The $64BBN question: Will I quit?

For some time now, I have been hell-bound and determined to quit smoking. Not easy. I always quip that quitting is easy: After all, I do it 20 times a day - every time I stub one out!

But I've never fooled myself that it's just something you "do." It takes a certain inner determination, a resolve that does not come easy. I've been threatening to do this for some time now - many years, in fact.

I truly believe the time has come. But I'm gonna need all the help I can get. Recent developments in my life have not made the decision any easier, and I've been procrastinating because of this. But I also realize that there never is the "right" time. So I've decided to bite the proverbial bullet...

I got a ℞ (see note below) for Chantix, the new drug that, my doctor tells me, suppresses the desire to smoke by blocking the nicotine receptor in the brain with a substitute. The key is to get the dreaded nicotine out of one's system asap, and this helps in that it tricks the brain into thinking it is getting nicotine, except that it's getting something else - don't ask me what. And, supposedly, that satisfies the urge. So, I started taking it yesterday. The regimen is complicated - they provide one with a "starter" set of pills, and essentially it consists of titrating up to a constant dose. Frankly, I'm not sure I can figure it all out, even with their cute little arrows, boxes that pop open to the right spot, you name it. But I'm persevering. (Maybe I'll spend so much time figuring it out that I just won't have the time to smoke!)

So here we are. Day 2. Still smoking my brains out. But hey, it's early. Gotta give it time. Yeah, that's it - time. So, no doubt I'll be keeping you, dear reader, up to speed on developments - if there are any!

Meantime, I've been pondering the old "No Smoking" sign - you know, the one with the red circle and a slash through the outline of a cigarette. Here's the question: Which way should the slash go? I'm offering the alternatives here. Is the left one right and the right one wrong? Or vice versa? You tell me by way of the comments button below. I will publish the results as and when I'm ready...!

Note: Did you see the special character in the sentence preceding my parenthetical "see note below" remark? It's the Unicode symbol for "prescription," shown in the image on the right. But I think the character itself will only show up on your machine if you have the typeface installed (Arial Unicode MS). If you don't see it in the paragraph above, please let me know via comments - I would really appreciate the feedback, because I need to know how widespread the support is for this and other similar fonts. Thanks!