Lungs of a Smoker, Never Took a Hit

There are many few things of which I am intolerant. But cigarette smoking in public when a crowd is present comes close to (if not AT) the very top.

I will admit my stupidity for standing out in the cold for four hours to get free tickets to a 30-minute concert. But, that's my perogative. I'm hurting no one but myself.

However, the sidewalk along the Keith Albee entrance is uber-crowded with my fellow Rascal Flatts groupies. And everytime someone gives into the nicotine urge, we ALL have to inhale the deathly carcinogens.

I understand it's legal and ONLY legal to suck on cancer sticks outside (in most cases). But, it is just common courtesy to blow your smoke where no one else has to breathe it in. Today, in fact, there is a non-busy, two-lane street that separates us from the other, crowd-free side of the road. Please take your smell over there.

To top it off, a man, who I will refer to as Mr. Bud Light hat, steps out of the door behind me into my tiny cubby that is keeping me from the unbearable chill of the wind, and lights up, filling my personal bubble with intoxicating (not in a good way) fumes. So, to maintain my breathing, I step to the end of the sidewalk and not-nonchalantly (would that just be chalantly? Okay, no.) wave the smoke out of my face. And I may have even thrown in a forced cough or two.

For a few minutes, I watch Mr. Bud Light hat ingest toxic chemicals into his lungs. When he is done, old guy flips his butt (cigarette, that is) down on the ground. See below.

(a few more things about this photo: a) the girl on the right is the ballsy chick who, at about 3 hours into waiting, plopped her butt .... real one, that is .... down at the front of the line. I mean, really? Also, here you can see my little cubby in which I was standing. As you can see, it's very personal-space invading.)

My problem with Mr. Bud Light hat, other than the blatant littering, is that only a few feet away stood this:

Yep! A place to dispose of your used cancer sticks! So, not only are you, Mr. Bud Light hat, filling others' lungs with harmful carcinogens, but you're making the streets we walk on ugly. Thanks.

Then, I turn around and see this:

The only thing I hate more than being surrounded by cigarette smoke is seeing adults blow their smoke around their own children. I can at least walk away. Children have no choice. This is appalling, unhealthy, inappropriate and careless. Parents need to be responsible and need to be held accountable for their actions.

Oh, and by the way, today is the Great American Smokeout. Epic. Fail.

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