Smoking

I've never been a big fan smoke.

Well, let me clarify that, I've never been a big fan of cigarette smoke.

My grandfather smoked a pipe for almost the entirety of my childhood and I always loved the way it smelled. To this day, when I smell pipe smoke it reminds me of summer vacation and great times spent at my grandparents house in Vermont. In short, it makes me happy.

Sometimes I don't mind people who smoke. My other grandfather smoked his entire life and it took me about 16 years to realize. He always sort of did it in private, hiding his cigarettes and lighter from my brother and me. His ashtray always sat on the bookshelf by the door, but it was crown shaped so I always just thought it was a neat decoration. I guess you could say I was naive or ignorant, but I think it was just that he was a conscientious smoker. I have a friend who is the same way, he smokes like a chimney but it never interferes with our lives. Even when we are driving, he manages to smoke without making the car smell bad or fill with smoke... it's like magic!

But there are other people who just don't do it the classy way. Take several other people I know for instance. They are all super nice and I like them a lot, but they go on smoke breaks like every 30 minutes or something and come back smelling like, well, smoke. And it's not the usual cigarette smell, because honestly that smell doesn't bother me all that much any more. It's a nasty mentholated orangy mess that makes me feel sick to my stomach. And then I have to talk with them and smell them and try to keep the sudden raging headache and nausea at bay, so as not to let them realize that I want to kill myself at that moment... or them. Even worse is the person who dips. And then proceeds to spit into his cup while he is giving me my assignment or telling me how to properly write something. Or when I have to man his desk and use his computer and type on his dirty keyboard, all the while looking at the can or cup of dip spit that is sitting right next to the screen. Gross!

So, I guess what I'm trying to rant and rage about is really just this, people who insist on smoking cigarettes (and I'm not trying to tell them not to, although it is very bad for their health) really need to learn how to do it the right way, the polite way. And preferably pick a cigarette that doesn't smell like something rancid.