A puff of Coolness

Originally uploaded by Porcelain Princess.

Through out the years Cigarettes have accumulated a variety of nicknames such as "smokes", "butts", "squares" "cigs","ciggies", "stogs", "stogies", "snouts", "tabs" , "loosey" , "backwards", "bogeys", "boges", "gorts", "ciggy wiggy dilly's", "darts", "straights" (for factory rolled ones), "dugans" (especially in NYC), "hairy rags", "hausersticks", "jacks", "grits", "grants" (A common phrase used for asking someone for a cigarette is "Can you grant me a grant?"), "tailies" (Only in New Zealand) and "fags". As you see there is no shortage of nicknames for this activity that has been going on for as long as human have been in existence. One could say, let me be the one to say that it was a tobacco was a big culprit of slavery. How? Tobacco was a cash cow for the southern colonies/states; more workers where needed to harvest the fields, no one wanted to do it so a search for free labor was on the way. Anyways I don't want to start this as a Black history month praise because I'm not black. What I am is intrigued with smoking. The act, the sensation, the commitment to something that gives so little back for the efforts. I've never smoked, please don't feel sorry for me or happy for me it was a conscious decision due to my love for sports and my health it wasn't because I wasn't curious. I remember asking my mother when I was younger if she had smoked when she was younger and yeah she did her share of smoking but she stopped for me. I asked why she did it and if it tasted like anything. To which she replied "I was stupid and young" and "no it didn't taste like anything". I suppose that kept my temptation at bay, I was a husky boy that liked to eat and if didn't taste like anything I didn't want to put it my mouth. However that discipline would fade as I got older. Today well I think I'm still intrigued by it but simply by the social camaraderie. Smokers stick together, they all do it outside,in bars, in there cars, from time to time they'll share cigs, buy cigs from each other, and always share a light. What other vice do you have people doing that? I sure as hell wouldn't share my drink with anyone. Granted I think I really just want to try it because I want to see if I really do look cool. Will a black and white shot of me taking a "drag" make me look hard, cool, sexy, or any other adjective associated with this act. I don't know? Maybe Everyone is right and I'm wrong for not ever trying it, or maybe they're just puffing hot air for no damn reason?