Smoke Free AND Another List?

Queen + Paul Rodgers---"Return of the Champions"

MoTW---"Go Tell the Spartans"

So I open my big mouth on New Year's Eve when asked what resolution I
might have and I blurt out that I'm going to quit smoking which caused
much laughter.

The joke is on them though since I never really said WHAT I was going to
quit smoking which is kind of weak on my part but they did laugh and I'm
entitled to a little dignity. So, I smoked absolutely NOTHING on Jan
1st, no crack, no maryjane, no cat poo, no straight tobacco, no nothing.
I feel okay too considering it's now 7:26 pm est and I haven't lit up
anything dangling from my lips since 11:16 pm est on 12/31/05.

I don't have the shakes, don't find myself eating more to over
compensate for the lack of nicotine. As a matter of fact, I find myself
feeling the same I did yesterday and the day before. Therefore, quitting
something like smoking is quite easy to do and the only one's who have
problems with quitting (anything) are weak and stupid.

Yet that can't be correct. Something's gotta happen since I've been
smoking something or other since before Roosevelt was president (maybe
it wasn't Roosevelt but that's the only president's name I can remember)
so maybe this is just the calm before the storm, as my pappy said when I
was a wee lad.

I didn't leave the house today so nothing really stressed me out. Jerome
was passed out in the bathtub all day while the woman left for some
family gathering type thing, so I was content watching a couple movies
and with some basic puttering around.

Tomorrow will be the real test since I'll be leaving the house and will
most probably end up in some sort of stressful situation somewhere. If I
make it through tomorrow, then I'm home free and I'll have to go on a
motivational tour or something to show the weak people how to finally
quit for good.

In the meantime, I'll leave you with my picks for the top albums of the
year since I seem to do it every year at this time for the last few
years and it would be such a crime to stop something so fun:

15) Deep Purple--Rapture of the Deep

14) Robert Plant and the Strange Sensation--Mighty Rearranger

13) Billy Idol--Devil's Playground

12) Judas Priest--Angel of Retribution

11) Strapping Young Lad--Alien

10) Demons & Wizards--Touched By the Crimson King

9) Mercenary--11 Dreams

8) Journey--Generations

7) Brand New Sin--Recipe for Disaster

6) Nevermore--This Godless Endeavor

5) East Village Opera Company--East Village Opera Company

4) Jon Oliva's Pain--'Tage Mahal

3) Opeth--Ghost Reveries

2) King's X--Ogre Tones

1) Chris Caffery--Faces

COMING NEXT: Changes, predictions and other stuff