Allan Carr Stop Smoking Post Game Round Up

It has been three days since I attended the Allan Carr Easy Way to Stop Smoking seminar.

I have not smoked since last Sunday.

The mantra for this smoke cessation program is to try and help the motivated individual to come to some basic realizations about their smoking habits. Here they are: Quitting cigarettes is easy because: 1. The physical withdrawal is limited and overblown by most smoke cessation programs...(witness that most people smoke at least once an hour during the day; however, at night, most people sleep right through the night without going into paroxysms); 2. By giving up smoking you are giving up nothing...cigarettes do not give you an immediate buzz, so there is very little immediate pay-off as is the case with the use of other drugs; 3. The long term "pay-offs" of cigarette use are many and all very negative -- such as expense, health consequences, less time with family on a daily and long term basis, etc.

That's it...thats basically the whole frigging course. The usefulness of this six hour course is that is uses aspects of cognitive therapy, some emotion generation around the issue of quitting, group momentum (rah-rah-rah) and the camraderie of spending time with people caught in the same trap as oneself. There is some bashing (anger generation) around the cigarette companies misleading young people (which is when most people start smoking) into taking up a habit/addiction which promises the very opposite of what it delivers. It is not cool to smoke, it is not relaxing to smoke, it doesn't help your looks, doesn't make you a marlboro man or even a strong individual.

So does it work? Yes. The program works, I suspect, if you WORK the program.

Anyways, after spending $400, I have no choice but to persevere and WORK the program.

All Hail Allan Carr

Allan Carr

What Am I Reading?

I'm one of those guys who wouldn't survive a day in basic training; I'm just not built for the physical brutality and the Cro-Magnon mentality necessary to get through something like that. Nevertheless, one of the things I love to read about is the on-the-ground, first hand accounts of the vagaries of people in extremis. And war, Vietnam, WW II and the invasion of Iraq are just that: people in extremis, systems running amok and most of all, survival of the fittest and the pathos of the not so fit.

So I'm reading "Jarhead," by Anthony Swofford. I saw the movie and happened upon the book at the local library. Kind of reminds me of "In Pharaoh's Army: Memories of the Lost War," by Tobias Wolff. You can read a short review of "Jarhead" at amazon.com.

Meow

Yeah, Sure! Why Not?

THIS IS A REPOST: The seminar/scam is set for Sunday and I am worried...what if I don't succeed? $400 is a lot of money to prove you can't quit. Besides, I already know I can't quit! Nevermind...nothing to do but do it.

I have signed up for Allen Carr's Easy Way to Stop Smoking.

Sounds like a scam, don't it? Yep, that's what I thought. But my niece keeps pushing me to because she knows more than a few people who have successfully quit after attending this 5 hour seminar.

I checked with her "source" and found that the seminar is not at the Air Canada Centre with 400 other people but is held in small groups of 15-20 people. Apparently (yes, I'm still skeptical) the group leader uses techniques of cognitive behavioural therapy to help you "see" your way to quitting. The "source" says that by the end of the session, when he was asked to go have one last cigarette, he didn't even finish this last cigarette. He has never had a craving for the evil weed since even though he is around people who smoke.

Here's the kicker: MIracles don't come cheaply. The cost of the seminar in Toronto is $424. Thats right -- four-hundred-and-twenty-four smackeroonies!

What! Can it be true? Who knows, but I'm willing to give it a shot. At the rate I smoke, I will recover the money in four months. Not to mention my damn alveoli.

Man! All this typing has totally stressed me out....better have a smoke and relax while I still can.

Do Not

Leave any comments on my blog if your name is..

Skylar, Tyler, Taylor, Cat, Bryce, Morgan, Brandon, Braden, Hayden, Jaden, Brianna, or Keegan!

Six Degrees of Unification

I just returned from a viewing at a funeral home.

The person on view was Andrew. Andrew attended the same high school as I did, as well as my wife and her brothers. As Andrew was 2-3 years older than myself, I had never had occasion to meet him during my time in high school. He was, however, a friend of my wife's brother. I met Andrew last year at a family dinner.

Ten years ago, I worked for several years in a group home for developmentally delayed adults with a woman named Ruth. Ruth is a feisty English emigre; she was hard working, opinionated and honest. Soon after I moved from my position at the group home, Ruth and I fell out of touch.

Fast forward 6-7 years - to last year - at a Thanksgiving dinner at my wife's parent's home. As I walked into their home I was surprised to see Ruth sitting at the dining table. Sitting beside her was the late Andrew. This is the last place I would have expected to see Ruth. But there she was accompanying Andrew.

So Andrew, who knew my brother-in-law, shows up at a dinner hosted by my in-laws to enter my life for almost exactly one year before losing his life to cancer.

Fate makes up and stretches out the most extraordinary relationships until you are sure they are broken for good, then introduces one silly flourish - mobius strip like - to bring it all together again; only to sever the newly forged ties all over again.

