Things I Will and Won’t Quit
I quit smoking a couple of months ago, because it’s bad for me and because I was getting way too wheezy for a 29 year-old man. I’ve put on weight since quitting, but I feel better in every other way so it was worth it. I quit instant messaging many months ago, because it was a huge distraction and time sink for me. I’ve been more productive since quitting IM, so that was also worth it. I will not, however, quit blogging.
I have been a bad, bad blogger. Two months; no posts. Even worse, many of my distant friends keep in touch by reading and commenting on one another’s blog posts. Not only have I not been posting here, I also haven’t been keeping up with my friends’ blogs. I could do the usual “I’ve been so busy yadda yadda yadda” thing, but the fact is that isolating yourself from your friends is an asshole thing to do. For this, you have my apologies.
Updates are going to be more frequent here in the future. I’m also going to start blogging about Web-related stuff over on Zenscope.com. That means fewer posts about geeky Web stuff here, and more posts about things like music, politics, and hot chicks. You know, the important things in life. 
Stay tuned.
Have you ever tried a tea called Yerba Mate? It’s delicious, nutritious, appetite suppressive, and a great oral fixation (drunk through a traditional ‘bombilla’ straw). Not to mention a decent amount of caffeine, along with a few of its near-chemical-relatives. High in antioxidants, this beverage enjoys candle lit dinners and long walks on the beach.
I’ve replaced coffee with Mate (mah-teh). Even at work. My straw lives on my desk right next to my monitor. I’m the only guy in the office that drinks tea out of a straw.
Also, sunflower seeds are a great way to get outside for a few minutes for some more of that good ‘ol oral fixation. I also keep a pack of these around in case i can’t come up with a good excuse to unglue my butt from the chair.
Cheers!
Comment by Kev Burns — November 2, 2006 @ 4:34 am
You know, I’ve been thinking that lately. “That Adam, a real asshole he is.”
Glad to see you’re taking some responsibility for your deplorable actions.
Comment by Colleen — November 2, 2006 @ 3:00 pm
@Colleen: I suddenly have the urge to do a full-on Jimmy Swaggart–style tearful confession.
“I have seeeeiined!!” (weeps, tears at clothing, pours ashes on head, etc.)
Whew! I feel better after getting that out of my system.
Comment by Adam Messinger — November 2, 2006 @ 10:58 pm
@Kev: I’ve tried mate before, but it never really had the same effect after the first time. See, I didn’t smoke because of an oral fixation. It was all about the nicotine buzz. Any replacement is going to have to replace that, first and foremost.
The first time I tried mate was at the insistence of my then-girlfriend. She lived an hour away in another town, and I’d been at her place until 2 AM one night. I had to get back home for some reason I no longer remember, but I was completely exhausted from all the… Scrabble. Um, vigorous full-contact Scrabble.
Anyway she was worried that I’d die in a auto accident, and insisted I try some of this herbal tea she drank every morning. I’d already had three cups of coffee with little effect, so I figured “why not?”
The results were… interesting. I was euphoric for the whole drive, grinning like an idiot and singing along to a cranked-up radio (Jeremiah was a bullfrog!). The effect persisted after I got home, with me bouncing giddily around the house until about noon. At that point, I collapsed into a heap and slept like a dead man until the next morning.
I’ve tried mate twice since then — once from the girlfriend’s tea stash and once on my own — with diminishing returns each time. After the third try, it didn’t seem like much use to keep it up when coffee was a more reliable pick-me-up.
At any rate, thanks for the suggestion but it’s not a good fit for me. I’ve been drinking more coffee to replace the nicotine buzz, and the cigarette craving is mostly faded now. As for the weight gain, I’ll just have to deal with it the old-fashioned way: denial and broken New Year’s resolutions.
Comment by Adam Messinger — November 2, 2006 @ 11:19 pm