Go with the Michelins, vortex. They give you a quieter ride too.

Ahh, smoking. It's the bad boy to which I keep going back, what with the spell he puts on me. I started in high school -- 17ish -- with whatever I could get my hands on, which usually meant Winstons or my grandmother's Benson & Hedges 100's Menthol. Then in college I switched to Camel Lights. The Djarum clove cigarettes came out when I clubbed. Something junior year made me switch to Marlboro Lights, and I've been smoking them ever since. When in Canada, it's duMaurier and in Italy/France, it's Muratti.

I actually quit after graduation, but the stress (and alcohol) of law school got me hooked again. I was up to a pack and a half a day. Now it's a pack every 3 days. It helps that I don't smoke in the house. My mother used to smoke Virginia Slims but quit cold turkey in 1979. My father's one of those rare birds that can smoke a cigarette with friends who smoke, and never get hooked. My sister smokes (Marlboro Lights), and that comes from working in the restaurant/bar industry.

One of these days, I'm going to quit, but today is not the day. I'm not mentally ready yet.

How did we I (it's just me, right?) miss this? It's ChiKat's birthday!

Feliciations to you, Dearheart, on the Anniversary of Your Natal Day! With the schedule you're working these days there probably isn't time for cake and frivols, but at least get a cupcake, stick a candle in it, make a wish and blow it out. We'll all add our ~ma to your wish.

And later on, when there's time to breathe, let there be cake, and fun, and many, many happy returns of the day!

It's ChiKat's birthday? I missed it, too, Bev!

Happy, happy birthday, ChiKat! Here's to cake and a lot of happy in the coming year.

One of these days, I'm going to quit, but today is not the day. I'm not mentally ready yet.

Maria is me.

Also, Maria!!! Good to see you here, gorgeous!

Um, no, Bev. It's me too. In fact I missed a bunch of birthdays.

So.....

Happiest of birthdays to ChiKat, and happiest of belated ones to Hil, Jessica, brenda, and everyone else I missed.

~ma to those that need it.

(Christ, can I overgeneralise any more? I didn't think so.) Bad Maria, no biscuit.

edit: AmyLiz!

D'oh! Happy Birthday, ChiKat! Don't work too late!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY CHIKAT!!!!

All the biscuits in the world for Maria! You deserve them in other ways than in marking board birthdays.

Plus, I can't eat either the American soft flaky crusty kind *or* the British cookie kind of biscuit, so you can have all mine.

Also? Tacklehug!

Happy birthday ChiCat.

Also a big hello to Maria, been a long time since I've been online when you've been around.

I dated a smoker for several years, he prefered Marlboros, in fact I have sweat shirt and another jacket that was his he bought with points that I ended up with. He got into smoking menthols for awhile and I hated that. He'd smoke and then eat butterscotch hard candy to take the taste out --I got him to stop because I hated kissing him after that he tasted horrid.

He also had a really bad habit of putting out his cigarettes in empty (or what he thought were empty) drink cans. He did that once to a drink that I wasn't finished with, I came back and took a gulp and ---there is nothing in the world worse than accidentally swallowing a menthol cigarette butt. Nothing.

Plus, I can't eat either the American soft flaky crusty kind *or* the British cookie kind of biscuit, so you can have all mine.

Someone else can have the American kind, but Im in ur cubordz eatin ur Brit biscuits. Now I want tea.

::tacklehugs all the Bitches, and gropes them too::