I have no doubt that I will be seeing Andrew again someday. And Ruth? Ruth, is here to stay.

Pimp Your Garage!

If only I could hire a guy named Jeeves to help me clean out and organize the damn garage!

I really don't have that many things in the garage....kids toys, garbage can, compost can, recycling boxes, suitcases and camping gear. But every bit of organization involves hooks, wooden shelving of various colours and sizes and a rope or two for hanging things from the ceiling.

Imagine my pleasure at discovering a website dedicated to helping me fight the battle of the garage, a site which thankfully, gives me the possibility of having storage solutions which not only work but can also transform my garage from an eye sore to a thing of beauty.

Carguygarage.com! Need I say more? Check out their large wood working workbench!
Sweet!

Yosemite Sam

Yosemite Sam is the nickname given by DXers to a mysterious station that first surfaced on December 19, 2004. It transmits on several shortwave frequencies in dual side band: 3700 kHz, 4300 kHz, 6500 kHz, and 10500 kHz.

A transmission begins on one of the frequencies. Then ten seconds later, it is repeated on the next higher frequency, and so on. The entire pattern takes precisely two minutes, and always begins seven seconds after the top of an hour.

Each transmission starts with a data burst lasting 0.8 seconds, followed by the voice of Looney Tunes character Yosemite Sam exclaiming: "Varmint, I'm a-gonna b-b-b-bloooow yah t'smithereenies!" The clip is apparently from the cartoon Bunker Hill Bunny (1949).

Reception reports seem to indicate the transmitter site is likely in the desert near Albuquerque, New Mexico. The station disappeared on December 23, 2004 but returned during February 2005, on its old frequencies plus additional new frequencies, including those of time signals stations WWV and WWVH. The purpose and origin of the Yosemite Sam station remain unknown. Its location in Albuquerque raises another ironic relation to Looney Tunes, a phrase frequently said by Bugs Bunny: "I knew I shouldn't have made the left turn at Albuquerque".

Source: Wikipedia

Tarah-isms

When Tarah says:
One time time.
She means:
Once upon a time.

When Tarah says:
What that smell like?
She means:
What is that smell?

When Tarah says:
...and what it doez?
She means:
...and what does it do?

When Tarah says:
Hosipal
She means:
Hospital

When Tarah says:
It's bleed?
She means:
That is blood.

Wasn't Me

I recently received an e-mail from a friend attributing the following passage to that wonderful and witty nay-sayer -- George Carlin:

What a difference a sad event in someone's life makes.

Isn't it amazing that George Carlin, whose wife recently died, could write something so very eloquent...and so very appropriate.

A Message by George Carlin:

The paradox of our time in history is that we have taller buildings but shorter tempers, wider Freeways , but narrower viewpoints. We spend more, but have less, we buy more, but enjoy less. We have bigger houses and smaller families, more conveniences, but less time. We have more degrees but less sense, more knowledge, but less judgment, more experts, yet more problems, more medicine, but less wellness.

We drink too much, smoke too much, spend too recklessly, laugh too little, drive too fast, get too angry, stay up too late, get up too tired, read too little, watch TV too much, and pray too seldom.

We have multiplied our possessions, but reduced our values. We talk too much, love too seldom, and hate too often.

We've learned how to make a living, but not a life. We've added years to life not life to years. We've been all the way to the moon and back, but have trouble crossing the street to meet a new neighbor. We conquered outer space but not inner space. We've done larger things, but not better things.

We've cleaned up the air, but polluted the soul. We've conquered the atom, but not our prejudice. We write more, but learn less. We plan more, but accomplish less. We've learned to rush, but not to wait. We build more computers to hold more information, to produce more copies than ever, but we communicate less and less.

These are the times of fast foods and slow digestion , big men and small character, steep profits and shallow relationships. These are the days of two incomes but more divorce, fancier houses, but broken homes. These are days of quick trips, disposable diapers, throwaway morality, one night stands, overweight bodies, and pills that do everything from cheer, to quiet, to kill. It is a time when there is much in the showroom window and nothing in the stockroom. A time when technology can bring this letter to you, and a time when you can choose either to share this insight, or to just hit delete...

Remember; spend some time with your loved ones, because they are not going to be around forever.

Remember, say a kind word to someone who looks up to you in awe, because that little person soon will grow up and leave your side.

Remember, to give a warm hug to the one next to you, because that is the only treasure you can give with your heart and it doesn't cost a cent.

Remember, to say, "I love you" to your partn er and your loved ones, but most of all mean it. A kiss and an embrace will mend hurt when it comes from deep inside of you.

Remember to hold hands and cherish the moment for someday that person will not be there again.

Give time to love, give time to speak! And give time to share the precious thoughts in your mind.

AND ALWAYS REMEMBER:

Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.

If you don't send this to at least 8 people....Who cares?

