Does anyone else notice that the word bi-partisanship is often used by every candidate who runs for office? Then when they are elected they again pledge to work across the aisle to bring a bi-partisan compromise to Congress. I've probably heard this from almost every elected official. Yet, whenever you hear of a particular bill being debated or voted on all you hear is one side saying this and one side saying that. Neither party is ever happy with the other side and instead of working out a bi-partisan compromise they just bicker back and forth. The minority party always complains that the bill goes too far or doesn't go far enough and the majority party just plows ahead without a care for the minority party. The Democratic and Republican parties are both guilty of this. It's simple politics.
All politicians care about is getting re-elected. Some come from reliable districts where they know they will be re-elected short of hell freezing over. Others come from districts that aren't afraid to vote out a one-term politician if they feel he doesn't share the same views or is seen as too willing to work with the other party on certain issues. Instead of going to Washington with the courage to stand up for what's right and listen to his/her constituents they blindly follow behind their party leadership and vote along party lines time and time again. This results in political grid-lock because when do members of both parties ever agree on anything of importance. We've wasted over a year on this health care debate and the result is a bill that still has people fighting and threatening and it's already been signed into law.
A possible solution to all this would be one-term limits for all members of Congress. I know that with age and experience comes wisdom but maybe this would foster politicians to work for the people that elected them and not simply their party and the lobbyists that support their party. There would be no lingering thoughts of "how will my vote enable me to get re-elected?" It's time politicians start working for us, not their re-election campaigns.
Monday, April 26, 2010
Sunday, April 25, 2010
Kitty Crack
Once in a while I'll browse the Saturday Night Live website and look at clips from previous shows. Tonight I came across one of my favorites from the 1980's. I used to love to watch the Church Lady and would laugh and laugh. Here's one to make you laugh too.
Shiny And New
This morning I ran my neighborhood 5K which benefits a local food pantry and other services in the area. When my friend Ann first suggested it I was skeptical, mainly because at the time I was still smoking and would often find myself out of breath from simply climbing the three flights of stairs to our condo. The more I thought about it however, I saw the training for it as a great way to get back into shape since I had put on more than a couple of pounds over the winter and it would hopefully propel me to quit smoking. Over the course of the last month and a half I kept to a training schedule and with a little help from my tiny blue friend Mr. Chantix I quit smoking and as my training progressed I slowly started to think "maybe I can be a runner again."
After shaving three minutes off my best training time this morning and feeling great from the atmosphere of the whole event I've pretty much decided, I'm a runner again.
Thursday, April 15, 2010
Somewhere In The Night
What's up with the wind lately? It seems anywhere I go across the country it's windy. Take off and landing have been a bit turbulent due to the high winds and it's made me quesy more than once. At home it seems it's windy everyday. Yes, Chicago is the Windy City but it seems like lately it comes at me from every direction. On my run this afternoon it was in my face the entire time no matter what direction I was heading and as I sit here and write this blog I can see the trees swaying back and forth with a little bit of force. When will it just be spring? Why does it have to be cloudy, rainy, cold, or windy? Why can't it just be nice out with nothing but clear blue skies and a temperature in the mid 70's. Is that too much to ask for?
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
You Only Meant Well
Just a couple hours ago he was in trouble for trying to bring down the blinds. Now, he's so damn cute I can't stand it.
When The Roof Caved In
When I started taking Chantix I wanted to make an effort to begin a good exercise program as well. With that came watching what I ate so as not to defeat the purpose of exercising. After a few days of healthy eating I realized that in addition to unhealthy eating habits I also have a compulsion for food. It's not unheard of for me to eat an entire bag of Doritos by myself in one sitting. I can stand in the kitchen for 10-15 minutes and just pick at this or that, not caring what it is and not really stopping to take a breath in between bites. This may be the reason that while I've been running to get ready for the upcoming neighborhood 5K pretty solidly I haven't lost a single pound. Every time I get on that scale it's a little disheartening and I always wonder why I haven't lost one measly pound and I have to remind myself it's because I eat like it's either A) going to be taken away in a specified time or B) I haven't eaten in days. Part of my stopping smoking was to get a better handle on my health and my binge eating doesn't contribute to good health. So, it's time to break yet another habit along side all the other habits that triggered smoking. I need to eat solid healthy snacks and meals.
