- Joined
- Apr 26, 2007
- Messages
- 8,087
I confess: I used to smoke. But I quit. The problem is that while I''ve quit *my* bad habit, a lot of other people appear to be unaware of theirs.
You know what I really used to hate when I did smoke? The people who would pointedly, in loud voices, discuss how much they haaaaaaaaaaaaated smoking and how awful it was and how rude smokers were: talking *about* me rather than *to* me. Because, seriously? Ask me directly. I''m a person with a bad habit, not an ogre: if I''m doing something to bother you, from hogging the arm-rest to engaging in a nervous tic to, yes, smoking, SAY SO.
So, three weeks ago, I quit smoking, and I''m using a nicotine-replacement thingy to do it: the thingy is an electronic cigarette. It looks a lot like a cigarette, except it''s red and shiny, but it emits fake smoke (glycerol) and every time you inhale, a little red LED on the end blinks to mimic the ember. (I will admit, I wish they''d made the LED blue or green or something to make it *less* cigarette-like, but that''s what Customer Service suggestion boxes are for.) And I''m walking to the bank when the girl behind me does the loud-voice complaint and then breaks into an enormous fake fit of coughing. How do I know it''s fake? Well, the danged thing doesn''t emit any actual smoke, so it''s either psychosomatic or it''s just plain old bad manners. Given the earlier behavior, I''m betting on the latter. What on earth does everyone seem to have against direct engagement? Gaaaaaaaaaah.
Sorry guys, rant over: we now return you to your regularly scheduled dose of shiny.
You know what I really used to hate when I did smoke? The people who would pointedly, in loud voices, discuss how much they haaaaaaaaaaaaated smoking and how awful it was and how rude smokers were: talking *about* me rather than *to* me. Because, seriously? Ask me directly. I''m a person with a bad habit, not an ogre: if I''m doing something to bother you, from hogging the arm-rest to engaging in a nervous tic to, yes, smoking, SAY SO.
So, three weeks ago, I quit smoking, and I''m using a nicotine-replacement thingy to do it: the thingy is an electronic cigarette. It looks a lot like a cigarette, except it''s red and shiny, but it emits fake smoke (glycerol) and every time you inhale, a little red LED on the end blinks to mimic the ember. (I will admit, I wish they''d made the LED blue or green or something to make it *less* cigarette-like, but that''s what Customer Service suggestion boxes are for.) And I''m walking to the bank when the girl behind me does the loud-voice complaint and then breaks into an enormous fake fit of coughing. How do I know it''s fake? Well, the danged thing doesn''t emit any actual smoke, so it''s either psychosomatic or it''s just plain old bad manners. Given the earlier behavior, I''m betting on the latter. What on earth does everyone seem to have against direct engagement? Gaaaaaaaaaah.
Sorry guys, rant over: we now return you to your regularly scheduled dose of shiny.