Hello, my name is Heather

And I’m a sugar addict.

For dinner tonight, I had French toast drizzled with hot fudge topping and finished with a big dollop of whip cream. It was de-li-cious. I can’t recommend it enough. (Add sliced bananas or strawberries if you insist on non-empty calories in your dinner).

This is by no means the only time I’ve eaten dessert for a meal. Just last Friday I ate a big chocolate-chip cookie for lunch. (But I didn’t eat anything else…so my total calorie intake was okay, right?) It’s not like there was a plate of cookies in the office kitchen that some evil co-worker had brought to torment me with. No, I actually got in my car and drove a mile and a half to Great Harvest to purchase said cookie, all the while distracting myself with thoughts of all the work I had to get done that day so I wouldn’t think too clearly about the fact that I was going to eat a COOKIE for lunch.

And it’s not that I didn’t bring a lunch. I had a respectable peanut butter sandwich on whole wheat bread, an apple, and some string cheese stashed in my desk drawer. I ate none of it. I ate a cookie.

And even though I had chocolate-slathered French toast for dinner, I will eat more sugar before the night is over. I’ll resist it for a while, but eventually I’ll go on the prowl for my next fix. Nothing major—not a piece of cake or bowl of ice cream—but maybe just a Jolly Rancher, a finger in the hot fudge jar, or a small piece of the peanut brittle Scott has hidden in the freezer (shhh, don’t tell!)

Regardless, there will be sugar in my mouth very soon.

Sure, I could give up sugar for a day. With effort, for a week or two. But forever? For the rest of my entire life? Nope. Not a freaking chance.

I know this doesn’t compare AT ALL to Scott’s effort to quit smoking. But that’s the point—no matter how difficult it would be for me to give up sugar, or diet coke, or new shoes, it is ten times harder for him to quit smoking.

So as Scott embarks on this new struggle to quit smoking cigarettes, he has my love, my compassion, and yes—of course—my patience.

(Now wasn’t I saying something about peanut brittle…)

No Butts About It

What is this a photo of? Is it obvious? Do you think you know? Give up?

Its my lungs. Nasty huh.

Yes, yes, due to certain events in the recent past, I started smoking again. Well, it's time to quit (again), but this time I have a little help.

Studies have shown that people have been more successful quitting with Chantix (44%) than with Wellbutrin (29%), and the relapse rate of quitting "cold-turkey" is 86%. I started taking it last week so my offical "quit date" is this Wedensday morning, the 24th.

The only downside is my health insurance (in their infinite wisdom) would rather wait until I have lung cancer and pay thousands of dollars for chemo than pay the $120 a month for a 3-month prescription. So I'm stuck with the bill, but I think it will be worth it.

The reason I'm telling everyone this is that is says to in my "quit smoking plan." I know, I know, you've heard it all before, but I'm determined that this will be the last time.

Wish me luck . (And wish patience for Heather -- she's going to need it.)

Nature: Red in Tooth and Nail

A single shingle lies in the grass . . . victim of the terrible destruction of Tropical Storm Hanna. The storm brutalized the Carolina coastline without mercy, leaving handfuls of twigs and foliage in her path. Residents fear that Hanna has created nones of millions of dollars of damage.

Schools closed Friday and government offices shut down early in the afternoon. Local businesses shuttered up and sent employees home early (except mine -- the bastards!) The homeless were moved from the homeless shelter into the storm shelter, and the pet-friendly shelter filled up with one dog and one cat, (seriously, not joking). All of these precautions proved wise, as cruel Hanna dropped an inch of rain across the region over a 12-hour period.

Newcasters from The Weather Channel bravely rode out the storm, broadcasting live from devastated North Carolina beaches. The wind tugged fitfully at their parkas as area residents walked their dogs and rode their bikes in the background.

This morning, Carolinians can do nothing more than sadly assess the damage and find ways to move on with their lives.

Hurricane Hanna

For those of you that don't know or aren't sure... we are about to be hit by hurricane Hanna. (Right now it is a tropical storm but it's supposed to pick up speed and become a Hurricane before it makes landfall.) It is supposed to come right over Wilmington. it will hit us at about 1 am, Saturday. And yes, we are excited.

More news to follow...............