Thursday, April 8, 2010
I Like It
Today's trip for work was very last minute...like 105am this morning last minute. I was OK with it though as it was for time and a half due to a scheduling shortage. I had gotten a few things together last night in anticipation of this very thing happening but I stopped short of packing my suitcase for one reason or another. Well, this morning after about three hours of sleep I got up with plenty of time to get myself and my suitcase ready, feed Em, and clean out his litter box before leaving for the airport. As I drove to work I realized that I had left a nice turkey sandwich in the fridge that I had made for lunch today. Having no time to go back and get it and telling myself how stupid it would be to turn around and go back home for a turkey sandwich I figured I'd pick something up later in the day.
Once I got to work I sat down to take my allergy medicine and Chantix. Imagine my surprise to find out that I had forgotten my Chantix. My heart started racing. Would I start smoking immediately? And what about the happy mood that little pill had put me in for the past seven days? I was filled with dread that missing it for almost three days would put me back to square one. I knew I had the willpower to resist the temptation if it crept back into my life but I was dreading the possibility of having to endure the first few days of taking Chantix and all that it put me through. I quickly decided to call the hotel I was staying in and see if there was a pharmacy anywhere nearby that I could have my doctor call in a three day supply to. Sure enough, there was a Walgreens nearby. I immediately called and left a message to have the doctor prescribe me my little happy. Within two hours I got a wonderful message from his nurse saying they had called it in. The panic started to lift from my mind and I began to formulate just how I was going to pick up my script. When I arrived at the airport I asked the van driver if he could stop by the store and wait while I picked up pills. He said "I can drop you off and you can call us to get you next time we do an airport run." My response..."Can't you just wait, it'll take five minutes max." His reply "I HAVE to return to the hotel, we're booked on airport runs." "Forget it" I said. It was as if I had been denied my drug. On the drive to the hotel we passed the Walgreens and I devised a plan using the GPS on my iPhone to walk to the store and get it. Walk along four lane highways and through office parks. When we got to the hotel I asked the concierge how long a walk would it be..."maybe 20 minutes?" He laughed and said "more like 30 EACH WAY." At this point I didn't care...it would power walk the entire way and make it my work out for today but I was getting those pills.
In the span of ten minutes I had made it to my room (which is at the END of the opposite side of the hotel) changed and returned to the lobby to begin my trek. Before I could set out the nice woman at reception said that someone would take me and wait for me, that she didn't want me walking as it would be dark soon. Finally, someone who understood the gravity of the situation I thought to myself. The same van driver who was so busy not thirty minutes before now had all the time in the world but I didn't care....he was helping me get my fix and about fifteen minutes later I had those small, white pills in my hands. My day was complete. Looking back on it now I laugh and wonder if my co-workers think I'm some kind of junkie. Either way, I'm still smoke free and happy as a lark!
Once I got to work I sat down to take my allergy medicine and Chantix. Imagine my surprise to find out that I had forgotten my Chantix. My heart started racing. Would I start smoking immediately? And what about the happy mood that little pill had put me in for the past seven days? I was filled with dread that missing it for almost three days would put me back to square one. I knew I had the willpower to resist the temptation if it crept back into my life but I was dreading the possibility of having to endure the first few days of taking Chantix and all that it put me through. I quickly decided to call the hotel I was staying in and see if there was a pharmacy anywhere nearby that I could have my doctor call in a three day supply to. Sure enough, there was a Walgreens nearby. I immediately called and left a message to have the doctor prescribe me my little happy. Within two hours I got a wonderful message from his nurse saying they had called it in. The panic started to lift from my mind and I began to formulate just how I was going to pick up my script. When I arrived at the airport I asked the van driver if he could stop by the store and wait while I picked up pills. He said "I can drop you off and you can call us to get you next time we do an airport run." My response..."Can't you just wait, it'll take five minutes max." His reply "I HAVE to return to the hotel, we're booked on airport runs." "Forget it" I said. It was as if I had been denied my drug. On the drive to the hotel we passed the Walgreens and I devised a plan using the GPS on my iPhone to walk to the store and get it. Walk along four lane highways and through office parks. When we got to the hotel I asked the concierge how long a walk would it be..."maybe 20 minutes?" He laughed and said "more like 30 EACH WAY." At this point I didn't care...it would power walk the entire way and make it my work out for today but I was getting those pills.
