400

I check my meter, then adjust it, as it's not quite right. Something must be wrong with it. I'm looking at the number of cigarettes I would have had... if I still smoked.

400.

That's 16 packs, easy to imagine. But imagine, 400 cigarettes... can you? Or does it become a very large smokey haze? (I don't pardon puns, I send them to the electric chair.)

Unreal. Work this week was easier on me, think I'm recovering a bit better. Must take the time to go book a physical with doctor, and see what else can be done about my hemmoroid problem. I got another co-worker asking... heh, I told him. I got my point across when I told him he didn't want to know, he wanted to know.

I told him.

He said he would never be able to look at me the same way. Me and my descriptions and truth, ain't I a stinker?

So, today... dun dun dun!!! One month, two days. I got up early today, and it payed off, for once. Had breakfast with the family, then I was off to the auction. Left the wife and kid at the in-laws, and I had the car for the day. Yeehaw!

A local shopping mall had a business not renew their lease. It was like an internet cafe, only for gaming. When it first opened up, I figured it wouldn't last a year. Well, it lasted two. Good for them. At the auction site (large warehouse) there was all these church pews... uh oh. I managed to stick it out for several hours. Picked up 2 copies of Guild Wars for 10 bucks each, and a sweet leather highback office chair for 55 bucks. I was tempted to get in on the computers, but they were going way too high... I could have built for half the price they were going at.

Followed that up with a stop at Howies Barber shop, (no more half mullet for me) and a quick browse through 8th Street Comics and Books, got me home. (And if you are anywhere in Western Canada, 8th Street comics and books is the best place to get your comic book needs.)

Decided to pop into the AS3 chat, here's an excerpt, Marvin and I were talking about real estate out east as opposed to where I am.

[Marvin] we walked out of a house in minutes because the owner was there smoking when we walked in ... i was just quit at the time
[Marvin] they lost that sale
[Pike] That would do it. Then again, the smoker wouldn't of understood.
[Marvin] no --
[Marvin] but to remove the stench is a lot of work
[Marvin] glad i quit
[Pike] So am I. What the hell is it with the nicotine, it blinds people from the truth?
[Marvin] it's the ultimate addiction
[Pike] I don't think the addiction has to do with it.
[Marvin] there's no penalty except early death
[Marvin] unlike boozing it
[Pike] :-)
[Marvin] it's a HUGE psychological addiction -- absolutely -- it takes 3 days for the nicotine to leave but weeks for the 'Rebraining' to happen
[Marvin] eat ... uh ... uh ... sigh ... OK ... not going to smoke ... sigh
[Marvin] it's an artificial reward system too
[Marvin] reward yourself with a smoke ... cough!
[Pike] Okay, I dig that. Not during the recovery phase, during while a smoker is smoking. Here's a theory... lowered oxygen levels in blood, pain receptors are turned down way low, your cells are 'drunk', and the perspective gets skewed to look through it.
[Pike] A person in a way gets to be emotionally blind to what is going on around them.
[Marvin] true ... but then you realize you're killing yourself too
[Pike] The smoker doesn't come to this realization unless they want to.
[Marvin] so the 'Pleasure' gets messed up
[Marvin ] true
[Pike] Exactly, the 'pleasure' ends up becoming ignorance.
[Marvin] or denial
[Marvin] never underestimate the power of denial
[Pike] Heh. Denial is just a highly defensive state of ignorance.
[Marvin] George Bush swears by it
[Marvin] he's it's poster child

I don't deny it, I am an addict.

400 cigarettes not smoked

This is madness. This ain't sparta.

This is my last quit and I'm still here,
Pike

P.S. This guys writing is unreal, and as for descriptions, I highly recommend it for the following people.
Doctors
Oncologists
Radiation tech's
Ex-smokers
Smokers
Someone who's life has been affected by cancer, or know someone.

One day I wish I can write as well as he does. Start from his earliest entry, and make sure your heart strings are doubly reinforced.
http://raw-elemental.com