Hey All

[Timmay]

Hey wanted to take a few minutes of your time and shoot the sh*t with y'all.  I havent been posting much here lately.  Been sorta down in the dumps.  I dunno what it is..just you know you get tired of dealing with all the crap in life.  Seems like I have been investing more time here at work and when I get home we have a huge remodeling project ..that we thought oh we can do taht ourselves..Well it is going on week number 2 and we are almost there...just be glad to get the house back to normal.  There are mornings I wake up ..and this is the most devistating....I dotn even want to shave my head.  I have the thoughts I aint messing with it today and before long ..maybe an hour or two later..I cant stand no having the head smooth..so back to the showers I go and shave it off.  You ever feel like you just wished that everyone around you ...would just dissapear for like an a day.  No one callign you wanting this or that.  Sometimes I feel like just running.  I have no idea what brought all of this on...but I am hoping this long weekend will help make it pass.  Its just all unnecessary stress.  Stress taht I need not to worry about.  I try to tell myself..things will get done when they get done and there is nothign we can do about it.  I dunno..sorry for coming in here and not having a good positive outlook on things...hopefully next post will be better.
Thanks to all...
Tim

[jusbnme]

Hey brother, don't feel too bad man.  We all get like that every now and then.  To be honest I haven't been feeling all that cheerful myself lately but I know that it's just because of stress.  It happens man.  The wife and I have been living here with my grandmother for near 2 years now helping her out because of her health.  Then after a few months of moving in my wife gave birth to my son.  Then he had complications and I had to quit my job to take care of him because the place I worked at obviously did not have any kind of a heart.  Then within a year my son had problem after problem.  Nothing major but still just things over and over again to make us worry.  He is doing very good now and is very healthy.  But it's been like a year and a half since I have worked and our money is running very thin.  Which is our own fault.  We both liked the fact of me staying home with him and not working versus someone else doing it.  But now we're basically living paycheck to paycheck and on credit.  I am about to go back to school within a year to go for a career that I "think" I really want to have.  On top of all of this we constantly have people stopping by here whenever they feel like it without a notice because it's still considered "Nanny's House."  So we never have any privacy or down time to really relax.  But like I said man, it happens to everybody.  Just in different ways.  We all go through some type of stress every now and then in one way or the other.  But it's not the end of the world.  My family and I still have our health.  We can still put food on the table.  We are not homeless.  We have clothes on our backs.  Plus the main thing is we have each other.  It could always be worse dude.  It all works out in the end one way or the other.  Sometimes it may take a little longer for some then others but it does work out.  It's funny sometimes though.  When I get in those kinds of moods I'll ask my wife to mess with her, "Is this how you feel when you are on your period."  She will always joke back by saying, "Yeah, but I don't bitch as much."  She can be a real comedian sometimes. 

[JohnMont]

We'd all be kidding ourselves if we came in here evey time and said 'everything's cool; its great to be sly; etc.  Timm; sounds like you're having a minor bout of depression;  which we all have.  Sometimes I feel like I've got so much on my plate that I can't possiblly do ANY of it; and will have a few days where I do exactly NOTHING.   But I pull myself out of it; analyse things; realize how good I've got it. 

Yeah; Lance,  money  (or lack of it) can cause a lot of anxiety.  Hope the new career move goes ok.  The walls can feel like they are closing in sometimes; but to use a cliche'  'there is always someone worse off than you.'   I know what it's like living paycheck to paycheck; ... but the reality is;  many folks who make lots of money (drs. lawyers, etc) ; live that way too.   It's good to occasionally step back ; analyze the situation and see how good we really have it.  for example; if I ran out of money today; would I really end up on the street?  No; there are any number of people in my life who would take me in.  Hopefully that's the same for everyone here; and if not; all of us sly guys could pitch in to help. 

Hope this helps; ... all I can really say, is that  you guys are not alone; we are all friends here , and none of us live in a perfect world.  And so; thank God for friends and family !

