tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28050624.post7518687120693765566..comments2024-03-27T05:41:49.609-04:00Comments on Ask And Ye Shall Receive: More than stale cookies and tearsLove Biteshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09560398644345169431noreply@blogger.comBlogger17125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28050624.post-38829019288636498262010-03-07T08:54:12.065-05:002010-03-07T08:54:12.065-05:00ps.: I'm a boring old guy. The template that ...ps.: I'm a boring old guy. The template that you hate will probably be low on my priority list for change. I'm just not that artsy, fartsy.Dad and Momhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14204246139693620329noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28050624.post-56046182826355064922010-03-07T08:52:17.969-05:002010-03-07T08:52:17.969-05:00Thank you Madame Bellicose for your review. I had ...Thank you Madame Bellicose for your review. I had almost forgotten that I had submitted to be reviewed.<br /><br />I do accept your critique. You are correct, I don't do a lot of editing. With work, family, dealing with our son and everything else time is compressed and editing is one of those things that gets dropped. If this is worth doing I need to find the time to make it better. That was the purpose of the asking for a critique.<br /><br />No higher education here, using what I learned and forgotten in high school english, that's what has gotten me to this point.I understand, I need more to get to the next level.<br /><br />3 stars, WOW, I actually am quite surprised. I remember thinking that from what I read before submitting; I'm going to be sliced, diced and thrown out with the trash. But it will be good, I will get better with criticism more than with praise. Plus some of the commenters were awesome too. <br /><br />Thank you for taking your time to review my blog. Now it's up to me to work on this improvement.Dad and Momhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14204246139693620329noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28050624.post-80095871820810878382010-03-07T04:42:46.161-05:002010-03-07T04:42:46.161-05:00Oh and Mongo, I'm on the footrub baby.Oh and Mongo, I'm on the footrub baby.Madame Bellicosehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04036828375356589499noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28050624.post-10282110052448836892010-03-07T04:29:28.326-05:002010-03-07T04:29:28.326-05:00As to the comments about if bad writing can be ove...As to the comments about if bad writing can be overlooked, I hope I made it clear that my take on this blog is not that the writing is bad. The writing is actually quite good. I don't give any stars out if the writing is bad or even mediocre and this one got three so that should tell you something. It's just that, like a lot of good blogs, it suffers from a lack of editing, and my hunch is that in those times the content and the support-seeking and support-giving is so much more important to the writer than the instrument. But he did submit for review here, which leads me to think that he wants to be an effective writer. I think he knows he has enough self-reflection in him regarding this topic to write a book or two on. (I say him because I gathered that the majority of the posts were written by Dad). I just think he needs to first edit the hell out of his posts and secondly fine tune them.Madame Bellicosehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04036828375356589499noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28050624.post-85106768114115160662010-03-06T16:49:07.416-05:002010-03-06T16:49:07.416-05:00Weak coffee in a styrofoam cup. Kinda the same qu...Weak coffee in a styrofoam cup. Kinda the same quality of refreshments as served at blood drives.Elliehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09130776138284979286noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28050624.post-6466541700053307942010-03-06T12:53:54.045-05:002010-03-06T12:53:54.045-05:00Some bloggers who write about recovery are basical...Some bloggers who write about recovery are basically looking to find a support network in the blogosphere - sort of an extension of a regular support group here on the internet. I gather that Madame Bellicose was simply saying that if that is all this blogger wants/needs and they are satisfied with the sub par writing on their blog then don't expect her, or anyone else interested in reading quality blogs, to have any continuing interest in their blog. <br /><br />Her description of support groups may not apply to every single one out there, but let's face it: Support groups can and do seem to be a magnet for some...interesting characters. If you're not in recovery or dealing with some other issue, sitting in on that support group meeting could be a strange, unnerving experience. I don't get the impression that she was saying that ALL people who attend these groups are strange, half-literate, and twitchy eyed. Or that she was saying that there was something inherently shameful about attending a support group. I just want to defend Madame a bit on the charge that she is callous and demeaning towards those that attend those groups in her review. I've attended support groups and I certainly don't feel offended by this review.Sylvia Wrathnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28050624.post-49251757158858199322010-03-06T12:00:56.564-05:002010-03-06T12:00:56.564-05:00Well