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May 3, 2008 - Day 13 without a cigarette!
Not Smoking
I fell for it. Hook, line, and sinker. You see - if you don't
know about how nicotine patches work - there are three
"steps" to quitting smoking with the patch. If you smoke
more than 10 cigarettes a day, they recommend starting with
Step 1. I don't really know how many I was smoking a day,
but I estimated that it was probably around 10. I wanted to
play it safe, so I started with Step 1. Well, the very
significant fact that I did give a fleeting thought to - but
obviously not enough thought - was that whether you smoke 2
packs a day or just 10, you are getting the same jolt of
nicotine on the Step 1 patches. The arrogant fool who I can
sometimes be decided, after completing Step 1, that I could
just stop the patches and I'd be fine. Ha. About 2 hours
after I took off the last Step 1 patch, an anger and irritation
swelled up in me. I was cleaning a kitchen utensil and was
"f-bombing" all over the place because it was a pain. Then, it
occurred to me that it would be great to smash or throw
something. There was a time, maybe about a year ago, that
these thoughts would not be surprising. Now, however, I
rarely even get irritated, let alone mad. So, I thought:
"Hmm...I wonder if I am feeling this way because of nicotine
withdrawal?" Der! I was getting a MASSIVE amount of
nicotine, much more than I was getting on a daily basis with
my <10 cigarettes, and I thought I could just stop with no
symptoms?! So, being humbled and feeling like an idiot, I
today am wearing my Step 2 patches. I kneel before thee,
thy Nicotine Master! Thou art powerful and I humble myself
before thy power!
Spartanburg Spring Fling
So, today was the Spartanburg Spring Fling, about an hour and
15 minutes away. It was a great experience, because I was
able to meet the artist who is hosting the May 17th art show,
as well as to get a sense of what "Outsider Artists" are doing
and charging for their works.
Of particular note is the "Heaven and Hell Car". There was an
artist who made all of his pieces out of melted 5 gallon
buckets. We also got a look at the self-proclaimed "Chicken
Man", who likes to pain chickens. We had a good time and
were smart for getting there when it started. The crowd got
increasingly larger with each passing hour. Oh, and they had
funnel cakes!
Class
We had our second "Writing Fiction" class on Friday. The
entire class was devoted to characterization. It was very
informative. The instructor gave us a "character sheet" which
we can use to develop major characters. I am still having a
problem tolerating the "class dorks", or as I call them, "The
Hen Party" (THP). Members of THP (and their male cohorts)
like to make irrelevant and silly remarks during class. For
example, Friday's class began with a member of THP
proclaiming, "Yes, it is cold in here, my nipples are hard."
Huh?!!!! This person also volunteered to read part of her
homework assignment. This homework assignment entailed
writing a description of our classroom. HER HOMEWORK made
mention of her hard nipples and also referred to shriveling (or
shrinking, or whatever term she used) parts of the male
anatomy. Lady, take your obsession somewhere else.
Another character from THP shared her fear of styrofoam with
the class. Some time after, Delores couldn't contain her
laughter when one of the male uber-dorks made a shot into
the trash can and turned around on a dime, obviously proud of
himself. The icing on the cake was when the instructor asked
that I read MY assignment. My description of the room -
unlike the esteemed member of THP - was utilitarian, flat,
boring, and made no mention of body parts. Now I will never
get into the group! [Though one of them DID try to open the
door to the bathroom stall I was occupying, prompting me to
question a sneak attack for membership.] Stay tuned...
Art Stuff
Delores and I have been working away on art projects. She
has been using mixed media to decorate bird houses, and I
have been painting with varied success. The lighting isn't the
best, but here are a few pics of her houses:
Pretty cool. We saw some today that were just painted one
color decorated with one sticker in the front. Delores is really
great with mixed media. She has some projects in the works
that I hope are done in time for the art show.
This is the one painting that hasn't ended up in the Stack of
Shame since my last posting:
Moody
14 x 18
Acrylics and Pumice Gel on Canvas
Hope you have/had a great weekend!
