Huge Slacker!

I've been slacking over here lately, I know. I'll just blame the holiday and the kids having the week off from school and not bore everyone with the details.

My first thought of the day, as I feel guilty about leaving my blog all alone in the great wide internet for so many days, is this: I haven't felt like I need to log in and de-stress lately. Guess I forgot, cause it does feel nice to be back in the saddle, if you know what I mean.

Really though, I find myself thinking about why I started this blog in the first place. It's done its job, and I'm proud of it. Good blog.

So, what's up with me? I'll tell ya. First, a couple of things about smoking (always a good idea to throw in a little something that's actually on topic, huh?), and the quitting thereof as it relates to my life. Now that I've been quit for long enough for it to be clear that it's not just a phase or a failed attempt, people have been taking notice.

I have had a couple phone calls whose primary purpose was to congratulate me on quitting, a couple people say that they're proud of me, a person or two asking me how difficult it is and for advice, and a number of quitters who are thrilled that I have joined their numbers. Our numbers, that is to say.

I've worked my way to indifference regarding coffee as well. Some of you may recall that I thought I was going to give up coffee along with cigarettes for a while there. It really was tasting unappealing to me for a week or so. I still ended up having a cup every other day or so, and I guess I've reacclimated to some extent. While I'm not expecting myself to be sucking down pot after pot like I used to, one or two cups a day seems to be what I've been doing. So I am liking the coffee again, but not liking liking it like a grade school girlfriend (wow, haven't had one of those in a while) anymore.

Hm, what else? Well, the whole exercising thing has gone right out the crapper, so I'm currently five pounds up from where I started. I have no excuse. I mean, I could think of a million, but am wise enough not to. Just haven't been exercising like I wanted to is all.

And scarfing down on Easter candy, Snickers and Skittles in particular. Some days, I wish the human body could be sustained on Skittles alone, they really are so good. And sweet tarts, but those usually don't show their face until around Halloween. Skittles it is then. I really can't wait till they're gone, because I will not stop eating them so long as they are here.

I'm promising myself, you guys be my witnesses on this, that I am going to clear out that damned punching bag next week. Again, no excuses. Punching bag or bust! And also to get back into some semblance of a decent eating routine. Yeah, I kind of caved and had Burger King, Domino's and chili dogs from the grill in town, all in the last four days. Definite fattie behavior. I don't even remember what I had the other day, but likely it was such crap that I've blocked it out like a bad childhood experience.

I think that's all I have in me for right now.

Trial Seperation -- I Never Thought It Would Be Me

It was a damned good run, I'll say that much.

Everything was going just fine, better than fine even; It was a love affair, for crying out loud.

The heat has gone lukewarm, and I'm just not feeling it anymore. I am left with no choice but to take a coffee break...

Insert blurry edges here, as we fade to memories of my school years. There was this guy everybody used to call Mister Clean. He wasn't bald or anything, but he didn't drink, smoke or get involved with whatever drugs or other interesting things most of his buddies found occupying their free time during any given three month period.

I'd love to know what ever happened to that guy. I can't seem to find him in google, so I guess he didn't end up as a rocket scientist or a murderer or anything interesting. I know, that was terrible, even for me.

For those still reading, time to get rid of the blurry edges. We're safe and sound back in good old 1985. 2007. Whatever.

So I'm on day 23 of my big cigarette quit, and now it's looking like coffee will be off the list too, at least for now. I'm starting to feel like Mister Clean, it's quite unexpected. Coffee has been tasting terrible to me for the last few days, like it's burnt or something. I don't know how many cups I've dumped since-- maybe Friday?

I actually decided yesterday after being disappointed (yet again, such is life it seems) not to even bother for awhile. The stuff never exactly kept me awake anyway.

I ended up giving it one last, unintentional shot this morning. I made a pot for Kelly so she could bring some to work as usual, and it turned out there was no creamer in the house so she ended up leaving it. This, presumably in favor of Dunkin' Donuts, where they are much more diligent with the cream supply than myself.

I figured I might as well see, right? Dumped the whole pot. It just tastes terrible. Maybe it always tasted terrible, and I just didn't know it because I was smoking, maybe it's just another phase in the transition to becoming a full-fledged nonsmoker. One thing however, is certain. It's definitely weird.

Turning A Negative Into A Positive Without Advanced Mathematics

Ahh, the morning routine again. Got everybody fed and off to school safely, coffee is happily dripping, automatically. Time to go screw around with the blogs a little.

What's this? Garbage on my desk? An empty cigarette pack. Always cleaning up after everybody, that's what I am. Oh yeah, if I should suddenly disappear mysteriously and abruptly, that probably means the wife read that last sentence and doesn't think it's funny. Little joke there, babe. Just a li'l joke is all...

Moving on, it's not empty after all. there's one cigarette in a box on the computer desk. Why? I don't know. That's the negative thing. Not really so much for me, since I just threw it away.

The positive? I was so surprised to be greeted by this, I just had to post a picture. The digital camera however, has been MIA for a while. Long story short (I've been working on this skill, how am I doing?), I wandered around for just shy of an hour, ultimately finding the camera in a box under my bed.

So there it is, and yes that's a little cigarette burn next to the pack. Cool that I'll never be responsible for one of those again. I don't even know who was responsible for that one, but again, just smack me if I start with the useless little interjections.

I know, time for the conclusion: I found the long-lost camera, and (I confess) my desk is a little (okay, a lot) neater looking than it was when I woke up.

Hazelnut?

I like my coffee. Black with one sugar. Never got into the iced mocha-java-latte-chino or anything like that. I'm a simple man who just puts his pants on one leg at a time and enjoys coffee better than cardboard.

So I'm standing by the coffee machine next to this dudeman, and I unexpectedly (to myself and to him) blurt out, "Hazelnut?"

I don't know if he didn't hear what I said, didn't understand why I would ask or care, or just thought I was a weirdo, but he just stood there for a sec looking at me. It was almost, but not quite the look I'd expect to get from a guy standing at the next urinal over if I asked him if he wanted to see a trick I just learned. Moving on...

"Your coffee; Is that hazelnut?" He hesitantly replied in the affirmative. He lightened up when I explained that I couldn't smell that kind of stuff last week because I just quit smoking. Turns out he used to smoke, too.

I have had a notoriously bad sense of smell for as long as I can remember. You probably could have snuck a turd under my pillow a week ago and gotten away with it. Don't even try it now, I'll kick your ass.