Minor Update

I did it! I made it an entire week without smoking... and I haven't gained any weight. I've actually continued to lose the weight I gained over the holidays in fact. I can't even remember why I wanted to smoke in the first place.

My only fear is becoming an ex-smoker. I don't want to be one of the people who lectures others about the dangers of smoking... that coughs obnoxiously around smokers... I want to be as considerate a non-smoker as I (hope) I was a smoker. But Saturday night at the Pirate Party I actually had to turn my head when a smoker was talking to me. I think that experience more than anything else convinced me to never light up again. Did my mouth smell like ash? The horror!

I don't have much news to share outside of that. Life is just breezing along splendidly. Not that I'm hoping for a tragedy mind you -- I just don't have anything else to write about at the moment. So how about I share two pirate pictures and let you be on your way now?


No, I don't look pleased at all, do I? Told you it was too short and too tight.

Later taters,
R~

Quick Update -- More Later

Just wanted to say I'm doing fine. I made it through the weekend without smoking. I made it through the detox period without caving. And so far, I haven't gained any weight.

I'll write more as time allows, but I didn't want anyone to fear I'd given in to the temptations.

And, I wanted to say thank you to Heather because she absolutely made my day... and she knows why. And for the record, Heather, I'm proud of you too.

The Day After

Soooooooooooooooooo...

I made it through the first day in one piece. Really! I didn't even have a binge attack.

Today was actually a bit harder.

So I'm not going to think about it anymore tonight. Baby steps.


IN OTHER NEWS:

American Idol fans, check out this blog:

This guy actually found the myspace pages for a bunch of the contestants from the last two nights!

And finally, a moment of Zen.

The First Day

This is the point in the evening where I would normally rub my full tummy and light my first of many evening smokes.

But I haven't smoked at all today.

It's the first day. It's quitting day.

And if I'm a good girl and go straight to bed after American Idol, I only have 3 hours left until my first day is over.

Some parts have been easier than I thought. Some have been harder.

Driving without smoking is almost unbearable. Sitting here in front of the computer without smoking is worse.

But getting through the day without one has been kind of easy.

I made a point of ruining the last of the cigarettes in my pack last night before bed. This way caving will involve me getting off my ass and driving to the store.

Not.going.to.happen. Once I'm home, I'm home. Light my house on fire, and I'll still sit on my tired ass until the flames lick my heels.

The only fear I have at this point is whether or not I will substitute food for smoking. My original plan was to lose all my weight (I have about 20 to 25 pounds left to lose), keep it off for six months, and THEN start the quitting process.

I still have no idea why I bumped it up. Must be the universe pushing me into alignment.

At any rate, the first day is almost over. I can't say I "miss" the cigarettes, but I do miss smoking.

In other news:

I'm going to pirate party on Saturday. My costume arrived in the mail today. It's too fucking short, and too fucking tight. I'm sure The Husband will tell me it's perfect.

And now for your moment of Zen.

Reporting, Day 5

It's been five full days since I started taking Chantix for my smoking cessation venture. This morning I woke up, sat down at the computer with a cup of coffee, and had absolutely NO desire to light a cigarette. My morning smoke, Kids, my morning smoke of all things! I was tempted to go ahead and ask The Husband to stash my remaining cigarettes, but since I'm big on rules (take the pills for seven full days before you stop smoking, and don't stop smoking until that day) I went ahead and decided to see how long I would care to go without a smoke.

I lit up at 3:30, but only because we were at the resort and some dumb rednecks beside me were chain smoking. (I knew I should have joined a "spa" as opposed to a "resort".)

In other news, we've had a lovely first two days of a three-day weekend. The kids kind of did their own thing, so we took advantage and did our own thing as well. Saturday we left early to go lounge by the pool at a quaint little place an hour away, and stayed for the night life. We were supposed to be home all day today, but since no kids were around, we threw our stuff in a bag and headed back to our happy place for the afternoon. So as I sit here typing, I'm completely at peace. I've had plenty of sun, plenty of conversation, and more than my fair share of vodka tonics.

I've also had lots of time to think, but not a lot of time to think some things through. So maybe I'll write more on that another day. I'm shedding another layer in order to be reborn yet again. This should be interesting... or I'd like to think so.

And now for your moment of Zen.

What's Up, Pussy Cat?

