Truly, it has been a rough month. I'm on my fifth week without so much as a deep breath of second hand cigar smoke. Friends have commented that I am out of my gourd or that I've gone through an "Invasion of the Body Snatchers" type episode. I have been replaced by someone healthier, less odorous and perhaps a tad more cranky (Renae thinks this part is not possible).
On the bright side, though I don't necessarily feel physically different, I'm sure this turning a new leaf (it's not a tobacco leaf, sadly) is good for me, healthwise, if not emotionally. It's still no fun to run 3 or 4 miles, but I'm able to do so without much trouble. I guess my breath is better and my clothes don't smell like stale cigar smoke. That's good, right? Also, our budget is a tad better since I'm spending nothing on stogies. On the down side, my anticipation of smoking a nice tasty Dominican or Nicaraguan cigar goes unsatisfied. I guess I'm thankful that the weather has been significantly less than savory for the past couple of weeks, but I know that will change and very soon. I'll long to park my butt on someone else's deck (since I don't have one), crack open a cold beer and light up a cigar. The thought of an 80 degree day in Chicago (I know, seems far off, right) and an afternoon with my buds over icy suds and some tasty 50 ring gauge Churchills has me chomping at the bit. I have been trying to figure out a way to get at least once cigar in my monthly regiment without causing detriment to my meager running schedule and my marriage. Okay, so I don't think Renae's that tough on me, honestly. There actually is a part of me that likes this ability to go more than two days without a stogie. Then there are the "fall off the wagon" moments. For example, recently a friend opened his humidor to show me about 75 Cuban cigars he had "acquired." It was about a week after I "quit." I nearly wept. Let's just leave it at that. I don't want to talk about it anymore.
So if you find yourself wanting to invite me to a backyard barbeque or a guy's night out over stogies and scotch, please feel free to do so. I need all the help I can get.
