ROLL CALL FOR WEEK OF MAY 11, 2009

[KAREN]

Hello everyone. Thought I would start the roll call for the week. I hope all the mothers out there had a greate Mother's Day.

Here today, back from a nice morning bike ride, and smoke free and enjoying the heck out of it.

I was out walking on Brighton Beach this weekend and stopped to talk with a man and he was smoking a cigarette. Now, normally, I would not mind as my husband smokes and I have been with him in the car when he does. He does crack the window also. But I must have gotten a good amount of this man's smoke at me because I was clearing my throat and coughing as I walked away! It was really disgusting and all I could think of is that is the way I would ALWAYS be if I were smoking again. I hear my husband hacking his lungs out too and it is always a good reminder of where I don't want to be.

I hope you all have a great week. I plan on it for sure!

Karen

[Flo]

Good morning. Checking in from Vancouver, Canada where it was a sunny Mother's Day weekend, but now it is raining. Gosh, does it change ever so drastically. However, I'm not complaining. I actually enjoy these rainy, gray Vancouver days.

Karen, I know what you mean. There are not that many smokers around anymore and thank goodness. We would have to be exposed to all that second and third hand smoke otherwise. I don't think my quit would have been a success had I still been with my boyfriend. You deserve a big pat on the back for sticking to your quit despite your husband smoking.

Thank goodness I'm not smoking anymore.

[Don]

On Saturday my son and I helped with road cleanup for the Boy Scouts.
Can't tell you how many cigarette butts littered the road. In fact, there were so many that we decided to forget picking them up on our two mile stretch of road and instead focus on the larger items. I think every smoker should do 'road duty' and see what a few butts out the window amounts to.

10-27-99

[Dot]

Hi All.....hope all of you are well.

Dot
One month, one week, five days, 7 hours, 35 minutes and 30 seconds. 1732 cigarettes not smoked, saving $173.26. Life saved: 6 days, 20 minutes.

[dorothyl]

Here and smokefree for:
Five years, four months, four days, 11 hours, 47 minutes and 59 seconds. 78059 cigarettes not smoked, saving $13,660.15. Life saved: 38 weeks, 5 days, 55 minutes.
Roger:
Seven years, four months, three weeks, two days, 9 hours, 20 minutes and 16 seconds. 108055 cigarettes not smoked, saving $18,909.43. Life saved: 1 year, 1 week, 4 days, 4 hours, 35 minutes.

[ncpops]

Happy days to all. Sorry I wasn't that man on the beach, Karen. I could have talked with you. NC is about to pass more severe no smoking rules statewide. Health issues are winning.

Jimpops

[slim]

I work in sales and was with a mom and son for some time working out contract details....very nice people...but the cigarette smell coming from the both of them was almost more that i could take in a closed room. I swear i needed a shower after leaving those folks. I could see the beast pulling on them after being inside for a bout 1/2 hour. chain smoklers the both of them. Gotta have the fix....no options in there mind....I have been there done that! So glad to be free

7 Years 11 Months 4 Hours 22 Minutes 16 Seconds.
Cigarettes not smoked: 86735.
Money saved: $17,347.09.
1 Yr 7 Mos 3 Wks 3 Days 7 Hrs 54 Mins 38 Secs

[slim]

I work in sales and was with a mom and son for some time working out contract details....very nice people...but the cigarette smell coming from the both of them was almost more that i could take in a closed room. I swear i needed a shower after leaving those folks. I could see the beast pulling on them after being inside for a bout 1/2 hour. chain smokers the both of them. Gotta have the fix....no options in there mind....I have been there done that! So glad to be free

7 Years 11 Months 4 Hours 22 Minutes 16 Seconds.
Cigarettes not smoked: 86735.
Money saved: $17,347.09.
1 Yr 7 Mos 3 Wks 3 Days 7 Hrs 54 Mins 38 Secs

[KAREN]

I am lucky that my husband does not make it a point of smoking through the whole house. We actually quit that when our son was born. If we did smoke it was not in every room for sure. That was bad enough we smoked in the basement. That is where my husband smokes, usually near his work bench or like I said in the car. He did quit from March of 2008 till the end of November 2008 and then started again. He is just not ready to quit again. I choose not to smoke today.

Have a great day everyone.

Karen

[Flo]

I hear what you're saying Don. The west end, where I live has all these little mini parks in the neighbourhood. They were built to stop the roads so cars wouldn't use the west end as a freeway and it works. There are only a few clear roads that go straight through. One such little park is near my place and these "rubbies" have chosen to hang out there. It seems no one says anything or if they do, there's not much the police can do unless they get violent or something. They instead just drink and smoke. The cobbled walk is covered covered covered in white. These things are butts. It's sickening. Imagine.

And I hear what you're saying too Slim. I have been in the elevator when someone who smokes heavily will get on and once it even made my eyes water it was so strong.

I worked with a woman who would get up in the middle of a meeting (with the executive no less) if it ran over an hour to have a cigarette. You could see her getting more and more agitated as the time passed. She was able to get away with that atrocious behaviour because the owner/Mr. Kahoona/ also smoked. There was a pause of shock and then he got up too. Amazing.

So glad I'm not a smoker anymore. So glad.

On another note, just got news this morning that my cousin has just been diagnosed iwth cancer and it has spread. The doctor gives her anywhere from 2 days to 2 months. We are all scurrying to get over there this weekend. I don't think she was a smoker though.