In the span of ten minutes I had made it to my room (which is at the END of the opposite side of the hotel) changed and returned to the lobby to begin my trek. Before I could set out the nice woman at reception said that someone would take me and wait for me, that she didn't want me walking as it would be dark soon. Finally, someone who understood the gravity of the situation I thought to myself. The same van driver who was so busy not thirty minutes before now had all the time in the world but I didn't care....he was helping me get my fix and about fifteen minutes later I had those small, white pills in my hands. My day was complete. Looking back on it now I laugh and wonder if my co-workers think I'm some kind of junkie. Either way, I'm still smoke free and happy as a lark!
Page Us
Really, Sheraton Hotels? I think you need to reevaluate who does your in room paper designing.
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
A Guitar Strumming Solo
If you were a follower of the old blog you know that the title of each blog rarely had anything to do with the subject. This practice wasn't something I did on purpose but a product of something a friend of mine did to me one day and my response to said act. I remember saying right then and there that "this has to go somewhere in my blog." It was that night when I came up with the random idea to make it the title. I had no intention of doing it all the time but the next time I posted I did the same thing with something random that popped into my head.
I intend to continue that practice with the new blog. Maybe no one even notices the difference between the titles and subjects and if you do you probably don't even begin to think what the title means. If you are someone who likes to figure things out good luck to you, there really is NO reason behind 99% of my blog titles. With that said...here's to more complete randomness.
I intend to continue that practice with the new blog. Maybe no one even notices the difference between the titles and subjects and if you do you probably don't even begin to think what the title means. If you are someone who likes to figure things out good luck to you, there really is NO reason behind 99% of my blog titles. With that said...here's to more complete randomness.
Monday, April 5, 2010
Rushing Into It
If any of you are familiar with the Jay-Z song "Empire State of Mind" you know it's about the state of New York. It's become a favorite of mine not so much because of the state of NY but I like the beat and I love Alicia Keys' voice.
A guy from New Hampshire just did a spoof on YouTube of the song and put his own unique NH twist on it. It's quite funny if you're at all familiar with the state, if not, it's still funny. Enjoy.
A guy from New Hampshire just did a spoof on YouTube of the song and put his own unique NH twist on it. It's quite funny if you're at all familiar with the state, if not, it's still funny. Enjoy.
1,2,3, and now 4
Here is the second part of my journey on Chantix.
Day two started out very early at work with a feeling of extreme fatigue. I thought at the time that it was simply because I didn't get much sleep the night before. That afternoon I took a long nap and after dinner went right back to bed. I also noticed that my mood was going up and down, I'd be extremely happy one minute and the next I'd be quite sad. Days three and four held much of the same for me with ups and downs and an almost crippling fatigue. When I got home from work on day four I looked at the information packet that came with the prescription and it said fatigue was experienced in a small number of people in studies. I couldn't sleep enough and felt listless all day. That night when I went to bed I thought to myself "how much more of this can I take?" To top it all off, I was still smoking and although I started to see a change in my enjoyment of smoking on the night of day four I thought I was no where near quitting at that point.
Day five brought a complete change for me. Gone were the fatigue and moods swings. My mood stabilized and I felt happy and energetic. More importantly, I had absolutley no desire to smoke. This fact made me even happier and encouraged me to get outside and exercise. It was a complete one-eighty from the past three days of misery.
Now, here I am at day 9 of taking Chantix and day 5 of no smoking. I've had one small urge to smoke but it passed within seconds. I'm working on changing the habits I had that accompanied smoking but that isn't something that can be done with a pill and overnight. Not smoking is still a learning process for me but I feel like I'm on the right track with a positive attitude.
Day two started out very early at work with a feeling of extreme fatigue. I thought at the time that it was simply because I didn't get much sleep the night before. That afternoon I took a long nap and after dinner went right back to bed. I also noticed that my mood was going up and down, I'd be extremely happy one minute and the next I'd be quite sad. Days three and four held much of the same for me with ups and downs and an almost crippling fatigue. When I got home from work on day four I looked at the information packet that came with the prescription and it said fatigue was experienced in a small number of people in studies. I couldn't sleep enough and felt listless all day. That night when I went to bed I thought to myself "how much more of this can I take?" To top it all off, I was still smoking and although I started to see a change in my enjoyment of smoking on the night of day four I thought I was no where near quitting at that point.