John

[Timmay]

John and Lance...thanks buddies.  Yeah I know I could have it worse.  I just returned from a mission trip to Haiti...trust me ...I know how bad it can get.  It is just that you get to a point in the middle of the road and you got to stop, rest and regroup. I think that is what I did and then I seen everything that was laid before me.  Like one of those times you go...WHAT AM I DOING?  But all will work out in the end...just today itself coming home from work and getting all the little things done and out of the way and then taking a 3 hour nap sure helped alot.  All three of the kids are gone so it is just me and the wife and I think we are going to go out for dinner and then go to the boat club and have a few drinks with some friends...ya know...just chill out. Well you all are great people and I am glad that our paths have crossed.  I knew I could count on some encouraging words from you all.  Oh another thing that is bothering me....I am quiting smoking...yeah...now compound that ontop of everything else......gezzzzzzzzz put myself thru the wringer or what??  Just wish me luck ...if anything else ..pray that I kick  this smoking habit of 19 years....
See you all around in teh post....hopefully next time I will have lifting news! 
Thanks again Lance and John..

[xnewyawka]

Hey Tim, glad you are feeling better. It usually just takes a bit of time to get it in perspective.

One thing you must do is: Quit the smoking!! You will no doubt feel 100% better when you get it over and behind you. Just think of how good it felt when you finally shaved the dome. If you look at it in a similar way, maybe it can give you a little extra push, no?

Good luck and hang in there, bro!   

[jusbnme]

Yeah bro, trying to quit smoking can be very hard.  I'm still sort of young but I had smoked for 10 years when I finally gave it up about 2 years ago when my son was born.  It was the hardest thing I ever did.  It can be very frustrating and really mess with your nerves.  But if it helps you at all once you do finally kick it for a long period of time it really does make you feel great.  It sort of boosts your confidence kind of like shaving the dome.  You catch yourself thinking once in a while, "Man, it's been 'however long' since I quit, cool."  People that have never smoked are always acting like it's no big deal and some have even said, "Why don't you just quit?"  They act like it's something you can turn on and off.  It's a horrible addiction that takes control of your mind more than people realize unless they have ever done it.  I'm not coming down on them for not doing it.  I consider those people very lucky they will never experience it but they should at least respect people that have fallen victim to the addiction and not act like smokers are making a big deal out of nothing.  Before finally kicking it I had tried the gum, patches, mints, and just about anything else you can think of.  Even some of the pill rip offs they advertised on tv.  In my opinion I have found that nothing will really work 100% until a person is ready in their own mind to give it up.  To say I know I need to quit and actually knowing you want to are 2 totally different things.  At least that has been my experience.  I hope I haven't just rambled you to death here.  I hope I have given some helpful advice one way or the other.  A few personal things that helped me were to constantly remind myself of the bad points of smoking and what I did not like about it.  If I felt the urge to try again I would always remind myself of how bad it made my clothes smell or how bad they would make me cough.  Things like that.  Plus try and find something to keep you very busy as a hobby.  Besides my son coming along and chasing him all day I like to go for a 3 or 4 mile walk everyday if I can.  It keeps me busy, gives me exercise, and works out the nerves that I would usually want a cigarette to calm.  Good luck buddy and post up if you need any support. 

[PBurke]

i just quit smoking about 2.5 months ago. was hard. but with support from freinds and family, i did it. if you need to vent let me know. i still get the urge sometimes. it gets easier everyday. good luck bro. paulie

[andrew]

Stay strong Tim in quiting smoking.  It is very difficult for sure.  I quit 20 years ago and still get the urge when I smell the smoke from someone else smoking.  But, I've remained strong and not given in to the temptation.

Everyone has stuff going on in their lives that presents challenges.   The thing that has continued to bring me down is paying my ex-wife allimony.  She was very greedy when we got divorced 6.5 years ago and whacked me hard.  I was also paying high child support but won a nasty custody battle with her a few years back, which was the best thing for my daughter and wiped out the child support.  I still pay for 100% of my daughters expenses, in that if my ex buys her a pair of underwear she gives me a receipt for reimbursement.  But,  1.5 years to go before I get her off the payroll, and then it's time for a BIG PARTY.

My mother always reminds me that it was worth every penny to rid of her.   Have a great wife now, so I guess she was right.

Hang in there Tim ....

[JDog]

Tim I know how you are feeling with the quitting smoking bro. On October 19th I'll be 1 year without a cigarette after smoking for 16 years.(I started smoking when I was 10)

Like all the bros say,it can be very difficult and messes with your head a lot but you will feel so much better for it both physically and mentally.

