Random

[susandennis]

I have not  had a cigarette in probably 15 years and about the only time I think about it is when I see clearly not wealthy people smoking on the street and wonder how in the heck they can afford it.  (Cigarettes in Seattle are something like $9 a pack now.)  Seems like crack might be cheaper but whatever.

Anyway, after I ate my little breakfast this morning, suddenly I had a flash of how lovely it would be to enjoy a cigarette with the rest of my coffee.  Of course, since regular breathing is not that easy, smoking would be impossible and there's no way I'd pay that much and I really have lost my tolerance for the smell and mess.  But, just for a flash, I really did think, wouldn't it be nice.

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I enjoy background music. I listen and sing along in stores (and, yesterday, I caught a guy in Grocery Outlet doing the same thing so it's not just me!)  Today I turned the bedroom radio to Pandora and now it's wafting lightly over the transom to here in the living room. I can control it via a web page (Squeezebox radio) so I don't even have to move to make it louder, vote for or against music or turn it down and it's not directly in my face or rather my ear.  I have no idea why I never thought of doing this before.  It's lovely!

Comments

[notmypresident.livejournal.com]

I had a flash of how lovely it would be to enjoy a cigarette with the rest of my coffee

As someone who has never smoked, it seems incomprehensible to me that smoking can be pleasurable. I mean, obviously, there has to be some positive aspect to smoking in order to get so many millions hooked, but everything else related to cigarettes is so vile and repulsive that I can't believe intelligent folks take up the habit.

I do have on-again/off-again friends who will occasional partake. And my own mother said that she would have continued smoking were it not for health concerns. I was shocked, to say the least. Maybe if she were the only occupant in a bio-environment on the planet Mars where she had no interaction with others (human and animal) who have to tolerate the stench on her person, clothing, and lodging...

Next time, be sure to have a chocolate croissant handy to counter that smoking impulse!

[susandennis]

Nah, nothing takes the place of a deep drag on a plain old cigarette. Seriously, nothing. There is no way I would ever smoke one again but I can remember and enjoy the remembery. I used to say that if I ever got a diagnosis of something fatal, the first thing I'd do is have a cigarette. Alas, now I doubt I could enjoy one because of my lungs which is, how, probably, they got damaged in the first place... but still, one good drag... ohhhhh yeah

Living room cam..

[jeanssister.livejournal.com]

It's turned upside down. My sister, in Florida, and myself, in Tennessee, like peeking in on you, here and there. Like the creations of the bears, sweet Zoey, and very pretty living room. You are an interesting person, great humor, fun to read your blog, and looking at the brunch site. Thanks!

Re: Living room cam..

[susandennis]

Oh, how I love that you both keep an eye on me! What great fun. Thanks so much for letting me know. Big waves to you both!

Re: Living room cam..

[jeanssister.livejournal.com]

I saw that big wave, thank you! My sister's in a wheelchair, and we talk every day on the phone. We are both very poor on the pc, and marvel at your know how. She'll say, have you seen Susan today? lol The blogs are so good, it's hard to miss even one. And.., she's smoked for years, she's in her 70's, I, almost 70, and have asthma, so I had to quit years ago. You're right, there are days when I'd love that first drag, and that little light headed feeling that goes with it!

Re: Living room cam..

[susandennis]

ha! and... you are both older than me!! that's fabulous. seems like you are doing fine on the pc!

[susandennis]

Interesting. you made me look up the price :)

As of last July (and I don't think we've had a price change since then) there were $8.31 a pack.

http://www.theawl.com/2013/07/what-a-pack-of-cigarettes-costs-now-state-by-state

COPD

[(Anonymous)]

Well, I grew up in the great tobacco state of Virginia and nothing there stopped us from starting young. I bought my first pack of cigarettes at 12 and still remember how much it cost: $.50 for the pack, plus $.02 for the then-4% state sales tax.

In our high schools, we had smoking lounges outside for the students. I can't even imagine it now. Still, though, when I'm outside in the cold and someone lights up I can tell which brand it is from the smell of that first bit of burn. Marlboro Lights always smelled the best to me.

I also remember driving south past Richmond and into NC and during certain times of year all you could smell was the tobacco growing in the fields. Don't see any of that now!

Homely

PS - I quit shortly after graduating from college.

Re: COPD

[susandennis]

I was raised in Winston-Salem. We had no cigarette sales tax so our cigarettes were $.20 a pack. But, if you didn't want to pay that, you could go downtown to the new plant and watch them make Winstons and they gave you a pack for free. Yep...

Re: COPD

[letmesaythis.livejournal.com]

Waving my idiot flag over here, having finally connected the dots: Winston-Salem....Winstons and Salems. Good grief.

Re: COPD

[susandennis]

hahahahahaha I totally Laughed Out Loud!

COPD

[(Anonymous)]

Holy crap - I thought nothing was worse than smoking lounges for school kids, but I think the free packs at the plant beats it…

Amazing that we all survived to adulthood, eh what?

Homely