George Carlin

Unfortunately, the above item did not originate with George Carlin as per the following note copied from georgecarlin.com

Floating around the Internet these days, posted and e-mailed back and forth, are a number of writings attributed to me, and I want people to know they're not mine. Don't blame me.

Some are essay-length, some are just short lists of one and two-line jokes, but if they're flyin' around the Internet, they're probably not mine. Occasionally, a couple of jokes on a long list might have come from me, but not often. And because most of this stuff is really lame, it's embarrassing to see my name on it.


And that's the problem. I want people to know that I take care with my writing, and try to keep my standards high. But most of this "humor" on the Internet is just plain stupid. I guess hard-core fans who follow my stuff closely would be able to spot the fake stuff, because the tone of voice is so different. But a casual fan has no way of knowing, and it bothers me that some people might believe I'd actually be capable of writing some of this stuff.

"PARADOX OF OUR TIME"
One of the more embarrassing items making the internet/e-mail rounds is a sappy load of shit called "The Paradox of Our Time." The main problem I have with it is that as true as some of the expressed sentiments may be, who really gives a shit? Certainly not me.

What Am I Reading?

"In 1975, Angola was tumbling into pandemonium; everyone who could was packing crates, desperate to abandon the beleaguered colony. With his trademark bravura, Ryszard Kapuscinski went the other way, begging his was from Lisbon and comfort to Luanda—once famed as Africa's Rio de Janeiro—and chaos.

Angola, a slave colony later given over to mining and plantations, was a promised land for generations of poor Portuguese. It had belonged to Portugal since before there were English-speakers in North America. After the collapse of the fascist dictatorship in Portugal in 1974, Angola was brusquely cut loose, spurring the catastrophe of a still-ongoing civil war. Kapuscinski plunged right into the middle of the drama, driving past thousands of haphazardly placed check-points, where using the wrong shibboleth was a matter of life and death; recording his impressions of the young soldiers—from Cuba, Angola, South Africa, Portugal—fighting a nebulous war with global repercussions; and examining the peculiar brutality of a country surprised and divided by its newfound freedom."

Source: randomhouse.com

Chronology

By Alfred de Montesquiou
Associated Press
Monday, October 1, 2007; Page A15

HASKANITA, Sudan, Sept. 30 -- Rebel forces stormed a small African Union base in northern Darfur and killed at least 10 peacekeepers, leaving behind charred armored vehicles and bombed-out barracks in an unprecedented attack on the beleaguered mission.

By Craig Timberg
Washington Post Foreign Service
Tuesday, October 2, 2007; Page A09

JOHANNESBURG, Oct. 1 -- Senegal threatened Monday to withdraw its more than 500 troops from Darfur, moving the African Union's beleaguered peacekeeping mission closer to collapse after a spectacular militia attack over the weekend left 10 A.U. soldiers dead and dozens more missing or wounded.

By Alfred de Montesquiou
Associated Press
Thursday, October 4, 2007; Page A20


KABKABIYA, Sudan, Oct. 3 -- Former president Jimmy Carter confronted Sudanese security officials Wednesday during a visit to the western region of Darfur, shouting, "You don't have the power to stop me!" at some who blocked him from meeting refugees of the conflict.

"You can't go. It's not on the program!" the local security chief, who gave only his first name as Omar, yelled at Carter, who is in Darfur as part of a delegation of international figures known as "the Elders.

By Alfred de Montesquiou
Associated Press
Monday, October 8, 2007; Page A18

KHARTOUM, Sudan, Oct. 7 -- A Darfur town under the control of Sudanese government troops has been razed, the United Nations said Sunday. The destruction of the town in western Sudan was in apparent retaliation for a suspected rebel attack on a nearby African Union peacekeeping base a week ago.

By Colum Lynch
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, October 10, 2007; Page A11


UNITED NATIONS, Oct. 9 -- Even as nearly two dozen countries are signing up to send thousands of peacekeepers to Darfur, a U.N.-backed force deploying there still lacks crucial equipment, a shortfall that could threaten the viability of the mission, according to senior U.N. officials.

Total spent on the war in Iraq: $1.2 Trillion

Elie Wiesel on Truth

Wiesel tells a story about a visit to a Rebbe, or Hasidic rabbi, he hadn't seen for 20 years. The Rebbe is upset to learn that Wiesel has become a writer, and wants to know what kind of material he writes. "Stories," Wiesel replies, "... true stories."

"About people you knew?"

Yes, about people I might have known.

"About things that happened?"

Yes, about things that happened or could have happened.

"But they did not?"

No, not all of them did. In fact, some were invented from almost the beginning to almost the end.

The Rebbe leaned forward as if to measure me up and said with more sorrow than anger: "That means you are writing lies!"

I did not answer immediately. The scolded child within me had nothing to say in his defense.

Yet, I had to justify myself: "Things are not that simple, Rebbe. Some events do take place but are not true; others are, although they never occurred."

Source: Wikipedia

Another Chinese Toy Recall

Spa Day