Today is 9/23/2016, which means I've completed one full year on the wagon. 365 consecutive days without a drink, line, pill, puff, edible, needle - nothing. I completed a wagon back in 2014, but this experience was totally different. I was so much more focused and willing to make this behavioral change - to focus on decency and discipline. It was one of the most enjoyable stretches of time in my life. Sure there were some dull moments (and general frustration), but on balance, everything improved. Fitness, finances, employment, relationships, health, mood - you name it. I resurrected a long-neglected side project and finally finished it (this morning actually - not a coincidence). I even began to transition into a goddamn morning person.

In some correspondence with another member, I had mentioned that a focus of this wagon was to shift my mindset more towards staying in the present - to observe what is happening around me with detached amusement, rather than getting lost in my own head. LoZ outlines this feeling (and what to do about it) below:

(09-06-2016 11:14 PM)The Lizard of Oz Wrote:  Then -- perhaps -- you might remember that there is a whole world of things outside the self; otherwise known as life, or the world. And once you've exhausted every other possibility, you just might, out of utter boredom, desultoriness, and the belligerence of having nothing better to do and nowhere else to turn to, actually check out that world outside the self. You might sit on a bench one day in the late summer, completely dry, completely done with all the things that have preoccupied you for so long and so uselessly, and simply look out, in a very pure way; look out with a slug's or lizard's eye, an eye that is ready to take it all in because it's got nowhere else to turn to.

And it's then -- at that humble moment -- that the real opportunity presents itself. Because the world outside the self is, in fact, the source of all interest, variety, knowledge, of the greatest and deepest pains and pleasures. And there is nothing that makes, over time, for a more enjoyable and interesting and fulfilling life than turning away from the depredations of the self and turning towards the world, in a modest attitude of relaxed concentration.

Goddamn, that's good stuff.

In April, I started going on long walks after meals in an effort to actually check out that world outside the self. In the evenings I'd often stroll down Milwaukee towards the city. The Chicago skyline (almost perfectly composed) would loom in the distance. Nick Drake would strum "Place To Be" in my ear. The whole neighborhood would smell like brownies because the southerly breeze rolls over a nearby chocolate factory. The scent is very out of place -- weird even -- but no less delicious. Occasionally a hipster chick in yoga pants would labor across the highway overpass on her bike. Mousey features. Slight overbite. Sneaky tits. In these simple moments I would smile and my eyes would narrow and I'd feel alright. I suspect that this was the same feeling I'd been trying to chase with a bottle, synthetically, for years. I want to be more receptive to these moments. I'd like to reinforce and build upon all the progress I've made over the past year. And so I will declare a second year on the wagon -- without fanfare or hesitation -- starting on 9/23/2016.

CIS, thank you for the post, and it's great to hear that you're going for the precious deuce. The second year is often the one that really cements the gains.

Welcome back aboard for year 2 as of September 23, 2016, and I look forward to hearing more from you here over time.

My date is Sept. 18 so I am coming up on a week and I am in it for the long haul and I feel great. Shaved my face and went down to the river with my dogs. I got opened by a young college student, the curly haired, freckly Irish type, cute though. Looked like one of my exes a long time ago. I know shaving takes almost ten years off my age but I told myself that my face was looking younger without the daily alcohol intake. Game on.

I had a craving yesterday, but something I learned is that cravings of whatever nature, only last for twenty minutes. So when I get a craving, I occupy myself with something that takes my full attention for at least twenty minutes and then the craving has passed. This really works. It works for alcohol, smoking, drugs, food, spending money, anything.

I have successfully completed the one year wagon. I was used to going "up" in the day with coffee and "down" at night with alcohol. Although TLOZ warned about this, When I cut the alcohol but kept the constant coffee the same I became more agitated and my sleep suffered until I cut back accordingly. Just a bit of advice for current or future wagoners.

A pesky curiosity had me looking at this thread. I had wanted to worried about turning down drinks with clients and at holiday parties. Would I be looked down upon for refusing drinks? As I began the year I only truly, deeply wanted to drink three times. The first was around a really nice smelling wine opened stragetically in front of me. I wanted a glass as much as any point ever in my life, but walked away. The next was when I wanted a beer with my burger so badly but managed it with iced tea. And thrid while walking through a casino I spotted this hidden little bar in a dark corner. We had driven there just to test out a new car not to gamble or to drink, but there was something in seeing that bar that made me want to dissapear away into darkness of the anonymous hidden spot and the alcohol they would serve. I physically pulled myself away and in the last half of the wagon year it wasnt even a passing thought to get off.

