" I wouldn't have guessed you are a smoker!"

[hannahmollysmom]

I admit, I am a smoker. Phew that feels good to get off my chest. Let me tell you where it all began....

I am a concientious smoker. It does not effect my job. I know that I can only have breaks at certain times. I do not smoke around children!  If I am at a non-smokers house, or car I go outside, but, should you accept an invitation to MY house, be prepared for smoke. (If it does harm you physically, I will refrain from smoking in front of you and will go outside while you are at my home.) Yes, I know smoking is bad for you but where would we be if no one bought cigarettes and therefore the tax (income) we bring into the state would be gone!

The airport I work at is one of the few left with a smoking lounge. I'm glad we do, as I can just imagine how the front curb would look like if we didn't! Some states have actually proposed no smoking in personal cars due to dangers while driving. I see more people talking on cell phones while driving than smoking.

Also, those who smoke pot but feel the need to preach to me about cigarettes really get my goat. Pot, through a pipe, or unfiltered joint, is more damaging to lungs than a filtered cigarette!

Sorry for the rant but this subject really irks me!

[Elaan of Troyius]

I admit, I am a smoker. Phew that feels good to get off my chest. Let me tell you where it all began....

I am a concientious smoker. It does not effect my job. I know that I can only have breaks at certain times. I do not smoke around children!  If I am at a non-smokers house, or car I go outside, but, should you accept an invitation to MY house, be prepared for smoke. (If it does harm you physically, I will refrain from smoking in front of you and will go outside while you are at my home.) Yes, I know smoking is bad for you but where would we be if no one bought cigarettes and therefore the tax (income) we bring into the state would be gone!

The airport I work at is one of the few left with a smoking lounge. I'm glad we do, as I can just imagine how the front curb would look like if we didn't! Some states have actually proposed no smoking in personal cars due to dangers while driving. I see more people talking on cell phones while driving than smoking.

Also, those who smoke pot but feel the need to preach to me about cigarettes really get my goat. Pot, through a pipe, or unfiltered joint, is more damaging to lungs than a filtered cigarette!

Sorry for the rant but this subject really irks me!

Yes, it irks me too. I'm with you especially on the part of while I do not smoke in the home or car of a non-smoker, but in my own apartment and in my own car, darned right I smoke. If I have visitors, I open the windows to ventilate -- but being how I'm also not very social, I only have my close friends and my boyfriend over anyway (and all three of them happen to be non-smokers -- I smoke outside when I visit them!) -- they know I smoke and they respect that it's my place, just as I respect their homes by not smoking in them, so they don't make any of the irksome types of comments about it. The car -- I open my driver side window anyway even when it's just me (how much depends on the weather, but I do open it to some degree regardless) and if a non-smoker is in my car I say "Go ahead and open your window too if you want." I'm shocked that they usually don't, because a car is such a small enclosed place, which I'd think would exacerbate their dislike of the smoke.

As to state income through cigarette tax revenue though, that's not why I smoke, and I also think the darn government takes way too much of my money anyway. I smoke because I enjoy it (for me, one of the best pleasures going is a cig with a cup of coffee!), and also because it's a major source of stress relief. I stress out really easily, and I don't handle it well.  A cigarette is the only thing that holds me together in some situations (like driving!).

[Giggity]

If I said something like that, my meaning would be that I never smelled smoke on you. That's a good thing.

[Giggity]

hehe, some of the world's most successful supermodels are smokers

I think that's how they (and ballerinas) stay so thin.

One of my heroes, the rail-thin conservative bomb-thrower Ann Coulter, seems to live in cigarettes and Chardonnay. (But I have seen her drink a beer. Good for her!)

[HorseFreak]

I admit, I am a smoker. Phew that feels good to get off my chest. Let me tell you where it all began....

I am a concientious smoker. It does not effect my job. I know that I can only have breaks at certain times. I do not smoke around children!  If I am at a non-smokers house, or car I go outside, but, should you accept an invitation to MY house, be prepared for smoke. (If it does harm you physically, I will refrain from smoking in front of you and will go outside while you are at my home.) Yes, I know smoking is bad for you but where would we be if no one bought cigarettes and therefore the tax (income) we bring into the state would be gone!

The airport I work at is one of the few left with a smoking lounge. I'm glad we do, as I can just imagine how the front curb would look like if we didn't! Some states have actually proposed no smoking in personal cars due to dangers while driving. I see more people talking on cell phones while driving than smoking.

Also, those who smoke pot but feel the need to preach to me about cigarettes really get my goat. Pot, through a pipe, or unfiltered joint, is more damaging to lungs than a filtered cigarette!

Sorry for the rant but this subject really irks me!