So I took my first Chantix this morning, and I've decided that I'm a victim of psychosomatic symptoms. Within TEN minutes (count 'em, ten) I turned to my friend and co-worker and said, "It's working! I feel dizzy." She looked me dead in the eye and said, "Ditsy? Yeah, but you're always like that."

Later that morning we went out for our smoke break. I was lighting my second when a wave of nausea hit me. "It's working!" I proclaimed. "Get over yourself" she answered back. (This is, by the way, why I love her. Busting my balls is the quickest way to my heart. Ask The Husband.)

I sat down to eat lunch a few hours after that and everything tasted different somehow. I smiled smugly, recalling that is also one of the side effects.

It's working. My highly-susceptible-to-suggestion-psyche is responding to the pill. Note I said pill. I only took one.


In other news:

My friend and co-worker turned 30 today. She wanted to get together for drinks after work, so I decided it would be okay to join her for one... just one... before I drove home. Now tell me this; why the fuck don't they tell you it's happy hour before pouring two shots of Stoli in your drink? What could possibly be the logic of waiting until after you've sucked the entire thing through a straw?
Let me answer that; over-priced appetizer sales goal. Fuckers.

And now for your moment of Zen. It's not a pipe cleaner, but it will do in a pinch.

I Quit

No, not the blog. I did that, remember? I ran hiding from the "masses" and sought refuge here among friends.

I quit smoking.
My last cigarette will take place on January 17th.

I picked up my prescription for Chantix today, and I start taking it tomorrow after breakfast. Side effect? Oh, you'll love this.

"In studies, the most common side effects for people who took CHANTIX were nausea, changes in dreaming, constipation, gas and/or vomiting."

Doesn't paint a pretty picture, does it? Gassy, pukey, stopped up dreamer, that's me.

In other news, some good friends of mine sent me some pics from my recent vacation. Who's a hottie? Hmmmm? NO, not me, the one to my left. Sheesh.

What I Did Over Christmus Break

Dear Sister Francis,

We had a wunderful Christmas Break. There were lots of presunts and we had a pretty tree. After Christmus wuz over we got in a big plane and flew to Jamaica for New Years Eve. It was real fun! The plane went up really high over the clouds and everything! This is me at the airport getting ready to fly!



When we landed I was real surprized to see mountains! We took a taxi to the other side of the eyeland and got there just in time for the big toga party!





There are poor people in Jamaica. This poor lady didn't have enough money to buy all of her toga. I felt real bad for her.



We got to stay up past our bedtime too, which was really cool! The next morning I took some other pictures of stuff but it isn't very cool so I will not show you those but I have them if you want to see them. We went to the pool and stayed there all day. I wuznt allowed to take my camera to the pool because of this sign that said "no photos" but I think that was unfair because nobody seemed to mind if other people saw them with their clothes off and stuff like that. But it's okay I guess because there was a bar at the pool and they put stuff in my grapefruit juice that kind of made me feel real silly, so I bet my pictures wouldn't have been very good anyways.

After a long day of hanging out with some new friends, we went to another party. They said it was a fetush ball or sumthing like that, but I didn't do very good on your vocabulary test so I didn't know what that word was. Since it started with an "f" I figured it was another word for fancy, but I forgot to pack my party dress, so's I had to wear my school uniform. But I took a picture for you.



Father O'FeelYa was there at the party so I was a real good girl and I behaved and stuff, but I don't think he noticed on a count a he was training a new alter boy.



The altar boy was my special friend on a counta he said I wuz real pretty and other stuff like that, but I made lots of new friends on my vacation.





Sister Mary "The Whip" O'Malley said we wuzn't supposed to kiss our friends and went to tell Father, but he was buzy so's she gave us ten lashes, made us say four Hail Marys and ten Oh Gods.



Then she followed me for the rest of the night, even when I went to the zoo.



Which was okay because there wuzn't any animals in the cages anyhow, which was sad but oh well.

Theres lots of uther pictures that I can't show you becuz I don't want anymore Hail Marys. The lashes were okay, but the Hail Marys were hard. 'Cept I don't think I should get in anymore trouble on a count a I gots a picture of Father that pretty much means I can do anything I want to from now on and don't have to have no punushmint.



Anyhow, we got to take a helicopter home, so I'll end my homework assignment with a picture of me living like a rock star.



And that wuz my Christmas Break. The End.