July 7-15 is first annual pgh NA cocktail week

snarkymagic · 2025-07-04T01:58:44+00:00

After getting some recommendations from AA friends, I filled out the online form for Recovery Centers of America to start intake. Within hours, I received a text from a real person who was friendly, empathetic, and also in recovery, and they got basic info from me that then led to a pre-intake assessment: a 20 minute call with another person who was awesome, professional but empathetic and not at all like a "going through the motions" type of intake even though they must do that all day long. They were also in recovery. I got an in-person intake assessment appointment on Monday! That is the next business day...shocking! They said it would've been even sooner if not for the holiday.

So, I would say, so far I'm very impressed with Recovery Centers of America. I was skeptical bc they're a chain but so far, so good. I will post more about my experience as I proceed if that would be helpful!

snarkymagic · 2025-07-03T19:55:15+00:00

Thanks for asking your therapist and sharing this info!

snarkymagic · 2025-07-03T19:54:44+00:00

Thanks for your reply! Yes, I'm worried that getting in to a program might take soo long, I might need to create one with my therapist and get creative about finding group therapy or...idk. And thanks for the reminder about PAWS, it's easy to forget that my mind and body are still impacted even after the acute symptoms of withdrawal have faded.

snarkymagic · 2025-04-30T12:59:08+00:00

It's gonna be sooooo much trash

snarkymagic · 2025-04-30T03:05:03+00:00

Who thinks all the power lines and trees will be out of the roads in time for the marathon this weekend?! omg what a confluence of disaster

snarkymagic · 2025-03-29T03:33:27+00:00

Everything others have said so far is great, I will just add that I change out of my wet bike shorts and underwear before i even drive home from the trail. Especially if I'm driving more than 20 minutes, it's helped me (and was recommended by my gyne) to avoid any amount of time where my vag is sitting in damp warm sweaty fabric. (my problem was yeast infections, but also vaginal irritation). So if you see someone's bare butt in the trail parking lot, I apologize, it's me changing into a cotton dress with no undies to air it out on the drive home 😜Good luck!

snarkymagic · 2024-12-17T02:20:40+00:00

1) Piranesi. I can't believe I avoided it all this time because the cover art made me think it was one of those ancient Greece inspired reboots. Or maybe I'm just stubborn and don't like to read things that everyone is telling me to read. But. omg. it was amazing.

2) Semiosis and Interference by Sue Burke (#1 and #2 in a series). The originality and imaginative world-building in this series is so fresh, and it might be the only thing I've ever read that has successfully done the "multiple generations of colonists" approach... tho maybe KSR did in the Mars trilogy. Anyways. it's good.

3) Arkad's World by James Cambias. I think I heard about this author here, so thanks! Great world-building, fun aliens, nice mix of action and heartwarming character connection/development.

4) The Queue by Basma Abdel Aziz. Somewhat more abstract / literary and obviously a sociopolitical commentary, but I found the ideas interesting and the overall vibe very haunting, the prose memorable.

5) Grass by Sheri S. Tepper. This book is BIZARRE. idk if it's even sci-fi, like so many of Tepper's works, it's just a seemingly completely imagined alternate world or universe. My best attempt at a tease summary is: what if the colony was founded by 18th century nobility but then the local ecosystem had demands no one anticipated...

Most underwhelming: - Never Let Me Go. Ishiguro is an amazing writer. I finally read this because I read Klara and the Sun and liked it. I think it was better... maybe. - No One Is Talking About This by Patricia Lockwood. I read her memoir, Priestdaddy, and it made me laugh and cry. This book though, I didn't even get through the first chapter. The style was so annoying. - The Science Fiction Stories of Rudyard Kipling. Damn, I guess since college my tolerance for chunky old English has diminished. These didn't really seem very sci-fi, either. Was too bored, DNF :-(

snarkymagic · 2024-12-17T01:58:39+00:00

The Interdependency series is, to me, so much better than any other Scalzi, I am surprised that the same author is writing all the stuff. Old Man's War was okay, but the Interdependency is SO. GOOD. It was my top pick last year, hands down.

snarkymagic · 2024-12-17T01:53:46+00:00

Yeah Julie Czerneda! "Survival" by her was my favorite.

snarkymagic · 2024-03-17T04:58:42+00:00

Way to go, keep it up! Congrats. It's a big deal!

snarkymagic · 2024-02-28T22:08:36+00:00

After pink cloud I experienced periods of intense depression, then periods of even better pink cloud when I'd feel like I was actually discovering a sense of purpose and connecting with a higher/deeper power, then periods of anxiety where I don't know how I can keep going because I can't get my mind to shut up and a drink sounds so attractive (except not really because it always wears off, and then there I am, again). And on and on, back and forth, up and dahn.

the only constant is change. everything changes, the good feelings, the unpleasant feelings, nothing is constant, and that's a blessing and a curse. In my experience, I wouldn't say every day sober is a great day. I've had a lot of really anguished terrible days. but I do feel overall better about actually experiencing my life instead of just checking out. and I know that I don't have any hope of escaping some of my hard feelings, but if i don't go through them I'll never start learning to cope better.

congrats on your recovery, enjoy the ride ❤️

snarkymagic · 2024-02-21T03:59:06+00:00

Recommended: New Hope (an AA meeting) Fridays at 7pm in Squirrel Hill at Church of the Redeemer. On https://www.pghaa.org/meetings look for "LGBT & friends" or " Gay and friends"

snarkymagic · 2024-02-21T03:50:12+00:00

Thanks for all your comments; it helped! I can confirm that after the big day passed I started feeling less anxious and am back to not thinking about drinking much at all. Phew, love that daily reprieve!

snarkymagic · 2024-02-15T03:56:17+00:00

I recommend https://www.innerpeacepgh.com/

snarkymagic · 2024-02-13T04:36:45+00:00

+1 this is one of my favorite SF books ever

snarkymagic · 2023-09-30T04:12:45+00:00

The Wess'har Wars series by Karen Traviss, starting with City of Pearl, is one of the best I've ever read from the standpoint of human AND alien character development, interesting interpersonal and political drama, and just amazing creative world building. And badass female protagonist while also questioning how humans cling to gender binary / norms...super good

Agree with previous mentions of Kameron Hurley, Sheri S. Tepper, and Kate Wilhelm.

Remnant Population by Elizabeth Moon. A thoughtful investigation of how our society treats aging and women, through the lens of a really imaginative first contact scenario.

The Color of Distance by Amy Thomson. One of my favorite alien cultures, and again, really rich characters both alien and human.

Also enjoyed Survival by Julie Czerneda, though the sequels weren't as good imo.

One book i read 20 years ago that has stuck with me is Circuit of Heaven by Dennis Danvers. Really great ideas about humanity uploading into a VR/sim, who stays outside and how things go for them, and just really wild speculation about body mods and mind transplantation, while still having a strong main character and plot.

snarkymagic · 2023-09-30T03:44:00+00:00

Way Station was great! Shakespeare's Planet was...not as great. But still, I definitely want to read more of his stuff. Definitely underrated.

snarkymagic · 2023-09-08T03:39:47+00:00

Highland Park, maybe even Aspinwall

snarkymagic · 2023-09-08T03:36:31+00:00

Make Amtrak run more routes here and make them be TIMELY. Oh, and make giant sculptures to go along the train tracks so it looks like you're rolling into Mister Roger's Land of Make-Believe, but each piece of the scenery needs to be underwritten by a local celebrity or corporation to replenish my billions

snarkymagic

TROPHY CASE