I’m telling you this, because last Saturday night I consumed the last tobacco product that I will ever bring into my body for the rest of my life, I know that this is much easier said than done.

I began smoking at the tender age of 18.  A lot of my friends were doing it.  I noticed a lot of people smoking infrequently at parties, just once in a while, or only with friends.  I learned that these people were called ‘social smokers’ and I decided to become one of them.

Before I knew it, I was trapped.  I was buying a pack of cigarettes every day.  I was smoking in the morning, before bed, in the car, with friends, in restaurants, and virtually everywhere else.

I told myself that once I graduated from college I would ‘grow-up’ and leave the habit behind me.  However, I started working in the high-pressure sales business and convinced myself that I would ‘lose my competitive edge’ if I was constantly having nicotine fits.

My next milestone was marriage.  I was absolutely determined to be a non-smoker before I committed to another person for the rest of my life.  Unfortunately, I found that preparing for a wedding was a bit stressful and that cigarettes were a wonderful way to ease the tension.

I suppose I could just keep on rationalizing forever.  I could tell myself that I should quit before I have my first child or perhaps before I retire.

Fortunately, I’ve decided that this is the end.  I’m tired of poisoning my body, wasting money, being smelly (smelly breath, smelly clothes, really smelly car… I can’t take a client for a ride in my car because it reeks of smoke), and standing out in the cold to get my fix in the winter.

Why am I announcing this to the world?

I’m letting you all in on this, because I want everyone to know that I’ve quit for good.  I figure that once everyone knows I’ll look (and feel) pretty foolish standing outside in the cold puffing on a death stick.

One thing I’ve learned is to use your assets.  This blog goes out to virtually everyone I know and everyone who knows me.  There is no way I can hide.  Once I hit ‘publish’ this is out there forever.  I can never go back, and that’s the way I want it.

I’ve been smoke free for 46 hours now.  There have definitely been a few tough moments, but I am holding myself accountable to making this change and I’m not letting anything stop me.

On Wednesday night I was perusing through the Netflix “watch instantly” section and I came across a documentary about the typeface Helvetica.   Needless to say, I learned a ton about Helvetica but also a lot about typefaces in general.  Here’s a trailer for the film.

If you’re already a Netflix user, you can watch it right on your computer. Apparently there is also a free version somewhere online, but I was unable to find it, so that might not be true.

I recommend this film for all print and web designers. I got a lot out of it, and I never realized how much Helvetica is used in our daily lives.

I’m sitting here surrounded by family feeling very full and happy (we just finished eating).  I can’t help feeling extremely thankful for all the wonderful blessings that have come my way in the last year.

Last Thanksgiving I wrote this post when I had just started blogging, twittering, and marketing.  It’s fun to look back to my old posts to see the written record of everything I’ve been thinking about for the past year or s0.

Anyhoo, I just wanted to let everyone who reads my stuff regularly know that I’m very thankful for your attention, your comments, and your frequent visits to my site.

When it comes time to update the look and functionality of your website, it’s worth considering WordPress (for at least part of your website).

Do you have the ability to easily update the pages on your website?

You should.  Wordpress is one of many free content management systems available that allow you to make instant updates to the content on your website.

Frequent updates tell search engines and visitors that you’re serious about your web presence.  Visitors will respond to new content better than old content.  Search engines reward websites with lots of fresh content by delivering more visitors.

Where’s your blog?

WordPress has blogging built in.  Blogging regularly is a great way to win search engine traffic and it makes it easy to sync your site with social media sites like facebook and twitter.

WordPress also automatically organizes your site into RSS feeds.  You can utilize feeds by category or by author.  This has numerous applications for organizing your site and sharing it with potential customers over a wide range of platforms.

Do you have unique functionality needs?

WordPress has literally thousands of extensions and plugins that allow you to build web forms on the fly, image galleries, and search optimize your website.  You can also administer forums, integrate across multiple social media platforms, and  apply advanced commenting systems like disqus and intensedebate.

WordPress is easy and fast.

WordPress allows me to offer websites that are beautiful, affordable, and that don’t take forever to get built.  If you or someone you know is suffering from a website that isn’t delivering results, please send them a link to this post.

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There is a new feature on Facebook that suggests friends that you haven’t spoken to in a while.  Well, sure enough I logged on to Facebook the other day and it suggested that I reconnect with a friend who passed away earlier this year.

I did a Google search to see what Facebook’s policy was on this issue, and I found that there is an official Facebook form that your loved ones can fill out for you after you’ve passed on.

Facebook then removes your profile from public search results, but still allows your friends and loved ones to post on your wall as a memorial.

This doesn’t change the fact that it’s a little disturbing when Facebook recommends you reconnect with a friend who’s passed away.

I think Facebook needs to remove this feature.  How bout you?