Back to work, and what a day...

I only had 189 emails to go through this morning, made worse by the fact that an IS guy reloaded my computer last Wednesday - while I was on vacation - and clobbered my work computer. These guys make a lot more money than I do, yet many folks at work think of the "Help Desk" as the "helpless desk". State bureaucracy at its finest. Thankfully, a different IS guy had backed up my computer, prior to the other IS guy reloading my computer.

So BIG THANKS to Tom!

It took 30 minutes to restore the hard drive after lunch, so I spent most of the afternoon sorting through my in box and through the emails. Today for the first time, however, I really missed my cigarettes. 12 days later, and with the computer mess and issues at work, I sure needed a cig. I started a walk this morning on break, and had gotten halfway down the sidewalk when I realized how hard it was raining, and the fact that my umbrella wasn't going to work. So I went back inside with a soaked sleeve. Damn Oregon anyway. And dam cigarettes too.

It was amusing to see the aftermath of the games played while I was on vacation by co-workers and the like. Like waiting until my first day off to raise a ruckus looking for a special check request, only to discover that it hadn't been faxed in the first place. Another co-worker tried to strong-arm my online security contact at our office supply company to no avail. The lovely thing about email... there is that trail to follow, and emails don't lie. But it does bum me out to realize that folks will stab you in the back the minute they don't think you're watching, or think you won't see what happens. Actually, it does more than bum me out... makes me a little sad.

It is somewhat amusing, although not at this moment, to realize that most of my friends at work are smokers. Which makes sense... birds of a feather flock together and all that crap. Most of the folks in accounting do smoke... which speaks volumes on workload issues and not having enough staff. And that many folks are pretty much stressed out a majority of the time. So I sit and wonder and try to make excuses and come up with reasons why I should smoke, none of which will hold water.

Thursday, June 2nd will be 2 weeks... 14 days... 336 hours... 20,160 minutes... 1,209,600 seconds... since the last cigarette. Actually, the last cigarette was roughly 11:30 something Thursday night, May 19th. Well shit, remembering that didn't help at all. Time for food.

Memorial Day and the end of vacation

Hard to believe vacation is over, and it's back to work tomorrow.  The weather has been great...  everything from record heat to rain showers.  Still lots of work to do in the yard, but at least I made some headway.  The house is another matter... lots of work to do inside, like the main bathroom... still not sure how I should fix the wall in there.  The front of the house (north side) needs a good cleaning, so I need to either buy a pressure washer, or at least go rent one.

 

Day 11 with no cigarettes.  Being off work was the way to do it, although it will be a challenge tomorrow to make it through the day.  Hopefully it will be a quiet day.  I can only imagine how many emails I have to wade through.

 

The reality is that I really do have it made, compared to other folks I know.  I just wish I could get that thought through my head and into my heart.  Believe it.  Know it to be true.  And move on.  Get on with life.  And make a difference.

Day 7 and all is well

Wow, I've made it to day 7 and already noticing a difference. Taste and smell has returned, but I really need to keep an eye on the appetite. Ravenous would be an accurate word to describe my food intake.

Apparently, ants love hoyas also. I have two Hoya carnosas in my south-facing window over the kitchen sink. One is all green, and the other has variegated leaves of green and cream, with the new leaves a light pink in color. The all green hoya has been blooming non stop since February, due to our warm and sunny dry winter. Also known as the porcelain or wax flower plant, the tiny flowers look like they're made out of wax, and smell wonderful. During the last week, however, sugar ants decided that they also like hoya blooms, so I'm gonna have to figure something out. The all green one has just taken off, and had literally grown in back of the oak kitchen cabinets... I pulled out multiple runners at least two - three feet long. Currently have five rooted in water ready to plant, not the mention the four I've already given away. And it's obviously time to cut back more of the runners. Hoyas are from the South Pacific from Northern Australia to China.




I also propagate Streptocarpus gardenii to share with friends. Also known as the Cape Primrose, the species is from South Africa. The variety pictured is Daisy Jane.

And you thought this would be an interesting read...

Beautiful day today...  sunny, breezy, and currently 72 degrees.  Front yard is mowed, and now taking a break to feed the animals.  Not sure if it's psychological or physiological, but it seemed easier to mow the yard today.  Could it be that after only 5 days of no cigarettes, this old body of mine is already reaping the benefits?  That would sure be cool.

 

The weather forecast keeps improving with even warmer temperatures for tomorrow and now lasting through Friday.  Weekend is now iffy with a chance of rain and temps in the 70s, but of course, this is a holiday weekend...  Memorial Day.  This is, after all, Oregon.  Pick a summer holiday, and it will rain.  Guaranteed.  Such is life in Oregon.