What I expected from the wagon was what you would get from an energy boost vitamin commercial, but the reality is more subtle.

During the first 6 months of my wagon, by coincidence, a lot of outside things in my life started falling apart. My ceiling collapsed in my apartment in storm damage, I had a very nice car destroyed by vandals and was never properly compensated, and my business went to near zero, all around the same time. One by one projects I was working on failed, and important clients own problems spilled over on me. I previously juggled, traveled, gamed, traded nice cars, handled so much shit for so long that when the underlying revenue to keep this game going stopped I was caught off guard. As the problems piled on I actually appreciated not drinking because drinking would have been a nice way not to look for solutions.

I was tying my self-rating to business successes, cars and trips. Since not all years are up years I had to find a new sense of pride accept failure as a teacher. As things fell apart, I went after a special achievement that I thought would be worth so many "points" it would replace all that was lost via other failures. I was successful with this, but in the end was just a nice flag and a nice story. No external measure has that much weight really.

The dust eventually settled. I accepted that I was to blame for choosing clients all tied to certain countries and certain industries that all fell together like dominoes. The clients with whom I was most afraid to decline drinking invitations needed to be dealt with as I analyzed the situation. It was clear to me that these heavy drinking clients were causing me 80% of my headaches and were paying me basically nothing. I introduced the "new me" to them and got paid and set a zero tolerance for bullshit. (I don't reveal my industry here publicly but it is difficult and complicated.) I fired yet another bad client and was left with nothing active. After this purge, the phone slowing started to ring again with my best clients and their referrals.

8 month on my head was clear. I had free time and had some in depth conversations with other entrepreneurs that sometimes lasted 6 hours. The capacity to develop ideas with other non drunks is quite remarkable. I befriended a family and make new lifelong friends who I would have disregarded or even hated before. When you deal with other people like ships passing in the night, and just don't give a shit, you miss out on subtle connections and opportunities for empathy and understanding, and opportunites to gain from something they know that you don't. I fully understand why this wagon is done in one year units, it takes time.

By no means am I one of those "energy" healing freaks but energy or spark is what you can recover while on the wagon. Do something that a fog or maliase might allow you to "skip" doing, like act on a gut feeling that "if I don't talk to this person I will regret it," or tell someone clearly a positive or negative observation you have. I am glad I did this. I let the fog clear for a while and saw something other than the ups and downs of business.

I'm jumping off now, but happy rolling to those on board or considering. Maybe I'll join you again someday.

OTR, thank you for this post. This is a great passage:

(09-26-2016 11:14 PM)Off The Reservation Wrote:  As I began the year I only truly, deeply wanted to drink three times. The first was around a really nice smelling wine opened stragetically in front of me. I wanted a glass as much as any point ever in my life, but walked away. The next was when I wanted a beer with my burger so badly but managed it with iced tea. And thrid while walking through a casino I spotted this hidden little bar in a dark corner. We had driven there just to test out a new car not to gamble or to drink, but there was something in seeing that bar that made me want to dissapear away into darkness of the anonymous hidden spot and the alcohol they would serve. I physically pulled myself away and in the last half of the wagon year it wasnt even a passing thought to get off.

All three of these descriptions are deadly -- they could only be written by someone who truly loves drinking for what's best and deepest about it. They have that mark -- and this makes me think that, even though you were never a very hard drinker in the first place, I may see you in this thread again some day.

In the meantime, congrats on completing the 1 year wagon, and a +1 rep point from me which it is my privilege to give.

TLOZ, could you expound on your opinions of coffee/caffeine intake? I usually only have two small espressos, one when I wake up, and another an hour or two later. However, when I am not drinking I seem to crave coffee more, probabaly because I am used to drinking something that alters my conciousness. I know coffee drinking in the morning raises already high cortisol levels, but you seem to feel that somehow it is much more insidious. Could you drop more facts or at least anecdotes on the subject, please?

Fell off the wagon; getting back again. Tuesday September 27th 2016.

