Boo

You caught a whiff of a cigarette. You had some passing thoughts. You didn't smoke. No harm, no foul. I wouldn't waste my time with that if I were you.

Good job Ace.

Drivin' N Cryin' at Six Flags over Georgia. Rode some rollercoasters early in the day. Saw one of my favorite bands live. Made out with a girl I met at the show. That was a good day for a sixteen year-old Boo.

Present and accounted for.

I'm hoping no one is compiling a psychological profile on me based on what I'm listening to. Those old "Vinyl Wastelands" compilations filled with country and rockabilly songs about violence, insanity, convicts, whores, etc., etc.. I just like the songs is all.

As usual...my timing is impeccable. I haven't really been paying attention to baseball the last couple of years. The Covid season just felt weird. Couldn't really get into baseball in 2020. Then 2021 hit and baseball was infected by politics. I just wanted to watch the games, geek out about stats, and tell that story about the time I met Phil Niekro for the umpteenth time. Instead, the news was about Atlanta losing the All-Star game over some voter registration bill in Georgia. The same old worn out debate over the "chop" being racist. There was more talk of changing the team name. As a kid, I simply loved baseball, playing and watching. As an adult, I came to appreciate that baseball was a nice escape. In the grand scheme, it didn't really matter if the Braves won or lost yet it did seem important in the moment. For nine innings, all that political bullshit seemed to exist in a different world. Those were simpler times. I'm happy that the Braves are World Series Champions. Been waiting since 1995 for that to happen again. However, I feel a bit removed from it all. God bless Chief Noc-A-Homa and GO BRAVES!

A picture really is worth a thousand words. Thanks for sharing that Gus. If your mother took the cruise out of the Chattanooga area, the boat almost certainly went through the Tennessee River Gorge. The Gorge is one of my favorite places on the planet. I like it so much I got married there. I live up-river from Chattanooga now, about six-miles (as the crow flies) from the main channel of the river.

I thought this guy was still dressed up for Halloween. Come to find out, he just got all of his recommended shots.

Welcome aboard the Quit Train Kimberly. Quitting smoking is one of the best things you will ever do for yourself. "If the mountain will not come to Muhammed, then Muhammed must go to the mountain." Grab a seat and stay awhile.

Welcome aboard the Quit Train Karen. Good call on giving up the smokes. That was one of the two revelations that really hit home for me. The other being: I smoke because I'm addicted to nicotine and I'm addicted to nicotine because I smoke. Recognizing the futility of it all made it easier to quit. Same here. Fortunately, we have members who are far more technologically adept than I. If you have any questions there are friendly folks here who will walk you through what it is you want to do. Enjoy the ride.

The summers here can be brutal. However, we had a relatively mild summer this year in East Tennessee. Even made it through July and August without many of those hot days where the humidity is off the charts. A local weatherman in Chattanooga used to call it "the air you can wear." The Old Farmer's Almanac is calling for a slightly colder and rainier Winter this year here on the Cumberland Plateau. No complaints...so far.

Mistakes were made. You can't unring that bell. What you can do is focus on today and look to the future. Don't let regret trap you in a place that you can't get out of. Somedays, the mojo reserve runs dry. Those are the days you just keep trudging along and making forward progress. Hang in there Justin. You will once again reach a point where you can let the high times carry the low.

I know the feeling. More than health concerns, or any other factor for that matter, I quit because I hated the loss of control over my own life. It began to feel like nicotine was at the helm and I was just along for the ride. You break the hold by breaking the hold. It requires a relentless commitment. It requires feeling a bit uncomfortable at times. It can require looking at things you accepted as gospel truth and realizing that it's actually a load of bullshit. The process is straightforward and can feel demanding, but it will give you far more in return than it takes from you. You can do this Tara. See it though and you will never regret it.

G'day...and such. I heard this song on Willie's Roadhouse over the weekend. And I'm almost positive that Olivia Newton-John is Australian...almost positive.

Some monkeys take more time than others... And if you're asking: Boo, did you just respond as an excuse to post this gif again? The answer is: yes.

One cigarette led immediately back to one pack-a-day. Instead of feeling any long-term relief from having smoked, you instead felt instant regret. Building on what you had is preferable to starting all over again. Looks to me like there might be a couple of lessons in there.

I'm a popular guy this time of year...

Welcome to the lido deck Opah. Celebrate and enjoy, you've earned it.

You may not be exactly where you want to be right now, but you're on the right path. With time and repetition, what feels weird today will become your new normal. Relentless forward progress...it is the only way.

Good work Intoxicated Yoda. Congratulations.

I've said it before and I'll say it again, there is only one question that matters when quitting: Did I smoke today? If you answered "no," you're good to go. If you answered "yes," you screwed it up and need to start over.

Good job JustSomeGuy. Congratulations.

There is no need to ever include talk of animal husbandry in a conversation with a pregnant woman...ever! The better half is pregnant with our second child. Childbirth is not surprisingly a topic of conversation that comes up from time-to-time. We were discussing specifically the birth of our second child, then, as I've been known to do, I let my thoughts turn to various associations which change the nature of the conversation. Long story short...I dropped a bit of farm knowledge and said: "unless the calf breeched, the heifer would just plop it right out and start licking the amniotic fluid off of it." For the record: I understand that human birthing is more complicated and I sure as hell was not comparing the lovely and talented Sugar Britches to a cow. Also in my defense: I have more experience with calving than I do with human birthing. I really should have learned my lesson. When we found out we were pregnant the first time, I told Sugar Britches: "from the moment I laid eyes on you, I knew you were good breeding stock." I was joking. She wasn't laughing.