Tuesday Afternoon...

Well, here it is Tuesday, day 5 of no cigs and doing reasonably well. Took the Mazda to the mocha drive-through this morning, and of course the ashtray was full of dead cigarette butts.

Note to Don... clean car before taking it for a ride again.

Just beautiful weather this week... the weather forecast improves each day... tomorrow in the 80s and Thursday close to 90. Thankfully, when it gets warm in western Oregon, the humidity is always really low. The next two days will be perfect for laying out in the backyard with the sounds of ocean waves crashing on the shore courtesy an ocean sounds CD. I better get to mowing the front yard.

Monday, Monday...

A beautiful but cool day today, with the weather really improving.  Opened all the windows to air the house out.  I seemed to have lucked out on taking this week for vacation.  Last week we had mostly rain, this week sunny with highs expected in the 80s by the end of the week.  Gosh, I love the sunshine.  I bought one of those nice chaise lounges...  the kind hotels and apartment complexes have.  Costco had them on sale, so I had to get one for the patio.  Looking forward to using it later this week.

 

Day 4 of no cigs and I'm actually feeling better.  The headache seems to come and go...  must be all the extra oxygen I'm getting.  Definitely seeing my appetite increase, so some work in the yard tomorrow will be a good thing.  And already seeing the benefit of the teeth whitening.  I wear the tray at night...  I barely remember a really bizarre dream last night about the tray and having a cigarette.  No idea what happened.

 

There's the microwave, so din-din is ready.  Later on...

Day 2 1/2

So far, so good, except for the rotten headache that's going on.  I slept in yesterday, then met with Rebecca at Noon.  On the way home, I stopped at Buster's, the new BBQ place for lunch on south Commercial.  They say they're Texas-style BBQ.  Well, I know Texas-style BBQ, and Buster's isn't... just another wanna be.  Hell, they don't even have sweet tea.  When I got home, I laid down for a nap and slept until 8pm.

 

I understand why folks gain weight when they quit smoking.  After a good meal, a cigarette is like the final touch.  A signal that you've finished eating.  I could start eating now and not stop until later.  That trip through the Sizzler's salad bar is sounding better by the minute.  Maybe a nap is just the right thing for now.

Come What May

It's 12:30 in the freaking morning and I can't sleep so I'll write instead.  The mad ramblings of a nicotine-deprived person.  Now 25 hours since the last cigarette.  Already took 2 Benadryl, thinking they would make me sleepy.  Now, if anything, I'm feeling a little stoned, or at the very least, somewhat elevated off the floor.  If I was a drinking man, I'd make a Spanish Coffee which would do the trick...  but then I'd want a damn cigarette!  So I'll just keep writing.

 

You may have noticed that I upgraded to a regular blog.  I started off doing the blog in Notepad and coding the HTML, but I found this cool software that lets you blog on your own page.  I can actually send an email to a particular address and it gets posted automatically.  Pretty cool stuff.  So far it's been free, so I'm not sure what the catch is...  nothing in this world comes without a price.  Blogger was purchase by Google, so maybe it's just something cool Google is supporting.

 

Okay, it's time for sleep.

 

4 Hours later...

God, I want a cigarette.  My brain is telling me to just have one, and that's all.

 

ut-sha up-a, ain-bra

 

It's either a cigarette or a 1/2 gallon of lactose-free ice cream, which will still put me in the john for most of the night.  Must be all the sugar.  Maybe I can just sleep through all of this.  Maybe I should go for a walk, and take the dogs along with.  Later...

 

So far, so good...

Here it is at 4:30pm and no cigarettes today.  I've stayed busy today, at least as much as possible, and am doing alright.  I would love a couple of trips through a Sizzler's food bar, followed by 2 or 3 deserts.

 

Met my wonderful friend Judy, aka Momma-san, for coffee this morning.  She and I used to work together...  twice...  and has been a wonderful friend.  She retired from state service a couple of years ago, and now lives in Boise.  It was great to see her, and I got a couple of pictures of us together.  Since my new truck was from California, I then went to the Oregon DMV so they could inspect the VIN number. That took all of 5 minutes.  Then a stop by Subway, followed by a trip to the dentist to start the teeth whitening process.  Now I'm sitting here at home, waiting to meet my sister and our friend Dian Lewis with Coldwell Banker, for a walk through of Donna's new condo.  Weather has been weird today, as we've had a couple of hellacious thunderstorms roll through.  Looking forward to warmer sunny weather beginning tomorrow through most of next week.

The countdown is now...