Talking on cell phones is already illegal in some states (CT is one). The thing is, lighting and holding a cigarette do require use of your hands while driving which is a safety risk when you should have both on the wheel (or periodically shifting if you drive a stick).

[gadget--gal]

I admit, I am a smoker. Phew that feels good to get off my chest. Let me tell you where it all began....

I am a concientious smoker. It does not effect my job. I know that I can only have breaks at certain times. I do not smoke around children!  If I am at a non-smokers house, or car I go outside, but, should you accept an invitation to MY house, be prepared for smoke. (If it does harm you physically, I will refrain from smoking in front of you and will go outside while you are at my home.) Yes, I know smoking is bad for you but where would we be if no one bought cigarettes and therefore the tax (income) we bring into the state would be gone!

The airport I work at is one of the few left with a smoking lounge. I'm glad we do, as I can just imagine how the front curb would look like if we didn't! Some states have actually proposed no smoking in personal cars due to dangers while driving. I see more people talking on cell phones while driving than smoking.

Also, those who smoke pot but feel the need to preach to me about cigarettes really get my goat. Pot, through a pipe, or unfiltered joint, is more damaging to lungs than a filtered cigarette!

Sorry for the rant but this subject really irks me!

Talking on cell phones is already illegal in some states (CT is one). The thing is, lighting and holding a cigarette do require use of your hands while driving which is a safety risk when you should have both on the wheel (or periodically shifting if you drive a stick).

i've seen people hold the cigarette in their fingers and steer, it's a bit like how you would hold a pen poised while flicking through papers 

[HorseFreak]

I admit, I am a smoker. Phew that feels good to get off my chest. Let me tell you where it all began....

I am a concientious smoker. It does not effect my job. I know that I can only have breaks at certain times. I do not smoke around children!  If I am at a non-smokers house, or car I go outside, but, should you accept an invitation to MY house, be prepared for smoke. (If it does harm you physically, I will refrain from smoking in front of you and will go outside while you are at my home.) Yes, I know smoking is bad for you but where would we be if no one bought cigarettes and therefore the tax (income) we bring into the state would be gone!

The airport I work at is one of the few left with a smoking lounge. I'm glad we do, as I can just imagine how the front curb would look like if we didn't! Some states have actually proposed no smoking in personal cars due to dangers while driving. I see more people talking on cell phones while driving than smoking.

Also, those who smoke pot but feel the need to preach to me about cigarettes really get my goat. Pot, through a pipe, or unfiltered joint, is more damaging to lungs than a filtered cigarette!

Sorry for the rant but this subject really irks me!

Talking on cell phones is already illegal in some states (CT is one). The thing is, lighting and holding a cigarette do require use of your hands while driving which is a safety risk when you should have both on the wheel (or periodically shifting if you drive a stick).

i've seen people hold the cigarette in their fingers and steer, it's a bit like how you would hold a pen poised while flicking through papers 

Unfortunately, having a lit implement in your hand can reduce reaction time since you're going to be a bit concerned about burning yourself or your car if you lose hold of it.

[DiamondGirl]

Some states have actually proposed no smoking in personal cars due to dangers while driving. I see more people talking on cell phones while driving than smoking.

I'll be the first to tell you that I would be racking up the tickets on this one. I would tell any cop who says something to me about it oo, I have been smoking and driving since I got my license and have yet to get into an accident. Until the government starts to pay my car note then they have no right to tell me I can't smoke in my car. They can give me the ticket but it will not be a deterrent.

[Dandy Andy's Daddy's Love]

Unfortunately, having a lit implement in your hand can reduce reaction time since you're going to be a bit concerned about burning yourself or your car if you lose hold of it.

Actually, I have burnt myself, because I'm not really ever concerned that it will happen. I'm sorry, but I doubt very highly that having a lit cigarette will slow reaction time. I'm also with DiamondGirl. I have a right to smoke in my car and will continue to do so.

[ChristiKayAnn]

I admit, I am a smoker. Phew that feels good to get off my chest. Let me tell you where it all began....

I am a concientious smoker. It does not effect my job. I know that I can only have breaks at certain times. I do not smoke around children!  If I am at a non-smokers house, or car I go outside, but, should you accept an invitation to MY house, be prepared for smoke. (If it does harm you physically, I will refrain from smoking in front of you and will go outside while you are at my home.) Yes, I know smoking is bad for you but where would we be if no one bought cigarettes and therefore the tax (income) we bring into the state would be gone!

The airport I work at is one of the few left with a smoking lounge. I'm glad we do, as I can just imagine how the front curb would look like if we didn't! Some states have actually proposed no smoking in personal cars due to dangers while driving. I see more people talking on cell phones while driving than smoking.

