Update

Thanks to everyone for the well wishes. I had a couple people stop by to check up on me, so I thought I should probably give an update. I'm doing well; I had my first post-op appointment yesterday and everything's healing as it should, but I do have an infection. It's not anything serious, I just have to take an antibiotic for 10 days. It's more of an annoyance than anything else. Other than that, life is crazy. I transferred to the York office last week, and it kind of sucks, but I have bigger things on my plate to worry about right now. I'm getting ready to move as much as I can considering there's nowhere to put anything in the house. I'm having an issue with Comcast which sucks because I'm going to be using them as my ISP and the spring semester starts the day I move, so it'll be massively inconvenient to try to do an online class without having internet access at home. But I can always stay late at work, go to the library, or go to my parents' house, so it's not the end of the world.

I'm off to bed--I've been so exhausted lately that I actually sat down at my computer last night at 9 to work on a paper and fell asleep right there at my desk. I hope everyone who celebrates Christmas has a great one!

Thanksgiving

Sorry it has been a while...I think everyone's sort of slacking on the blogging front. I tend to do most of my communication on Facebook, so hit me up if we're not friends there yet. I also started a private blog a few months ago, but my use for that is over. To get you up to speed, I'm having minor surgery next Tuesday and I'm moving out on my own in January. I was using that blog as a place to gather my thoughts.

I went out for dinner with a friend from high school last Tuesday and then went to dinner with Rusty and her family on Wednesday. Thursday was Thanksgiving dinner with just my parents due to some extended family drama. Rusty and I huge out briefly after our respective family meals, but we were both in a tryptophan-induced haze. On Friday I cleaned and stayed as far away from malls and shopping centers as possible in the morning, then Rusty and I went out to dinner and to some stores...things calm down in the evening. On Saturday I cleaned, did laundry, watched movies, and did some school work. Sunday was more of the same and then I took yesterday off and ran some errands. Today was total insanity at work and I was NOT glad to be back. December is going to be completely crazy starting with bloodwork tomorrow (they can NEVER find my veins), dinners out with friends, surgery, transferring from the Harrisburg office to the York office, post-op appointments, Rusty coming home, Christmas, New Year's, winter semester... I would love to crash in January but there's moving and even more class. I don't think I'll have a chance to relax till June, but it's ok...idle hands are the devil's workshop.

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving and I'll try to check in as much as possible throughout December!

Saying Good-Bye to an Old Friend

Not too long ago, Rusty asked me what it's like to quit smoking. There are good points and bad points:

Good

Saving money!
My house doesn't smell (as much--Chris still smokes)
I'm so much more productive now that my time isn't dictated by how long it takes me to finish a cigarette
I no longer hack up a lung like an old man after I laugh too hard
My lungs don't hurt in the morning anymore
I'm less likely to die of lung cancer
I feel good about myself for having the willpower to quit my 11 year 1-2 pack a day habit cold turkey

Bad

Not having something to do to fill up empty time
Not getting that buzz that you still get every once in a while
Being on edge
The fights that go on in my head when I want to run to the store to get a pack
The constant craving that feels like a boulder in the pit of my stomach
Obsessively thinking about smoking

Next Wednesday night I'm going to a bar, so that will be the ultimate test (unless it's one of the bars affected by the smoking ban--I'm not sure!)