IRRADIATED FOR SAFETY???

I WAS AT THE GROCERY STORE LAST NIGHT. I WAS LOOKING AT MANGOES, BUT MY EYE PULLED TO THE YELLOW PAPAYA ABOVE. PAPAYA IS THE BEST TASTING FRUIT I HAVE EVER TRIED. UNFORTUNATELY, THAT WAS ONLY WHEN I WAS IN HAWAII. EVERYWHERE ELSE I HAVE TRIED IT SINCE, IT HAS SUCKED IN COMPARISON. BUT THESE PAPAYA HAD A LITTLE STICKER LABEL ON THEM, CLAIMING TO BE THE 'PRIDE OF HAWAII'. WITH A STICKER LIKE THAT, IT MUST BE TRUE. SO I WAS READY TO GIVE THESE 'PRIDE' PAPAYA A CHANCE. THAT IS UNTIL UPON FURTHER INSPECTION, I NOTICED ANOTHER STICKER LABEL. THIS ONE SIMPLY STATED 'IRRADIATED FOR SAFETY'. NO WEBSITE TO CHECK OUT ON EITHER LABEL, NO EXPLAINATION OF THE IRRADIATING PROCESS. I COULD NOT BELIEVE IT. WE ARE EXPOSING ITEMS OF CONSUMPTION TO RADIATION? FOR SAFETY??? RADIATION WAS BIG BACK IN THE EARLY 20TH CENTURY AS A MEANS TO CURE CANCER AND TUMORS. IT WAS SUCCESSFUL. THE ONLY PROBLEM WAS THAT THE RADIATION LIKES TO BE EVERYWHERE, NOT JUST THE ONE LITTLE TUMOR / CANCEROUS MASS IT WAS BEING ASKED TO IRRADICATE. THIS OBVIOUSLY CAUSED PROBLEMS BOTH FOR THE PATIENT, AND THE DOCTOR PERFORMING THE 'SURGERY'. THE DOCTORS WHO USED THIS PROCEDURE BACK THEN USUALLY DIED A VERY EARLY PAINFUL DEATH, DUE TO THEIR CONSTANT EXPOSURE TO KILLER RADIATION. THEREFORE, I DO NOT CARE ABOUT THE BENIGN-NESS OF THE RADIATION BEING USED TODAY, I DO NOT WANT MY FRUIT IRADIATED. IT DOES NOT MAKE ME FEEL SAFE. I FIND IT HARD TO BELIEVE THAT OTHERS WOULD THINK, 'OH, THIS PIECE OF FRUIT HAS BEEN EXPOSED TO RADIATION, I FEEL SO SAFE EATING IT.'

WOW, I CANNOT BELIEVE TODAY IS DAY THREE OF MY WEEKEND. IT SEEMS LIKE I HAVEN'T DONE ANYTHING, EXCEPT FOR QUITTING SMOKING, YET AGAIN. SO, I GUESS THAT IS GOOD. YES, I HAVE BEEN TOO ASHAMED TO ADMIT IT, BUT I HAD STARTED UP AGAIN, A COUPLE OF WEEKS AFTER GETTING BACK FROM SUNSET. I CANNOT TELL U WHY THIS TIME WILL BE DIFFERENT. I JUST HAVE A FEELING IT MAY BE SO THIS TIME. MY LAST TWO ATTEMPTS, I THINK I WAS QUITTING FOR SOMEONE ELSE, NOT ME. I DIDN'T THINK THIS WAS THE CASE AT THE TIME, BUT NOW IN HINDSIGHT, I THINK THIS WAS THE CASE, AND WAS WHY I FAILED. I MUST DO THIS FOR ME. A NEW PERSPECTIVE I GAINED RECENTLY IS THAT IT IS SELFISH TO SMOKE AND PUT ONE'S HEALTH IN GRAVE DANGER, FOR MANY, MANY REASONS.

SO, I WENT RUNNING YESTERDAY AFTER THE DRAFT. TWICE AROUND REID PARK, IN THE AFTERNOON HEAT. IT WAS MY ONLY FREE TIME SLOT, INBETWEEN THE DRAFT AND THE INDIANS GAME. AT THE MOST, I ONLY GOT UP TO SLOW PACED RUNNING, AS IT HAD BEEN SINCE LAST OCTOBER / DECEMBER SINCE I LAST WENT RUNNING. I HAVE BEEN ON MANY MAJOR HIKES SINCE THEN, BUT RUNNING AND HIKING ARE TWO TOTALLY DIFFERENT 'ANIMALS'. IT DID FEEL GOOD TO BE OUT THERE.
AFTER THAT, I CAME HOME, EAT, SHOWERED, WENT TO THE GROCERY STORE (SEE ABOVE), AND WROTE MY ARMY BUDDY WHO IS IN IRAQ A LETTER.
HAVEN'T EVEN WENT ON MY HIKE YET. I DID TURN DOWN TWO CHANCES TO GO OUT DRINKING LAST NIGHT. BESIDES BEING A MAJOR TEMPTATION TO SMOKE WITH THE DRINKING AND THE EASY ACCESS AND THE PREVELANT SMELL IN EVERY BAR U GO INTO (EXCEPT BW3), IT IS ALSO LABOR DAY WEEKEND, WHICH MEANS COPS ARE OUT EN FORCE JUST LOOKING FOR THE SLIGHTEST REASON TO PULL SOMEONE OVER AND SLAP THEM WITH A DUI CHARGE.

OK, I AM GOING TO DO SOMETHING NOW.

PEACE