Smokers frustrations about the decisions that are being made for us.
Today is fantasy football draft day! I will be pausing from the normal blogging to put all of my attention into my draft sheet. 13 hours to go and counting, tick....tock.....tick....tock. It can't go fast enough!
I was reading an article entitled "More Women Worldwide Smoking" off Newsvine last week and it brought up some thoughts and questions.
I was reading an article yesterday regarding celebrities that were smoking at the Emmy's on Sunday night.
I found and also ordered this product.
British T.V. is cutting smoking scenes from popular cartoons such as Tom & Jerry, The Flintstones and others. An article that I read this morning states that they are cutting smoking scenes that deem smoking as "glamorous". Please. These are cartoons where they drop 2 ton weights on each other. Where they blow each other up with bombs. Where they fall or jump off of cliffs. Are they going to cut these scenes out because they are violent? Are they going to cut them out because they are suggestive of immortality since they never die?
Well, surprisingly, the airport situations were very smooth over our vacation. I did however discover that the Minneapolis Airport now has the same standards as San Francisco with the no smoking within 50 feet of the doorways. There of course were still the people that somehow got a lighter through security, so I did not have to wait until I got my checked baggage to have that ever so wanted cigarette. (Although 1 book of matches is supposedly still allowed to go through security.) The no smoking within 50 feet of doorways seemed to be the case all over Minneapolis. The Mall of America was the same way. We had to stay over a night in Minneapolis and the hotel that we stayed in DID have smoking rooms available, so that was good. Nice to see that local hotel chains aren't following the Marriot's ways!
I had a comment on my blog the other day from the guy who writes Darwinism of the College Aged Being. He made a comment that had a good point. (I am talking about the Paraphernalia post.)
Well, I am starting to think that my earlier post regarding smokers and travel wasn't so bad. Now with having to get to the airport earlier, this just stretched the time another couple of hours. I have been sitting here throughout the week trying to find flights that get us to our destination directly - non stop, to shorten the "wait." There are some, although more costly of course. I am not one of those "I am having a nicotine fit" kind of people. I don't sit at the gate dying for a cigarette. The hardest part is when you get off of the plane. Unlike before when you carried on your luggage, you now have to deal with EVERYONE waiting for their bags at baggage claim. Are lighters allowed in your checked luggage anyway? If not, I am straight out the door looking for the closest person with anything capable of making fire. Hopefully it won't be too bad as we have some LONG trips in September.
I read an article online this morning from Europe's edition of Time magazine. This is the craziest thing that I have ever heard. I have heard of states considering not allowing smoking in homes if you have children and things of that nature, but come on. This is absolutely ridiculous. With all of the changes that have happened here in the United States over the past few years regarding smoking, I truly hope that we don't follow this leader.
Remember when, 5 or so years ago, you would go out to a bar or restaurant and they would empty your ashtrays on a consistent basis? The correct restaurant rule was 3 "butt" maximum allowed in ashtray, then the server/bartender needed to empty it. These days, it is more like 18. Hell, we empty our ashtrays more than the server does. It this due to the change in the smoking laws? Is this due to the fact that since smoking isn't allowed in most bars/restaurants anymore, the staff isn't getting trained to do that? The funny thing is that people that smoke, when they find a place that allows smoking, usually stay longer because they are comfortable, they can relax and have a good time. This would mean that their tab would be larger which in turn means that the tip would be larger for the server. Makes sense to me. Why doesn't it make sense to them? Overflowing ashtrays are disgusting. Especially when they are near your plate while you are eating. That is a no-brainer. It is bad enough that our choice of smoking allowed establishments has dwindled by about 90%. Now when we do find one, they cant even keep your ashtrays empty. It is not as if the entire bar/restaurant is smoking and they are "backed up" on the emptying.
I absolutely love the Google ads that are appearing on this site. I am writing a blog that discusses our frustrations as smokers and most of the ads are along the lines of "how to quit smoking." Hilarious. Apparantly we are not ready to quit, or we wouldn't be reading this blog in the first place. I just find this extremely ammusing. I don't think that the ads will get many will get many clicks off of this blog.
