Well, I'm well and truly into the twitchy stage, now.... And yes, I've had some slips, but guess what? I'm not going to kick myself over them because it's counter productive, and by gawd I've already accomplished miracles, with the help of the Patch.
Instead of approximately a pack to a pack and a half, I've had less than two, count 'em, two cigarettes today. Mostly in single puffs here and there bummed from Farmmom's already lit cig.
Mamaw has done even better than I have, going from about three packs a day (about two, by this time of day) to one cigarette, right after lunch.
We're pretty danged proud of ourselves, frankly.
Sunday, March 8, 2009
Quit Day
So, I was planning on putting the patch on first thing this morning.
Of course, that was before six freaking trains went by in the middle of the night, and the engineers didn't know how to get off the damn horn.
I would have slept through it. Farmdog, on the other hand, had to complain about the lack of courtesy, so I was awake.
And started craving a smoke.
And slapped on a patch....
And went back to sleep!
I'm craving, now, more because of the habit of getting up, having coffee, checking all my intarwebz things, and having a smoke... but it's not nearly as bad as it would be without the patch.
Mamaw apparently made the decision in the night to join me on my quit date, since I got up to a dining room free of ashtrays or cigarettes. That's helping, too.
We'll see, as the day goes on, how things go. I'm not twitchy... yet. I'm not cranky... yet. I also don't want to go seven weeks with this size patch... once the cranky and twitch are over for the most part, I'll step down.
So far, so good.
Of course, that was before six freaking trains went by in the middle of the night, and the engineers didn't know how to get off the damn horn.
I would have slept through it. Farmdog, on the other hand, had to complain about the lack of courtesy, so I was awake.
And started craving a smoke.
And slapped on a patch....
And went back to sleep!
I'm craving, now, more because of the habit of getting up, having coffee, checking all my intarwebz things, and having a smoke... but it's not nearly as bad as it would be without the patch.
Mamaw apparently made the decision in the night to join me on my quit date, since I got up to a dining room free of ashtrays or cigarettes. That's helping, too.
We'll see, as the day goes on, how things go. I'm not twitchy... yet. I'm not cranky... yet. I also don't want to go seven weeks with this size patch... once the cranky and twitch are over for the most part, I'll step down.
So far, so good.
Saturday, March 7, 2009
Quitting Smoking
Well, the entirety of the Farm Fam (with the possible exception of Farmdad,) has decided that the cigarette tax hike (about eight bucks per carton, effective Monday, according to the clerk at the stop&rob where we get our smokes) is the perfect excuse to quit.
I have six cigs left in the last pack out of the last carton that I bought. Farmmom and Mamaw are getting the infamous Patch. Here goes nothin!
I was leery of the patch, since older versions tended to drop blood pressure, and I natrually have low blood pressure. Not like, no worries about hypertension low, but like "Hey, are you sure you're alive?" low.
The pharmacist ensures Mamaw that the patches she bought will not effect blood pressure... we'll see if I die. It's not going to be fun, and it's not going to be easy, but it will help that Mamaw and Farmmom will be doing it themselves.
The timing could be better, what with going back to classes Tuesday, and all, but if I worry about that, at this point, I'll never quit.
I figure the tax is a sign from Above (and no, I don't mean Obama... if he wanted me to quit smoking he'd show up at my house and nurse me through withdrawals with his own two hands!..... < /sarcasm >) along with the Fam quitting right along with me...
I'm not going to kick myself for a slip, and I'm not going to expect it to be easy. It's a process, and I'm going to give it my best shot.
I think if I can get past the first three days or so, I'll be good.
On the other hand, this is a good thing for me gaining weight, not only because cigarettes supress appetite, (AD, can you imagine me with more appetite?!?!?!?) but because I've found that the most effective oral-fixation replacement is, you guessed it, food.
Particularly sunflower seeds, because I can nibble those suckers all day and not get full, with occasional injections of chocolate for those ever-lovely endorphines.
So, wish us all luck!
I have six cigs left in the last pack out of the last carton that I bought. Farmmom and Mamaw are getting the infamous Patch. Here goes nothin!