Also, those who smoke pot but feel the need to preach to me about cigarettes really get my goat. Pot, through a pipe, or unfiltered joint, is more damaging to lungs than a filtered cigarette!

Sorry for the rant but this subject really irks me!

Yes, it irks me too. I'm with you especially on the part of while I do not smoke in the home or car of a non-smoker, but in my own apartment and in my own car, darned right I smoke. If I have visitors, I open the windows to ventilate -- but being how I'm also not very social, I only have my close friends and my boyfriend over anyway (and all three of them happen to be non-smokers -- I smoke outside when I visit them!) -- they know I smoke and they respect that it's my place, just as I respect their homes by not smoking in them, so they don't make any of the irksome types of comments about it. The car -- I open my driver side window anyway even when it's just me (how much depends on the weather, but I do open it to some degree regardless) and if a non-smoker is in my car I say "Go ahead and open your window too if you want." I'm shocked that they usually don't, because a car is such a small enclosed place, which I'd think would exacerbate their dislike of the smoke.

As to state income through cigarette tax revenue though, that's not why I smoke, and I also think the darn government takes way too much of my money anyway. I smoke because I enjoy it (for me, one of the best pleasures going is a cig with a cup of coffee!), and also because it's a major source of stress relief. I stress out really easily, and I don't handle it well.  A cigarette is the only thing that holds me together in some situations (like driving!).

I am a non smoker but I agree with both of you on this.  What you do in your own home/car is none of the government or anyone else's business. What next? Are people going to start regulating how many calories I consume a day because I have a weight problem? 

The only exception I would make to this is if someone you live with is made ill by the smoke you shouldn't smoke inside even if it is your home/car.  I am sure that you would be like my mom in this situation not my niece’s stepmom.  My dad has lung problems and so mom smokes outside. My niece has an allergy to cigarette smoke and every week she comes back to her mom's congested and sick with her face all swollen because her stepmom refuses to smoke outside and smokes in the car with the kids. She misses school at least 2 Mondays a month because she is so sick after her dad's weekends because of the smoke.

[hobish]

I admit, I am a smoker. Phew that feels good to get off my chest. Let me tell you where it all began....

I am a concientious smoker. It does not effect my job. I know that I can only have breaks at certain times. I do not smoke around children!  If I am at a non-smokers house, or car I go outside, but, should you accept an invitation to MY house, be prepared for smoke. (If it does harm you physically, I will refrain from smoking in front of you and will go outside while you are at my home.) Yes, I know smoking is bad for you but where would we be if no one bought cigarettes and therefore the tax (income) we bring into the state would be gone!

The airport I work at is one of the few left with a smoking lounge. I'm glad we do, as I can just imagine how the front curb would look like if we didn't! Some states have actually proposed no smoking in personal cars due to dangers while driving. I see more people talking on cell phones while driving than smoking.

Also, those who smoke pot but feel the need to preach to me about cigarettes really get my goat. Pot, through a pipe, or unfiltered joint, is more damaging to lungs than a filtered cigarette!

Sorry for the rant but this subject really irks me!

Yes, it irks me too. I'm with you especially on the part of while I do not smoke in the home or car of a non-smoker, but in my own apartment and in my own car, darned right I smoke. If I have visitors, I open the windows to ventilate -- but being how I'm also not very social, I only have my close friends and my boyfriend over anyway (and all three of them happen to be non-smokers -- I smoke outside when I visit them!) -- they know I smoke and they respect that it's my place, just as I respect their homes by not smoking in them, so they don't make any of the irksome types of comments about it. The car -- I open my driver side window anyway even when it's just me (how much depends on the weather, but I do open it to some degree regardless) and if a non-smoker is in my car I say "Go ahead and open your window too if you want." I'm shocked that they usually don't, because a car is such a small enclosed place, which I'd think would exacerbate their dislike of the smoke.

As to state income through cigarette tax revenue though, that's not why I smoke, and I also think the darn government takes way too much of my money anyway. I smoke because I enjoy it (for me, one of the best pleasures going is a cig with a cup of coffee!), and also because it's a major source of stress relief. I stress out really easily, and I don't handle it well.  A cigarette is the only thing that holds me together in some situations (like driving!).

I think this is because the smoke will flow right out the open window if you hold a cigarette near it. The action of the car moving makes the smoke get "sucked out." If both windows are open then the smoke will drift across the car as air flows out that window as well. I had to demonstrate this to a boyfriend who felt he didn't need to open the driver's side window while smoking because i already had the passenger side window open. All that did was make all of the smoke (instead of just my smoke) float over to the passenger side on its way out.

