I remember it well. At just gone 6pm, exactly three years ago, I pulled down the blind at the ticket office window. My working day was done. I went out the back door. It was a dark, damp evening. I lit up a cigarette. A Pall Mall Red, with a little menthol cartridge in the … Continue reading Three Years Quitversary
Who wins a 5km running race between 2010 Me, and the current 2022 edition of me? It’s not exactly the burning question of our times, but a Facebook Memory popped up last week that did have me pondering what the outcome of such a race would be. The Facebook Memory was from a now defunct … Continue reading Race Against Time
#THROWBACKTHURSDAYMarch 2003, atop Sigirya in Sri Lanka. It’s a truly beautiful country, I can’t speak highly enough of the place or the people I met along the way. I was just a wee young lad, barely into my 30s. It seems so long ago. But then this is Lockdown 2020, and February seems half a … Continue reading
I am a serial quitter. I quit. Then I quit quitting. And repeat. I've written posts promising, threatening, suggesting I will quit many times before. The repetitive nature of my posts tells you that I haven't quit. I am still a foul, filthy stinky smoker. I've tried patches, gum, electronic cigarettes. But I'm a resilient soul, not put off … Continue reading The Quitter
The Queen had her Diamond Jubilee. I have a more modest silver celebration coming up. It's a celebration I'd rather avoid. It'll be a quarter century of puffing on Virginia's finest. Not an anniversary to be proud of, truth be told. But I'm a pretty hard core addict. Which isn't surprising, given that I've been … Continue reading A Smokin’ Silver Jubilee
I quite distinctly remember my first cigarette. Or at least the first I smoked with any zeal, as opposed to the curious, but functionally defective puffs on a menthol cigarette stolen from a chum's mum. I refer instead to a cigarette where I sucked the fumes all the way into my lungs. Just a wisp … Continue reading Digital Quitter
Horror of all horrors. The Mexican government is renewing its assault on us smokers, with renewed vigor and intensity. By that I mean to say they're slapping another 6 or 7 pesos on the price of a pack of twenty. That's a cheap shot. As if general price rises aren't hurting already. Smoking is a … Continue reading Up In Smoke
The Mexile 