I was leery of the patch, since older versions tended to drop blood pressure, and I natrually have low blood pressure. Not like, no worries about hypertension low, but like "Hey, are you sure you're alive?" low.
The pharmacist ensures Mamaw that the patches she bought will not effect blood pressure... we'll see if I die. It's not going to be fun, and it's not going to be easy, but it will help that Mamaw and Farmmom will be doing it themselves.
The timing could be better, what with going back to classes Tuesday, and all, but if I worry about that, at this point, I'll never quit.
I figure the tax is a sign from Above (and no, I don't mean Obama... if he wanted me to quit smoking he'd show up at my house and nurse me through withdrawals with his own two hands!..... < /sarcasm >) along with the Fam quitting right along with me...
I'm not going to kick myself for a slip, and I'm not going to expect it to be easy. It's a process, and I'm going to give it my best shot.
I think if I can get past the first three days or so, I'll be good.
On the other hand, this is a good thing for me gaining weight, not only because cigarettes supress appetite, (AD, can you imagine me with more appetite?!?!?!?) but because I've found that the most effective oral-fixation replacement is, you guessed it, food.
Particularly sunflower seeds, because I can nibble those suckers all day and not get full, with occasional injections of chocolate for those ever-lovely endorphines.
So, wish us all luck!
Back To School, Back To School,
Well, as of Tuesday I'll be back to classes. Monday through Wednesday as a student instructor for the freshmen.
I remember the stupid things the sophomores made us do last semester. I just hope that I don't annoy the students I'm assigned to as much as the sophomore I got annoyed me.
It's gonna be tough being at the barn and not riding. Especially since, from all appearances, they're almost done with the fancy new indoor arena.
Friday, I'm headed out of town for the weekend, so blogging will be non-existent, but I'll try to get a couple of good ones up before I leave.
I remember the stupid things the sophomores made us do last semester. I just hope that I don't annoy the students I'm assigned to as much as the sophomore I got annoyed me.
It's gonna be tough being at the barn and not riding. Especially since, from all appearances, they're almost done with the fancy new indoor arena.
Friday, I'm headed out of town for the weekend, so blogging will be non-existent, but I'll try to get a couple of good ones up before I leave.
Thursday, March 5, 2009
Walther....
I am not what I would consider a "Gunnie." I have a working knowledge of firearms, and a reasonable (if extremely rusty) skill in putting the projectile where I want it.
The night before I headed off to the big gathering in Dallas, Farmdad sat down with me, and laid out three smallish pistols. Two Kahr pistols and this little beauty:
"Any of these will be easier to conceal than your Firestar, and handier for walking the dog at two in the morning," he told me.
I picked up and fondled each in turn, and chose the Walther. What can I say, after carrying the Firestar, the Kahrs just didn't feel like real guns. Plastic toys, not for me.
When I announced my choice, Farmdad said "Happy Valentines Day... early." Apparently, if I'd chosen one of the others, it would have been a loan.
Like I said, I'm not a gunnie, per say, but I am rather proud to have this particular gun. It has a story, almost certainly much more of one than I know.
What I do know, is that it's a real Germal Walther PPK from the 70's. When Farmdad acquired it, it had literally been walled up in a house for an unknown number of years, and was a rusted mess. For it to be functional, it had to be re-blued.
So no, it's not original, but it is functional. It fits my hand, and feels almost as sweet as my Firestar, while being easier to carry. The double-action trigger is heavy, for me and my tiny hands, but then, I'm not used to double-action in the first place.
I need much more practice with this pistol, and my Firestar, than I've been getting, but that's just a matter of finding the time, which I intend to do soon, as the weather is starting to get nice.
In honor of MattG's picture with a full-size 1911 (and to help illustrate why I'm so picky about my guns,) I give you:
Yes, my hands are tiny. Yes, those are my real nails (need to chop 'em off...)
Oh, an interesting piece of trivia about me... I name my weapons. I have a weighted baseball bat named Reason, "Because sooner or later, everyone listens to Reason." I've had that one for several years, before I got my first gun, even.
