Of Glasses and Smoke.....

We never suspected a thing because she never gave us cause to. It was the school that said she needed her eyes examined. So my oldest granddaughter went in to have her eyes checked and ...... unfortunately, she has to have glasses. She has moderate Astigmatism. She will turn 8 in a couple months and I just hate it that she has to wear glasses. I was probably close to 10 or 11 when I first started wearing mine. Her mother (my daughter) was about 10 when she first had to have glasses. I remember how the teasing from the cruel kids at school would bring on tears night after night.

We have hidden our dismay from her because we don't want her to feel bad or think she's ugly because she has to wear them. I just hope the cruel kids at school don't put her through too much hell over this. She gets them tomorrow and this is pretty good timing. She will have the summer to get used to them with no kids around to tease her. And yes......we remembered to insure them!

The other day at work one of the department heads waltzed into my office with a cigarette hanging out of his mouth. You know with all the cigarette bans in place, its unusual to see something like that anymore. Anyway at first I just thought he was holding it in his mouth because he was stressed or something but then I saw him take a drag and blow smoke out. Heck, he even French inhaled! I looked over my shoulder and whispered..."are you nuts?....You can't do that in here!". He laughed and took another big drag and blew the 'smoke' toward me. I noticed then that I couldn't smell it.

To get to the bottom line here......what he had was the new "e-cigarette". Ever heard of them? They look just like a regular cigarette until you touch it. Its made of plastic and its, of course, heavier than a real one. The end even lights up like its burning. The cartridge is the 'filter' part of it, which screws on. That is where the nicotine comes from. He said that one cartridge is the equivalent of about a pack of cigarettes. When the nicotine has gotten weak and used up, you screw on a new cartridge. The "smoke" is a vapor that dissipates, leaving no odor....no smoky trail. He is a heavy smoker and he said that he couldn't tell the difference in taste and/or enjoyment from a regular cigarette. They are not harmful to the environment, not harmful to others around you, including children and babies, and from what I understand....not even harmful to you. Its the tobacco and smoke that's harmful, not the nicotine...but its the nicotine that is addictive. This e-cigarette makes sure you get the nicotine in whatever strength you want....light, medium or heavy. He says the cost of cartridges equivalent to a carton is about $15. I guess that's a pretty hefty savings right there.

I used to be a smoker so I do understand. I've been smoke-free for over twenty years and never crave them anymore. They warn you not to partake of this e-cigarette if you're a non-smoker....so I can't personally tell you what they are like. Anyone out there tried one of these yet? If they are as good as my co-worker says.....than this is a wonderful invention. Smokers can have their cigarettes without fear of harming themselves or anyone around them. Nothing smells of tobacco smoke because there IS no tobacco, so no odor. No worries of burning anything....its battery operated. The only downfall I can see is that you would have to make sure you didn't misplace it. Boy, I'll tell ya.....this is like having your cake and eating it too. I sure hope this catches on. I'm working on my daughter to try them. I guess the initial cost for the starter package is around $130. About the cost of two cartons of cigarettes.....and I guess the starter kit comes with enough cartridges for 5 packs of cigarettes.

Have a great weekend.......promise?