The further adventures of locationgal

[BoSoxGal]

My sister's lilacs are all budded out again . . .

[oldr_n_wsr]

I'll have to look at my lilacs to see if they budded.
All these plants are popping up and then the freeze will come and spring won't have any color.

[Jarlaxle]

You betcha.  Between 1978 and 1998 I used to do a 100-km bicycle tour (the 'Tour du Lac') in the fall every year to benefit the American Cancer Society there.  The route always included a roughly 25-mile loop around the lake, and then did a second loop that — depending on how they routed it that particular year — went out into the Burlington - Alpine Valley - Whitewater - Elkhorn - Delavan area.  The Geneva Lakes area itself is a destination resort that draws a lot of trade from Milwaukee and Chicago and prices reflect that, but once you get about 20 miles or so away from the 'touristy' areas prices get back to normal.

-"BB"-

You familiar with LG's best-known resident? (Until his death 9 years ago.)

There is an annual gathering of geeks every March...

[Bicycle Bill]

You mean Hugh Hefner?  He had a place there for a while, although I thought he was still alive.

I think you might be talking about someone named Gygax, I believe.  I don't know if he was the *MOST* famous resident, when you consider that the whole area was built up with Chicago money and the Wrigleys and other big wheels all had homes there, but he did make a pretty good living out of that gaming company he created (TSR Inc).

And then there was Sidney Smith, the cartoonist who created this feller:


-"BB"-

[wesw]

the east coast has awakened for your arrival , bigsky.

holly s tulips are coming up.....

[Jarlaxle]

You mean Hugh Hefner?  He had a place there for a while, although I thought he was still alive.

I think you might be talking about someone named Gygax, I believe.  I don't know if he was the *MOST* famous resident, when you consider that the whole area was built up with Chicago money and the Wrigleys and other big wheels all had homes there, but he did make a pretty good living out of that gaming company he created (TSR Inc).

And then there was Sidney Smith, the cartoonist who created this feller:


-"BB"-

Check my user name, dude...of COURSE I mean Gary Gygax! I was at GaryCon 6 in 2014, and plan to be at GaryCon 8 this March! Also, AFAIK, at least one of his sons (Ernie or Luke) lives there, as does Frank Mentzer.

[BoSoxGal]

the east coast has awakened for your arrival , bigsky.

holly s tulips are coming up.....

My sister's crocuses are coming up, too.

[Bicycle Bill]

I was at GaryCon 6 in 2014, and plan to be at GaryCon 8 this March! Also, AFAIK, at least one of his sons (Ernie or Luke) lives there, as does Frank Mentzer.

In March, you say?  Hell, that's only a three-hour (or so) drive from where I live; maybe I'll check it out and see what it's all about.  Possibly see you there; I'll be easy to recognize as I would probably be the only one there who never played D&D ... and it would be glaringly obvious!

-"BB"-

[Jarlaxle]

March 3-6 this year, at the Grand Geneva Resort. (IIRC, that's the former Playboy Club.) It was at the Lodge At Geneva Ridge until last year, but outgrew it.

[BoSoxGal]

Hi Plan Bers! Just checking in from the road, where I've become embroiled in some family drama in NY. Seems my sweet lovely young niece has fallen to the heroin epidemic and while I was here for my short visit things came to a crisis so I've stayed to play jailer to her inmate here at her folks' home while we try desperately to find her a treatment bed in a long-term rehab program.

Heartbreaking doesn't begin to describe what I've seen and heard in this home over the past week; I have nothing but the deepest sympathy for anyone dealing with a loved one addicted to heroin.

[oldr_n_wsr]

My best wishes and prayers go out to you, your family and especially your niece. I hope your niece comes to the realization she does not have to live the life of addiction and that there is help out there.

Don't know where you are in NY state but here is the catholic charities for orange county. I would imagine there are similar places arund the state.
http://www.catholiccharitiesoc.org/

They helped me get into a rehab a few years ago. They have connections where the individual may not. Plus they have a temporary drug/alcohol free place to stay before I could get into a rehab. Don't know the upstate setup but they are worth a try.

Prayers and good thoughts are with you and your family.

PM me if you need anything, I want to help.

[Long Run]

Best wishes to you and your family, BSG. Good on you for being there to help your family.

[wesw]

just keep in mind that methadone has the most difficult withdrawal of all. I would avoid any long term usage

[Big RR]

From what I've seen of rehab, most want the person to contact them him or herself to be certain that (s)he is committed to the detox and rehab followup (Just detoxing ordinarily accomplishes nothing). I've seen situations where it has failed spectacularly, and times it has worked out well; it all depends on the attitude of the person involved (and often the reasons they got into the situation in the first place). I wish her all the best.