So, when I got the Firestar (partially as a birthday present, partially paid for by trading in my 20 gauge shotgun) I continued the theme, so to speak, and named the Firestar Logic. "If Reason doesn't sway him, Logic will."
I've toyed with the idea of naming the PPK "Understanding," but it just doesn't fit (the gun, not the theme.) I'm still wavering, between "Brunhilde" and "Gertrude."
I'll figure it out, eventually.
The night before I headed off to the big gathering in Dallas, Farmdad sat down with me, and laid out three smallish pistols. Two Kahr pistols and this little beauty:
"Any of these will be easier to conceal than your Firestar, and handier for walking the dog at two in the morning," he told me.
I picked up and fondled each in turn, and chose the Walther. What can I say, after carrying the Firestar, the Kahrs just didn't feel like real guns. Plastic toys, not for me.
When I announced my choice, Farmdad said "Happy Valentines Day... early." Apparently, if I'd chosen one of the others, it would have been a loan.
Like I said, I'm not a gunnie, per say, but I am rather proud to have this particular gun. It has a story, almost certainly much more of one than I know.
What I do know, is that it's a real Germal Walther PPK from the 70's. When Farmdad acquired it, it had literally been walled up in a house for an unknown number of years, and was a rusted mess. For it to be functional, it had to be re-blued.
So no, it's not original, but it is functional. It fits my hand, and feels almost as sweet as my Firestar, while being easier to carry. The double-action trigger is heavy, for me and my tiny hands, but then, I'm not used to double-action in the first place.
I need much more practice with this pistol, and my Firestar, than I've been getting, but that's just a matter of finding the time, which I intend to do soon, as the weather is starting to get nice.
In honor of MattG's picture with a full-size 1911 (and to help illustrate why I'm so picky about my guns,) I give you:
Yes, my hands are tiny. Yes, those are my real nails (need to chop 'em off...)
Oh, an interesting piece of trivia about me... I name my weapons. I have a weighted baseball bat named Reason, "Because sooner or later, everyone listens to Reason." I've had that one for several years, before I got my first gun, even.
So, when I got the Firestar (partially as a birthday present, partially paid for by trading in my 20 gauge shotgun) I continued the theme, so to speak, and named the Firestar Logic. "If Reason doesn't sway him, Logic will."
I've toyed with the idea of naming the PPK "Understanding," but it just doesn't fit (the gun, not the theme.) I'm still wavering, between "Brunhilde" and "Gertrude."
I'll figure it out, eventually.
Monday, March 2, 2009
Happy Birthday Farmmom!
Today is Farmmom's birthday, and if this whole blogging thing is good for anything, it ought to be to get a whole buttload of people to wish my mother a happy b-day.
So, hit the comments, and wish her a happy day. Do it for her. Do it for me. Do it for your country!
Ok so birthday wishes have nothing to do with patriotism, but it sounded good, all right?
In honor of this special day, I've assembled some quotes. Some are on motherhood, (since she is my mom,) and some are on birthdays. Enjoy!
This is part of the essence of motherhood, watching your kid grow into her own person and not being able to do anything about it. Otherwise children would be nothing more than pets. -- Heather Armstrong
My mother's great. She has the major looks. She could stop you from doing anything, through a closed door even, with a single look. Without saying a word, she has that power to rip out your tonsils. --Whoopi Goldberg
Whatever with the past has gone,
The best is always yet to come. - Lucy Larcom
Everything I know I learned after I was thirty. - Georges Clemenceau
They tell you that you'll lose your mind when you grow older. What they don't tell you is that you won't miss it very much. - Malcolm Cowley
Wrinkles should merely indicate where smiles have been. - Mark Twain
You are only young once, but you can stay immature indefinitely. - Ogden Nash
Women deserve to have more than twelve years between the ages of twenty eight and forty. - James Thurber
Youth is the gift of nature, but age is the work of art. - Garson Kanin
We are all born naked and screaming and if you're lucky that sort of thing won't stop there. - Unknown
You're not getting older, you're getting better. - Unknown
May you live all the days of your life. - Jonathan Swift
Birthdays are nature's way of telling us to eat more cake. -- Anonymous
Like many women my age, I am 28 years old. -- Mary Schmich
Here's wishing the wonderful lady who rocked me to sleep, patched up my bangs and scrapes (of which there were plenty,) taught me to be a good person, gave me perspective on the world, offered advice even when she knew I wasn't going to listen, and generally helped to build me into the person I am today, a wonderful birthday.
