Dirty rotten, lying basterds!

Yesterday Spain enacted it's most draconian smoking ban aping the British model of the anti smoking cartel that has the unprecedented ear of politicians. Listen to the Restauranteurs and bar owners as they explain how this swinging ban will impact on their businesses. Also listen to the telling comment by the commentator as she says that the socialist government in Spain wants to impose the strictest anti smoking laws that Europe have ever enacted, even surpassing the UK's anti smoking laws. Listen as they blame smoking for the killing of 55.000 deaths in that country.

But the ordinary drinking smoker that frequents bars and restaurants sees through this bullshit and sees the hypocrisy in government interferance in their leisure time.

The time is right to say NO, ENOUGH IS ENOUGH!

We are too tollerant of the missinformed.

That man Puddlecote...

...started it! He started us bloggers looking at our own inner sanctums that we like to call an office and thinking that we were the only ones with such a clutter and a very untidy workstation.

One by one we hit the keyboards to give the lowdown on our messy and unruly workplaces as we wonder how, magically, the detritus got there in the first place.

So here then is my offering, which, I must admit, looks better on film than it does in reality. And there's no prizes for guessing what I bought myself for Christmas but do give your thoughts on what it is anyway.

I've tagged Man Widdicombe, The Filthy Engineer (who must have the worst cluttered workstation I've ever saw :¬)) and the Fuel Injected Moose who have all contributed to this sorry tale of woe. (Damn, nearly forgot to tag Head Rambles, now his workstation I'd pay money to see!)

Click To Play

Rest in peace Pete Postlethwaite.

Actor Pete Postlethwaite who sadly died yesterday, the 2nd of January 2011.

Harassment, pure and simple?

Is this how it has become? You are harassed into being an hypochondriac???

I’m a Doctor, trust me?

This is not the first phone call I have received this dying year from my local doctors surgery asking me about my smoking habits where I have refused to reveal it, one way or the other, but I guess they know by my intransigence that I am a proud smoker.  Today they surpassed themselves.

The first phone call this morning came from the practice nurse who “needed to update her records” and wanted to ask me a few questions whilst saying she was sorry for phoning me on New Years Eve. I said “I’ve an idea what you want to know, but please continue.”

She then went on to ask me if I had the Flu shot, Swine Flu shot, another shot I’d never heard of and whether my height and weight still remained the same before leaving the question I thought she would have asked first, do you smoke.

I explained, on political terms,one by one, why I didn’t have the Flu shot, Swine Flu shot etc and would not divulge if I smoked or not, telling her that I was a member of F2C and was diametrically opposed to the smoking ban and my political stance on it (I was fuming by then, no pun intended) and I ran their office. The upshot was that she told me that the practice would not ask me those questions again…I’ll wait with baited breath!

Two hours later!

The head receptionist phoned me up (I answered in the same tone as above) with one question about Beryl’s (my wife) health* but didn’t ask me if she had her Flu shot, Swine Flu shot, or the other Flu shot I’d never heard of, or her height or weight or her fucking Alzheimer's …no, she asked if she still smoked!
 
Once again I was told that these questions would not be asked of me…I wait with baited breath.
You have to ask the question WTF is going on today?

*Because of Beryl’s Alzheimer’s I have legal authority to act and speak on her behalf but that does not stop me from feeling terrible for her not being able to, especially where her health is concerned, say what she thinks. I know she is a mild smoker and, in her present condition, she hates this intrusion into her smoking habits. She does not understand this vicious smoking ban when she socialises.

Thought for today... And maybe tomorrow. Merry Christmas everyone...

...even to those who hate me for my lifestyle choices... now there's a buzz word or two if ever I heard them!

I'll let my doppelgänger explain:

Stress

A lecturer when explaining stress management to an audience,
Raised a glass of water and asked,
"How heavy is this glass of water?"

Answers called out ranged from 20g to 500g.

The lecturer replied, "The absolute weight doesn't matter.
It depends on how long you try to hold it.
If I hold it for a minute, that's not a problem.
If I hold it for an hour, I'll have an ache in my right arm.
If I hold it for a day, you'll have to call an ambulance
In each case, it's the same weight, but the longer I hold it, the heavier it becomes."

He continued,
"And that's the way it is with stress management.
If we carry our burdens all the time, sooner or later,
As the burden becomes increasingly heavy,
We won't be able to carry on."

"As with the glass of water,
You have to put it down for a while and rest before holding it again.
When we're refreshed, we can carry on with the burden."

"So, before you return home tonight, put the burden of work down. Don't carry it home You can pick it up tomorrow."

"Whatever burdens you're carrying now,
Let them down for a moment if you can.
So, my friend, Put down anything that may be a burden to you right now. Don't pick it up again until after you've rested a while."

Here are some great ways of dealing with the burdens of life:

* Accept that some days you're the pigeon,
And some days you're the statue.

* Always keep your words soft and sweet,
Just in case you have to eat them.

* Drive carefully. It's not only cars that can be
"Recalled" by their maker.

* If you can't be kind, at least have the decency to be vague.

* If you lend someone £20 and never see that person again,
It was probably worth it.

* It may be that your sole purpose in life is simply to be kind to others.

* Never put both feet in your mouth at the same time,
Because then you won't have a leg to stand on.

* Nobody cares if you can't dance well.
Just get up and dance.

* When everything's coming your way,
You're in the wrong lane.

* Birthdays are good for you.
The more you have, the longer you live.

* You may be only one person in the world,
But you may also be the world to one person.

* Some mistakes are too much fun to only make once.

*A truly happy person is one who can enjoy the scenery

On a detour.

Have an awesome day and know that someone has thought about you today . . . I did.

Have a Happy Christmas dear readers and have a very, very Merry New Year. All within government guidlines of course...yeah fookin' right!

TheBigYin