Gimme A Brag Instead Of A Drag!

Today almost went by unnoticed and unheralded by yours truly. I've been up to my armpits in volunteer stuff AGAIN as well as holding early voting for my utility district's bond election in my garage. What nearly went by me was that TODAY is my 15th anniversary quitting cigarettes! Yea me!

15 years ago I slapped on the largest patch they made to quit the nasty habit and it and some willpower did the trick. I'd quit once before for over a year and picked it right back up like I'd never walked away so I was wise to the ways of the cravings and just like the AA crowd I knew if I smoked even one I'd be doomed to fail again. I recognize that my personality is clearly susceptible to addictions. When I ate I ate large. When I smoked I smoked large. I buy too much when I shop. Compulsive is my middle name. All my emotions are just under the skin, right up near the surface just waiting to bust out and greet the situation....I cry, I laugh, I feel deeply and often. I also take a prescribed drug daily to keep most of that in check. And clearly this is TIA to share with the world at large, but I'm feeling successful and expansive tonight.

I might of kicked the weed but damn if I don't STILL crave a butt from time to time. THAT'S the part that just kills you. The brain remembers the joy long after the lungs have forgotten the wheeze! It's no wonder how difficult it is to stop something you brain thinks is cool!

I gained weight after I quit. It's pretty much a fact of life that you have to stick something in your mouth. Most folks don't want the weight gain so they rationalize the need for the addiction. Being obese will kill you. Being addicted to cigs will kill you too. LOTS of things will kill you. I wasn't really worried about that...what worried me is not dying, but living to drag oxygen on wheels around everywhere I went. Plus it's too damned expensive to smoke. Screw that sin tax stuff! I'd rather spend my money on computers or CDs or vacations.

Okay, okay, I'll jump down off my soapbox now. No one knows better than me that you can't make someone do anything they don't damn well want to do. I guess the whole point of this post is that you can do it if you want to. For real, if *I* can quit cigarettes and lose weight so can you. Do it for yourself or not because life is too short to not do what's best for you.

Say "YES" To Amendment #11

My buddy at the 1960 Sun, Brandon De Hoyos, who I've never met, wrote a letter to the editor of said newspaper and I'd like to reproduce it here...

While only a handful of voters will decide on this year's statewide constitutional amendments, I thought it was important to mention that we voters have a great opportunity to assert more accountability from our legislators this election.

Texas is one of only 10 states that does not require legislators to record their votes by name, which might explain how we get such bone-headed decisions in Austin.

This amendment is important as it would require a record of every vote by every legislator and then provide real time public access to those votes online.

Voting FOR Amendment 11 would only empower the voters by ensuring our legislators vote our way and not the way of their party or their lobbying buddies. I urge everyone to get to the polls and vote for Amendment 11.

I urge the passage of that amendment too! Please get out there and vote like you care even if you don't care! Voter apathy only works if you sit on your can and whine! Do what I do...get out and vote and THEN you can whine all you want secure in the knowledge that you are a good citizen and have earned the right to bitch and moan!

Huh? My Ears Are Stopped Up!

I swear it's getting worse too! It's been off and on for a couple of years, but the past 6 months or so my ears are stopped up more than ever plus I get off balance and stagger around like I'm enjoying some cheap wine!

So what do you do when you have a medical complaint besides complain? You go to the doctor. I made an appointment with an ENT and successfully completed a hearing test, a check on the pressure in my ears, an open MRI to make sure I have a brain and there is no evidence of anything blocking my ears from the brain side and finally an ENG test which was loads of cheap drunk feelin' fun.

I found out that I have a slight hearing loss in the high frequency range...I already knew that, but since the last test it hasn't gotten any worse and "considering I live in a metropoltian area and my age" it's no big deal. There is no evidence of anything untoward going on in my brain and YES I DO have one even though it "shows the usual evidence of normal aging". I was given an Rx for something mild to help with the dizziness and pretty much told it should all clear up "on its own" and to check back in 6 months. Ack! Oh and my OLD ears are "extremely" clear of wax which shot down my hope that it was a build up of crayons keeping me stopped up.

I don't want to take more drugs. I just want to hear or at least not have to walk around, correction, STAGGER around feeling like there are giant bubbles in both ears and not knowing if I'm talking too loudly or not talking at all! It seems worse when I do talk.

I know it's just allergies and the congestion is causing the eustachian tubes to block up and most people would just slug down a decongestant and be done with it, but I can't take decongestants since my MI. I take a generic Allegra every day for all the good it does. Sigh.

Oh and if I try to hold my nose close and blow it just makes it worse.

I'm bummed.

I think I'll go chew some gum. That sometimes helps.

Me And The Texas Ranger!

I've always wanted to meet a real Texas Ranger and now I have! He came out to talk to our Harris County Citizen Police Academy Alumni group tonight and he was just great. He answered all our questions about the organization and how it fits in with all the other law enforcement agencies in Texas.

Just like a good neighbor they don't just open the door and barge right in, they have to wait to be invited inside. Once inside they don't take over like they own the joint either...they work WITH for the best way to handle the individual situations.

The Texas Rangers are the oldest law enforcement organization on the North American continent with statewide jurisdiction and the premier law enforcement agency in the state.

He was a Texas State Trooper for 8 years before becoming a Texas Ranger and he holds the rank of Sergeant. He has worked all over the state before being assigned to Houston. Our group was honored and thrilled to hear what he had to say and I personally was tickled pink to get a photo of me with him!

Tomorrow I'm off to volunteer my time at a golf tournament for Women In Law Enforcement via my involvement with the Houston citizen Police Academy Alumni. That should be interesting too. I have a feeling sun screen will definitely be in order. Maybe I'll get some more pictures too.

RAD Revisited with Photos!

Awhile back I wrote my I'm Just A Gal That Can't Say No post and this is from yet another RAD class that was a huge success. These are a few of the photos that I took.... enjoy!

These are some of the instructors. The reason they are in black and white is for some reason there was too much yellow cast in the color copy and try as I might I wasn't satisfied with the corrections I tried to make on it so I said okay, there's more than one way to skin a cat...I'll just get rid of the color completely!



And these are some more of the instructors.




And if I have to explain this next picture then you're either a straight guy or a blind gal!





Yumeeee...