An Indefinite Moratorium on Drinking Alcoholic Beverages...

I'm now on day seven of a self-imposed indefinite moratorium on drinking... as in drinking alcoholic beverages. The moratorium was brought on in part because I'd been ill for the better part of last week. Against my better judgement, I had more than just a few cold beverages the previous week and then caught the crud.

More precisely it was on Wednesday evening... as in the night before Thanksgiving when the women are traditionally in the kitchen slaving away preparing the next days feast and the guys are out cavorting about in the local taverns.

Incidentally... how great is that?

Yeah... I got sick with the crud... as in I don't quite know what else to call it. It was a complete body ache including achy eyeballs. It was one fever after another each followed by a drenching sweat. I didn't experience any nausea, or intestinal issues nor did I have any sinus or lung congestion... not even a random cough so that I'd have something that might elicit a bit of empathy.

My ailment felt like a mild version of Dengue fever with emphasis on the word "mild". I know what full-blown Dengue fever is all about having contracted that demonic ailment some thirty-three years ago while living in Puerto Rico.

Trust me, it was as close to death as I'd ever been. You want to avoid that fever at all costs. Jungle fever on the other hand is a good kind of fever and you certainly don't want to pass any of that up if it were to come along your way.

Oh goodness. I may have aged myself with that last reference... oh well.

In any event, I've loaded up on fruit juices having elected to forego on the consumption of alcoholic beverages for the foreseeable future. I hesitate to use the word quit because I've often previously uttered that word on more than just one occasion after a night on the town and quit didn't quite seem to mean quit... as in never again... as in "no mas" as Roberto "Mano de Piedra" Duran once declared while in the ring with Sugar Ray Leonard.

So it's an indefinite moratorium on the consumption of alcohol for me. In the past week I've gulped down tomato juice, grape juice and apple juice with more of those on the way. Heck I've even rediscovered cold chocolate milk by the pint. I'll even throw in an occasional Coke for the heck of it.

So far so good. I haven't gone postal on anyone or anything like that and my wallet doesn't have that light feeling that it would often get after settling up a bar tab. Besides, if my Dad could one day just up and quit smoking without so much as a random comment about it to anybody, then perhaps I just might be able to forego drinking.

Sobriety... what an interesting concept.

Mooching a turkey dinner at the local American Legion...

 

A fellow boater here in Boot Key Harbor had suggested the day before that we head on over to the local American Legion for a free turkey dinner. All we had to do was simply scribble our names in the guest book and act like we belonged.

Well it didn't quite work out so easily... Immediately upon entering, I was accosted and asked whether I was a member of that private club or whether I was a military veteran. It was an awkward moment and after responding no to both questions I proceeded to explain that I was looking for somebody who turns out had departed but a few minutes before I had arrived.

I was all set to make a quick embarrassed exit when I was asked if I'd like a plate of food whereupon I gleefully responded for sure since I was completely famished.

Ordinarily I'd have had some reservations about mooching a meal but I simply didn't want to shell out the twenty or so bucks at one of the local restaurants when there was a possibility of enjoying a free meal.

After loading up my plate with a mound of food I seated myself at one of the long empty tables and since I was a late arrival I found myself eating my dinner all by myself and remembering better days when I was once surrounded by family members.

In any event, I scarfed down my plate of food while feeling somewhat like a homeless person being treated to a free charitable meal. It did however feel good to eat a real meal for a change.