Day five brought a complete change for me. Gone were the fatigue and moods swings. My mood stabilized and I felt happy and energetic. More importantly, I had absolutley no desire to smoke. This fact made me even happier and encouraged me to get outside and exercise. It was a complete one-eighty from the past three days of misery.
Now, here I am at day 9 of taking Chantix and day 5 of no smoking. I've had one small urge to smoke but it passed within seconds. I'm working on changing the habits I had that accompanied smoking but that isn't something that can be done with a pill and overnight. Not smoking is still a learning process for me but I feel like I'm on the right track with a positive attitude.
Saturday, April 3, 2010
1, 2, 3
I've smoked since I was 15. It's not something I've even been proud of and every time someone asked me how long I've smoked it always made me cringe to tell them. Over the years I tried to quit probably hundreds of times, to no avail. The year I turned 30 I quit on January 1 and didn't smoke for just shy of 6 months, until the day AFTER my 30th when we held a little celebration at our house and in my inhebriated state I picked one up and started again. Since that day I often wonder why I can't quit like I did for that long period of time. I'm sure I listed many rambling excuses to my friends and family trying to make myself feel better while at the same time not looking like a pathetic wimp in front of them. Many people, including my doctor suggested I try the Chantix route. For months I put it off, not wanting to smoke and afraid of the side effects I'd heard taking the drug could cause. I had visions of going postal on someone when they asked me a simple question at work. In my mind, it was less risky to smoke than to turn into a maniac while trying to quit using Chantix.
Two weeks ago, Adam came home from the doctor (we have the same one) with a prescription for Chantix. It was at that moment that I knew that I needed to take it and make the attempt to quit. Our chances at success were much higher with both of us taking it and supporting each other. So, two days later I had my own appointment with the good doctor and had him give me a prescription for it. A and I started taking it together and set our quit day for 10 days later as recommended. I will admit that I was nervous from the moment I put the first pill in my mouth that in a couple of hours I'd turn into a raging asshole and while I didn't experience anything unusual on day one the second day turned out quite the opposite.
I'll leave you here for now wondering what exactly that tiny little white pill did. The rest of this story will follow soon.
Two weeks ago, Adam came home from the doctor (we have the same one) with a prescription for Chantix. It was at that moment that I knew that I needed to take it and make the attempt to quit. Our chances at success were much higher with both of us taking it and supporting each other. So, two days later I had my own appointment with the good doctor and had him give me a prescription for it. A and I started taking it together and set our quit day for 10 days later as recommended. I will admit that I was nervous from the moment I put the first pill in my mouth that in a couple of hours I'd turn into a raging asshole and while I didn't experience anything unusual on day one the second day turned out quite the opposite.
I'll leave you here for now wondering what exactly that tiny little white pill did. The rest of this story will follow soon.
the third telephone
I'd like to welcome you to my new blog. My thought behind creating a new and improved blog started when I decided that I needed to find something to do with my brain that didn't involve reading and crosswords. I also wanted to start fresh without the "tirade" connotation of the old blog. There will be posts that are a little angrier than others but my hope is that this blog shows a more even keel approach to most things.
In addition, with my old blog I was inconsistent when it came to posting. I often had nothing I wanted to blog about or I was too lazy to type out my thoughts on a particular subject or current event. Well, that changes with this blog. I'm going to hold myself accountable and post regularly on a variety of subjects. The blog layout will also change from time to time to keep things fresh and as I learn how to navigate the word of blogging a bit closer. So with that, I hope you enjoy the new words of a gemini as much as you did Thoughts And Tirades. I put a lot of time and thought into just the right name and layout I wanted to start with and I look forward to hearing from you all.
In addition, with my old blog I was inconsistent when it came to posting. I often had nothing I wanted to blog about or I was too lazy to type out my thoughts on a particular subject or current event. Well, that changes with this blog. I'm going to hold myself accountable and post regularly on a variety of subjects. The blog layout will also change from time to time to keep things fresh and as I learn how to navigate the word of blogging a bit closer. So with that, I hope you enjoy the new words of a gemini as much as you did Thoughts And Tirades. I put a lot of time and thought into just the right name and layout I wanted to start with and I look forward to hearing from you all.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)