I decided to dedicate a site for my smoking ladies to post their pet peeves they have had to endure from non-smokers. Tell me about incidents in restaurants, other public places and homes of friends or relatives.

[ November 22, 2005, 01:08 PM: Message edited by: ladybug ]

and where IS that site Ladybug?

Hi Bug... i think i'll use this site to get rid of peeves that also drive one to ...../ for example all these characters in our provincial government, who we just found out voted themselves a 15% wage hike, and yet set wage increases at 0% for teachers, hospital workers etc. This world is so full of gd hypocrites makes me sick. This kind of information generally calls for about 6 cigerettes in a row... But instead had one and am typing you... now that's an improvement eh.

All indoor public places here are no smoking. I think everyone agrees to that here, both nicotine addicts and non addicts. I dont smoke at anyone's home who doesn't smoke and may sit an hour visiting with someone in my house if they dont smoke before i light up.

Bug... forgot to say thank you ...... for more than a few comments you've posted in various sites as well as this.... thank you.

Thank you too norma. I felt that we need to hear the smoker's side of this issue. Maybe the things smokers post here can help us get along a lot better with this issue.

Hi JawJaw! This topic itself was created as a little mini website for our forum smoking ladies to "air" their pet peeves, no other special place, just right here.

So please, smoking ladies, please feel free to post things to educate us non-smokers.

[ November 20, 2005, 10:55 AM: Message edited by: ladybug ]

I see. When you said you were dedicating a site, I thought you meant you had built a new web site or something. My bad.

JJ

It's okay, no problem. I'm just not talented enough to start a new website although my son could do it for me. I thought it's very easy to have it here sorta like a mall, all under one roof.

The credit for my acceptance and better understanding of smokers is entirely my sons. I wish you all could meet him. He saved my sanity when his dad, my husband had a stroke. He went on walks with me and listened to me rant and cry. At times he admitted, it brought him down too. We're over that now.

My point is: people will smoke and continue to smoke because they like it. Granted, it's not good for one's health but I also think it's high time that we stop treating smokers as if they have a dreaded disease. They help pay taxes and are contributing members of society just like the rest of us.

I want to help smokers by allowing them to post the problems society is also causing them to incur. Yes, it's a two-way street. With their help we can all come to a better understanding and acceptance. Let's all respect one another as we were meant to. We can't if we want only our side to be heard.

I guess I'll start first then.

Back awhile ago my son liked to smoke cigars. He didn't inhale (I know, I know) but smoked them for the visual persona of sexiness, manliness, whatever. He doesn't now. It was a once a week or so thing. Anyway, it was a warm day and between classes on his college campus. He sat down as far away from anyone as he could get and lit up. A girl he didn't know came up to him and said, "do you know how disgusting you look with that cigar in your mouth?" He said he smiled and said, "tell me about it." She proceeded to tell him about others "rights", air pollution and of course health concerns. I think she meant well but at the same time she was extremely rude and way out of line. She could have chosen a much nicer approach than starting off by calling a person disgusting. Actually I would think it's very unwise and unsafe to approach a stranger with comments that are instantly inflammatory to their character when you don't even know the person.

From that time on and with his new job he's been able to understand and sympathize with smokers.

Now let's hear your stories.

As a former smoker I can honestly say I probably bothered many people. Smoking is very selfish. It robs us of fun times because we're thinking of how to get away and smoke. We don't finish our meals so we can feed the moster when it calls. If we're in a non smoking environment, we aren't that comfy because the addiction is calling to us. It steals from our lives.

I think the comment made to your son is a college thing. Immaturity.