I read an interesting article this morning. The article was talking about how a beach is considering going non-smoking by getting people to start campaigns. I do understand what they are saying about the cigarette butts, how they aren't biodegradable, etc., but the people that I know, usually put them out in a can, portable ashtray, something. Most people that visit beaches, I believe, are visiting them for their beauty, not to dirty them up with cigarette butts. Obviously the few that are doing the "littering" of the cigarette butts, should be fined or something to that affect. Is this leading to beaches becoming non smoking too? I know that in certain states it has been heavily weighed and continues to be a pressing issue. Look at California. Nearly 2,400 municipalities across the nation have barred smoking in a variety of public places. It seems that every form of recreation is turning non smoking. You can't go to an outdoor baseball stadium, outdoor concert, outdoor football stadium, etc. and smoke in the stands anymore. These are all outdoor venues. The argument there was the people sitting in such close proximity. They can't say that about the beaches. It is TOTALLY open air and people aren't in close proximity so now they have to come up with some other reason to make something non smoking?
The strangest thing happened to me in a store the other day. Not a small store. A general store/pharmacy type of place - like a Walgreens. We were getting ready to check out and I remembered that we needed flints for a Zippo lighter that my honey has. I asked the clerk if they carried flints. She looked at me as if I was crazy. She obviously didn't know what they were. I explained to her what they were and this is EXACTLY what she replied. "OH NO, we don't carry ANY type of smoking paraphernalia here in THIS store." Not to mention that she was 20 feet away from me, so everyone in the general area could hear her disgusted response. I felt like I just said a bad word in Catholic school class. (Not that I went to a Catholic school, but I imagine that is how it would feel) Anyway, "smoking paraphernalia." What in the hell is "smoking paraphernalia?" It is not as if I asked for something for my crack pipe. It isn't as if I asked where the rolling papers were - which by the way, pretty much any convenience store still carries. Since when did stores not carry lighters, flints, fluids, etc? Since when did lighters and lighter "products" mean that you were a smoker only? They are used for other things. I could be an avid camper. I could be a collector. I could be a pyro, anyway - it is a product. It isn't a representation of their store. When I went to pay I should have told her that I didn't have any type of bank paraphernalia.
Why is it not the individual business owner's choice whether to allow smoking in their restaurant, bar or establishment? I think THEY should have the right to decide what THEY want for THEIR customers at THEIR place of business. I don't think that legislation should be able to tell THEM what THEY have to do for THEIR establishment. Why weren't people given a choice, an option, a different way to go other than NO SMOKING and that's it? Why didn't they give business owners the opportunity to install smoke eaters in their businesses in order for them to continue to have a smoking area? I GUARANTEE you that if you were a frequent customer/regular at an establishment and you were approached with the options of A. This place going totally non smoking or B. Contributing money to help that establishment install a smoke eater/s - that you and every other frequent customer/regular would definitely choose B. Was this ever even an option given? No. Why not???
One night last week my honey and I went out for cocktails. We always go to the same place. We go to this place because it is non smoking inside but they have a huge patio, with 2 levels, that allows smoking outside. One side is non smoking and the other side with 2 levels is smoking. This set up gives non smoking customers an area to be outside that doesn't allow smoking. Over the past couple of years, one of the things that has bothered me the most about people is this.... They walk out to the top level on the smoking side. CHOOSING to go to the smoking side where the smokers sit. They know that the other side is non smoking, but they sit down at a table knowing, because they can see everyone, that smoking is allowed. They do not ask to be moved or move themselves. They insist on sitting there giving you looks, doing the "fake" coughing thing, and commenting between themselves constantly. WHY ARE PEOPLE LIKE THIS? My point - these aren't people concerned with their health. These are people that have nothing better to do than complain. These people are part of the problem with society, government and smokers. They just need something to bitch about. Like I said before, if they were truly concerned with their health, they wouldn't have sat there for 2 hours around a bunch of people smoking, or should I say "secondhand smoke?"
So here is a typical trip for smokers who travel across country for business.
This is the first post for this blog. After several years of increasing frustration, I decided to start this blog. I know several people, both smokers and non smokers, that are equally as frustrated. This is for all of them as well as myself.
Smokers frustrations about the decisions that are being made for us.
