My 2008 Year End Recap

December 31, 2008

Let me start off by saying that I do not make New Year's Resolutions. I never have and do not intend to start. If you're going to make a promise to do something different in your life why wait until December 31st to promise yourself that. Just do it.

This year went by awfully fast I have to admit. The two biggest things that I did was start this blog and do NaNoWriMo. I am certainly glad that I started this blog and I am glad that I have begun a reader base. It makes me happy knowing that you have enjoyed my content enough to subscribe. Doing NaNo and winning on my first try was a great experience. I hope you had as much fun reading about my triumphs as I did writing them.

In other news this year I became addicted to Lost all thanks to finding First On Mars. I started at season one and watched it all the way to the end of season four in record time. There were times when I thought I had things figured out or knew what was coming next, but then the writers yanked me in a different direction. I am really looking forward to season five. I actually can't stand the wait.

This year I saw gas go as high as $4.77 for premium grade, and if my memory serves me it stayed at the horrific price for nearly a week. We all know the troubles the economy is going through, so I won't beat that dead horse. But I will say that I hope never to see the Dow Jones drop as much as it did.

Here are some random events from 2008:

• Fidel Castro announced his resignation of Cuba
  
• The moon moved to its closest point to Earth
  
• Bernie Mac, Paul Newman, Estelle Getty, Heath Ledger, Charlton Heston, Tim Russert, Bobby Fischer, and George Carlin all passed away
• America elected the first African-American president
• OJ Simpson gets thrown in jail
• 67,000 Chinese people died as a result of a 7.9 magnitude earthquake
  

As midnight draws nearer we say goodbye to 2008 and welcome in 2009. I wish all of you a happy and safe New Year. I hope that you ring in the New Year surrounded by friends and family, a champagne glass raised in the air, and some one to kiss as the ball sinks to one.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

I Quit Smoking

December 26, 2008

Exactly one year ago today I made the choice to quit smoking.

I started smoking when I was 17 years old. My best friend in High School looked 18 and she was able to buy cigarettes for us. This was right before they made it mandatory for store owners to card people that looked under 30. My very first cigarette was a Camel Light and we would smoke only a couple of cigarettes a day. Mostly when we hung out after school. We always blamed the other when our parents would ask why we smelled like smoke.

Three years ago when I bought a new car I made the decision not to smoke in it. Doing this was the start of my road to quitting. I soon noticed that I was smoking less because I would normally have two or three cigarettes when I was driving to and from work. In addition to not smoking in my car I was not allowed to smoke in my house because my landlord's would not allow it. I respected their wishes. After all, who wants their house to stink like nasty cigarette smoke? So, through the rain, the wind, and the cold I would stand outside in my backyard puffing away. After two years I was down to less than a half a pack a day.

As I thought more and more about quitting I became more and more scared. What would I do at work? I had a schedule to keep. My breaks were like clock work. At 10 o'clock I was out there with the morning crowd. At lunch I would smoke one or two and again at 3 o'clock I was back outside smoking away with the crowd. I knew I could break the habit, but I didn't know if I was ready for it.

Quietly, on the day after Christmas last year, I smoked my last cigarette at noon, put my trusty lighter away, and bought Nicorette. I carefully read the instructions and popped the first piece in my mouth. It was peppery just like it said, but satisfying at the same time. Every couple of hours I would chew a new piece cravings or not.

All my fears washed away after a week of chewing the gum. I hardly had any desire to smoke and actually was enjoying the fact that my clothes smelled like laundry detergent. I found new ways at work to take my breaks and after a month of chewing the gum I gave that up too. Nicotine had me in its hold for 11 years, but now I can proudly say that I am smoke-free and I will never take another puff.

Are you a smoker? Is it time for you to quit?