A Rant On Smoking

I'm an ex-smoker. I never smoked a lot and I never smoked before noon. I have made a conscious choice to have very few friends who are smokers (you know who you are and when are you quitting?). I am a very fanantical non-smoker. I think one of the main reasons I am returning to Canada is because of the strict non-smoking laws there. In Mexico, there are very few laws with respect to smoking. You can smoke almost anywhere and people usually do. My friends Amy and Ben have a non-smoking cafe and they still get looks of disbelief from their smoking patrons when they are asked to smoke outside. Apparently, it is offensive to them to be asked to smoke away from the food being prepared and other clients enjoying their meals.

Sometimes I think that all the smokers from NOTB are coming to Mexico so that they can smoke more freely. Cigarettes cost less here too. As a result, I am not a very happy camper most of the time. It doesn't matter where I am outside -- at the beach, out for lunch, in a bar -- the smoke will always come straight towards me. Kind of like the way dogs jump all over my Mom because she doesn't like them. My biggest pet peeve about smoking is people who don't understand that when they smoke, they are endangering the lives of the people around then. By NOT smoking, I am hurting no one. I have zero tolerance for smoking and just cancelled a six day road trip because the driver is a smoker.

When I return to Canada, I will be looking for a job. I think one of the questions I will ask prospective employers is, "What is your smoking policy?" If they tell me they allow their employees to take smoke breaks, I am going to ask them, "What is in it for me? What benefits will I receive as a non-smoker? Will I be able to leave my desk half a dozen times a day and ask my co-workers to do my work for me? Or will I actually get paid MORE for being the type of employee who stays at her desk for the requisite seven hours a day?" If not, I guess I won't be working for them for long, if at all.