_______________________________________________
Back to Blog Archive
Not Smoking
I fell for it. Hook, line, and sinker. You see - if you don't
know about how nicotine patches work - there are three
"steps" to quitting smoking with the patch. If you smoke
more than 10 cigarettes a day, they recommend starting with
Step 1. I don't really know how many I was smoking a day,
but I estimated that it was probably around 10. I wanted to
play it safe, so I started with Step 1. Well, the very
significant fact that I did give a fleeting thought to - but
obviously not enough thought - was that whether you smoke 2
packs a day or just 10, you are getting the same jolt of
nicotine on the Step 1 patches. The arrogant fool who I can
sometimes be decided, after completing Step 1, that I could
just stop the patches and I'd be fine. Ha. About 2 hours
after I took off the last Step 1 patch, an anger and irritation
swelled up in me. I was cleaning a kitchen utensil and was
"f-bombing" all over the place because it was a pain. Then, it
occurred to me that it would be great to smash or throw
something. There was a time, maybe about a year ago, that
these thoughts would not be surprising. Now, however, I
rarely even get irritated, let alone mad. So, I thought:
"Hmm...I wonder if I am feeling this way because of nicotine
withdrawal?" Der! I was getting a MASSIVE amount of
nicotine, much more than I was getting on a daily basis with
my <10 cigarettes, and I thought I could just stop with no
symptoms?! So, being humbled and feeling like an idiot, I
today am wearing my Step 2 patches. I kneel before thee,
thy Nicotine Master! Thou art powerful and I humble myself
before thy power!
Spartanburg Spring Fling
So, today was the Spartanburg Spring Fling, about an hour and
15 minutes away. It was a great experience, because I was
able to meet the artist who is hosting the May 17th art show,
as well as to get a sense of what "Outsider Artists" are doing
and charging for their works.
Of particular note is the "Heaven and Hell Car". There was an
artist who made all of his pieces out of melted 5 gallon
buckets. We also got a look at the self-proclaimed "Chicken
Man", who likes to pain chickens. We had a good time and
were smart for getting there when it started. The crowd got
increasingly larger with each passing hour. Oh, and they had
funnel cakes!
Class
We had our second "Writing Fiction" class on Friday. The
entire class was devoted to characterization. It was very
informative. The instructor gave us a "character sheet" which
we can use to develop major characters. I am still having a
problem tolerating the "class dorks", or as I call them, "The
Hen Party" (THP). Members of THP (and their male cohorts)
like to make irrelevant and silly remarks during class. For
example, Friday's class began with a member of THP
proclaiming, "Yes, it is cold in here, my nipples are hard."
Huh?!!!! This person also volunteered to read part of her
homework assignment. This homework assignment entailed
writing a description of our classroom. HER HOMEWORK made
mention of her hard nipples and also referred to shriveling (or
shrinking, or whatever term she used) parts of the male
anatomy. Lady, take your obsession somewhere else.
Another character from THP shared her fear of styrofoam with
the class. Some time after, Delores couldn't contain her
laughter when one of the male uber-dorks made a shot into
the trash can and turned around on a dime, obviously proud of
himself. The icing on the cake was when the instructor asked
that I read MY assignment. My description of the room -
unlike the esteemed member of THP - was utilitarian, flat,
boring, and made no mention of body parts. Now I will never
get into the group! [Though one of them DID try to open the
door to the bathroom stall I was occupying, prompting me to
question a sneak attack for membership.] Stay tuned...
Art Stuff
Delores and I have been working away on art projects. She
has been using mixed media to decorate bird houses, and I
have been painting with varied success. The lighting isn't the
best, but here are a few pics of her houses:
Pretty cool. We saw some today that were just painted one
color decorated with one sticker in the front. Delores is really
great with mixed media. She has some projects in the works
that I hope are done in time for the art show.
This is the one painting that hasn't ended up in the Stack of
Shame since my last posting:
Moody
14 x 18
Acrylics and Pumice Gel on Canvas
Hope you have/had a great weekend!
_______________________________________________
Back to Blog Archive
