One post doing double duty, man a guy could get used to this.

I don't normally do this, but I feel strongly about smoking, more accurately, not smoking. I quit four years ago in July, so every year I have at least one post about quitting.  And, I go back to the About.com forum where I received a lot of support, and made some great friends, and write what they call a"milestone post." Since I have not done anything here, yet, and this post was featured by the moderator, I thought I would just put it here.  Saves a lot of typing, you know

Four years ago today (actually, it was yesterday) was the last cigarette. It was a lonely feeling at the time, a little scary, and clouded with uncertainty. I liked smoking, people are going to say I didn't, it was just an illusion caused by the addiction, ok, but it felt like I liked smoking. Heck, I looked cool smoking, ok I probably looked almost as stupid as I was, but smoking was the dumbest thing I ever did and it would be awful to look that stupid.  Whatever the case, I quit, and it was the smartest thing I ever did, my doctor said it was the best health care decision a person could make. He was right.

Today, I feel too good to be this old. Happy, cheerful, free, and healthy, and it started with a decision to quit smoking. Making the decision was easy, following through could be tough at times, but every day got easier, every week was a victory. And they piled up, faster and faster. Soon it was a year, a year without a cigarette, wow! That was amazing. Who knew it was even possible?

It is liberating being an ex smoker, no more stopping to buy a pack, no more making sure there is a lighter handy, no more washing up in an attempt to cover the odor. Life is simpler, and better. I work downtown in a medium sized midwestern city, and walk around after eating lunch, and the little clusters of smokers, huddled together, outposts against the coming sanity, brings feelings of sympathy (for them) and pride (for me).

There are so many problems with smoking, least of which is the ridiculous expense. A person could probably fund a presidential campaign on the money spent smoking. It is a hideously expensive, and that is the least of the problems. Smoking kills people, slowly, insidiously, painfully, humiliating them, bankrupting them, destroying them. And I did this by choice?! 

My Mother quit when she was 85 years old, her doctor told her she had to, or it was going to take her vision. After many years, I don't even know how many, she quit. She carped, and complained, and griped, but it was a source of great pride, that she managed to quit, at 85. But, she had no idea, nor did I, that smoking is terrible for your eyes. 85 years old, smoked most of her life, and she quit, so can you, and you should. An interesting anecdote, my mom was kind of a handful and made my younger sister promise to tell everyone she died prematurely (if that is possible at 91) because they made her quit smoking.

I exercise, real exercise, three times a week, at the gym, treadmills, elliptical machines, weights, resistance training, real exercise, and I feel great. Better than I have in years. Happier, healthier, nicer to people, a little wealthier, and all because I quit smoking.

Think about it, quitting smoking will help you see better, live longer, feel happier, and have a little more money. Yes. there are moments of difficulty, temptation, even longing, but they pass. There is an old saying in the fitness world (imagine that, me in the fitness world) "If the question is not hunger food is not the answer." What question could possibly have the answer "smoking a cigarette." 

Here is a song about freedom, it is old so some of the imagery is a little dated, and it might not be exactly appropriate for freedom from smoking, but these guys are cool, and I am sure would be very happy to help you quit. Besides, no matter what the question, "Rock and Roll," is always a good answer.

New Link

Don't smoke, don't even think about it.

Almost the last "I quit smoking post" I promise.

Quitting smoking has so many benefits.  It is so expensive to smoke, the savings are enormous, even if you stay "healthy."  Most people who never smoke, and people who still smoke probably don't understand the amount of time and effort it takes to smoke.  It is more than just the act of "smokin' a butt," there is a whole set of logistical challenges facing smokers.  For one thing you need cigarettes, (hardly a smoker without some of those) and something to light them with, (non smokers who only need to remember keys, wallet, watch, and a cell phone are rookies) and a decent place to enjoy the comfort of a serene smoke, which is becoming more of a challenge all the time.  So, the benefits are manifold, one unexpected bonus was the friends I made.

There are a couple who deserve special recognition.  Gale, and Susan, we were members of an online support community to help us in our efforts to quit, and we have just become friends.

In fact Susan, and Gale were my first Facebook friends, I had joined Facebook several months prior because I wanted to join this particular fan group, for my beloved KIN 2M phone, but it was filled with superior, smug people and I quickly ignored them (actually, I am still trying to decide whether Facebook is a huge waste of time or the most under utilized form of entertainment, keep an eye on Life Explained for more in the near future) so it was nice to have a friend, and all of the sudden I had two friends, of course now I am in the thirties, but, I still remember when it was only two.

Susan (who is from Columbus) has actually had beers with my wife and I on more than one occasion, and we are considering her for the exalted position of "drinking buddy," on a probationary basis of course.  Even though she is genius, MENSA member, who can do amazing things with Microsoft Excel she still enjoys a good pirate joke.  Hey, Susan, what does a pirate do on the weekend?  Yarrrrrdwork.  I don't really know if she likes pirate jokes or not, but she has a wonderful sense of humor, and  has been to a Grateful Dead concert and that is cool.