[Elaan of Troyius]

I am a non smoker but I agree with both of you on this.  What you do in your own home/car is none of the government or anyone else's business. What next? Are people going to start regulating how many calories I consume a day because I have a weight problem? 

The only exception I would make to this is if someone you live with is made ill by the smoke you shouldn't smoke inside even if it is your home/car.  I am sure that you would be like my mom in this situation not my niece’s stepmom.  My dad has lung problems and so mom smokes outside. My niece has an allergy to cigarette smoke and every week she comes back to her mom's congested and sick with her face all swollen because her stepmom refuses to smoke outside and smokes in the car with the kids. She misses school at least 2 Mondays a month because she is so sick after her dad's weekends because of the smoke.

1. Let's hope not, but you never know. Uncle Al, a columnist I used to read before he disappeared from the web, used to refer in some of his essays to "People Who Want To Control Everyone's Behavior -- Except Their Own" with regards to all the organizations and such pressuring for laws to regulate and prohibit activities which were "unhealthy," and a whole host of other things which, like dietary choices and smoking for instance, are nobody else's business.

2. I live by myself (Yay! -- and not just so I don't have to worry about someone I live with becoming ill from my smoking), so I'm the only one who'll get sick from my smoking, if I should someday get sick from it (non-smokers also can get lung cancer and heart disease, even though it's more likely to get them if you are a smoker). My non-smoking friends and boyfriend are just plain and simple non-smokers; they're not asthmatic, allergic or any other kind of sensitive beyond not liking the smell of tobacco smoke.

[Brentwood]

Uncle Al, a columnist I used to read before he disappeared from the web,

You're referring to Al Sicherman, a Twin Cities columnist who has been writing for the Minneapolis paper for as long as I can remember. You can still read him on the Strib online. He's my mother's favorite columnist.

http://www.startribune.com/bios/12034436.html

[Elaan of Troyius]

Uncle Al, a columnist I used to read before he disappeared from the web,

You're referring to Al Sicherman, a Twin Cities columnist who has been writing for the Minneapolis paper for as long as I can remember. You can still read him on the Strib online. He's my mother's favorite columnist.

http://www.startribune.com/bios/12034436.html

Thanks Cathy, but this isn't "my" Uncle Al. The one I used to read, he was Al Schwartz, not Sicherman, and he didn't write for any newspapers (he was way too controversial, politically incorrect and brilliantly scientific; no newspaper read by "normal people" would ever publish anything like this) -- he had a website he used to post his essays on...then it moved....moved again....and disappeared. I couldn't ever find him again even by Googling. I'd get dead links and so on. I tried on and off for a couple of years......Oh!!!!!! OH OH OH!!!!!!!! OH MY!!!!!

I just had to try another Google just now (he "disappeared" in 1999 or 2000 and I gave up totally by around 2003: I had just started dating my boyfriend, who I knew would love Uncle Al as much or more than even I do, and the last time I had Googled for Uncle Al before now was back then)....But now ---

HE'S BAAAAACCCCKKKKKK! The Outrageous Online Uncle Al is Back!   

LOL, so much for my etiquette training!  (Don't worry, I still have enough in the way of manners not to post his stuff around here!)

Maybe this won't make any sense, but THANK YOU, Cathy!

[Brentwood]

Uncle Al, a columnist I used to read before he disappeared from the web,

You're referring to Al Sicherman, a Twin Cities columnist who has been writing for the Minneapolis paper for as long as I can remember. You can still read him on the Strib online. He's my mother's favorite columnist.

http://www.startribune.com/bios/12034436.html

Thanks Cathy, but this isn't "my" Uncle Al. The one I used to read, he was Al Schwartz, not Sicherman, and he didn't write for any newspapers (he was way too controversial, politically incorrect and brilliantly scientific; no newspaper read by "normal people" would ever publish anything like this) -- he had a website he used to post his essays on...then it moved....moved again....and disappeared. I couldn't ever find him again even by Googling. I'd get dead links and so on. I tried on and off for a couple of years......Oh!!!!!! OH OH OH!!!!!!!! OH MY!!!!!

I just had to try another Google just now (he "disappeared" in 1999 or 2000 and I gave up totally by around 2003: I had just started d@ting my boyfriend, who I knew would love Uncle Al as much or more than even I do, and the last time I had Googled for Uncle Al before now was back then)....But now ---

HE'S BAAAAACCCCKKKKKK! The Outrageous Online Uncle Al is Back!   

LOL, so much for my etiquette training!  (Don't worry, I still have enough in the way of manners not to post his stuff around here!)

Maybe this won't make any sense, but THANK YOU, Cathy!

LOL! Well, if I've made you happy despite linking the "wrong" Uncle Al, then I'm glad!

Who would have thought there were two columnists calling themselves Uncle Al?