It was two or three days ago, but my one-year wagon was completed this week. To be honest, it past by with little fanfare. I guess maybe it hasn’t really sunk in yet. One whole year without a single drink. Not one drop. In some ways I feel almost disappointed with it, in that it doesn’t feel like I have gotten that much out of it. Was it difficult? Yeah, at times, particularly during the first three months. During the first 6-8 months the ‘drinking dreams’ were quite frequent and I would wake up with that sick dread in my stomach until I realised I had been asleep. There were only maybe 5-6 times during the course of the year where I REALLY wanted to drink, and it was always at a time when I least expected it.

The first six months were good; the novelty of waking up fresh on a Sunday/Monday morning, no more spending 2-3 days in the hell realms after a particularly big night, and no lost phones, passports, wallets, bank cards or dignity. However, I guess my life, in some ways, became a lot more boring – no chance encounters with bar sluts, or cocaine-fuelled parties until 6am in a house where nobody knew my name - but perhaps even more boring than I had anticipated. Though it could be unrelated to the wagon, the last 3 months I have noticed myself being a lot moodier, tetchy, withdrawn, even reclusive. Though I have always enjoyed spending time alone I seem to enjoy it tenfold now, to the point where I nearly get excited about it.

I’ve been out to bars quite a few times but my tolerance is approx. 2 hrs. When the decibel level goes up and the giddy smiles come on I know it’s pretty much time for me to leave. Often I get introspective on the way home wondering was it really that bad when I was drinking? A wave of nostalgia comes over me and as the good times flow through my brain there is a temptation to once more go running into that sweet shop, and there is maybe a 10 second period where I don’t know which voice will win out.

I have never been a ‘happy’ person but I told myself that I could be happier than I was when I was drinking. Over the last few months a strange thing happened; I actually started to entertain the idea of one day being ‘happy’. I feel smarter than I was this time last year, I can feel my brain working quicker and my body functioning better. I’m more in touch with nature; I never realised how much I enjoyed the outdoor before. Or how a 40-minute walk in a park can cure any negative or moody thoughts. At 28 I feel now it’s the time to start really thinking what I want to do with my life, to the point where I sometimes work myself into something of an existential panic over where it’s all leading to. I’ve become more interested in abstract ideas, and I’m finding places to explore these.

I guess I thought there would be a greater sense of achievement with the year passing. I think I grew somewhat resentful of the wagon, for what it was denying me. I guess what I’ve gained is a lot subtler than the more apparent things I’ve ‘lost’. But I can’t go back to where I was, and though the benefits have been small and perhaps seem insignificant, they are still there. In some ways it feels like I’ve only gotten my feet wet.

28/09/2016 – Year 2.

PS thanks to TLOZ and others for their often inspiring and guiding posts.

3extra,

Thank you for this superbly honest post.

In some ways it feels like I’ve only gotten my feet wet.

This is truer than you can know. Keep going and life will come to you over time; the second year is key to someone who had been a hard drinker.

Drink plays a cruel trick on those who love it too much and too deeply; it seems to hold out the promise of possibilities that are very near, can almost be touched; at times, it even delivers on that promise. And yet over time, and by slow degrees, its cumulative effect on the drinker is to foreclose the true and subtle possibilities that life has to offer, to coarsen and deaden the spirit, and to disfigure -- at first imperceptibly, and then with increasingly evident crudeness -- the delicate fabric that our modest life of the everyday is made of.

The 1 year wagon has allowed you to step away from that path, but the work is not done -- it is really just beginning. You should be grateful that life with all its true possibilities is there in front of you; but like all the best things it takes modesty and patience to earn its special favor. You have learned some of that modesty and patience over the last year, and the plainness and honesty of your post show that. But there is a lot more to learn and year 2 will be a great class.

A +1 rep point from me for completing the 1 year wagon, and welcome back aboard for year 2 as of September 28, 2016. Hope to hear more from you in this thread as time goes on.

I'm not approaching this challenge from a dependency standpoint, but a health aspect. I don't feel a compulsion to drink but it's still likely to be awkward in some upcoming business relate social events to not drink. Eliminating even moderate alcohol consumption for even a week (where I am right now) is already refreshing. I sleep better, fall asleep faster and stay better hydrated. I am looking forward to the elimination of extra calories from my diet as well. Even dumping beer and sticking to wine or hard alcohol doesn't get rid of all the calories. They say if you want abs, you pretty much have to quit most of your booze intake.

According to some, your friends and social circles will change, but others observe that plenty of teetotalers (like Trump) hang out with drinkers all the time. So maybe it won't result in a complete about face, but there's bound to be some revelations. I agree with posters above when it comes to the real heavy drinkers and tendencies towards other areas of their lives. Will have to see how this plays out but i don't expect social situations to be easy.

