On my way to work, or out to lunch, or even on my way home, I'm always amazed at how many people actually smoke. And I have no problem with anyone who wants to smoke. Me--I don't. Never did. I can't. Smoking would be signing a death certificate right now. It would negate all the chemo and radiation and besides I'm not really a fan. It smells. My neighbor's downstairs are chain smokers (she was recently diagnosed with non-operable lung cancer) and my apt. smells like I smoke. My clothes reek. I have to go buy special expensive laundry detergent to get the smell out. But I digress. I really don't care if people want to smoke. Because while it's a proven fact that it causes a myriad of diseases, I don't think that line will really work to deter people. Why? Well, new research shows that soda causes cancer. Apparently tampons cause cancer. Nutra-sweet causes cancer. The sun causes cancer for crying out loud. So basically at any point in any day you can be exposing yourself to some sort of risk.

But there is an annoying thing about smoking. I can not be around someone who smokes. It really can hurt me. I get nervous that second hand smoke will do more damage to my lungs or create problems. And whenever I tell a smoker, "please don't smoke in front of me," they get angry like I'm preaching to them. When I'm not. I'm simply asking not to increase the rate in which I might die by blowing smoke in my face. One time, when I was just getting over pneumonia, I was online for the bus. This woman was smoking and it was going in my face. But I had a bit of a nasty cough left over from the pneumonia so I was coughing in general. And because it was so cold, I was holding my scarf across my mouth so that I didn't aggravate my lungs with the cold air. She got so mad at me and started cursing at me and telling me how disrespectful I was and if she wanted to smoke and blow it in my face she could and if I didn't like it to get to the back of the line. First, I was so taken aback that she would flip out like that. And then I calmly said, "Yes, you have every right in the world to smoke. I'm not lecturing you. However, I just finished chemo and being in the hospital with pneumonia, so between the cold and your cigarette smoke, I'm going to be coughing. And if you have a problem with that, then I suggest you stand somewhere else."