Other Stuff I Got

1: Electronic cigarrettes from AZsmokefree.com After getting stuff from truckstops and China on-line, I found a lot of them that didn't work well or consistantly. But the "pen style" vaporizers and batteries I got from this company were the best--at a competitive price.

The ones at Pilot Truckstops also work pretty well, but are a little pricier. If you look around and order from China, they're extremely cheap, but also extremely crappy. After just ordering five or more of everything in order to find one or three units that worked, I got sick of fooling around, and got lucky with AZ Smoke free.

These things vaporize a diluted nicotine solution, and you inhale the steam. It delivers nicotine. I first got one so that I could go to a hotel bar and smoke, but when I tried it, I instantly quit cigarrettes-automaticly.

The ones at the truckstops expect you to buy pre-loaded cartridges for an outrageous price. The cartridge (called "cart" in slang) is the mouthpiece. The vaporizer is the part which contains a heating element, and the cartridge is inserted into it. The end you insert contains padding, which is saturated with the nicotine solution.

You buy your own solution! Less than 20 bucks for 30 ml, which lasts me 6-8 weeks! Then you can just drip some more into the padding and re-use your cartridges. Eventually the cartridges get dirty, and you just replace them. I got a bunch of "blank" cartridges (from China--they're fine).

The tubular, cigarrette-like battery screws into the vaporizer.

The batteries I got from China had some sort of timing program, and they sucked. ALL of them.

I tried other types of electronic cigarrettes. The industrial strength "screwdriver" type worked great, but wore out quickly. On this type, you have to press a button to activate the vaporizer. Predictably, the switch wears out.

Another type has the cartridge and battery in the same piece. I don't like them. Not much vapor, and you get nicotine in your mouth. I always seem to come back to the pen style.

This company sells starter kits, of course. Personally, if I were just starting out, I'd augment these. I'd get extra blank cartridges and batteries, and make sure I got at least two vaporizers (nothing lasts forever). Also, a good supply for "e-liquid" (do a separate search to find the cheapest).

Always charge each battery for a full eight hours before the first use, regardless of what the charger-indicator says. If you don't, it's possible for the battery's "chip" to think it's charged when it's not, and not allow you to get a full charge.

Now, I don't have to clean my windshield weekly, smell like cigarettes, or burn holes in my shirts. Every smoker should do this--I never committed to quitting--just did. (Be real: I'm still addicted to nicotine, but that's not what kills people.)

2: I got a "shake-weight" for men. It's a dumbell-shaped thing that you shake. I hate it. But I hate it because it works. It's really painful--it burns and exhausts your muscles in no time.

You're supposed to do a 6-minute routine daily, but I do it every other day--like with weights. As a real OTR trucker, I can't always shower every day. If you have to shower every day no matter what, you've got OCD or something, and you sure couldn't keep up with me. I do when I can, like now--but I like to deliver early, every single time, and get the most out of my 14 hours.

But I digress: Anyway, doing it every other day lets my muscles recover. I'm trying to regain some of my mass, and after a week think I see a difference.

There is one side-to-side motion you can use to get your abdominals, sort of, but there's just not much help there. This works the upper body, mainly: Delts, traps, triceps, biceps, forearms. I watched the video. I don't do what it did; I sort of circuit-train with it, taking shorter breaks and going from one excercize to another, rather than doing one, resting for 15 seconds, and resuming.

There's a range-of-motion issue here. I just do "stiff" katas--extending the muscles fully and rotating and stuff, while resting between my two circuit-sets and afterward.

Truckers don't have room for home gyms and what-not, and these things are perfect.

3: I'm going to Wal-Mart today and getting one of those abdominizers again. I had one before but never replaced the battery when it wore out, and lost it. This one is better anyway.

But I do have experience, and can tell you: Hell yeah, the electroshocks do work your abs, just like they say!

But you have to be realistic. It will tighten your abs, but won't burn much fat. I'm probably 30 lbs. overweight, but if I can tighten my abs under it and get my upper body back to where it used to be, at least I'll look adequate, I think.

4: I just ordered 30smile.com I currently use a sonic toothbrush and am fighting gingivitis. I use a peroxide-based pre-rinse, the best toothpaste I can get, and ACT mouthwash.

But I saw this thing on the infomercial and instantly wanted it. The brushes automaticly wrap around both your upper and lower teeth, and some of the bristles angle up and down to the gums, both outside and inside. It's just about impossible to consistantly get into all those gaps with any other toothbrush.

Well, now I've got to do the shake-weights (also at Wal-Mart by the way) and pay for another night here.