that's a good thing Zen Mama, 'cause ...Well that's a good thing Zen Mama, 'cause I needs me a Huckleberry. XO XOmongoliangirlnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28050624.post-77016403487537638332010-03-06T10:12:06.900-05:002010-03-06T10:12:06.900-05:00Alcoholism and addiction took the lives of two of ...Alcoholism and addiction took the lives of two of my three brothers. The remaining one is riding his bicycle toward that rocky cliff and is dangerously close to going over the edge. All of my life I have been witness to this devastating disease. I have pushed my brother in his wheelchair after he broke his back thinking he could fly off a three story building. As a teenager, I broke down a bathroom door to find one of them lying in the tub covered in blood after a suicide attempt. <br /><br />As mongolian girl said, the hardest part is knowing when to let them go. I am not chasing after my brother on his bicycle right now but I am here if he survives the fall.<br /><br />I think Madame's review was spot on. Given my past, I obviously relate the the blog but it is too painful for me. I can't watch the TV show Intervention for the same reason. I have enough reality in my world.Zen Mamahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02150722039049104796noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28050624.post-49508780046847349332010-03-06T10:01:13.129-05:002010-03-06T10:01:13.129-05:00Oh, and do I get an award for posting the longest ...Oh, and do I get an award for posting the longest comment ever? Even if it's not the longest comment ever?<br />And, um, no, you cannot say that my award is someone saying that posting a comment that long is proof that I should be blogging. <br />I recommend a weekly pedicure as my award. Horse training season has just started and my boots are already making my feet look like damn hooves. Somebody get over here and rub my fuckin' feet already!mongoliangirlnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28050624.post-13995306793235625102010-03-06T09:57:33.962-05:002010-03-06T09:57:33.962-05:00Well, well, well...what do we have here? A blog-o...Well, well, well...what do we have here? A blog-o-rama comment fest about recovery groups! Just up my alley, mother fuckers!<br />You all know I love me some 12-step recovery. Mostly because it's kept me alive and sane enough to torture the blogosphere. OK, I'm actually glad it's kept me alive and sane enough to do many other things. Blogging is kind of low on the list of priorities (as is evidenced by my recent lack of blogging).<br />I'm 21 years clean and have never once sat in a meeting without at least a few twitchy people. As a matter of fact, if there are too few twitchy people it causes me to wonder if I'm in the right place. <br />I could not agree more that kids being kids often means checking into all kinds of things like what it's like to be drunk, smoke weed, etc... I too feel sorry for those kids whose parents take that to the level of accusing them of being addicts and/or alcoholics. But I also cannot fault parents who don't know or have forgotten that alcoholism and addiction make themselves blatantly obvious. In other words, they don't have to guess at it. It'll show up and stand out like a drunk hooker at a Baptist picnic.<br />At the same time, when it does show up for real, it'll scare the bejeezuz out of any mom and dad and I cannot fault them for screaming, crying, teeth gnashing and hand wringing as if they are watching their child ride his/her bicycle toward a deadly cliff.<br />The hardest part of watching someone live in active addiction or alcoholism is learning that, sometimes, you just have to let them ride over the cliff. <br />In my opinion, discovering the balance of when to act, and when to let someone fall is one of the hardest to learn. I've had to deal with finding that balance myself with many people I love, and it is nothing short of a complete and total bitch.<br />I read through the reviewed blog when it showed up on the list earlier this week. I agree with Madame's ideas about their writing. It doesn't matter if a person is blogging about gardening or watching their child struggle with a nasty illness, if the writing is too messy it takes away from everything.<br />I also agree that they have it in them to do better. I like many of the posts Madame pointed out as well. They get down to the nitty gritty of what 'Mom and Dad' are going through and make even a cynical, crow bar carrying, mouthy, oldtimer like me appreciate the pain of the situation they are in.<br />Though it's probably an odd place to do it, I certainly do wish anyone dealing with addiction and/or alcoholism (from any perspective) everything I've gotten from finding 12-step recovery and being willing to use it for all it's worth. I was not joking when I said I credit it for me being alive and sane enough to do what I want to do in this world.<br />The bottom line is that the only perspective that matters to me when it comes to 12-step recovery is my own.mongoliangirlnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28050624.post-60479542254099245812010-03-05T18:33:18.498-05:002010-03-05T18:33:18.498-05:00I've known people who have yanked their childr...I've known people who have yanked their children into rehab for nothing more than usual (although underage and dangerous) teenage partying. I'm not talking hardcore drug use, but mostly beer and pot. I hate that these kids are labeled alcoholic and addict and user before they're 18. Obviously, that isn't the case here.