While this is not a self-help book, some may find a few of the vignettes within the pages here as helpful if you have an open mind and consider the consequences of ignoring the common-sense rules that guide your personal universe.

In other words, the underlying messages are meant to mitigate the circumstances of the choices you made or the ones you will make down the road ahead. Basically, it's all about paying attention to details that you may take for granted. This is a true account of things that occurred in this author's sixty-five years here, both good and bad and in between.

It's also anonymous, as is the custom of truth-telling without consequences. So there are really no named individuals here except Bill W., the founder of AA, who is not associated with this work except as an inspiration for the dedication to combining disparate and desperate folks into a common purpose without judgment or rancor.

It is hoped that you find this entertaining and thoughtful toward future decisions you might make while being controlled by a very dear friend you have had forever. You may have been in deep conversations that formed your reality with something you decidedly have no control. Thank you, Al, for almost killing me at the end and giving me that wake-up call that actually turned out to save a fool from self-destruction; another fork in the road to be taken awaits.