The Evil Weed

Three weeks off the smokes today. Feel like I'm being strangled with a rusty guitar string over a period of months. Not a particularly consumer-friendly means of introducing myself into this hitherto unfamiliar world of blogs and people I don't know, but the nature of the task in hand means that all else is darkness. I'm sure all fellow quitters can empathize.
Giving up the fags is the toughest challenge facing every smoker. And it's about far, far more than simply not smoking. It's about abstaining from doing so after twelve pints, when lighting up seems like the forbidden ice that will complete the social cake, instantly turning you into James Dean, razor-sharp in the company of your fellow man and irresistable to every lady. It's about strength in the face of weakness: nothing exudes comfort, respite and light at the end of the tunnel more than a cigarette, just as nothing succeeds so well in turning the smoker into a shadow of their former selves more than the thousands of hideous coffin nails that will inevitably follow that one single, solitary, beautiful drag.
But, funnily and perhaps sadly enough, its about saying sayonara to one of your oldest friends, a friend that added to the mischief of childhood days, that followed you through the minefield of adolescence, never once mocking or judging.
Most importantly of all though, its about life, and living it. Smoking cripples every alcove of your being, physically and emotionally, and the dependence it inculcates within you makes everything harder. Even smoking. Rarely will you see a non-smoker almost bonelessly slumped upon the couch with the effortless ease and nonchalance of the throaty forty-a-day soldier. A decisive break must be made.

But onward to brighter things. The weekend is waiting in the corridor, impatiently waiting for us all to finish work so we can bask in each other's collective glow. Mountains will be climbed, fat will be chewed, and music will be played. For any Irish readers, Andy Irvine, late of Sweeney's Men, Planxty, Paul Brady and De Dannan, embarked last night upon a tour of the country with Patrick Street a 'Superstars of Irish Music' troupe that gets together from time to time to dazzle us with their heady mix of flighty reels and rollicking songs. Check them out! And now for the quote of the day, from Balzac. Slán for now.

'He who intends to dominate the times he lives in is entitled to take all and risk all, for all that is belongs to him.' (Lost Illusions).