Hey all!
Welcome to Thursday evening's GUS Diary - hosted by your humble narrator.
And I am especially humbled by the fact that this diary does not look as good as the one put up by anodnhajo earlier today. I definitely have to work on my design skills. Commentors only want diarists who have great skills.
Before we go any further, today's number is 52 - weeks in a year, cards in a deck, and days I have not smoked.
GUS (Gave Up Smoking) is a community support diary for Kossacks in the midst of quitting smoking. Any supportive comments, suggestions or positive distractions are appreciated. If you are quitting or thinking of quitting, please -- join us! We kindly ask that politics be left out.
Click the GUS tag to view all diary posts. Check out the GUS Library at dKosopedia for a great list of stop-smoking links.
A message to ALL quitters. You don't have to avoid GUS if you have a failed quit. We won't give you a bad time; we consider the failed quits as "practice" for the real quit.
Quit Keeper is a widget for those beginning the difficult path to quitting. It lets you know how long you haven't smoked, how many cigarettes you have not smoked, and how much money you have spent on other things.
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For 20 years, I was a civil trial attorney. I did a little family law and a handful of criminal cases, but nearly everything I did was some kind of lawsuit. For 20 years, everything I did, every single day, was some kind of argument.
When I turned 50, in 2005, I left that job and that world and became a high school English teacher. I wanted to do something different, I was tired of arguing all the time, and I wanted to get away from the war of all against all that characterizes that part of that profession. It worked. I am a much happier person. I make less than half of what I made before, but I am an old man now and I really don't need money as much as I need to be happy and to feel like I am not a bad person.
But I did not get away from arguing all the time. Anyone who has or has had a teenager in the house understands this. But consider this: I spend the day with about 120 teenagers. Other peoples' teenagers. There is only one word for this - Oy!
For good or ill, I like arguing. When I was practicing law, people would say, "You're like that because you're a lawyer." I'd say, "No, I'm a lawyer because I'm like this." And, done with skill, it is an essential teaching method.
Since I did my first GUS diary I have wanted to start an argument. I've avoided it because I don't know you all, I don't know how you'd react. I know from bitter experience that arguing for sport & amusement can be off-putting, alienating, destructive of comity and good fellowship.
But there are right ways to do it. I've had years-long arguments with some very close friends and it has enhanced rather than harmed our friendship. The internet generally, and dailykos specifically, are not known for the enjoyable and at times educational argument, but I thought I put forward some of my favorite arguments, the ones that can never be conclusively resolved, but that can be absorbing, because what the hell?
My Top Five Favorite Sports Arguments
5. My favorite sport is athletically, aesthetically, politically, or ethically superior to that stupid sport that you believe is so important.
4. Your favorite team, professional or college, is inferior to mine and, quite likely always has been inferior.
3. Your favorite team, professional or college, may win more than my favorite team, but it only does so because of some political, economic, or ethical flaw that provides them with an unfair advantage.
2. Your favorite athlete is not nearly as good as you think he or she is.
1. The athletes of the olden days were superior, athletically or ethically, to the athletes of today. Or the other way around.
My Top Five Rock Band Arguments
5. The bands were all better when I was in high school or college.
4. The bands now are all better than when I was in high school or college.
3. The fact that your favorite band is or was extremely popular is proof that they were no good.
2. The bands you like are not as authentic or “true” as the bands I like.
1. Everything your favorite band has ever done was done before, and done better, by bands that never got credit for it.
I can argue either side of any of these.
How about you guys? You like to argue?
Our Buddy List - maintained by GUS stalwart anodnhajo
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Weekly GUS Diary Schedule (regular diarists featured in bold) is below. And look at all those open slots just calling your name!
New voices are ALWAYS appreciated and always welcome!
Schedule
Thu PM: James Earl - your humble narrator
Fri AM: flumptytail
Fri PM: open
Sat AM: effervescent checking in when she can
Sat PM: open
Sun AM: gchaucer2
Sun PM: open
Mon AM: open
Mon PM: paulitics
Tue AM: gchaucer2
Tue PM: open
Wed AM: open
Wed PM: Vacationland
Thu AM: nokkonwud