Well, I have one more cigarette left in my pack... and the anxiety has already arrived. The fear of waking up tomorrow morning and not being able to reach for that "wake me up" smoke is really making me a little nuts.

Well, make that no cigarettes left in my pack. Lord, give me strength. Deep breathing, bubble gum, and lots of low calorie snacks are just gonna have to work. I'm heading to bed before I get in the truck and drive to the store. Peace!

Go Live in 2005!

Today was the "go live" day for our contracts and purchasing folks... thankfully, it went very well. We're definately running it right down to the wire, as all users must be moved over to the new version by June 30th. I look forward to the day when we can just do our work and see how the new system runs. I'm still working in the old system for some parts of my job, but that too will be moved over. I'm looking forward to some system testing next month, after vacation is over.

When I started in accounting, I had to learn both systems. The older version, aka "green screens", was mainframe based, while the update is client server based, and uses internet screens and java scripting to operate. There have been some fun times, betwen the JAS server gagging, folks not wanting to get with the program and learn and use the new system, plus some good ol fashioned generalized bitchin about change.

Counting down the hours....

And the countdown is on... both for my vacation and stopping smoking. Already removed all the ashtrays and now only smoke outside. I was smoking not quite a pack a day. One reward is Friday afternoon, when I go back to the dentist to start the teeth whitening process. I look at it as both a reward and insurance... a reward in being a good thing to have nice pearly whites, and as in insurance because I won't smoke if I've paid $275 to have my teeth whitened. Such is Don... reward and insurance.

My sister signed the papers on her condo offer today which is a really wonderful thing. We've both been through a lot, and caring for Dad and all the legal crap we had to go through was more than I want to or will explain here. Suffice it to say... MAKE SURE YOU HAVE A F-ING WILL!!! It will save your family tons of work and heartache. I remember holding my Father's hand when he was passing, telling him it was okay, and that we would be okay. And that I would watch out for Donna and make sure she was okay. It sounds a little melodramatic to remember that time now, but it was true and something I'm determined to do. My sister is pretty dog-gone cool. The first time I met her (I didn't know I had an older sister until I was almost 10) it was the summer of 1970. She lived in San Diego, had a cute dark green Toyota Corolla, a little Sony portable black and white TV (remember the commercials... a Sony of my owny?), and had red Close Up toothpaste. Hell, I didn't even know there was toothpaste other than Crest. She was cool then, and even cooler now.

Friday the 13th

It's Friday after work 8pm-ish, and it's been one hell of a week. Of course, being Friday the 13th didn't help. Thankfully, our accounting system ran fine with no problems. I stayed busy all day long, working on emails for online security access. My hands are actually sore from all the typing. Got my desk pretty much caught up, with another 20 or so emails to handle, so I'll spend next week - a short 4-day week - taking care of emails as they come in, plus processing any incoming A/P invoices. Just 4 more days and I'm gone from work until Tuesday the 31st. And the rain has started... a rare-for-this-area thunderstorm moving up the valley from the south. Tomorrow I'm going with my sister to Lowe's to look at drop-in ranges and washer/dryers. She's put an offer on a condo where several folks I know live. I hope she gets it... she's an awesome sister and deserves only the very best. And I'm gonna make sure that's what she gets.

A bargain for me...

The guy from Autoland called me at work this morning... he starts the conversation... "well, I've got bad news and good news." I ask "So, you want the truck back?" He laughed and said no. The loan documents were clobbered by the printer or computer, so he needed me to come back in to sign the loan documents again. So I asked if that was the bad or the good news. He laughed again and said that was the bad news, because when the credit union ran the loan documents again, my credit had somehow improved in a week's time and my loan interest rate had dropped more than 2 points. So my payment is even less than I'd budgeted for. How cool is that?

I got home from work and started mowing the yard. Finished at 9:20pm... yes, in the dark. LOL Our damn weather has been so weird... first it was a warm and very dry winter, now we're getting all the storms and rain we normally get in the winter. Supposed to rain beginning tomorrow evening through next Friday, with a big storm coming in Wednesday with high winds. I had to get the yard mowed... the grass was past my knees in the backyard. What a freaking mess!!!

My baby's here

The call came in at work around 10:30am to tell me my truck was on the way. Unfortunately, just as they were exiting I-5 at the Market Street exit here in town, a truck in front of the driver threw a rock and crack went the windshield on my new baby. Took my lunch late at 1:00pm, and got a ride to the credit union. And there she was... my beautiful new baby! The guy was already there replacing the windshield, so I went in and started signing the paperwork and loan documents. We weren't even finished when the guy walked in and handed us the keys.

