Sssssssssssssmokin’!

Never having been a smoker myself – never even having a desire to try smoking anything herbal or otherwise rolled in paper – I have difficulty comprehending the need to smoke. 

My best friend is a smoker who is trying, ever so desperately, to quit. He even has gone as far as taking pills to numb out the neuroreceptors that need the nicotine. These pills are making him extremely pissy and not very fun to be around. However, he is smoking less. They were supposed to make him stop all together. That hasn’t happened yet.

I support him in his quitting, judging smoking to be a vile habit. (No offense to those of you who do smoke.) I will miss the smell on him though because he smokes the earthy, natural tobacco of the American Spirit cigarettes, blue box. The smell of that tobacco is part of his scent. Now that he is smoking less, that aroma is a noticeably lighter layer, almost already disappeared. I had not realized how much I had identified the smell of that tobacco with him. Having it slowly fade has been an interesting experience for my senses.

I digress… had no idea I was going there today…

Anyway, I do not understand the need to smoke. I have never been able to grasp why someone would choose to stand out in a blizzard, just to smoke. I understand that it becomes a physiological, as well as psychological, need to smoke. I get that. However, it is hard for me to imagine being possessed by such a driving need, an almost compulsion it seems at times. Especially since the nation has become generally anti-smoking and fairly unfriendly and unaccomodating for the smoking population. As the laws stiffen to protect the non-smokers from second-hand smoke, the smokers are losing their rights to comfortably smoke.

I have always been curious (infuriated) by rules that place the rights of one group of people as more important than the opposing group of people’s rights. And, yes, I know, in a world of duality, that is bound to happen. If I were a smoker, though, I think I would be mildly to wildly pissed off most of the time because I would be so inconvenienced when it came to getting my need met.

Again… didn’t know I was going there either…

What I really wanted to share – or at least thought I did – was that I went to the Water Distribution Department today to pick up some redlined and approved site plans for a project my company is building. I have been there several times before but have never noticed this small glass enclosure.

For some reason, this morning, I took notice of it momentarily and assumed (incorrectly) that it was a covered bus stop. I felt all proud of the WDD for encouraging their employees to ride the bus to work by providing their very own enclosure to wait for the bus after work each day at their very own bus stop right in the parking lot of their very own place of employment. 

Then, I realized there were people in there, apparently waiting for the bus.

Perhaps they are coming of the night shift?

I had to pass the enclosure as I entered the building. The three people were in there laughing and having a grand ole time. Then I realized how these people were all like the other… they were all smoking!

Bravo to the WDD for providing a warm, comfortable place outside of the building proper wherein their smoking employees have the right to get their needs met. Perhaps other corporations around the nation should follow suit.

I wonder if someone has built a sex room somewhere for their employees?

Oh. Wait. That would be Las Vegas. Yes?