You'll actually be able to walk up a set of stairs without wheezing.LOL

Good luck with it all mate and we are all here for you.

[warhawk]

hey timmy.... thanks 4 responding 2 my pm by letting me know that u  r  okay.  hope that u will quit smoking.  as u know.... i am a RN @ a local hospital in beautiful FLORIDA.  i work in a respiratory, renal, & cardiac floor.  so.... i take care of long-time smokers everytime i work on my floor.  smoking is the hardest habit 2 break.  PERIOD.  and EXCLAMATION POINT.  let me give u a little medical lecture from me 2 u & anyone who wants 2 stop smoking.  it may b rather long but this is some gr8 info:

WHEN SMOKERS QUIT:  within 20 minutes of smoking that last cigarette, the body begins a series of changes that continues for years.

20 minutes:
...blood pressure drops to normal
...pulse rate drops to normal
...body temperature of hands & feet increases to normal

8 hours:
...carbon monoxide level in blood drops to normal
...oxygen level in blood increases to normal

24 hours:
...chance of a heart attack decreases

48 hours:
...nerve endings start regrowing
...ability to smell & taste is enhanced

2 weeks - 3 months:
...circulation improves
...walking becomes easier
...lung function increases up to 30 percent

1 month to 9 months:
...coughing, sinus congestion, fatigue, shorness of breath decreases
...cilia regrow in lungs, increasing ability to handle mucus, clean the lungs, reduce infection
...body's overall energy increases

1 year:

...excess risk of coronary heart disease is half that of a smoker

5 years:

...lung cancer death rate for average former smoker (one pack a day) decreases by half
...stroke risk is reduced to that of a nonsmoker 5-15 years after quitting
...risk of cancer of the mouth, throat, & esophagus is half that of a smoker's

10 years:

...lung cancer death rate similar to that of nonsmokers
...precancerous cells are replaced
...risks of cancer of the mouth, throat, esophagus, bladder, kidney, & pancreas decreases

15 years:

...risk of coronary heart disease is that of a non-smoker

anyways.... that is my 2 cents.....

WARHAWK

[Stu]

That is good stuff to know warhawk.  I wish my mother-in-law could have known that years ago.  She'll never give it up at this point unfortunately.

[JDog]

Warhawk, Thanks for the great info mate. This is very encouraging to see how every month that goes by without a cigarette ,our bodies are healing,specifically how.

If that isnt a reason to want to quit,then I dont know what is.

[warhawk]

Warhawk, Thanks for the great info mate. This is very encouraging to see how every month that goes by without a cigarette ,our bodies are healing,specifically how.

If that isnt a reason to want to quit,then I dont know what is.

jdog...no problem, brah.  oh....nice sbg shirt!

WARHAWK

[jusbnme]

Thanks warhawk.  That was awesome bro.  Just one more reason for me to feel great that I have given it up. 

You can do the same Tim.  You just have to want to make yourself healthier.  Good luck.

[shyslyguy]

Hey TimmJ,

I can totally sympathize re the trying to quit smoking thing. I still need to give up. Congrats Paul on sticking with it thus far & to everyone else who's managed to quit.

Great info Warhawk! - Think I might print that out & keep it to hand.

Lance, it was interesting reading about how you quit. The bit about reminding yourself why you want to quit when you felt like a ciggie .... well, I try & do that, but sometimes it almost seems like there's two people in me ... one who wants to quit & one who most definitely doesn't - the one who doesn't pops up just as I want a ciggie & frankly ... he doesn't seem to care about any of that rational logical stuff!

I've smoked since I was about 11 or 12 too & I really do need to quit but each time I try & fail it seems harder to have another go! Wish I could manage it though & I am determined to have another go soon!

Last time I was doing really well until we had some friends staying for the weekend - they are like chain-smokers & I found that, for the first time in my life, the smoke was really getting to me, it was like I suddenly realized what all the non-smokers had been saying about smoke being really irritating to their chests & eyes etc, anyway, in the end, the only way I could stand it was to just give up & join them ... (which sounds really weird I know) & since then, I've been smoking again, though not anywhere near as heavily as before.

Anyway, sorry for rambling on ....

GOOD LUCK TimmJ