I’m finishing up my pre-dawn 6 mile run today - it’s somewhere just below 10 degrees F. As I stroll down my street to “cool-down” I pass a neighbor.
She’s known as the “cat lady” (for predictable reasons) and I routinely see her at all hours wandering outside her home - smoking. Apparently she’s a bit more concerned with the re-sale value of her home than with the interior of her lungs.
She’s got the full get-up: housecoat, rollers in her hair, fuzzy slippers, surrounded by a cloud of smoke.
As I pass and say good morning, she remarks, “Nothing stops you, huh?” I of course repeat the same thing back to her. She chuckles and mumbles back, “I guess you’re right.”
I’m sure she thinks that I’m the “crazy” one…people are just too much!!
I’ve always contended that smokers should live to be about 130 years old. They stand outside in all kinds of weather and do their thing. Seems to me that being outside in everything from 100 degree heat to blizzards ought to toughen them up.
I laughed out loud at that one…it is funny–something I have always said to smokers in the middle of summer–“okay, it’s 100+ degrees outside, so you think to yourselves ‘you know what would feel cool and refreshing right about now? Some hot smoke in my lungs…yeah, that’ll do the trick’”
My wife had about 12 women over for a little BTL session (Bitch, Talk and Laugh) the other night, and about an hour into it, I happened to be passing through and most of them were putting on their coats. I tried to supress my exhileration that they were through, and said something like, “I’m sure glad you got to come over, I hope you had fun.” They looked at me like I was crazy and said, “We’re not leaving, we’re just going out back for a smoke.” They did it again in another hour.
I work for a large corporation at our headquarters in suburban Cleveland. About 2,500 people work at this “campus” of buildings. Some genius architect (actually, a very well-known one), situated our smoker’s bunker right outside the door that leads to our company fitness center. The bunker is just that - a concrete shelter that looks like it could survive a direct hit from a Tomahawk missle. When I run on my lunch break I pass through the cloud of smoke that oozes out. They puff away and look at me like I’m crazy in my yellow jacket and lycra tights.
Ooh, can we turn this into a “Smokers are evil” thread?
I personally am of the opinion that anyone should be able to do whatever they want to themselves as long as what they are doing doesn’t interfere with anyone else. Smoking, has the problem of being a permeable thing. It’s not a self-contained indulgence but one that spreads and pollutes.
Both of my Parents smoked (1 still does sigh), and I remember as a kid virtually trying to smother myself with my pillow to try and “filter” the smoke. It’s insane what we will subject our children to.
Thank goodness there are laws starting to come into place now to help protect us from some blatant disregard for other peoples rights. I am in Georgia, where it’s still quite close to 1956 in places regarding smoking(and other things). I loved it in California, where there wasn’t any smoking in the bars. You could go, have your libations, and not have to be bothered by someones fumes.
The funniest thing I can say that relates to this thread is how at a local nursing school, no matter what the weather, you can see almost all the wanna be nurses outside shivering in the cold smoking their ciggies. I think it’s sorta funny, in a sad ironic way.
Last week I saw someone wearing a Livestrong band while outside smoking.
A few weeks ago, I saw a cute girl smoking and we stared at each other for awhile. This has continued indoors in the hallways. I give girls whose names I don’t know but seem interested in me nicknames. Hers is Smokey the Bear.
Ooh, can we turn this into a “Smokers are evil” thread?
I personally am of the opinion that anyone should be able to do whatever they want to themselves as long as what they are doing doesn’t interfere with anyone else. Smoking, has the problem of being a permeable thing. It’s not a self-contained indulgence but one that spreads and pollutes.
______ I used to believe the same thing - that people should be able to smoke all they want, it’s not my business, then I changed occupations where I visit nursing homes. To see the incredible amount of money that tax payers are giving to medicate these dying people is incredible. I’ll bet out national deficit would be less than half it is if smoking were illegal.
I’ve got a neighbor woman who’s got to be in her 60’s. She will not smoke in her house, but every morning at 4.30am she’s in her garage getting her morning smoke in. I see her 3-4x a week as I’m heading in for master’s swim.
Thee is a certain east coast triathlete, who kicks ass; qualifies for Kona almost every year. When he runs, you could say he's smokin'. When he finishes he definitely is; lights up as soon as he crosses the finish line!
Thee is a certain east coast triathlete, who kicks ass; qualifies for Kona almost every year. When he runs, you could say he’s smokin’. When he finishes he definitely is; lights up as soon as he crossed the finish line!
Are his intials “C.S.” ?
I used to think it was obvious that smokers increased the overall cost of health care.
Some people have made the case supporting the opposite opinion…since smokers often die a quick and early death of heart disease/stroke, these people of opposing view say smokers are actually less of a drain on the system since they don’t tend to hang on for so many years, years where the incidence of other chronic conditions tend to manifest themselves.
Of course, you must factor in the economic productivity of the groups. If the non-smoker lives 10, 15, or 20 more years, but, isn’t working because they’ve reached retirement age…maybe non-smokers do “cost more” healthcare dollars than the quicker-to-die smoking population…many of whom are working the minute they fall over dead from a massive infarction or stroke. I don’t know what the truth is regarding the financial health effects of smoking, although the physical health effects are fairly well known.
I’ve never thought people shouldn’t smoke if they choose to smoke. I’ve never thought it was acceptable for smokers to pollute my air, though.
Non-smoking restaurants are a lot like non-peeing pools. On pool pisser affects everyone in the pool.
I’ve stopped running along the beachfront strand in La Jolla Shores on summer days because I can’t make it the whole half mile without wanting to puke for all the cigarette smoke blowing back off the beach. There are so many people sitting on the beach smoking that a palpable cloud wafts back.
One of our two local hospitals actually has a “Smoke Hut” outside for employees and visitors to use. It is pretty close to the main entrance. Today, with essentially blizard conditions this afternoon, it appeared to be elbow to elbow in there. Most unfortunately appeared to be in hospital employee garb.
I have to be careful though…it has not been that far out of memory where I would have been right in there in the thick of it…
10 degrees (F) or so (for me). It was on or about January 6, 2002, about 10 degrees on my balcony at 2am. My 15 year love afair with nicotene was ended. Oh, I miss my mistress so sometimes. But not usually.
After a bunch of years in the Navy spent underway in some of the coldest climates available and on shore duty in Rhode Island, I can say that there is no such thing as “too cold to smoke.” I’ve seen a bunch of guys outside in 10 degree weather with 20kt winds huddled together in their peacoats all burning the cancer sticks. I’ve seen guys standing out on the bridge wing underway in the Puget Sound in January dressed head to toe in fould weather gear with just enough skin showing to light up a smoke. If that isn’t proof of the addictive properties of nicotine, I don’t know what is. In New York, when they passed the law against smoking in restaurants and bars, a bouncer actually got stabbed when he tried to make a patron go outside to smoke. Nice.