Stopping Smoking...

Soooo it's been a while since I posted anything hasn't it?

I've been running about all over the shop, and then my internet connection decided to start f**king me about the other day, even getting online has been a nightmare!

Enough excuses tho. I'm here now.

I had a wonderful visit with my Dad last week, we have such a great relationship these days, it's actually a joy to spend time with him. Even the Virgin trains ran smoothly!

Been gigging all over the shop, Nottingham last weekend, EC1 this weekend - oh the glamour!

Nottingham was great fun actually, I was on with Colin Cole, Junior Simpson and George Egg, all of whom I haven't seen in a very long time. It was brilliant to watch them perform, and good fun to hang out with them. Needless to say they all were pretty astounded by my transformation.

The wardrobe experimentation continues by the way. I wore a tiny pair of black "leather" jeans that I got from New Look onstage last weekend, and it felt amazing! I am fully aware that at my age this rock chick look is totally inappropriate, but you know what, fuck it! I'm having fun! I even picked up a new tuxedo jacket in the Gap sale for £25, which was enough of a buzz, but it was the number in the back of it that really blew me away. I tried on the 12 - huge! - tried on the 10 - still too big - tried on the 8 - it fit and was actually a bit loose, but they didn't have a 6 so I got it! How mad is that???????

This weekend's gigs were at the lovely Comedy Cafe and were a blast. The line-up was cracking, Michael Legge as MC, Paul Sinha and myself doing sets with a variety of acts filling the middle slot. Thursday night was pretty low numbers-wise but my goodness, it turned out to be a lovely night. Friday and Saturday were fuller and a lot more challenging, but I enjoyed em nonetheless. Best of all I got to sleep in my own bed!

I am now on week two of the Champix tablets that are supposed to make me give up smoking painlessly. Well, week one did absolutely nothing for me, I smoked as many as usual, but then last Thursday I went on the stronger dose, and drastically cut down! I was smoking 40 a day, since Thursday I'm down to about 10 a day. If nothing else I am saving money!

All fabulous then eh? Well you'd think so. Sadly one of the side effects is that they can cause depression and increase appetite. Now I have resisted the urge to snack so far, but my god! I have felt so miserable! Apparently they work by suppressing the part of your brain that gets pleasure from smoking, but they also seem to be suppressing the part of the brain that takes pleasure from life! What's the point of giving up fags and feeling suicidal?

They come in two week packs, and I'll finish this first pack on Wednesday. I'm doing my best to persevere with them till then. They really do make you 'not bothered' about smoking so that is a bonus, and I have the added incentive of a seven hour flight to New York on Wednesday. How brilliant would it be to not be craving a smoke for that length of time eh? But, if I still feel like jumping from a bridge on Thursday - and New York has many bridges from which to jump! - I shall be dumping the pills and getting back on the fags big time!