I have had a lot of real life friendships dissolve over my ~14 months on the wagon, it can be very easy to feel 'alone' when you give up on your favourite pastime. Didn't realize that so many of my friendships were solely based on drinking. I try to make my appearances but if there isn't a common thread deeper than just booze and coke, I don't really have the energy for it anymore.

So I heartily congratulate all recent 1 year wagon completions 3extra, OTR and Charlemagne for hitting the milestone... I think Tokyo Joe is soon too. It really is sort of comforting in a way knowing that I am not the ONLY person in the world who has had to deal with the highs, and then deep lows of drinking, and had to quit. It is always great to see people come and post here because on those days when you feel isolated and start to contemplate just giving it all up, someone else comes in and posts something inspiring or encouraging.

+1 for you 3Extra, maybe because we are around the same age, I could really relate to everything you said in your post, and my mood was lifted seeing someone who isn't me sound exactly like me.

To all the new joiners and the lurkers who found this thread and think about committing, maybe there is something to be said for the early autumn start date, by the time Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years (with all of their associated excuses for drinking) rolls around, you will be entrenched on the wagon, the early jitters gone, with enough momentum to get through the first serious challenge of the year. And then when summer comes, you'll be so close to the 1 year mark you will be able to resist temptation to hit the patio after a round of golf or crack a morning beer when you're on holiday at the lake... That's how I felt at least...

komatiite - I agree that this thread has been an invaluable source of encouragement. I was very fortunate to have a lot of support from friends and family when I jumped on the wagon, but it's still easy to feel like I'm on an island when I'm out with the drinking crowd. I kind've embraced the loner lifestyle when I moved away from the east coast, so being a non-drinker suits me, I suppose. I believe you had mentioned in a previous post that you attended AA here and there. I go to meetings once or twice a week. Yeah, there is a lot of obnoxious "big book thumping" in the rooms, but there is the occasional kernel of wisdom too. I've personally found the comradery there to be welcoming. It's nice to be around people -- in the flesh -- who understand where you're coming from, even if you don't buy into the program.

In many ways, I'm particularly impressed by guys like you and Toyko Joe - men who have lived hard and drunk deep, but still had their lives together (in a general sense). I think it makes the decision to put down the sauce even harder for you guys. I doubt I could've done it if I wasn't such a goddamn mess. You should feel incredibly proud for continuing on with your wagon, and I'm curious to hear what TJ has to say when the time comes.

(09-30-2016 01:26 PM)komatiite Wrote:  To all the new joiners and the lurkers who found this thread and think about committing, maybe there is something to be said for the early autumn start date, by the time Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years (with all of their associated excuses for drinking) rolls around, you will be entrenched on the wagon, the early jitters gone, with enough momentum to get through the first serious challenge of the year. And then when summer comes, you'll be so close to the 1 year mark you will be able to resist temptation to hit the patio after a round of golf or crack a morning beer when you're on holiday at the lake... That's how I felt at least...

This is entirely fantastic advice. I completed a 1-year wagon on 7/4/2016, did not renew for a 2nd year, and went back to being a hard drinker in less than a month. Consequences have ensued. You are completely right at the holidays being an obstacle to defer and not take action RIGHT NOW.

TLOZ is 110% on point in his assessment of those that romanticize about drink and how the fantasy never delivers, but instead becomes a bandit of real opportunity (paraphrasing). I convinced myself that I would be "OK" until 1/1/2017 and then start a second 1st year wagon. Your post enlightened me that I am being lazy and weak in conceding the holidays as a foregone defeat.

So... I am heading out on an 11-day cruise on Sunday (Quebec to NYC), and committing in advance to starting a new wagon on 10/13 upon my return. I'll be back to formalize this start date.

DTD

(09-24-2016 02:44 PM)AboveAverageJoe Wrote:  My date is Sept. 18 so I am coming up on a week and I am in it for the long haul and I feel great. Shaved my face and went down to the river with my dogs. I got opened by a young college student, the curly haired, freckly Irish type, cute though. Looked like one of my exes a long time ago. I know shaving takes almost ten years off my age but I told myself that my face was looking younger without the daily alcohol intake. Game on.

AAJ, are you in for a full year as of 9/18?

