Wednesday, March 31, 2004
Day 6 as a non-smoker, and still determined. I had expected the first 3 days to be the worst, but actually yesterday and today have been the most difficult. Despite what Allen Carr says about physical symptoms of withdrawal being almost imperceptible, I have been suffering quite badly from dizziness. I feel very strange. I know this is because oxygen is now reaching parts it hasn't reached for quite a while so I'm not worried about it, but its not very pleasant. Anyway, I know it will pass so I'll just have another glass of fruit juice, take a deep breath and look forward to a smoke free life.
Have you seen the latest Tampax advert on tv? The one where everyone is scared to use the toilet because of a moth flying around the light and the woman turns the light out thus solving the problem? The selling point is that the new style tampon is so easy to use you can do it blindfolded. Well, I don't know about you, but I too can find my vagina without looking. Isn't that amazing?
Have you seen the latest Tampax advert on tv? The one where everyone is scared to use the toilet because of a moth flying around the light and the woman turns the light out thus solving the problem? The selling point is that the new style tampon is so easy to use you can do it blindfolded. Well, I don't know about you, but I too can find my vagina without looking. Isn't that amazing?
Sunday, March 28, 2004
Its day 3 without tobacco. Thursday wasn't as successful as I had hoped. I managed to get through the working day, but when I got home I lost my temper with my son (over somewthing relatively trivial) and succumbed to the lure of the tobacco hidden in the cupboard. I'd planned to give it to a friend at this afternoon's Northern Green Gathering AGM, but it was there and I wanted it so I smoked some. Its not there anymore - I took it to work on Friday to get it out of the house. I suppose I should throw it in the bin, but I hate wasting anything, even something as noxious as tobacco and would rather pass it on to someone who still indulges.
Anyway, my resolve was stronger on Friday and I'm doing ok, coping with dizzy spells, headaches and cravings. I've been keeping busy, catching up with some jobs around the house. I haven't been out socially though - the cravings seem to be worse in the evening and I don't want to risk being tempted while under the influence of alcohol.
So this afternoon its the NGG Annual General Meeting. We're laying on some food as an incentive to encourage attendance. Our friends the Purple Penguin vegan caterers will be cooking up a storm at this very moment! We mailed invites to all the members (not all the people on the mailing list - thats a different matter) but I don't really expect that many to come. The plan is to get a few more people involved in the central organising team, and to get a few ideas. I haven't seen any of the rest of the gang for a few weeks, so I don't know if there have been any new developments, ie whether anyone has found a new site for the camp. I just had a look to see if the website is up but I couldn't find it, although there are a few mentions of previous year's events on other people's sites. More news will be forthcoming very soon, I hope.
Anyway, my resolve was stronger on Friday and I'm doing ok, coping with dizzy spells, headaches and cravings. I've been keeping busy, catching up with some jobs around the house. I haven't been out socially though - the cravings seem to be worse in the evening and I don't want to risk being tempted while under the influence of alcohol.
So this afternoon its the NGG Annual General Meeting. We're laying on some food as an incentive to encourage attendance. Our friends the Purple Penguin vegan caterers will be cooking up a storm at this very moment! We mailed invites to all the members (not all the people on the mailing list - thats a different matter) but I don't really expect that many to come. The plan is to get a few more people involved in the central organising team, and to get a few ideas. I haven't seen any of the rest of the gang for a few weeks, so I don't know if there have been any new developments, ie whether anyone has found a new site for the camp. I just had a look to see if the website is up but I couldn't find it, although there are a few mentions of previous year's events on other people's sites. More news will be forthcoming very soon, I hope.
Wednesday, March 24, 2004
My friend Gav told me about this site a couple of weeks ago, and I finally got round to checking it out. Do the Belief-o-matic quiz to see where you are coming from faith-wise. Here is my top ten:
"The top score on the list below represents the faith that Belief-O-Matic, in its less than infinite wisdom, thinks most closely matches your beliefs. However, even a score of 100% does not mean that your views are all shared by this faith, or vice versa.
Belief-O-Matic then lists another 26 faiths in order of how much they have in common with your professed beliefs. The higher a faith appears on this list, the more closely it aligns with your thinking."
1. Unitarian Universalism (100%)
2. Liberal Quakers (96%)
3. Neo-Pagan (94%)
4. New Age (89%)
5. Mainline to Liberal Christian Protestants (86%)
6. Mahayana Buddhism (85%)
7. Christian Science (Church of Christ, Scientist) (80%)
8. Theravada Buddhism (72%)
9. New Thought (71%)
10. Taoism (70%)
Actually, my faith today is in the fact that tomorrow I will be a non-smoker. Today is my last ever day as a smoker! Allen Carr's book has set me in the right frame of mind, and now I believe, brothers and sisters, I BELIEVE! Carr is very definite in his instruction that you should finish the book before throwing out the evil weed, and I'm just a few pages from the end. He repeats thoughout the book that you don't need to smoke, that its a horrible, dirty thing to do, and that its easy to stop. I think its a reading form of hypnotism, if there is such a thing. Anyway, I've decided and I'm determined.
