Still Quitted

It's been a while since I mentioned how the not smoking was going, and didn't want any of you to think this meant I had caved, so I will mention it now...

I had to check my own blog archives to see when I quit smoking. It seems like forever ago, yet was just February 2nd. This coming Tuesday will be one month. I quit using the patches two weeks ago because they were irritating my skin, so I've just been plugging along on determination.

It gets easier with time. I can now drink a cup of coffee or a beer and not even think about smoking. I do, however, still get the craving right after I eat, but even that is less severe than it was. The urge to smoke while driving or talking on the phone is gone. The toughest day of the week is Saturday. Not sure exactly why. I still get those intense "punch in the gut" cravings, but there are fewer now. Still using, "I quitted!" on Mrs. Leslie to get attention. Works like a charm.

I really think it is safe to say I am out of the woods, and won't be going back.

We got home too late to watch a movie last night, so opted for a documentary instead. I had to flip a coin (my favorite means of making decisions), as it was between "What Are Dreams?" and "Beer Wars." Dreams won.

Quite interesting research has been done on dreams. I found it particularly interesting since I dream so much, and have such vivid, off the wall dreams. It's worth a rent if you are interested in such things.



We have lots to take care of this week, and I really need to make a list. The next two weeks will be hectic, but this kind of change is good, and it's all worth it. Things are going so well for us now. If I'm dreaming don't wake me, or I'll punch you square in the neck! :)

Treeless Mountain, Both Versions

Do foreign movies ever have a real ending, or get to the point? We watch so many, and they never seem to have the big finish, happy/sad/shocking ending, or moral to the story that American movies have.

Case in point: Treeless Mountain. Now keep in mind that this could be any of a number of foreign movies we have watched over the past two years. I'm picking on this one because it was the latest viewing.

I freely admit that I chose to watch this one, based on the following description: "Sisters Jin and Bin must fend for themselves when their mother abruptly packs her things, leaving the girls in the care of their alcoholic aunt without a word as to when she'll return. In a tale of innocence lost, the sisters try to make sense of their mother's absence. But in the meantime, 6-year-old Jin will be forced to mature far beyond her tender years."

Sounds dramatic. Poignant even, eh? Nope. Mother dumps them off. Monotone. Aunt keeps them for a while. Monotone. Aunt gets tired of them and dumps them at the Grandparents house. Monotone. The End. 

While watching, I Americanized the script in my head...

The Mother is a raging crackhead hooker that decides she can no longer care for her daughters. She dumps them off at her sister's doorstep in the middle of the night in the pouring down rain while her sister is out at the local bar getting wasted with old perverts. 

The sister returns, sees the girls, and is majorly pissed. She tries to call the the girl's crackhead Mother to come get the little brats out of there, but her pre-paid phone is out of minutes. She tells the girls they can stay, but only if they do everything they are told. Otherwise, they will be sold to the Carnies that come through a few times a year. The ones that eat children.

For months the Aunt makes the girls massage her feet, brush her hair, drive her to the bar, clean up her vomit. [insert many drunken, dramatic scenes where there is screaming and things get broken] Finally, when the Aunt has use for them no more, she decides to push them off on the Grandparents.

This is the best thing to ever happen to them. Their grandmother is Carol Brady, and their grandfather, Mr. Miyagi. 

They are shown love, kindness, and how to catch flies with chopsticks. They flourish, and their hard knock lives become just a distant memory. 

Of course the grandparents die [insert emotional crying scene] but this just gives the girls enough screen time to reflect on all they have learned. By now they are fine adults, and when they walk away from the grandparents grave, hand in hand, into the sunset, you can't help but be moved knowing that if they can overcome such adversity in their life, then you can too! 

Yay for movies! Yay for life! Yay for lessons learned! Yay for...oh, enough already.

Turn the Page

The move to the new house can't come quick enough. I'm so excited to turn the page on to something better. Not that our current place wasn't a blessing, quite the contrary, but we have both worked hard this past year, and now have the ability to move on to something bigger and better.

Of course it wouldn't be possible without the help of my Dad and his partner, Don. I am so thankful that when my biological father took off, God put a REAL father for us in his place. I am extremely fortunate.

Need to shower, throw some dinner together, and then settle in for a movie. I love the s-video cable, and wonder why I never listened to Mrs. Leslie a few months ago when she said, "We should go buy a s-video cable." No, I just waited and then one day announced, "Let's go to Best Buy and get a s-video cable" and then stood there with a huge grin on my face like it was my idea all along.

Mrs. Leslie, not one to ever just roll over, or be outdone, replied, "Sure, just like I said we should months ago." Doh!!!

You Don't Know Jack(s)

I did get a few things done yesterday, or should I say, "half done" which is really unlike me. I generally finish what I start. So yes, I am a tad perplexed as to why I would clean the walls and edge of the shower, but then walk off and not finish the bottom inside of the tub. Lucky for me, when Mrs. Leslie went to take a bath she finished the job with no questions asked.

I also replaced the broken vacuum cleaner belt, and the proceeded to not vacuum even one room. Clothes in the washer? Never made it to the dryer. I'm blaming PMS. It throws me so out of whack. Today I will go back and finish the things I started. I swear it!

Mrs. Leslie and I spent the better part of the afternoon trying to decided what (if anything) to do last night. I wanted the track or bowling, she had no preference. Finally we decided to just grab a burger and stay in and watch movies. The reason I'm even telling this is because it reminds me of a funny story...

The place we went to get burgers is called, "Jacks." All of you that live in the South are very familiar with it. Mrs. Leslie, who is from Vermont, was not. One Sunday after church my family was trying to decide where to go eat. Someone needed to hurry, and we knew all the sit down places would be packed and take forever, so my Mother says, "Let's just go to Jack's."

Everyone agrees. We load up in our cars and head down the street. Mrs. Leslie looks at me, dead serious, and says, "Who's Jack?"

She had never heard of the place, and thought we were going to someone's house. It still makes me laugh, two years later.

For those of you that don't know Jack(s), here you go: Jack's Restaurant - History