A friend of mine had made a post on her Facebook, asking people for some encouraging words because she was going to quit smoking. I’m not one to offer that… I tried to quit once, back when I’d only been smoking 5 years. After 2 days, I was such a bitch, I couldn’t stand myself and started up again. They had given me the patch when I was inpatient and if I could have rolled it up and lit it on fire, I’d have smoked it. Besides, I hated that it made my dreams more vivid than they already were. I don’t know why this was a good idea for bipolar people…

Anyway, the only advice I could offer her was that if she was a non-smoker, she’d know. I had a feeling it wouldn’t make much sense, not unless I explained the entire context. Which, unfortunately, I did… The reply I got was “Wtf is that supposed to mean, if you’re a non-smoker you’ll know?” And so I had to go into this lengthy diatribe I didn’t want to have to get into. But I assume she got the meaning…

What I told her was actually a line from one of my favorite movies. I won’t get into the whole plot, but if you like the whole idea of past lives, watch it, it’s really good!

That particular scene was between Kenneth Branagh and Robin Williams. Williams plays a former shrink (and a bitter one at that) and Branagh plays a private detective who gets hired to find Williams because he was left money in someone’s will. During the conversation, Branagh keeps looking at the pack of cigarettes set near him and fiddling with his pen as if it’s a cigarette. When Williams asks if he’d like one, Branagh replies he doesn’t smoke. Williams calls him on it, to which Branagh replies he’s trying to quit. Williams retorts with, “Don’t tell me you’re trying to quit, man. People who say they’re trying to quit are basically pussies who can’t commit.” Before Branagh left his company, Williams tells him, “People are either smokers or non-smokers, the trick is to find out which one you are and be that. If you’re a non-smoker, you’ll know.” Branagh thanks him and, as he’s walking out of the room, mutters, “Fucking fruitcake…” In any case, I’ve always found that to be a helpful little conversation. I know smoking isn’t good for you, but I’ve really taken that advice to heart. I’ll know if and when I’m ready to be a non-smoker.

It’s funny… I haven’t watched Dead Again in probably two decades or more. Yet I remember the entire exchange from that scene as if I just watched it.

People are often amazed at my ability to recall things, even from the time I was a toddler. I can recall exact exchanges from certain conversations, I know songs that come on the radio and who they’re by form the first note (even if it’s just a drum beat). I recall lyrics and sing along to pretty much every song I’ve ever heard like it’s nothing. And I watch movies alone because I can recite them word for word whether I’m watching them or not and people find it annoying. I also recall things I’ve read in detail.

I don’t have a photographic memory by any means. I have good recall, not total. It’s a fun party trick… But sometimes my recall can be annoying to people exposed to it too much. It’s annoying to me, too. That’s why I can hold grudges so long. The hurt is always fresh when you can recall things so clearly like they just happened…

I do have some good news… I finally got my new glasses Saturday!It only took almost 2 weeks…

But I seem to be having issues I don’t normally have. Unless it’s a huge change (like I haven’t had a new prescription in like 6 years) I don’t usually have an issue. But I’m having some difficulty this time. I’m getting headaches, albeit mild ones, and my eyes are getting so tired… Sadly, if my eyes get tired, so does the rest of me and I end up passing out. So I spent the majority of my weekend sleeping. I have a feeling it’s because my new glasses are trying to correct my astigmatism, which explains the difficulty adjusting.

New glasses mean a new self portrait! Woot!

But… I’m going to wait on that… I have an appointment with my hairdresser on March 10th to get my hair dyed again, but this time I’m going for the ombre look.

My hair is brown, so when it’s dyed, people think it looks black, which is frustrating. But, because my hair is very dry, I don’t want to double process. Not my whole head, anyway… I found a picture on Facebook where someone had dark hair and done an ombre look with pink. I asked my hairdresser and she said we can do that with my purple. But it’s going to cost me… And I mean cost me… It’s also going to take 5 hours! Well… In any case, I’m not making a new portrait until I get my hair done.

Remember Buddy Poke…?

Sometimes I miss MySpace. I had all sorts of cool things. I can’t remember the name, but you could have a pet and decorate their room. There were Neopets (which you can still play online but it’s not as fun) and, of course, Buddy Poke.

You can still use Buddy Poke. It’s an app now that costs $5. It’s fun, but it’s not as cool as it used to be where you could make fun GIF files like this one where my Buddy Poke is doing the Hustle. I mean, sure, you can do some cool things with it, but it’s just not the same anymore…

Things change. I suppose I should learn to change with them. But I’m a creature of habit and when I find something cool, I don’t want it changed. Ah well… it goes to show you can never go back again…