papsrus

Hmmm ... well, so much for libraries. Which reminds me, I once had furniture rejected by Goodwill! They actually came to my house to pick it up, and then said, "Nope, this stuff is too beat up." That was a new low.

I thought it might be about Pringles ...

Listening to "Do This!" now (again). It's hitting me nicely. ... I'd call it pretty damn kick-ass. Some gorgeous arrangements. Best played fairly loud.

Not arrived here yet. I'm keeping an eye on the old mailbox though ... today maybe?

Donate them to the library. I think you'll get a tax credit (another thread touched on this) and you can draw some satisfaction from the thought that the music will get played and enjoyed by somebody. And, if you ever want to listen to something, it'll be right there at the library for you!

Pringles -- they don't taste half as good as you think they do. I'm doing a test. Results are pretty bad.

My last phone conversation. Caller (woman in her 50s I'd say, heavy smoker): "May I speak with the owner." Me: "Owner of what?" Caller: "This isn't a business?" Me: "No." Caller: ... click.

I am the sort of person who prefers an uncluttered living environment, and even I have four remotes!!! (One each for the receiver, TV, DVD player and music system). ... (and, actually, several more in the closet with stored components of one sort or another. ... It's worse than I thought!!!!)

Paps, Don't get too excited about the Rays pitching shutting down the A's offense. They can't hit out of a paper bag right now, they are young team that got younger the last two weeks and the players are bummed that their GM doesn't think they have shot this year. I don't blame the players they have to think they can win to get on the field but realistically the first half was a nice surprise but this year was always about building for the next. Big Al should be happy as the Rangers move into 2nd place. Since my team is done GO RAYS!! True 'nuff. ... I know that frustration of watching your team being unable to generate any offense consistently (a problem Big Al doesn't have to worry about). Hop on the old bandwagon WB3! There's still plenty of room.

The guy who came up with the "saves" stat. As my boss would say, "He had a good run." RIP

Nice win by the Rays tonight ... Kaz finally had his slider and change-up going, so he didn't have to rely so much on the heater, thus his pitch count was much lower than his previous 3 or 4 starts and he was much more effective. A world of difference. ... Seems like they've shaken off that pre-break funk and are playing confidently again. Solid pitching and tight defense mixed in with some timely hitting (although they did leave some runs out on the bases). Twins are sucking wind in NY, unfortunately. And how 'bout the Dodgers ringing up 8 runs in the top of the first at Colorado ... Yoikes!!

Received "Chicken or Beef?" today. Exhilarating, gorgeous, positive, intricate and beautifully performed music. ... And super nice packaging (really!) that breaks me of any fetish I may have had in the past for jewel cases. (Speedy delivery, too!) "Do This!" which arrived with "Chicken," is cued up for later as well. ... Thanks for the music, John, and the rec, Chuck.

I like it. Works for me.

And A-W-A-Y we go! Back to 1 1/2 up in the East.

I don't know you, but I wish you well. Stay positive and beat it.

... I'm in! Just gotta be careful not to trip or anything. ... I walk up three stories to where my work space is. No huffing and puffing anymore. It feels good. When I was smoking, I would just about have to rest to catch my breath by the time I got the the third floor. Terrible. EDIT: There is an immediate impact as the smoke and crap start clearing out of your lungs.

Believe me, I can relate. It was just past 8 1/2 for me, and like a damned fool, I gave in. Now I've got to go through it all over again. Maybe it was nostalgia for that morning coughing bout... I mentioned higher in the thread that one of the things the doctor I went to see told me was that you will get cravings. The thing is, they only last 2-5 minutes whether you act on them or not. His advice is that when they come, find a little 5-minute project to occupy you until they pass. Wash the dishes, tidy up the yard, rearrange your jewel case collection, whatever. ... They pass whether you act on them or not. That was hugely reassuring to me, as I'd gotten to the point where I was actually afraid of dealing with the cravings (which, thankfully, have been basically nonexistent so far). EDIT: Also, obviously urges that come years down the line are habitual in nature. You find yourself in a situation where a cigarette might feel comfortable. I think the approach there is to change whatever routines you have that are putting you in situations where you think about smoking. Go for a walk after dinner instead of sitting outside with a coffee, for instance. If you have coffee first thing in the morning, take a shower first, then have your coffee. The idea is to break up the routines.

Update: OK. It's been three weeks. I haven't had a single puff since the initial treatment. I'm off all the medications. I suffered minimal and fleeting (hardly worth mentioning) physical withdrawal symptoms. And, I'm a nonsmoker now. And there are immediate payoffs: I can breathe noticeably better, I enjoy walking up stairways, or just taking walks without getting fatigued. I didn't gain any weight to speak of (in fact, overall I've lost 10 pounds in the last month or so), and really, the quality of my diet has improved significantly. I did go for the first two weeks without any (zero) coffee. I was drinking tons of water and figured coffee would only make me want a cigarette, so I avoided it. I resumed drinking coffee about a week ago and now I can easily enjoy a cup of coffee in the morning or after meals without any urge for a cigarette whatsoever. All in all, it's been a fantastic process. For a hard-core nicotine addict such as I was, this program is working beautifully. And at this stage, the single most important thing for me is facing the fact that I can never, ever have a single puff of smoke again (nor do I want to), much like an alcoholic. It's a beautiful thing. Still, I know that there will come a time 6 months or a year from now when I find myself in a highly stressful situation, and that will be a test. But half the battle is knowing that the stress will happen, and being prepared ahead of time. There are much better tools for dealing with stress that smoking.

I'm going to dig into some of these recs as I love his stuff with Miles Davis.

... put the children to bed ...

Skid's over .... back in first by percentage points, at least for a few hours.

Ishfahan, performed by Sticks and Stones on the album "Shed Grace" Matana Roberts stays inside the melody just long enough to hook the listener before getting a little mischievous. A very satisfying interpretation.

... Is this some sort of plot to artificially prop up the textile industry in this country?

Have a good one ...

Sounds cool ... but I wonder if it sounds cool.