(09-20-2016 11:19 AM)El_Gostro Wrote:  Two months off the booze and the caffeine now, drinking non alcoholic beer,its great for post work out

El_Gostro, are you in for a full year? If so, please post your start date here.

(09-27-2016 01:34 PM)Roadrunner Wrote:  Fell off the wagon; getting back again. Tuesday September 27th 2016.

Roadrunner, thanks for the update. Are you in for a full year as of September 27?

The 1 year wagon is a serious commitment and this thread is for guys who have thought about that and are willing to make that commitment: not a single drink for 365 days, rain or shine, good days, bad days, empty days and days overflowing with emotion, weddings, funerals and birthdays not excluded.

Please give it some thought and if that is what you are ready to do -- and to stake your pride on seeing it through to the end -- I will welcome you back aboard.

(09-27-2016 08:46 AM)AboveAverageJoe Wrote:  TLOZ, could you expound on your opinions of coffee/caffeine intake? I usually only have two small espressos, one when I wake up, and another an hour or two later. However, when I am not drinking I seem to crave coffee more, probabaly because I am used to drinking something that alters my conciousness. I know coffee drinking in the morning raises already high cortisol levels, but you seem to feel that somehow it is much more insidious. Could you drop more facts or at least anecdotes on the subject, please?

AAJ, here is a post I wrote earlier in the thread that answers this question:

https://www.rooshvforum.com/thread-30625...pid1124878

(10-05-2015 08:08 AM)The Lizard of Oz Wrote:  

(10-05-2015 12:54 AM)nek Wrote:  No Coffee? Is caffeine really that bad for you?

The short answer is, it depends. The longer answer:

Caffeine is a potent drug who potency is greatly underappreciated. It is one of the very few substances whose content is measured in micrograms, which should tell you something about its power. Minute amounts of caffeine have significant effects.

Is it bad for you? For most people, taking caffeine in moderation, in the first part of the day, and never on an empty stomach, is harmless and could even be mildly beneficial. If you are an average person and you just have a cup of coffee a day, either after breakfast or after lunch, there is usually nothing wrong with that.

However. Abuse of caffeine -- drinking too much of it, drinking it on an empty stomach, using it as a crutch to stay up or stay wakeful on a regular basis, etc -- can be very harmful over time and I believe the harm it does is yet to be fully realized. It depletes the adrenal glands, and it is a significant cause of anxiety, fatigue, and mild depression (dysthymia). Overconsumption of caffeine, or consumption of it too close to bedtime, changes and distorts the structure of the sleep cycle and degrades sleep quality. I've lost count of people I know who always seem a little tired, a little wired, and occasionally a little down, and when you question them it turns out they drink coffee at all times.

Further. While moderate and correct usage of caffeine is harmless for most people, there are some, the genetically depressive and anxious types, whose brains are exquisitely sensitive to all central nervous system depressants and stimulants. For people who have such delicate brain chemistry, staying away from all these substances -- what I called above going "full Mormon" -- is the best choice they can make. For an exquisitely sensitive brain it is very difficult to calibrate the amount of a substance that will do no harm -- and their brains will typically want more, so it is also hard to stop at that amount. It's best for them to just step out of the substance game altogether.

Men with such exquisitely sensitive brains are, for obvious reasons, over-represented on a drinking wagon thread. So while for most guys -- and even for many guys on this thread -- moderate, early in the day, full stomach consumption of caffeine is basically fine, there will be quite a few guys on this thread for whom the full Mormon program would be strongly advised and is their best bet for a healthy and enjoyable life.

(10-02-2016 09:27 AM)The Lizard of Oz Wrote:  not a single drink for 365 days, rain or shine, good days, bad days, empty days...

Yeah Lizard, I have been meaning to ask you about that.

This year, as you know, is a leap year, so everyone (like me) who started before February 29 would be committed to 366 days without a drink -- if they were to finish on the same date they began. But if it's strictly 365 days, then for instance my October 17 start would mean an October 16 completion...

Just asking...umm, "for the record."

(10-02-2016 09:12 AM)The Lizard of Oz Wrote:  

(09-24-2016 02:44 PM)AboveAverageJoe Wrote:  My date is Sept. 18 so I am coming up on a week and I am in it for the long haul and I feel great. Shaved my face and went down to the river with my dogs. I got opened by a young college student, the curly haired, freckly Irish type, cute though. Looked like one of my exes a long time ago. I know shaving takes almost ten years off my age but I told myself that my face was looking younger without the daily alcohol intake. Game on.