<br /><br />As for your question, Thanatos, I think the answer is no if you truly mean bad writing wherein it's impossible to follow a train of thought. On the other hand, I think in some cases poor grammar can be overlooked, but the story better be so good I'm laughing my ass off or crying like a baby.Here In Franklinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04249969885696185864noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28050624.post-61107165683332733982010-03-05T13:54:27.591-05:002010-03-05T13:54:27.591-05:00I am also really sensitive and angry today, obviou...I am also really sensitive and angry today, obviously. And this was about the fourth sort of, inappropriate support group comment I'd heard in the week. <br /><br />So while I still don't agree with it entirely, I'm certainly not going to be a dick about it. <br /><br />Shit's rough out there. Hanging with mouth breathers for help is just a fact of life. <br /><br />Also? There is a support group called Hookers for Jesus, so you know, I've got that to look forward to.Mrs. Boomshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07327877419678061633noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28050624.post-49874411573679527642010-03-05T13:38:51.406-05:002010-03-05T13:38:51.406-05:00What can I say, Mrs. Booms, I was trying to give a...What can I say, Mrs. Booms, I was trying to give a humourous portrayal of a support group while at the same time saying there is perfectly a place for that in life and in the blogosphere. And it's in those circumstances where how they articulate and what they are wearing (i.e. their template) are not important at all, that was the point- but in this forum I was asked answer those questions. <br /><br />The story about the boyfriend is true. So in this case his father was a bit of a fanatic. But I believe I went on to say that these people in particular are in no way obsessive parents. They are loving and dedicated to their son's recovery. So my thoughts on all AA and people in recovery or in support groups are not fanatics. Not at all. <br /><br />There is an important place for support groups. It is not usually among support groups where one should be nitpicking at grammar and prose. That was my only point.Madame Bellicosehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04036828375356589499noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28050624.post-15526019252218379372010-03-05T13:11:17.009-05:002010-03-05T13:11:17.009-05:00Given that English is a second language for me, sp...Given that English is a second language for me, spelling and grammar don't bother me too much. This is the internet, after all. <br /><br />Can bad writing be overlooked if the story behind the words is compelling enough?Thanatoshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18086063666735002969noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28050624.post-55792504141238367522010-03-05T13:09:02.544-05:002010-03-05T13:09:02.544-05:00I don't suppose it was the belittling of those...I don't suppose it was the belittling of those in need of support as much as it was a picture being painted of those in AA being either fanatics or inbred. <br /><br />While this isn't the forum to seek help or the answers regarding help, I suppose it's hard enough for those that have yet to seek help think that once they do so they will be felt up by Deliverance supporting cast members while chugging down Sanka. <br /><br />Because just knowing that you have to walk in and admit that you have to empathize with the crack head, who sucks dick behind a dumpster in a back alley and then broke into someone home, only to pawn their iPod for another rock is pretty much raw enough as it is.Mrs. Boomshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07327877419678061633noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28050624.post-14812209453453790842010-03-05T12:55:35.523-05:002010-03-05T12:55:35.523-05:00Thanks for your opinion Mrs. Booms. FYI, I need a...Thanks for your opinion Mrs. Booms. FYI, I need a support group of my own. But that's not really the point. In any case, it was not my intention to belittle people who need support groups. In fact, I get it that those groups are needed, in church basements and in the blogosphere.Madame Bellicosehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04036828375356589499noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28050624.post-52076344181526972382010-03-05T12:39:54.375-05:002010-03-05T12:39:54.375-05:00I have been a supporter of ASK and have even playe...I have been a supporter of ASK and have even played my part in the tearing of assholes around here. <br /><br />However, I find this review and it's criticism of self-help groups to be demeaning, disheartening and callous. <br /><br />I'm not talking about the blog that was reviewed here, I'm talking about your generalization and your complete lack of caring about those who NEED support groups. <br /><br />And of course, I'm saying this because I need a support group, and unfortunately my need of said support group obviously relegates me to church basements with mouth breathers. <br /><br />Jesus.Mrs. Boomshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07327877419678061633noreply@blogger.com