Be Not Conformed to this World

Published on by D. G. Hart

Which would be an argument for lighting up, at least judging by this review:

Oh, what fun smokers won’t be having in 2014. As of New Year’s Day, Boston joined six other large cities banning smoking in its 251 city parks. The fine for violation is $250 and includes anyone caught “vaping” a smokeless electronic cigarette. In Oregon, there is now a $500 fine for smoking in a private automobile with a person 18 years old or younger on board; and in Illinois, flicking a cigarette butt out a car window—what was called “dinching” in the Bogie and Bacall era—could result in a $1,500 fine. The CVS pharmaceutical chain has announced that it will stop selling cigarettes this year.

On the bright side, however, you can smoke dope to your heart’s content in Colorado. And yet, only a generation ago, cigarette smoking was considered normal behavior, while lighting a joint was regarded as the act of a deviant.

Consistency and coherence are overrated. We need more hybridity.

56 thoughts on “Be Not Conformed to this World”

  2. Friggin’ incredible… This calls for action! Changing back to my original avatar… Smoking a cigar after work this evening… Put sticky note on the fridge – “Do not move to Boston!”

    Can we get an Old Life smoke-out scheduled?

    Like

  3. It was very difficult for me to give up smoking, just because I hated losing the opportunity to give “The New Puritans” the finger.

    Like

  4. “In Oregon, there is now a $500 fine for smoking in a private automobile with a person 18 years old or younger on board.”

    Does this include marijuana? If it’s just tobacco, then that really shows the buffoonery there.

    Fining for littering isn’t such a bad rule, if it’s actually enforced. But $1500 is ridiculously steep (cash-strapped county budgets?), even if cigarette butt litter is unsightly. Will there be a $500 fine for apple cores and banana peels?

    There is a nice park in O-Town that is more focused on walking and bird wildlife where I take a folding chair, sit near the lake, smoke a cigar and read while observing the cranes and herons. It’s really nice. Here’s hoping the City Beautiful does not following the Boston Butt.

    Like

  8. How much longer until any and all smoking of whatever (‘cept grassola) will be illegal? HOW LONG?
    Cigarettes are for kids anyway. Any adult who (still) smokes cigarettes is a chump. Cigars are cool, pipes are cool. Grass is kind but probably shouldn’t be done as it toasts the mind.

    Like

  14. I guess I’m not Reformed then, Chorles. But if you’re looking for me, I’ll be in front of the game with a shot of Jim Beam, a Bud chaser, and a few Marlboro Lights.

    Like

  17. Pabst is the go-to over here. It used to be Lucky-Strikes until they got banned, now I just do Lights (any kind will do) since my vice isn’t frequent enough to do Reds (for the sake of the wife).

    Here in San Diego IPA is all the rage (my office is virtually across the street from Stone Brewery so I’ve tried my share), frankly I think it’s overrated, except for the Arrogant Bastard variety.

    Like

  30. Belgian abbey ale, Dortmunder export lager, and real Pilsener — those I can do. And London porter and Irish stout.

    Now you’re speaking my language.

    Like

  31. DG, I’ve had Russian River and it’s good. The problem with most IPAs is they taste like a hop experiment gone-wrong. I’m waiting for Jed to show up and call me a turd

    Like

  32. C-Dubs, bumper stickers align with self-expression instead of restraint, thus are not Reformed. I think I’m safe.

    Like

  38. Speaking of Epicureanism, I’ve been playing around with a new inverted AeroPress coffee brewer the past couple of mornings and have enjoyed the best cups of java I’ve had in a long, long time. These have been around for a while but I just found out about them a few weeks ago on an unrelated blog. It’s all about the VOC’s, apparently.

    Like

  40. VOC? What’s a VOC. There’s too many words and shortened words in the world, at least on Saturday mornings.

    And there’s too many computers reading my mind. You’d think they’d get scared of doing that kind of thing. Like my computer kept telling me to follow Nate Paschall on twitter. Now he has every right to be above following the Mudster, so I’m not hurt very much by Nate ignoring me but I had to shut up my computer. And why do I get emails from women in Russia with men’s names? Some days the world don’t make any sense.

    Like

  42. Muddy – VOC’s are “volatile organic compounds.” The same reference used to describe the toxic fumes given off by various solvents, sealers, paints, and stains, may also be used when referring to to odors released by beverages like red wine and coffees. It’s why red wine is often poured into drinking glasses through an “oxygenator” to release the VOC’s.

    Also, I hope you’re not surfing into any of those Russian web sites offering connections with their women – unless you want your computer to be in even worse shape after having been taken over by hackers and viruses.

    DGH – It appears that your taste in coffee relegates you to the 7-11’s, Crystal Flashes, Flying J’s, and similar convenience stores, gas stations, and truck stops.

    Like

  43. Thanks for nuthin, George. And you back off those Russian women. They say I am quite handsome on Twitter. See my picture? Who’s to blame them? But maybe all that cold and all that vodka in Russia is a bad combo.

    Like

  44. BTW, Muddy, just exactly who is that gravatar supposed to be? Looks like a an old photo of Richard Boone taken from a fun house mirror shortly before he died.

    Like

  50. Muddy, forgive my slowness. I haven’t set up the reminder on twitter to send an email that reminds my phone to text my wife to tell me that I have a new follower on twitter.

    Like

  51. Zrim, coffee is also hipster. It’s a fine balance, the question is are you a snob about your coffee that got popped out by a monkey in Malaysia, or can you equally appreciate the coffee at your local breakfast joint?

    Like

  55. I missed this conversation this weekend, but, yeah Nate is a turd, for many reasons. Among the many is not knowing a good beer if it offered to pick up his tab at dinner. Darryl might be wrong on his nicotine delivery systems, but he is dead right on beer. Never underestimate the satisfaction that comes from a good plug of Copenhagen.

    Like

Leave a comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.