Picture of the week

See that pack of cigs over there? I used to smoke them. Seriously. I don't know what I was thinking. I chose menthol because, well, that's what my friend was smoking and besides it had a mint flavor. I could convince myself it didn't taste that bad. I was 18 by the way and had just ended a relationship with my first, ahem, love. Well, it was more complicated than that, but sufice it to say I was in a self destructive frame of mind. I smoked for a summer and rarely bought a pack. I bummed them off co-workers who were so amazed I was smoking, they didn't mind giving up the cancer sticks. Plus cigarettes weren't so expensive back then.

Newports have a girly cigarette reputation, but I didn't care. It was the only kind of cigarette I could stomach and the fact that I had a burning weed in my mouth was "manly" enough for me.

After that summer, I stopped smoking except for an ocassional cigarette here and there. I was never addicted to them. Either I never smoked them enough (and yes, I did inhale) or I am immune to a nicotine addiction. I used to have a tradition where I'd smoke one cigarette during the run of a show. I stopped that when Rachel was born. It just seems irresponsible to me to do something that was so bad for my health when I have two kids depending on me. I'm irresponsible enough in other ways.

Nowadays I find secondhand smoke difficult to deal with. Of course, I never liked it, but when I used to smoke, it obviously didn't bother me as much. I would like to see all restaurants smoke free in Iowa City and Coralville in the next ten years. I think there's a good chance it'll happen. I hope it does.