1 Week - No Smokey!

That's right bitches. I'm kicking the habit's ass. Thank God for Nicoderm. Seriously...this patch REALLY helps. Last Wednesday, I quit and since then...not even one puff. Don't get me wrong, it's been hard. But it's been controllable. The hardest part has been convincing myself that I don't need to go out and smoke. Because in all honesty, thanks to the patch, I don't feel like I need the nicotine, just the habitual satisfaction of smoking.

I'll give you a run down of what happened to me in the first few days....

First day - Toughest day by far. I kept my mind busy by doing things at work and playing Xbox damn near constantly. I felt no difference in health the first day.

Second day - I noticed that general walking around didn't 'wind' me as much. For instance, when I crawled into bed that night, the period of time where I'm normally breathing hard was slightly calmer. Again, I tried to keep busy throughout the day so I didn't think about it.

Third day - Biggest noticeable 'difference day' so far. I woke up that morning and noticed that everything in the world smelled different: My bed, my clothes, my house, EVERYTHING. It was as if I was in a different world. My taste was different too. Food and drink all tasted foreign in some way that day. And my breathing was more normalized. This day gave me the results I needed for continuing the ambition.

Today - I honestly feel great. I have more energy. I can walk stairs now. I still get slightly winded from them but not NEARLY as before. When I get into bed at night, I can breathe normal...I'm not winded at all. When I wake up in the morning, I have NO congestion in my nose/chest. None. Zero. I don't stink like smoke, and I'm a whole lot warmer in general. My sense of smell and taste seem to get stronger day by day.

I never thought I'd say this...but I'm actually excited about this. It's only been a week, but I feel as though I can build off of what I've accomplished so far and in part, use that to help me stay quit. I'm as excited now about staying quit, as I would've been before about going out for a cigarette.

Don't worry, I won't be one of those 'arm-chair quitters' who bitches at everyone else who still smokes. I know how hard it is. People quit when they're ready...that's it. I just thought I'd share my thoughts.

Happy Birthday J!

Happy Birthday J, you old bastard. I heard you got Call of Duty 4 eh? I got back online last night after the wife went to bed to see if you guys were still playing but you weren't. Then I got sucked into a match and ended up playing till 11:30. Those bastages are good! In the final match I played, I did get third overall with like 15 kills. I was pretty proud of that.

The Killing Joke

Yesterday evening, I sit down to watch my previously recorded 'Life After People' episode from the History Channel, when a friend texts me saying "Dude, Heath Ledger was found dead this afternoon." Immediately, I started flipping through the news channels trying to find an explanation. I didn't find much of one, but it doesn't appear to be a deliberate suicide. I'm really looking forward to his portrayal in this year's film 'The Dark Knight' as the Joker. But I'm also truly saddened by his death. He seemed like a good dude and he was a great actor.

It sounds like he was finished shooting 'The Dark Knight' but was in the middle of shooting another film called 'The Imaginarium of the Doctor Parnassus.'

What a bummer.

I got a new place to live!

I accepted an offer on a Towne House today!!!!!

I hope to move in sometime in the next 30 days!!!!

Cloverfield 1.18.08

If you've heard the name JJ Abrams, you've probably heard about the upcoming film Cloverfield. Finally, after months of hype and super secret locked down details surrounding this movie, tomorrow the wait will be over.



JJ Abrams has been attached to a lot of successful films and TV shows over the years. So, whenever I hear his name affiliated with a project, I'm interested. He was a writer/director/producer on X-files for a number of years. Since then, he created the show Alias with Jennifer Garner, as well as LOST. He also directed Mission Impossible III. He's done other stuff too and if you want to know more about that, go to IMDB.com. I'm too lazy to post everything.

Thanks to Guitar Hero III...

I'm finally reunited with a long lost song I'd been hunting for years. The song was done by Eric Johnson back in 1990. It's called Cliffs of Dover. It's an instrumental guitar song that just rocks the house.

I first heard this song years ago when I was still living at home. I was on the way home one night and it came on the radio. Regrettably, the DJ never mentioned the artist, and later that evening I tried humming the rhythm to Mike who swore up and down it was Joe Satriani. Which, was my logical guess at the time. Back then, there was no such thing as iTunes, so if you wanted to 'sample' other music, that usually involved buying the CD's or borrowing them from friends. So, in the years that passed, I borrowed and bought Satriani CD's in search of this song, to no avail.

Even having only heard the song once on the radio that evening so long ago, the main instrumental chorus had stuck in my head like a bad memory. Fast forward to this past December, I get Guitar Hero III for my birthday. And low and behold, the long lost song resurfaces.

I played it once for Katie and upon hearing it the first time, she said she liked it. The next time I played it, she went on iTunes and bought it. Yes, it's that good. I don't normally go for instrumental songs, but this one of the best ones I've ever heard. Go to yer iTunes, search for Eric Johnson, buy the song called Cliffs of Dover and profit. You'll thank me.

And thank you Guitar Hero III. Thank you very much.

Life is too damn short

Around 7:30am yesterday, I get a call from mother telling me my Uncle died. He was 47. My Dad's side of the family is unusually small, at least in my opinion. I have my Dad and his two sisters left, my Aunt Sharon and Aunt Judy. Neither of which ever had children, so Jen and I have no cousins. Upon hearing the news, I decided to leave work and join the family.

My Uncle was a cool dude...loved to fish, loved to hunt and like me, had a genuine love for the outdoors. He never married, but lived with his girlfriend Kathy for 27 years. I met most of Kathy's family for the first time yesterday. I learned more about her family in 8 hours than I had in 32 years. Which, in a way is kind of sad.

My Uncle did not have any prior arrangements made regarding his funeral. I can understand why...I mean the dude was only 47. But this has been a lesson for me: I will NOT make my family pick out my casket. I will NOT make my family decide where I am to be buried. And furthermore, I will NOT make my family go through anything except for having to endure the loss. It's just not right.

I don't know why I decided to type this. It didn't feel right not to. Maybe I've been around death a little too much lately. A buddy of mine from work on my old wiring team lost his daughter last week as well. She was 34. Like my Uncle, she just mysteriously died in her sleep. I gotta say, visiting funeral homes once a week is getting a bit old. I feel numb and bitter, yet thankful for my life at the same time. My Uncle was 15 years old when I was born. So, I can't help but think, if I only had 15 years left to live, what would I change about the life I'm leading now?

I'm pretty sure quitting smoking would be near the top of the list.

The viewing for my Uncle John is from 4-8pm Wednesday evening at Palmer Funeral Home on Mishawaka Ave. It's just a few blocks east of Ironwood. The Funeral will be held at 11am Thursday.

Yep! I went and saw it all by myself.

I went and saw Sweeney Todd this weekend and for a musical done by Tim Burton I thought it was good.

Dark-Yes

Weird-Yes(as all of Burton's films are)

Bloody-Hell Yes

Sexy-Kinda

Singing-Yes(Johnny Depp not the best singer, but I think we all can bet on that already)

Recommend it-Yes

Hottie of the Week: I always had a thing for older classy ladies!

No words needed besides the word "Yummy"!!

Happy New Year Bitches!

Here's to 2008...