Gale (who is from North Carolina, Scotland, Germany) is a fearless on the ground reporter for this very blog, and was willing to take on the Evil Barbie Empire to get the truth to you, and save the world, too.  She tackles plastic women bent on world domination with the same gusto as German noun declension.  An enthusiastic world traveler, Gale has over 300 cities dotted on her world travel map, (a lot of them are in foreign places, filled with foreigners) and a lot of that was done through air travel, which we all know is crazy.  And she has a tattoo, which she recently had upgraded, another act of bravery.

Anyway, thank you, both.  In the words of Jerry Garcia, "what a long, strange trip it's been."  But, thanks to you it has never been dull.

There would be pictures here, but they still need to sign the consent form, and have it notarized, and air parceled to our secret location.  Not really, I am going to email them and ask for permission.

Teachers are human, too, maybe.

Teachers used to terrify me, malevolent beings bent on my destruction.  After a full days torment there they were popping up to haunt my dreams.  There were teachers who, given the proper motivation, could cut a car in half with a yard stick, and the proper motivation was normally only one poorly constructed sentence, or misplaced decimal point away.  Life and death decisions waited at every turn.

Naturally as I got older and met teachers in a more social climate, or met any number of either of my son's teachers I realized they were evil.  And time had not changed their desire to make my life miserable.  I actually bought a Kevlar vest for conferences.

Imagine my surprise when one of the people who befriended me early on the forum turned out to be a TEACHER!  It was almost funny, we had little online conversations, and she seemed so nice.  To my hyper-alert, heightened teacher radar pieces started to fall in place.

I started to notice things, like how when she entered the forum all of the people would disappear.  There was a one word post, "LOOKOUT,. it's Millie" (not her real name, to protect you, my innocent readers) and it would echo up and down the forum.  And my forum posts would start bouncing back to my email with red marks all over them.  Sometimes they were actually crying.

Still, I pressed on, we were quit smoking buddies, and soon we became Facebook friends.  I noticed her "wall" was littered with people begging for forgiveness, asking to be excused from the "lunch time pop quiz club" pleading for leniency regarding the book report on "War and Peace."  One was particularly touching, "I am only a 2nd grader, and that book is huge, I can't even lift it up."

Next thing you know we are playing "Words with Friends" together.  It is terrible how badly she beats me, sometimes she makes up words, and the app lets her, because even the guys at Zynga are terrified of her.  Once she had used every square on the board, and made "legal words" everywhere.*

But, she is a good friend and we quit smoking together, and that is a very strong bond.  I hope she doesn't make me clean the erasers, it was just a joke, And I think the world of her, you are great, Emma, (not her real name).  Now, I need to tidy up my notebooks, and study my history, a little.



*Really, it is a friendly game between equals, she is just a lot more equal, that's all.  She does not need to cheat to beat me.

Old habits, and new revenue streams.

Everybody knows that smoking is a dangerous addiction, and the physical, and psychological hold can be difficult to break, certainly.  But, it is also a habit, part of a pattern of behavior that becomes natural, ingrained, part of every day life.  It becomes a rote, another process that runs automatically, finish a task, celebrate with a smoke, getting ready to start a big project, better have a quick cigarette, fresh cup o' coffee, light  a fresh butt.  It just happens, often times without thought.

To quit it is important to change things, rearrange days, create new patterns, and habits.  My first work cigarette was lit right after I arrived.  Right away, I would light up, and then get on with my day.  I needed to change my routines, and find new things.

At the time I had a phone with wifi, and a very good camera (the Kin phone discussed in this post http://tim-thingsastheyare.blogspot.com/2013/04/somber-sort-of-happy-kind-news.html).  I installed my work email and my new habit was taking pictures and emailing them to coworkers.  Many times I would take a picture of their desk, and send it to them with a question "A little late, this morning?"  "It is 7:00 AM, do you know where your coffee cup is?"

It might help to explain that I am normally one of the first to arrive at work (and one of the first to leave, of course).  This aids these sorts of things immensely.

One day I pulled my ultimate email prank.

Nice Monkey

I took this wooden gorilla hanging around down by my co-worker, keeping him safe, watching his back


And hung it like this, using a small art program, "Paint" to add the "X" es to it's eyes, and I added a note saying,

Even nice monkeys can run into problems.

"If you don't want this sort of thing happening to all of your hanging, wooden gorillas leave $5.00 on John's computer keyboard.  Come alone, and don't tell the cops!"  The real genius part of the plan was, I sent it from my computer!  Just so I would get credit, and maybe $5.00.  It saddens me to say, my co-worker, Bil (if anybody from the ASPCA would like to know) did not pay the money, he would rather leave wooden animals to their fate than give up a little coin.


You see, quitting is a process, and you have to make sacrifices, but not $5.00.