What We Talk About When We Talk About our Drug History

http://www.today.com/moms/dont-tell-kids-about-past-drug-use-study-finds-1C8485603

What I posted to Facebook regarding the article:

Only having a 6- and a 3-year-old, I'm no expert on what to say to teens.

Talking about the negative aspects of drug abuse - harm to body, loss of money, legal ramifications - is imperative. The inevitable question, "Did you use?" Will come. I may say this: Why do you want to know? If I say yes, then you may think that I turned out okay and so would you. If I say no, then I have no experience and can't relate.

So I would talk about the experiences of those around me. Billy and Pauly (brothers who were friends of mine who were in their early 20s) dying at the same time in a car wreck. Friends never having money. Dealing drugs. Arrests. Promising futures turning into needles in the arm. Life allows for moderation, but chemical dependency can be a bigger influence than some people's willpower. That I don't know one person whose life improved due to their drug / alcohol use but countless stories of how lives were worsened or ruined.

My $0.02.

Bunny Out of the Box

Bunny came to the kitchen where I was doing some work and said, "Daddy, come see what I made! I made a picture of you with the letters."

Using the tiles from a junior-level game of Scrabble I picked up from Salvation Army, she made a picture.

I love it and I think it's brilliant.

Love Google

Technology is a time suck when used without a plan and a tremendous tool for productivity with a little planning.

Facebook = time suck. It's awesome to see what's going on with others and to post questions like, "Anyone know a good restaurant in Anytown, USA?" Then you start scrolling and commenting and going through pictures to see how hot or not your former classmates are and suddenly you've lost 45 minutes that you didn't need to lose.

You Tube. Search the keyword, "Fail." See you in a few hours. And music videos? AMAZING for how-to videos. I learned how to debone poultry and how to do some basic sewing stitches.

Most importantly is my love affair with the world of Google. From Gmail to Maps, I thought they were doing a great job. Then came Google Docs which has morphed into Google Drive. The ability to recover and share any document I have produced anytime, anywhere, is an incredible tool. I can take the folders saved on my computer and, with a couple of clicks, save them to my Drive.

Let's start with my 2013 Wish List. These are things like painting and landscaping the house. I can add to it anytime something occurs to me. Then, later, I can access my household budget / cash flow and see when and how we can afford these things (or, more likely, put them off until we win the lottery.) Just before I started writing this entry, I scanned the sketch done by Kemora Landscaping's Marisa (she was awesome), saved it to my hard drive. Then went to Drive, clicked Upload, then a folder, found my home improvement folder, and brought it over to drive. 30 seconds. Then I dragged-and-dropped the notes from debriefing myself after my meeting with Marisa into that folder so that it's next to the sketch so I can access them at the same time. Now I have it "forever," can access it anywhere in the world, and can share it with anyone, anytime.

Here's to the good that technology has done for us.

Happy Birthday, King

Daddy, we celebrated King Martin Jr's birthday at school
- Bunny