FWIW, I have a sister who was never able to kick the heroin habit; she now is what I'd call a functional addict, usually just taking enough to get by (and sometimes going on a bender for a while). She has held jobs, and lost them as well, and raised a son (who is quite the opposite of her when it comes to drugs), and I do think she has learned that actions have consequences and has tried to remain relatively straight. But she'll never be free of it, and I think that's because she understands she doesn't either possess the inner strength kick the habit or because she deep down doesn't want to--she says she honestly doesn't know and has made peace with her current status.

Sometimes recovery is a game of inches and short gains, never getting to where you'd like to be.

[MajGenl.Meade]

God bless, bsg.

[BoSoxGal]

My niece FINALLY got a bed at a hospital-based rehab with intensive mental health treatment available, for co-occurring diagnoses. She's been there a week today, and so far, she's telling her parents she LOVES it!

That's like AMAZING progress from her prior stints at rehab, so I'm cautiously optimistic. There is a dialectical therapist on staff which is fantastic considering her dx. My sister and BIL will be visiting her this weekend; she's expected to be there 30 days and then transition to outpatient, which I'm concerned about . . .

I'd rather see her in a long-term program before coming back to the world. It's probably just a resource issue and that sucks. We will have to hope for the best; perhaps at the end of the 30 days they will recommend her to the 9 month intensive residential program.

[Big RR]

I wish her the best. And I agree a long term residential plan is best, but it is likely a matter of resource (I'm not sure who is paying for it, but Medicaid often resists such long term treatment). It's expensive, but if her parents can afford it, it could be the best gift they could ever give her.

[MajGenl.Meade]

Echoing Big RR... God bless

[oldr_n_wsr]

she's expected to be there 30 days and then transition to outpatient, which I'm concerned about . . .

I went to two outpatient clinics, Seafield and Pederson Krag. Seafield sucked IMO. I got the feeling money was their first priority and patients a distant second. PK was sooooooo much better. Don't know if there is a PK where you are but if so I recommend it.
Hopefully she will transition right into a 12 step program and start the work.
According to the addicts I meet in AA, they like AA better than NA. Seems too many in NA are not there for recovery, only to get the law/judge/PO off their backs.
Only problem with addicts in AA is some AA groups take the "alcoholic" part too seriously that they only want to hear about alcoholism and nary a word about drugs. But over half of the members are cross addicted so drugs are a part of many/most alcoholics story.
I am in the minority that I was only addicted to alcohol.

If you need anything, PM me BSG. My hopes and prayers are with your niece.

[BoSoxGal]

Thank you oldr! If my niece does outpatient it will be intensive, 6 hours/day for at least 90 days. She can access an AA meeting every day within walking distance of her parents' house, too. There are no NA meetings in the area and I agree she is probably best with AA. Still I'm hoping for the long-term residential, if she can get in. Sadly my sister & brother-in-law aren't in a position to private pay - I did quite a bit of research and the programs range from $10k - $35k/mo. (and beyond, I'm sure!) for private pay addiction treatment programs that aren't religious-based. She won't go to a Christian program, it's a huge bone of contention with her very religious parents but not worth any more discussion as it would be useless to my niece, she would be so focused on her resistance to the religious message she would get nowhere with treatment.


Just because I hadn't experienced enough family drama yet to welcome me home, the past few days were spent in the Boston area helping my cousin to remove her mom from life support and with funeral arrangements, etc.

This 'aunt' was my mother's life-long best friend, not really a blood relative but more family to me than most - she and my cousin and my cousin's young daughter were a huge reason I wanted to be home in New England.

Auntie was feeling very poorly the past few days and my cousin, an LPN, was concerned she had pneumonia and should go to the doctor or hospital - but my aunt was stubborn and refused. By Sunday morning she was in really bad shape and finally relented to go to the hospital - but then she seized and her heart stopped while getting into the car for the ride there. EMTs were called and her heart was ultimately revived, either in the ambulance or at the hospital - but her spleen was lacerated during CPR, she was bleeding out internally and surgery wasn't possible because she was comatose and very likely brain-damaged from the time her heart was stopped. Then a CAT scan was done which detected lung cancer metastasized to the brain . . . so my cousin called and I drove 4 hours to Boston and sat with my cousin and our other 'cousin', another daughter of a third woman who was part of this trio of besties 45+ years ago who all had babies at the same time. We three hadn't been in the same room for over 20 years, so it was as if my Auntie worked one last bit of magic to get her favorite girls together to say goodbye.

My heart is aching for my cousin and her little girl, who was far too young to lose her ganny, especially a ganny only 69 years young. Smoking sucks, we should just stop making freaking cigarettes! I have lost my mother and three aunts - the women who most influenced my life besides my gram - all far too young (42, 50-something, 69 & 73) all to their addiction to nicotine; lost a very dear uncle far too young from the same cause.