Somewhat Productive

*tap tap tap*

“Is this thing on?”

Ok, for real. I’ve got a lot to talk about, why am I not doing it here?

I’m going to try again. Incoming posts about band stuff, bass stuff, gaming stuff, baby stuff!

And also maybe a little life-altering stuff! (cue mystery chord)

P.S. What’s a cigarette? That’s right, I’m still a non!

Checkpoint!

Even though this isn’t a question posed to restaurant goers in the state of Tennessee anymore, it was the first thing that came to mind when I was staring at the blank title box.  If I were asked that question today I would respond without hesitation “non-smoking.”

Last year I was into my 6th month of non-smoker status before my lapse, so I won’t feel like I’ve done anything monumental until I pass that mark.  This is just another checkpoint.  Checkpoints are good!

I’m glad I am making some effort to record these little milestones somewhere, it’s part of the therapy I think.  Even though this will not be read by many, it feels like an accountability loop of sorts.  The simple act of typing it out makes the accomplishment (such as my little checkpoints) seem much more measurable.  And, as the saying goes, what gets measured gets done.

Now, if only I could get others around me to quit as well…

Need. More. Time.

Anyone who knows me well has probably noticed that I have a lot of hobbies.  “Eh, who doesn’t?” may be your response, but the other thing that people who know me will tell you is that Brandon Miracle gives his hobbies the whole nine yards.  It’s like an addiction and, to some extent, an obsession.  This might be okay if I only had one or two hobbies, but it is definitely not okay with the number of hobbies I’m trying to fit into my limited time.

I have seen this with others around me to some extent, so I would imagine I’m getting some “I’m feelin’ you, dude” through the interwebs right about now.

The platform (so to speak) – I’m 28, married to a woman that is indescribably perfect for me, and we’re in the thick of raising our first child (he’s almost 4!).  I have a great job in a field I’ve enjoyed since High School and the best family and friends in the world.  Obviously, a lot to be thankful for.  But…

The rub – My hobbies.  In no particular order:  Console gaming (PS3), Movies, TV, World of Warcraft, Band, Disc Golf, shooting, riding my motorcycle, ping pong, playing guitar for church, playing guitar for me, Dungeons and Dragons, board gaming, and now blogging.

Some of the above are very sporadic and don’t really beg for any certain frequency to maintain my level of interest.  Others, however, straight up demand a certain level of devotion.

Over the next few posts I’ll probably go into more detail on some of the more demanding hobbies, but today I’m just throwing them all out there.  You see, as a responsible parent (don’t laugh) I can’t play some of the PS3 titles that I’d really like until my son is in bed or if I have the house to myself.  The same applies to movies and some TV shows.  That means a good chunk of my interests have to get crammed into 2 hours every night.

I’ve thought about trimming some out, and may very well have to or risk burn out or over extension.  I despise the thought of having to give up any of the activities that I enjoy, but it’s becoming a looming reality.  In my opinion, hobbies and interests that one can be enthusiastic about help round a person out and are an important part of a balanced life, but over doing it can not only negate the benefits of having hobbies, but also start to hurt.  That’s where I feel I am.  The cusp.

The goal – To be realistic.  I need to make some choices on the more demanding hobbies and really analyze and prioritize them.  Being realistic will help me scale up and down as needed, hopefully finding a happy medium for all of my hobbies and not feel like I’m being forced to cut any of them.

Anyone else out there have a lot of irons in the fire?

Wow.  I really didn’t intend to have a delay this long between posts.  Really.

Anyway, how about a little update of where I am?  Let’s start with:

• Smoking – After a month being cigarette free, I felt I had two choices.  a) Climb a very tall building and scream from the top of it “SCREW YOU, NICOTINE!” or b) blog about it.  I chose the latter (though by only a slim margin).  It’s really not been that bad, which is a great relief.  I don’t even have to actively avoid situations where I would have normally smoked.  All in all, I feel success.  I have gotten to the point I remember reaching last time where I felt the tide turn; I smell cigarette smoke differently, and it is pretty off-putting.  I’m sure it’s becoming more and more like a non-smoker would smell it, which is of course a really good thing.  My brother decided that since he was a much more serious user, he would need a little help (in the form of a pill).  He has cut his daily smoking by 40-50% after the first month of medication, so it’s looking very good there as well!
• My band – After many weeks of casually practicing around our hectic grown-up schedules, it looks like we’re finally going to be getting some gig time very soon.  For those that don’t know, I’m the bass player for a Knoxville band called Farewell Citadel.  Check out our website and you can find samples of our music on our Facebook Page or by searching for us on Grooveshark.com.
• Dungeons and Dragons – So, I somehow missed this growing up, but a good friend of mine had always said I should try it.  After watching a movie with my wife, we decided it would be something fun for us to try together.  Some phone calls and coordinating later and we had 3 others on board and Patrick to run the campaign (all 5 of the players were new to D&D).  We’ve had 3 sessions so far and I have thoroughly enjoyed it.  It’s not for everyone of course, but it is definitely not what I imagined it being either.  More on that later.

There it is, a couple minor updates rolled into one very overdue update!  I’ll get back to this list and other things on a more regular basis, but for now this will do.

Today marks day one of my latest attempt to quit smoking. I’m not what most consider a heavy smoker. What started mostly as social smoking has become more of an honest habit and chemical addiction. For the past 10 years (!) I’ve attempted to quit, my best result coming last year as my New Year’s resolution. I managed to go over the six month mark, but lapsed during the difficult and emotional time leading up to and following the loss of my Dad in June.

Since falling off the wagon I’ve tried to quit again, but I admit that those attempts have been halfhearted. With the coming of the New Year I have renewed my resolve to quitting again. I know from my experience last year that if I can make it past the one month mark it will get extremely better. I remember after a certain point I started to actually smell cigarette smoke like a nonsmoker. It smelled bad, and I could detect it easily; especially on a person’s clothes.

I’m feeling pretty good about this go at it. My brother is going to quit with me (he has smoked for 20+ years) and we’ve recently started a little singing group at church that we really enjoy and realize that continuing smoking is a sure way to end that (among other negatives everyone is familiar with).

So here I am, blogging about it. I figured “what better way to track progress than to blog about it?” I’m not sure on the frequency of updates, but they will come I’m sure. Don’t bother wishing me luck because this time I don’t need it!

Here’s to day one ; -)