amused and bemused
February 17, 2006, 7:00 P.M.

I find I've been laughing a lot this past few days.

In spite of the sprained ass, and crappy weather, and the usual shit going at my job and at Spouse's.

I just seem to be laughing out loud at people, television, and amusing quips on the Web. And I'm still being weirdly outgoing in supermarkets and drugstores and elevators. I blame drugs.

And while this is all good, I'm kind of disappointed that I don't seem to feel much more clear-headed or less lethargic.

And I'm still tenaciously clinging to the smoking, although I have managed to eliminate an entire pack a week from my habit. And since I was only smoking three packs a week to start with, that ain't hay. It averages out to about three a day, so that means I'm down to an average daily intake of 5.72 smokes.

And interestingly enough, I seem to be putting them out sooner, so it's really only about half that. I don't know why I can't just walk away entirely, but I guess they're a crutch. One thing that I do know about my smoking--I do not normally get very much time just for myself, and those little smoke breaks have always been my way of taking a break, and going off by myself for a few minutes. So maybe I'm just afraid that if I give up cigarettes, I'm surrendering that little bit of "me time" they provide.

By the same token, that's probably why I'm not hitting them very hard right now--plenty of time for me lately, so less need to go out and hit the squares.

And I'm indulging in afternoon (well, evening) coffee--"Java Chocolate Almond" from Beach Bay Coffee. The grocery store had 1-pot sample packs, 2/$1.00, so I grabbed a few. I love an occasional pot of chocolate-almond coffee. And truly--there is no way I'd be able to stay up for Spouse on Fridays if I didn't hit the caffeine.

Well, that and the food.
Tonight he's getting roast chicken from the slow-cooker, a noodle dish that comes out of a box--bleah! But he just loves it, so I make it once in a while for him. And his favorite Green Giant baby peas--the kind in a boiling bag. That was the epitome of haute cuisine for his mother, so he considers them a special treat.

I wouldn't normally bother with the slow-cooker, but I am trying out the new liners that Reynolds came out with. Here's a spoiler:

they are exactly the same as the oven bags that have been around for years. Except proportioned to fit in the Crock-Pot. So I wouldn't call them a new product exactly--more a new application of an existing item. Anyway--chicken is my least favorite thing to try and clean out of the cooker, so I figured I'd give them a shot. If they work, who knows? I may be more inclined to use the damned thing.

Yeah--me neither.

Seriously though--that is the way I felt at work this morning. Because it was one of those rare occasions where I was actually doing what I love. What I'm trained for. What I'm good at. And I got to enjoy it for almost five full minutes, before somebody came over and pulled me into a pile of crapola that was the diametric opposite.

But oh, it was so good while it lasted.

And I got the rare pleasure of making our giant-brained head developer scratch his head in frustration and dismay. Always a bonus.

This afternoon, I forced myself to at least clean out my toiletries bag--I needed new toothpaste, shampoo, hairspray, and bodywash.
And I generally needed to clean it out, refill some things, replace others, and get it up to scratch. So that's one thing done, I guess. Well, two. I bought new undies and stockings as well.

But criminetlies--I've got a long way to go!

There's no way I'm going to the sun belt and not hitting the bead stores. Out of respect to his feelings, I kept the list down to four. He can always hang out outside and smoke a cigar if he's bored. And if we get out there and he doesn't want to cooperate?

Well, that's what taxicabs are for.