After all, without her birthday, I wouldn't have mine.
So, hit the comments, and wish her a happy day. Do it for her. Do it for me. Do it for your country!
Ok so birthday wishes have nothing to do with patriotism, but it sounded good, all right?
In honor of this special day, I've assembled some quotes. Some are on motherhood, (since she is my mom,) and some are on birthdays. Enjoy!
This is part of the essence of motherhood, watching your kid grow into her own person and not being able to do anything about it. Otherwise children would be nothing more than pets. -- Heather Armstrong
My mother's great. She has the major looks. She could stop you from doing anything, through a closed door even, with a single look. Without saying a word, she has that power to rip out your tonsils. --Whoopi Goldberg
Whatever with the past has gone,
The best is always yet to come. - Lucy Larcom
Everything I know I learned after I was thirty. - Georges Clemenceau
They tell you that you'll lose your mind when you grow older. What they don't tell you is that you won't miss it very much. - Malcolm Cowley
Wrinkles should merely indicate where smiles have been. - Mark Twain
You are only young once, but you can stay immature indefinitely. - Ogden Nash
Women deserve to have more than twelve years between the ages of twenty eight and forty. - James Thurber
Youth is the gift of nature, but age is the work of art. - Garson Kanin
We are all born naked and screaming and if you're lucky that sort of thing won't stop there. - Unknown
You're not getting older, you're getting better. - Unknown
May you live all the days of your life. - Jonathan Swift
Birthdays are nature's way of telling us to eat more cake. -- Anonymous
Like many women my age, I am 28 years old. -- Mary Schmich
Here's wishing the wonderful lady who rocked me to sleep, patched up my bangs and scrapes (of which there were plenty,) taught me to be a good person, gave me perspective on the world, offered advice even when she knew I wasn't going to listen, and generally helped to build me into the person I am today, a wonderful birthday.
After all, without her birthday, I wouldn't have mine.
Things....
I have a great story... just can't quite get it down on paper (the sound effects aren't coming out right) so I'm gonna keep working on it.... It's coming, though.
This morning, Her Royal Highness Queen Elizabeth The Umpteenth, aka Lizzy Dog, aka Farmmom's pup, is getting her baby factory shut down, and Farmdad's pup is getting his shots. So, I'll be playing puppy chauffeur in the morning, and likely puppy nurse in the afternoon. Probably keep Dizzy Lizzy with me for a couple of hours after she comes home at least, just to be sure everything is kosher.
Tomorrow, we're off to the cattle sale again!
Probably take Farmdog along, just because she enjoys going on rides. I'd take Fuzzy Pup but he doesn't like the leash and he'd probably spend the whole day offering to kill one of them big furry things for me.
Cattle sale etiquitte; Don't bring your dog if it's gonna be a nuisance. So, Fuzzy Pup stays home, until I get him taught some more manners....
This morning, Her Royal Highness Queen Elizabeth The Umpteenth, aka Lizzy Dog, aka Farmmom's pup, is getting her baby factory shut down, and Farmdad's pup is getting his shots. So, I'll be playing puppy chauffeur in the morning, and likely puppy nurse in the afternoon. Probably keep Dizzy Lizzy with me for a couple of hours after she comes home at least, just to be sure everything is kosher.
Tomorrow, we're off to the cattle sale again!
Probably take Farmdog along, just because she enjoys going on rides. I'd take Fuzzy Pup but he doesn't like the leash and he'd probably spend the whole day offering to kill one of them big furry things for me.
Cattle sale etiquitte; Don't bring your dog if it's gonna be a nuisance. So, Fuzzy Pup stays home, until I get him taught some more manners....
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