The truck is even nicer than I'd hoped for. The camper shell, or canopy, or topper (depending on where you live) is a really nice one with gray carpeting attached for insulation. The interior is perfect, and it has not been smoked in. There's more room that I realized in back of the seats in the extended cab area. The third door is awesome. I know the dogs are going to love going for a ride now. Still has another year on the manufacturer's warranty. I purchased an extended warranty (6-years, 60,000 miles) so it's covered until the year 2011 or 77,527 miles. It rides and drives very well, and the first CD I played was Coldplay's "A Rush of Blood to the Head". Very, very cool. Yes, it's a guy thing.

Where's my baby?

Today was supposed to be the day when the new addition arrived, but the new transport company Autoland uses was delayed... so now I'm waiting for tomorrow. Autoland is a car brokerage service that works with credit unions. You can walk into a credit union, tell the person what you're looking for - new or used - and they get to work. The person I worked with called me the following morning with just what I was looking for.

Friday at last

It was sure "a week" at work. Finally able to complete two major projects, one of which I'd tried to work on over a year ago. At the time my emails were ignored, but now that the biennium is almost over, it became an issue. Funny how time (or the lack of time) can motivate folks. The other issue was one of the non-payment of certain bills, which affected numerous cost centers and budgets. Also funny how someone - who used to work where I work - and who was supposed to pay the above mentioned bills, got to leave to go to another job, no harm - no foul, and move on, leaving one hell of a mess to clean up in her wake. That's me... Mr. Fix-It. Mr. Clean-Up. Thank God it's Friday. By the way, you'll see me say Thank God it's Friday often... and I'm still waiting for next Tuesday.

Still here...

Well, here it is 12 years later and I'm still here... and my wonderful Mazda is still running, although showing it's 16 years of age and 145,800 miles. I've wanted a truck for a long while, and actually hoped I'd be able to buy my Dad's pickup from the estate when he passed - a 1992 Dodge Dakota that had just over 23,000 miles with the original tires. But the rotten witch of a caregiver got Dad to sign his truck over to her for $1 without telling my sister or I about it. No, I'm not bitter... just very disappointed.

When I got the Mazda, I assumed it would be the last car I ever owned. At the time, I was actually fearful of not being able to work long enough to pay it off. But thanks to the miracles of science and modern medicine... actually, thanks to some unknown medical research technician working late into the night (my glorified Lifetime made-for-TV movie version!) I'm still here. Similar to the way I finally got my courage up to use my VA loan to buy my wonderful home, I visited the credit union, thinking all they could say was no. But they didn't... and next Tuesday after work, a co-worker friend is dropping me off at the credit union to pickup my new baby... a 2003 GMC Sonoma Extended Cab (with a 3rd door!) new-to-me Pickup, already with a camper shell. 4-speed automatic, 2.2 liter 4-banger, 17,467 miles, and another milestone in my so called life. And Helen at First Technology Credit Union... You Rock!

The headache that wouldn't die

Had a ultra-quiet weekend... rotten headache that started Saturday lasted through most of Sunday. I was supposed to go to breakfast with my sister Sunday morning, but cancelled. Just wasn't up to it, and wanted to sleep through the headache, which kind of worked. Doc appointment this morning in Portland, so I left the house at 7:15 to get there by 8:40. Actually made good time and was 10 minutes early. It's the damn commuter traffic that I hit when I-205 runs into I-5 north of Wilsonville. Five lanes of traffic and it all slows to a crawl. The drive home only takes 50 minutes or so with the cruise control set at 72. Had to fast this time for lab work... last time my triglycerides were over 1200, primarily due to the meds. So I get to run 10-30 weight instead of plasma.

My doc wrote me all new prescriptions, so I could move all my scripts to Walgreens, which is just down the road, open 24/7, plus I can request refills via the Internet. Tired and fed up with the current pharmacy... I use my debit card to pay, and they sometimes take as much as two weeks to deduct the money, and 2 times now they've deducted the money twice, which is really a pain in the ass when it's a week before payday. They are very nice folks at the current pharmacy, but small town pharmacies really need to get with the program... it's called the 20th century. And Don's surfing the technology wave as fast and as far and as long as he can... :)

Looking forward to vacation later this month. I took Friday, May 20th off, plus the following week. Which means a 3-day weekend, 5 days off, and then another 3-day weekend (Memorial Day). Friday, May 20th, is the stop smoking day... there was no way I could quit smoking and work too... I'd be too much of a shit to work with. Hopefully the weather will be nice, and I can take my frustrations out on the backyard with the electric hedge trimmers. I really need to quit... period. And am pretty much a dumb ass for continuing to smoke.