"The top score on the list below represents the faith that Belief-O-Matic, in its less than infinite wisdom, thinks most closely matches your beliefs. However, even a score of 100% does not mean that your views are all shared by this faith, or vice versa.
Belief-O-Matic then lists another 26 faiths in order of how much they have in common with your professed beliefs. The higher a faith appears on this list, the more closely it aligns with your thinking."
1. Unitarian Universalism (100%)
2. Liberal Quakers (96%)
3. Neo-Pagan (94%)
4. New Age (89%)
5. Mainline to Liberal Christian Protestants (86%)
6. Mahayana Buddhism (85%)
7. Christian Science (Church of Christ, Scientist) (80%)
8. Theravada Buddhism (72%)
9. New Thought (71%)
10. Taoism (70%)
Actually, my faith today is in the fact that tomorrow I will be a non-smoker. Today is my last ever day as a smoker! Allen Carr's book has set me in the right frame of mind, and now I believe, brothers and sisters, I BELIEVE! Carr is very definite in his instruction that you should finish the book before throwing out the evil weed, and I'm just a few pages from the end. He repeats thoughout the book that you don't need to smoke, that its a horrible, dirty thing to do, and that its easy to stop. I think its a reading form of hypnotism, if there is such a thing. Anyway, I've decided and I'm determined.
Monday, March 22, 2004
Dog vomit. Its not what you want to come home to. But today my canine friend found half a bar of chocolate in a bag I had left by the sofa - and not just any chocolate, but Divine Dark chocolate. She scoffed the lot, and brought it back up some time later in two piles on the carpet. Chocolate is poisonous to dogs, but she seemed not to realise that. She's pinched ordinary chocolate before - in fact she started to make a habit of helping herself to my son's Rolos if he was daft enough to leave them around. I don't think there is a very large proprtion of cocoa in Rolos though, whereas Divine has 70%. Thats real chocolate (and Fairly Traded too)!. Anyway, she's fine now, so I don't think any lasting damage has been done.
Sunday, March 21, 2004
Its been very windy here for the past 24 hours, and my bathroom window has been moaning and creaking. Last summer the local kids cracked it, either with a catapult or an air rifle or something similar. Because I was/am plannning on replacing the whole window, I didn't bother getting it reglazed. I just taped it up. Yesterday's strong winds did their best to try and finish the job. I had to put lots more tape on it - the driving rain squeezed through the cracks and loosened the tape that was already there, so now it is very wobbly! I had someone come to look at that window and the attic bedroom window a couple of weeks ago, and am waiting impatiently for a quote for replacement windows - time is now of the essence!
It seems I'm rather out of the anti-war 'loop' at the moment. I didn't know about yesterday's demo in London until I heard about it on the news. I would have been there had I known. But spending less time online, and not working in the student union anymore means I'm not as well informed as I could be. (Note to self: must pay more attention).
It seems I'm rather out of the anti-war 'loop' at the moment. I didn't know about yesterday's demo in London until I heard about it on the news. I would have been there had I known. But spending less time online, and not working in the student union anymore means I'm not as well informed as I could be. (Note to self: must pay more attention).
Wednesday, March 17, 2004
I wasn't going to post this picture, but liked it so much when I put it on the pc I changed my mind. Its from a chilly walk we had along the canal last weekend. Probably the last of this Spring's ice.
The one I planned to show you is this one of the 'control tower' in Millennium Square in the centre of Leeds. The lights and security for events in the square are directed from here. I seriously despair at the decisions made in recent years by Leeds architects!
The one I planned to show you is this one of the 'control tower' in Millennium Square in the centre of Leeds. The lights and security for events in the square are directed from here. I seriously despair at the decisions made in recent years by Leeds architects!
Saturday, March 13, 2004
I've been suffering from Lethargica Procrastinitis for the past week or so. In other words, I've been warm and cosy downstairs on the sofa, thinking about blogging but then deciding, 'Can't be bothered. Do it later'. Much later, it seems.
But I'm back now, for today at least.
Spring is in the air at work, with the sudden appearance of Lonely Hearts ads on the Classified Ads page of the intranet. Makes a change from cars and cookers. There was a promising dialogue about a man in a pink shirt, spotted by the lifts in my building, but it fizzled out after a couple of days.
Bluebell sent me a link to Political Compass, which asks you a few questions then gives your political co-ordinates on both an economic and a social scale. Very interesting. I turn out to be -6.5 on the Economic Left/Right, and -5.49 on the Social Libertarian/Authoritarian. Very close to Gandhi, Mandela and the Dalai Lama. I like that.
