Just Under 10 Years Later...

Thank you to our brave soldiers for putting an end to Osama Bin Laden. I hope all the terror he inflicted on others gazed back upon him before he breathed his last breath.

Thank you, President Obama, for doing all you could to make sure this happened. I hope it brings some closure and comfort to the families of the villain's victims.

Wakey, Wakey

I woke up insanely early this morning, 6:20 to be precise. So like anyone else who can't sleep, I decided to tool around on my mp3 player and make a mix, a mix I played this morning on my way to work.

Apparently, my subconscious is yearning for the fall. For every song like Lady GaGa's "Teeth" or “Still Alive” from Portal, there are two or three songs that make me think of Halloween. Which songs, you ask? Well there's Toto Coelo's "Dracula's Tango," The Ramones' "Pet Sematary" and The Misfits' "Spook City, USA." While it's a damn fun mix, it is unseasonably warm for such chilling numbers, wouldn't you say?

The typical spring mixtape generally has lighter fare like Bishop Allen or The Flaming Lips or maybe some Paul McCartney (Run Devil Run is currently in my album rotation, so all is not confused)... songs from artists that reflect this particular change of season and not the multi-colored deathfest that is autumn.

Instead, my brain seems to be hardwired for fall. I like the spring stuff a lot, but my default always seems to skew towards jack o’ lanterns, breezes and light jackets. And no, this has nothing to do with smoking, this is just how I am… it’s all me.

One Thirty-Eight

After utterly failing to quit smoking on Wednesday, April 20, 2011, I was a tad disheartened. Quitting on a Wednesday (my busiest day at work) was not the brightest idea I've ever had. I was ready to snap by 10:30 AM.

So, I bummed a smoke and put my new plan into action. Saturday would be a much more suitable quit date and thus, I began mental preparation.

Friday night, I returned home. I had half a pack of cigarettes. I looked at my phone and saw that it was time. I pulled a cigarette from the pack, lit it up then tossed the pack and the lighter into the garbage. The time was 1:38 AM, April 23, 2011.

Saturday though... oh, Saturday was brilliant! I had a whole day to just reorganize books, go on walks, have a nice lunch and then just stare at the wall while the physical lack of nicotine set off all manner of alarms in my brain. By Saturday evening, I began to combat the psychological addiction at one of my old haunts and I'm proud to report I didn't have a single cigarette.

As a result of my last smoke’s timing, I do listen the The Misfits’ “We Are 138” a lot though. It’s almost an anthem, really. So long as it’s not Sinatra’s “My Way,” I think I can count that in the win column, right?

Today's the day...

AAARRRGGGHHH!!!!

Things I Bought At The Store Today

Tomorrow's the big day!

I stopped by the pharmacy by my job and snagged a my nicotine gum in anticipation. I also saw a gigantic bag of these for $2.00:


This is going to be a long and arduous journey, it's only right I take along some companions, right?

Everything has a beginning...

So, I've decided to quit smoking and write a blog about it. The main reason I'm doing this is to keep myself accountable. Sure, I've used Twitter and such before to do just that and I've had varying degrees of success (though they all ended with me returning to a pack of Came Lights inside two months).

Still, I'm going to give it another go. I started smoking cigarettes at the age of sixteen. I'm nearly thirty-two. That's half my life (thus far). Fuck that. I need to quit this. So, I'm going to get a little help this time.

I put out a call on Twitter to anyone I know who quit successfully and I got one response. My friend Mark used the gum to quit and he gave me some real helpful insight into what helped him to quit. I am eternally greatful.

I'm going to post on this pretty regularly. Sometimes it'll be about quitting, sometimes it'll be about other things that catch my interest (including linkbacks to my work on Unwinnable.com).

So, on Wednesday4/20/2011 (no pun intended), I will be a smoker who doesn't smoke anymore. Wish me luck!