Travel is exciting! The thrill of taking off and going to a land where you have never been before, the experience of soaking in living in an entirely different culture, the “moments” you get for being in a place you had only seen on pictures before, the inherent thrill of “danger” of taking off and being in a land where you stick out. Just do your research, use kayak.com for fares, tripadvisor.com for hotel reviews, buy a lonelyplanet travel guide and ask pointed questions at the specific travel forums on flyertalk.com….What are you waiting for??

Thanks for the humor. Yeah, the more I think about it, the more it seems like a good idea to go alone. I’m even starting to find the idea kind of exciting.

What, no kung-fu movies!

These days the rewards are pretty simple – unlike years ago when life was too damn complicated and dramatic for its own good. I like a venti caramel macchiato or vanilla frapaccino when I survive a hard week or gain a small victory. And maybe a little Thai or surf-and-turf (steak and shrimp or crab cake) with my buds to celebrate nothing more than the camaraderie that we share. Life is good and always worth celebrating just on principle.

Of course, I’m still looking at my next overseas trip is my “big” reward sometimes soon!

And then, there are some things I would never do alone, and I’m not sure why (feeling ashamed about being alone?). I’ve never spent a day cooking a great meal for myself, though I love doing it for friends or dates. I’ve never eaten a nice dinner out alone or gone to a movie theater alone. Maybe because I associate those night-time activities with dating, and I’d feel self-conscious about being there by myself.

I always found reducing your daily amount of cigarettes by 5% each week, or until you’re ready, to be more effective than hypnosis/cold turkey etc.

Ive cut down quite a bit since september