I finished reading Going after Cacciato a couple of weeks ago, but my idleness prevented me writing a review or changing the link on the left. I found it an interesting read, particularly in the way it was structured. You read a story within a story as soldier Paul Berlin tells of his experiences in Vietnam alongside narrating his fantasy of following Cacciato to Paris. But it was quite intense reading and there were a couple of times when I considered giving up. Then I read Poor Things by Alasdair Gray. This one would be ideal material for studying on a contemporary literature course. Its stuffed full of essay subject matter: identity, nature/nurture, feminism, women's sexuality. Lots to think about. I found it quite a good read - I wanted to keep turning the pages, the story was compelling. Like Gray's other books, it is illustrated with Gray's own drawings and as a physical item the book is more than your run of the mill paperback, more of a 3-dimensional object (yes, I know all books are 3-dimensional, but Gray's books are more...well, just more...). Anyway, now I'm half way through Andrew Collins' Where did it all go right?. Collins is 1 year and 3 days younger than me. I think he almost lived my childhood (except I never had an Action Man)! This is a very funny, nostalgic book and I defy anyone of a similar age brought up in England in the 70s to disagree.
Just realised all I've eaten today is a choc chip muffin, so I'd better head to the kitchen for some more nourishment. I always forget to eat when I've got a day at home.
But I'm back now, for today at least.
Spring is in the air at work, with the sudden appearance of Lonely Hearts ads on the Classified Ads page of the intranet. Makes a change from cars and cookers. There was a promising dialogue about a man in a pink shirt, spotted by the lifts in my building, but it fizzled out after a couple of days.
Bluebell sent me a link to Political Compass, which asks you a few questions then gives your political co-ordinates on both an economic and a social scale. Very interesting. I turn out to be -6.5 on the Economic Left/Right, and -5.49 on the Social Libertarian/Authoritarian. Very close to Gandhi, Mandela and the Dalai Lama. I like that.
I finished reading Going after Cacciato a couple of weeks ago, but my idleness prevented me writing a review or changing the link on the left. I found it an interesting read, particularly in the way it was structured. You read a story within a story as soldier Paul Berlin tells of his experiences in Vietnam alongside narrating his fantasy of following Cacciato to Paris. But it was quite intense reading and there were a couple of times when I considered giving up. Then I read Poor Things by Alasdair Gray. This one would be ideal material for studying on a contemporary literature course. Its stuffed full of essay subject matter: identity, nature/nurture, feminism, women's sexuality. Lots to think about. I found it quite a good read - I wanted to keep turning the pages, the story was compelling. Like Gray's other books, it is illustrated with Gray's own drawings and as a physical item the book is more than your run of the mill paperback, more of a 3-dimensional object (yes, I know all books are 3-dimensional, but Gray's books are more...well, just more...). Anyway, now I'm half way through Andrew Collins' Where did it all go right?. Collins is 1 year and 3 days younger than me. I think he almost lived my childhood (except I never had an Action Man)! This is a very funny, nostalgic book and I defy anyone of a similar age brought up in England in the 70s to disagree.
Just realised all I've eaten today is a choc chip muffin, so I'd better head to the kitchen for some more nourishment. I always forget to eat when I've got a day at home.
Tuesday, March 02, 2004
It was my birthday yesterday and I made a date with the Tate:
Combined with a stroll along the Thames in glorious spring sunshine, I had a lovely day. I started my celebrating on Saturday night with an evening in the pub with my local friends. Then on Sunday caught a train to London where I visited the very lovely Sue & Jules. I went childless, as my offspring doesn't do galleries. He would have trailed round behind me whinging and whining and that would have been no fun at all. He doesn't really like visiting much either, unsociable child, so I inflicted him on my parents (he's not really that bad, honest!). Anyway, that gave me 24 hours of freedom which I thoroughly enjoyed. I caught the afternoon train home and was back in time for tea with my boy. Unfortunately I hadn't planned ahead for by birthday tea and had no cake so we had to make do with Danish pastries bought at Kings Cross! I've had today off work too, just for pottering, which has been very pleasant, though I've not done a great deal of pottering. I did go out and buy some daffodils - my favourites, I don't have expensive tastes - and washed a small sock mountain though.
Combined with a stroll along the Thames in glorious spring sunshine, I had a lovely day. I started my celebrating on Saturday night with an evening in the pub with my local friends. Then on Sunday caught a train to London where I visited the very lovely Sue & Jules. I went childless, as my offspring doesn't do galleries. He would have trailed round behind me whinging and whining and that would have been no fun at all. He doesn't really like visiting much either, unsociable child, so I inflicted him on my parents (he's not really that bad, honest!). Anyway, that gave me 24 hours of freedom which I thoroughly enjoyed. I caught the afternoon train home and was back in time for tea with my boy. Unfortunately I hadn't planned ahead for by birthday tea and had no cake so we had to make do with Danish pastries bought at Kings Cross! I've had today off work too, just for pottering, which has been very pleasant, though I've not done a great deal of pottering. I did go out and buy some daffodils - my favourites, I don't have expensive tastes - and washed a small sock mountain though.
