I feel like ranting and raving...
I was out smoking today and the maintenance guy at the building I work at was like "You smoke a lot, don't you? You're out here 4 times a day...". That bothered me. How is being outside 4 times a day smoking a lot? I probably have 1 at 8am, 1 at 9 am, 3 at lunch and then 2 at 2pm. How is that a lot??? I suppose if you don't smoke, that's a lot but in the life of a smoker, that's nothing. I probably smoke a pack and a few extra a day. I used to smoke 2 a day... I admit that that is not great but at least I'm not like John Mellencamp that used to smoke 4 a day (he cut down signifigantly after his heart attack...). Why give me grief? There are people in my department that are out every hour like clock work. I admit that when I hang out with friends, I can go through 2 packs easy but that goes with the territory of being relaxed.
That really got me thinking about things. Like social smokers. I don't like them. I don't understand them. Why spend almost $7 a pack to have a occasional smoke with your drink to look cool? What's the point? I mean, I HAVE to have a smoke after a cup of coffee but what's the point of spending that kind of money to smoke 4 cigarettes at a bar? I know social smokers don't know this but cigarettes go stale. Especially after you've had them for over... lets say 1 week. I know several social smokers and it drives me crazy. When I was living in Ireland, they had a good solution I guess for social smokers. You can get your cigarettes in a pack of 10 or a pack of 20. Maybe they should do that here. I won't even bum my social smoker friends cigarettes anymore cause they don't even inhale. And you can tell when someone isn't inhaling. It's just something to help you look cool but you look stupid. Especially when they tell me they hate menthol and that's all I smoke and they want to bum one cause they start complaining about how much they cost. And they can't stand the smell of smoke. Especially since when we leave the bar (lets say,back at my apartment an hour later...) they ask me not to smoke or to smoke in the bathroom cause the smoke irritates their eyes. Well, it didn't bother you when we were outside the bar an hour ago. I just don't get it.
I won't even get into my cigarette hierarchy... just my little smoking progression theory (that everyone starts out smoking Marlboro's cause they want to look cool... then if they progress onto becoming a regular smoker, then they venture out to other brands...). I know that theory is not perfect cause my friend pointed out that I started off with Mores but it's just a generalization... You get the point.
I can't say that I'm a perfect smoker. I started smoking in college cause it helped me relax when I was writing for long periods of time... that and I was part of a poetry slam group that was filled with smokers. It just became normal to have a smoke before you went on stage and then sit at your table smoking cause the coffee was good and you were having great conversations. That was back before they cut out smoking indoors at clubs and bars. It was fun. But I know I was hooked when I lived in NYC and I was paying $6. I honestly tried to stop (at those prices, who wouldn't) but it was too good of a thing to give up (my roommate was a social smoker when we went to bars... it was part of her bad girl image.. then Guilliani fucked up the whole smoking in bars thing).
Who knows... maybe one day I'll quit and badger smokers about how bad it is but I don't see that happening anytime soon. Until then, I'll smoke them if I got them! Fuck non-smokers!
I was out smoking today and the maintenance guy at the building I work at was like "You smoke a lot, don't you? You're out here 4 times a day...". That bothered me. How is being outside 4 times a day smoking a lot? I probably have 1 at 8am, 1 at 9 am, 3 at lunch and then 2 at 2pm. How is that a lot??? I suppose if you don't smoke, that's a lot but in the life of a smoker, that's nothing. I probably smoke a pack and a few extra a day. I used to smoke 2 a day... I admit that that is not great but at least I'm not like John Mellencamp that used to smoke 4 a day (he cut down signifigantly after his heart attack...). Why give me grief? There are people in my department that are out every hour like clock work. I admit that when I hang out with friends, I can go through 2 packs easy but that goes with the territory of being relaxed.
That really got me thinking about things. Like social smokers. I don't like them. I don't understand them. Why spend almost $7 a pack to have a occasional smoke with your drink to look cool? What's the point? I mean, I HAVE to have a smoke after a cup of coffee but what's the point of spending that kind of money to smoke 4 cigarettes at a bar? I know social smokers don't know this but cigarettes go stale. Especially after you've had them for over... lets say 1 week. I know several social smokers and it drives me crazy. When I was living in Ireland, they had a good solution I guess for social smokers. You can get your cigarettes in a pack of 10 or a pack of 20. Maybe they should do that here. I won't even bum my social smoker friends cigarettes anymore cause they don't even inhale. And you can tell when someone isn't inhaling. It's just something to help you look cool but you look stupid. Especially when they tell me they hate menthol and that's all I smoke and they want to bum one cause they start complaining about how much they cost. And they can't stand the smell of smoke. Especially since when we leave the bar (lets say,back at my apartment an hour later...) they ask me not to smoke or to smoke in the bathroom cause the smoke irritates their eyes. Well, it didn't bother you when we were outside the bar an hour ago. I just don't get it.
I won't even get into my cigarette hierarchy... just my little smoking progression theory (that everyone starts out smoking Marlboro's cause they want to look cool... then if they progress onto becoming a regular smoker, then they venture out to other brands...). I know that theory is not perfect cause my friend pointed out that I started off with Mores but it's just a generalization... You get the point.
I can't say that I'm a perfect smoker. I started smoking in college cause it helped me relax when I was writing for long periods of time... that and I was part of a poetry slam group that was filled with smokers. It just became normal to have a smoke before you went on stage and then sit at your table smoking cause the coffee was good and you were having great conversations. That was back before they cut out smoking indoors at clubs and bars. It was fun. But I know I was hooked when I lived in NYC and I was paying $6. I honestly tried to stop (at those prices, who wouldn't) but it was too good of a thing to give up (my roommate was a social smoker when we went to bars... it was part of her bad girl image.. then Guilliani fucked up the whole smoking in bars thing).
Who knows... maybe one day I'll quit and badger smokers about how bad it is but I don't see that happening anytime soon. Until then, I'll smoke them if I got them! Fuck non-smokers!
darkmrfripperton:
Hug! 