Boo

That could also be the worst porn name ever. Although....there was an actual male porn star that used to go by the name Buster Hymen. I mean...c'mon! That's trashy even by porn standards.

Anticipation and worry leading up to an event are often more troublesome than the event itself. There will be challenging moments starting a quit. Moments that are temporary and fleeting. You'll live to tell about it and eventually realize the only regret you have about quitting is that you didn't do it sooner. Take a deep breath and set yourself free.

What the....? I thought this could be a good bit of fun. Typed in Boo and clicked male, thing comes back with the name "Pirate Vinny the Infected." Worst pirate name ever. I'll stick with my porn star name that was the result of combining the name of your first pet and the name of the road you grew up on: Roscoe Red Hill. Now that's a proper alias! Name's Red Hill, Roscoe Red Hill.

The fog is real in those early days. One morning early in my quit, I felt like I was forgetting something. Something wasn't quite right. Following a brief period of deliberative thought, I realized I should probably put some pants on before going to work. Now that the fog has cleared I almost never forget to wear pants. Almost never....

Good to hear. Congratulations. You are beginning a process that will reward you many times over. Proceed.

The brain fog associated with quitting is temporary. The improved focus that comes with not being a smoker and having to deal with smoke-breaks and withdrawal agitation is permanent. One step back. One thousand steps forward. By the way, welcome aboard Eight-Toe Joe. Good call on ditching the smokes.

Bingo! Commit to the process. Trust the process.

What's done is done. Mistakes were made. Hopefully, lessons were learned. That self-perpetuating cycle of quitting, smoking again, regretting smoking, and eventually starting another quit is more exhausting than maintaining a quit. Do yourself a favor: stop the cycle. Onward and upward beats going around in circles every time.

I'm going to check out some of Jimmy Little's work later, but neither of those videos were available to me. Without knowing the full details of why certain music is not available in certain nations, I'm just gonna go ahead and assume those bastards at Sony Music and UMG are to blame. That song was huge here in the States as well. Perhaps the age thing is a factor here, I was a senior in high school when "Under the Bridge" came out. At my school, that album "Blood Sugar Sex Magik" was so ubiquitous that if you didn't buy a copy one was issued to you. I have the exact opposite problem with Sugar Britches. She gets irritated by the fact that I can remember song titles and lyrics but have a hard time remembering people's names. There I was minding my own business, singing along to "Keep Your Hands to Yourself" by the Georgia Satellites. Then she says: "So you remember every line from an old rock song, but can't remember a man's name that you just talked to?" To which I replied: My honey, my baby, don't put my love upon no shelf....

Congratulations Babs. Seven-years of freedom is cause for celebration.

I wouldn't call the early stages of my quit "hard", more irritating than anything. Dealing with the quitter's paradox: "I don't want to be a smoker but I would like to smoke a cigarette right now." Those persistent, nagging thoughts about smoking. The self-doubt and internal bargaining and negotiating...yeah, the beginning of the process was a pain in the ass. Worth every bit of the effort and then some, but irritating. I didn't really focus on the "hard" or "easy." I stayed focused on the word "simple." Don't put things in your mouth and set them on fire...this process could not be more simple.

I was listening to John Hiatt last night and realized a major oversight on my part during the state in a song title thing...

Welcome aboard Diane, quitting smoking will prove to be one of the best things you have ever done for yourself. Those are the moments that solid quits are built upon. Every time you get a strong craving but don't smoke, you are training yourself to be a non-smoker. Quitting is a process. A process that will reward you many times over. Enjoy the ride.

WD-40 also works like a charm in getting the headlights on your car clean. I've found that it works better than any of that stuff they sell at the automotive stores. And it's cheaper.

I changed my morning routine completely. Not so much a choice as it was a necessity. So much of my morning routine revolved around smoking it made change unavoidable. Starting a quit is the perfect time to create new habits. You're already out of your comfort zone and things don't quite feel normal. Replace smoking time with something more healthy and productive. Out with the old, in with the new.

I don't want this to seem flippant, your question is a legitimate one. However, what's done is done. We abused our bodies with cigarettes for most of our adult lives; there's no way to unring that bell. Quitting smoking right now and vowing to make better decisions is no guarantee that our past mistakes won't bite us on the ass, but it improves our odds. History is what it is. The future is largely unknowable. Makes sense to focus on the present.

That song takes me back to my childhood. I don't think I ever attended a church service where this song wasn't sung. Of course it was a Southern Baptist church so they did a more fast-tempo and shortened version of "How Great Thou Art." Had to wrap it up and get out of there to beat the lunch crowd at the local restaurant...We weren't waiting in line behind the Methodists! And speaking of good ol' church music...

You're in luck Rec, these three are looking for a fourth...

Sam is quite the sport...Congratulations to the young fella. And congratulations to one very proud grandmother.

Great job Nancy. Congratulations on a rock-solid quit and thanks for being there for so many of us when we were just trying to find our way. Three cheers for Nancy!

Going cross country with Clutch...

Here's hoping for a little less shake, rattle, and roll action for Jillar, BKP, and the rest of the folks in the Golden State. I saw in the news that there were no fatalities from the quakes. So...is it too soon for earthquake memes?

Good job Jayhawk. Celebrate and enjoy, you earned it.

Two more state songs...