AAJ, are you in for a full year as of 9/18?

That is correct, Sir. I am at two weeks today.
Haven't wanted to drink but had a few moments I felt like caving. I know my triggers and they are mostly visual. Try to stay away from movies and videos of people drinking.
Do more reading and working out. My drinking hadn't just eaten in to my workout time, it completely devoured it.
As far as the last drink goes. Mine were anticlimactic, 3 Tecates and one negro modelo dark. I don't even drink beer. My mistress is Wray and Nephew Overproof White Rum.
While a year is a long time when it comes to a challenge like this I have done it before so I know I can do it again.
I watched my beloved boxing Trainer drink himself to death and it was a terrifying site to see a strong, virulent, fit athletic male role model turn himself into a frail broken old man.
I don't want my obituary to read like his:"Yeah great guy, too bad he drank himself to death." I don't want to do that to my children either.
So am on this wagon untill the wheels fall off.
Count me in Sept.18th 2016.

(10-02-2016 09:41 AM)Tokyo Joe Wrote:  

(10-02-2016 09:27 AM)The Lizard of Oz Wrote:  not a single drink for 365 days, rain or shine, good days, bad days, empty days...

Yeah Lizard, I have been meaning to ask you about that.

This year, as you know, is a leap year, so everyone (like me) who started before February 29 would be committed to 366 days without a drink -- if they were to finish on the same date they began. But if it's strictly 365 days, then for instance my October 17 start would mean an October 16 completion...

Just asking...umm, "for the record."

Of course, the wagon travels 366 days in a leap year. It's a year, whatever that happens to mean at a given time. 365 days is merely a figure of speech meant to illustrate that there are no exceptions.

It should go without saying that those who are privileged to ride their wagon during a leap year should cherish that extra day and be thankful for the privilege.

(10-02-2016 09:41 AM)AboveAverageJoe Wrote:  

(10-02-2016 09:12 AM)The Lizard of Oz Wrote:  

(09-24-2016 02:44 PM)AboveAverageJoe Wrote:  My date is Sept. 18 so I am coming up on a week and I am in it for the long haul and I feel great. Shaved my face and went down to the river with my dogs. I got opened by a young college student, the curly haired, freckly Irish type, cute though. Looked like one of my exes a long time ago. I know shaving takes almost ten years off my age but I told myself that my face was looking younger without the daily alcohol intake. Game on.

AAJ, are you in for a full year as of 9/18?

That is correct, Sir. I am at two weeks today.
Haven't wanted to drink but had a few moments I felt like caving. I know my triggers and they are mostly visual. Try to stay away from movies and videos of people drinking.
Do more reading and working out. My drinking hadn't just eaten in to my workout time, it completely devoured it.
As far as the last drink goes. Mine were anticlimactic, 3 Tecates and one negro modelo dark. I don't even drink beer. My mistress is Wray and Nephew Overproof White Rum.
While a year is a long time when it comes to a challenge like this I have done it before so I know I can do it again.
I watched my beloved boxing Trainer drink himself to death and it was a terrifying site to see a strong, virulent, fit athletic male role model turn himself into a frail broken old man.
I don't want my obituary to read like his:"Yeah great guy, too bad he drank himself to death." I don't want to do that to my children either.
So am on this wagon untill the wheels fall off.
Count me in Sept.18th 2016.

AAJ, thank you for the post and welcome aboard as of September 18, 2016. I look forward to hearing more from you in this thread as time goes on.

(10-02-2016 09:48 AM)The Lizard of Oz Wrote:  It's a year, whatever that happens to mean at a given time.

TLOZ: Thank you for the clarification.

Let it be noted that when Man colonizes Mars, Wagoneers on the Red Planet will have the privilege of riding their wagon for 687 days.

TJ, I'm quite looking forward to hearing about the year in review and how this year has been different for you. The date is tantalizingly near.

(10-02-2016 10:01 AM)Tokyo Joe Wrote:  

(10-02-2016 09:48 AM)The Lizard of Oz Wrote:  It's a year, whatever that happens to mean at a given time.

TLOZ: Thank you for the clarification.

Let it be noted that when Man colonizes Mars, Wagoneers on the Red Planet will have the privilege of riding their wagon for 687 days.

It will be easier though because drinks on Mars cost more than cocktails at a Vegas strip club.