we’ve got one hell of a weekend bearing down on us. frankly, i’m not sure which is currently causing me more stress: the two hurricanes scheduled to cause some very immediate unpleasantness, or the looming primary election this saturday (or that the immediate unpleasantness might directly impact the election). either way, i’ll just say that it isn’t a good weekend to quit smoking, start dieting, or any such thing.

the big island of hawaii is bracing for category 1 hurricane iselle to make landfall later today, while the rest of the state prepares for the tropical storm remnants that will surely affect the rest of the state. then, although its looking less and less like it will have a major impact, hurricane julio is just a few days behind. i’d tell people to prepare, but i’m guessing you’re already doing so.

what i’m guessing you might not being thinking so much about is the election. though i’m hoping everyone’s voted already, i seriously doubt that’s the case, so i’m strongly urging to you take some time in the next couple of days to vote. don’t put yourself in any danger, of course, but even if we get a reprieve on election day, there’s no telling how the usual affair will be disrupted due to damage, power outages, flooding, etc. don’t take chances, please get out and vote asap.

(friends, if you want some help deciding who to vote for, or have questions about candidates, please feel free to give me a call)

in other news, i mentioned above quitting smoking above half out of jest, to try and lighten my mood, but also because i’m going to actually take another crack at quitting.

the last time failed pretty spectacularly. however, since then i’ve learned that my particular brand of crohn’s is sensitive to nicotine. so, to mitigate future problems and to avoid additional surgeries, i’m going to make another attempt at quitting. i’ve picked a date and will start making initial preparations soon. this brings me back to the video blog i’ve been thinking about.

i’m eager to get started, i’ve pretty much settled on an intro, and have decided to chronicle my quit-smoking journey on the vlog. it’s a good way to get started, i think, and the work and time required will help divert my attention when i get cravings. and in case the journey isn’t interesting enough, i’ll be sure to include some other things. hopefully, if everything goes to plan, i’ll have the first video online in the next couple of days.