ever had to do, ten fold. I've been to more funerals in the last 10 years than weddings, and most of them were friends, most didn't live to see 40. Luckily, my family was supportive and I just dove head first into meetings. I was hitting 3 every day I could. Those circles gave me hope and my family gave me strength.


And yeah, WWII is close to home for me since both grandfathers were there, one in Europe and one in the Pacific. Unfortunately, my mother's father passed my sophomore year of high school and never spoke of the war. The only thing he ever said was that the scar on his forearm was from a Japanese bayonet, but he could never keep a straight face. Turns out he was joking with us and he was injured working on a vehicle of some sort, hahaha.
Fortunately, my other grandfather is still going strong at 97 and has opened up about the war over the last 10 years or so, especially since my grandmother passed 6 years ago. I'm sure some of you saw the thread, but there was a book written by a local author about WWII vets telling their stories and there is a chapter written about my grandfather.
I'm so sorry to hear of your great aunt's story. That truly is heartbreaking, I can't even pretend to imagine. I think it's so important for the world to hear these stories. To understand something that shaped the history of the world so profoundly. I hope with all my heart and soul my neice and nephew never have to see a third world war, the world they're growing up in is scary enough.

Thanks again for starting this thread, it's been nice to share as well as to read other members stories. There really are a lot of parallels.

[c0r3yr0s3]

Just a challenger R/T , don't need more powerful since I could not use the full power of something else. (well unless I want to end up in jail )

Just? I freaking LOVE challengers. My dad had a green R/T and it was a blast to drive. I'm still in the process of paying off my SS and when I'm done, I'm gonna sell it and upgrade to a ZL1.

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[MegaSteve778]

Beautiful Car man pretty much my dream vehicle for one day. Growing up i had a 86 irock that had :cens0r::cens0r::cens0r::cens0r: tons of problems but opening up the T tops and cruising around was amazing.